V is for Value

There are a couple things I hate in life: Mondays, neighbors who think they are the next Timbaland in the wee hours of the morning, and $40 a Day.

That's right, I admit it; I hate a show on my beloved Food Network. Actually, despise might be a better word. Let me back up to where this hatred started (cue flashback music).

On a typical Saturday night in undergrad, you could find me planted in front of my television watching whatever was on Food Network (yeah, I lived dangerously ... but hey, partying required money ... which I didn't have). This particular night I splurged, bought myself Easy Mac instead of the Walmart brand mac & cheese, and assumed the watching position. Just as I was about to put the first fork full of 99 cent mac and cheese into my mouth, IT came on: the "Money, Money, Money," song boomed; the $40 a Day graphics came up; and a piece of my soul died.

There I was, trying to limit my monthly grocery spending to $40, watching a show about a woman trying to not spend $40 A DAY ... FOR ONE PERSON. I wasn't so hungry anymore. In fact, I kind of felt like vomiting.

I'm not living off of Easy Mac these days, but I still wouldn't be able to spend $40 a day on anything besides my bills (and maybe the occasional shoe splurge). So when I lost an airhockey bet to my boyfriend this past weekend and gained the "prize" of cooking dinner every night this week (which really got reduced to one nice dinner due to the St. Patty's Day festivities), I knew I'd have to go back to my budgeting days to get the biggest bang for my buck. So here's one fabulously organic meal, that feeds two people, for less than $20 bucks. Take that Rachel Ray (and make sure to give me more than 50 cents for tip).

Meal: Mussels three ways, peppered tuna with poblano oil, corn on the cob, and ginger creme brulee with mangoes

Cost: From Fresh Market (this is probably the most expensive place to buy food in Savannah, but the quality is soooooo amazing, that I don't mind).

1 Roma Tomato $ .67
1 Small Onion $ .75
2 Ears of Corn $ 1.63
1 Whipping Cream $ 2.19
1 Mini bottle of Chardonnay $ 2.49
1 Poblano Pepper $ 1.16
1 Mango $ 1.99
1 Sashimi Tuna Steak $ 5.43
1/2 a Pound of Mussels $ 2.27
Fresh Ginger $ .69
Tax $ .57
Total $19.84

* Other items you'll need, but you probably have already include: butter, eggs, garlic powder or cloves, oil, salt, pepper and flour.

Preparation:

Mussels Three Ways - Garlic Mussels, Pico de Gallo Mussels, Breaded Mussels with Poblano Cream Sauce

- Turn on oven's broiler.
- Take wine, and pour into shallow pan.
- Once the wine has started to boil, reduce to a simmer and add mussels. Put lid on top of pan and let the mussels steam until they open.
- Take 2/3 of the mussels out, and add three tablespoons of butter, some parsley (dried or fresh) and four cloves of minced garlic. Let simmer until the mussels are firm, but not overdone (about five minutes).
- Remove the top shell from the other 2/3 of the mussels.
- Remove the mussels from the shell of 1/3 of the mussels. Lightly roll them in flour and season with salt and pepper. Put back in shell.
- Put the remaining 2/3 of the mussels on a cookie sheet and put under broiler (on the lowest rack) for about five to seven minutes, or until the flour has started to brown.
- For Poblano Sauce: While the mussels are cooking, seed your poblano pepper and cut into three equal pieces. Put one piece under the broiler. Cook until all sides look burnt. Once it looks burnt, take it out, put it in a bowl, and cover it with a towel for five minutes. Take it out, peel off the skin, and put it in a blender with just enough cream to make it a nice sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- For Pico de Galo: Finely chop 1/2 of your onion, your tomato, and 1/3 of your poblano pepper. Mix together. Cut an ear of corn in half, then cut the corn off the ear and add to your pico mix. Season mix with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Once your mussels are done, take them out of the oven. Add pico to the mussels without breading. Add poblano sauce to mussels with breading. Take out mussels from the garlic and butter sauce. Plate and enjoy.

Seared Peppered Tuna with Poblano Oil and Corn on the Cob on the Side

- Finely chop up the remaining 1/3 of the poblano. Put it in a small pan, with 1/2 a cup of oil (if you have olive oil, use it, but vegetable oil will work too. Simmer for about 30 minutes to let the pepper infuse with the oil.

- Put the remaining corn on the cob in a pot of boiling water, cook for 10 - 15 minutes.

- Take your tuna steak and wash it well, then pat dry. Put a generous amount of freshly ground pepper on every side of the steak. Don't be afraid of putting too much. Remember that the steak is thick, so you'll only get a tiny bite of the seasoning.

- Put salt to taste on every side of the tuna steak.

- In a frying pan, put a tablespoon of olive oil. Put on high heat.

- Sear the tuna by placing it in the pan. Only leave it in until a thin line of white appears on the bottom of the tuna. Then, turn it over and sear the other side the same way. Do this on all sides of the tuna.

- Let the tuna rest for about five minutes, then cut it into thin, 1/8" slices.

- Make a puddle of oil on your plate, then put the tuna on top of it.

Ginger Cream Brulee with Mangos

I stole this recipe. So go here to get it. The recipe calls for a vanilla bean, but I used two teaspoons of vanilla extract instead and it worked just fine. It may sound like an odd dessert, but it is absolutely decadent. You'll also want to plan ahead for this one, as it takes three hours to chill in the fridge before eating.

Will ended up loving this meal, and I can say, for the price alone, I loved it too.