Posted by Fly on a Dime on Mar 9, 2010 in
Dining on a Dime I’ve always loved lasagna but I look at the meal as being time consuming with the layers and layers of ingredients. Hence, I’ve never made lasagna.
Fortunately I found a cheap, easy recipe from All You for their spinach ricotta skillet lasagna. The ingredients list was simple and the preparation was even easier. Unlike typical lasagna which requires baking, this gem is coked on the stovetop with oven-ready noodles (they don’t require boiling).
The meal was delish. And that’s not just my opinion, the family loved it also. Cousin Lammie* and I were literally standing up and eating the lasagna, we couldn’t wait to sit at the dining room table.
A few tips I’d offer up if you’re making this dish:
-Make sure you really drain the spinach. You don’t want watery lasagna.
-The directions indicate a 20 minute cooking time on medium low heat, but if you don’t like your pasta al dente, I’d suggest an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
The skillet produced 4 huge servings or 6 smaller servings. The total cost of ingredients was less than $14!
Tags: cheap meals
Posted by Fly on a Dime on Feb 23, 2010 in
Dining on a Dime I’ve been increasingly dining in lately. Not just due to limited funds (I’m saving up for a vacation), but I love adding new recipes to my culinary repertoire. Every week I’ll hit you with a delicious meal that’s easy to make and doesn’t require expensive or an extensive list of ingredients.
This week I made Shrimp Scampi over Pasta. I based it on All You’s recipe. With just a few ingredients, I knew I could easily prepare a hearty Sunday dinner. I omitted the crushed red pepper (because I didn’t have any) and added in some cremini mushrooms and parmesan cheese (because mushrooms and cheese make everything taste better).
The meal was yum-o! This is a dish you can whip up in a pinch (it only took 10 or 15 minutes) and impress your dinner guests.
Tags: cheap meals, food, recipe
Posted by Fly on a Dime on Feb 11, 2010 in
Dining on a Dime 
With my crazy schedule I haven’t had time to dine anywhere for Restaurant Week but fortunately there was a food truck near my job offering $6 cups of soup from some of the hottest restaurants in NYC.
I chose the corn, crab and chorizo chowder from Delmonico’s. No, $6 isn’t cheap for soup, but it normally costs $15 at the restaurant.
This soup was divine. Not too heavy, not watery, but just perfect. And it came with a chewy baguette from Tom Cat Bakery, which was perfect for dipping.
I seriously wanted to go back for more but I figured why not make my own version? And mine wouldn’t cost $15 per serving.
I swapped out crab for lobster (partially because I’m using the remaining lobster to make lobster mac and cheese) and based it on a recipe from the Food Network.
Here’s the price breakdown:
potatoes, $1.35
chorizo, $2.99
garlic, $1.29
onion, 39ยข
heavy cream, $2.99
chicken stock, $3.79
*i forgot my $1 off coupon for this at home
langostino tails, $8.99
*I only used about a third of the pack
bread, $2.99
Total: $24.78 for 4-5 hearty servings
Results: It was yummy of course. It had a nice creamy texture and wasn’t watery, which I was afraid of. With yesterday’s crappy weather in NYC, it was great having a nice hearty soup to chow down on. Every bite had several chunks of potatoes, chorizo and langostino. However, next time I think I’ll make it without the chorizo or maybe I’ll chop it up more, the pieces were too big.
This could easily be a vegetarian meal by swapping out the meat and even more wallet friendly by leaving out the langostino or substituting it with shrimp.
Tags: dining out, recipe
Posted by Fly on a Dime on Feb 9, 2010 in
Dining on a Dime,
Drinks,
dining A few days ago I was invited to attend a Bloggers Night Out at Seventeen Below as a part of Social Media Week. I was tempted to head straight home and down another cup of TheraFlu but I’m so glad I didn’t. I met fellow bloggers and got an intimate peak at Seventeen Below, a restaurant/lounge in Harlem.
I was immediately impressed when I sat at the bar and noticed all of the drink specials were named after the bloggers in attendance. I couldn’t believe I was actually drinking a “Living Fly on a Dime.” And let me tell you, it was yum-tastic. I sampled a few others, but of course mine was the best.
The food was equally as good. Even though my cold resulted in a loss of appetite, I chowed down on chicken quesadillas, nachos with shrimp and my favorite, the calamari. My stomach was pleased. And the meals normally average just $10-$15 for nice portions.
Beyond the food and drinks, it was the ambiance that impressed me. Upholstered walls. Sconces and chandeliers. Floor length glam portrait of Diana Ross. Speakeassy vibe.
It really is worth checking out if you’re in the Harlem area and looking for a {fly} affordable spot.*
*No, I’m not just saying that because they fed me 
Tags: Harlem, Patrice's life, Seventeen Below
Posted by Fly on a Dime on Oct 5, 2009 in
Dining on a Dime,
dining 
I love eating out. The fatty in me would try a new restaurant Every.Single.Day, but that would leave me with a nonexistent 401K. No bueno! Luckily, DiningFever.com makes enjoying yummy food a bit easier on the wallet.
The new site has deals for up to 25% off your restaurant tab and you can search by neighborhood or cuisine so it’s super easy to find cheap(er) eats.
For now, Dining Fever only offers discounts for NYC establishments but they’re expanding to other cities.
Tags: Dining Fever, eating out, New York
