|
|
|
Frugal Foodie: Waste-Not Recipes
for the Wise Cook by Lara Starr with Lynette Shirk ($15.95, Viva Editions, 2009) In these tough economic times (as the well-worn phrase goes) how is a foodie to enjoy
him/herself? What happened to fancy restaurants? $28/lb cheeses and single origin chocolates? Wines that get ratings above
86? Is life even worth living? Well, fortunately, our friend Lanny at The Compleat Bookseller recommended The Frugal Foodie at a most opportune time. I picked it up and
spent a great weekend memorizing it.
Truthfully, I’m not a real spendthrift. I choke at expensive
wines and even more expensive dinners. But I do believe in eating (very) well. And in that regard, this book is a real joy,
with chapters such as….
• Bankable Breakfasts – The authors like breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and making your own coffee drinks. • Lunch for Less – How to avoid boring lunches that sit in the work fridge, while you cheat and sneak out for lunch. • Snacks on a Shoestring – Candy, cupcakes, wings. • Dinners on a Dime – Pizza, potatoes, pasta and other carby goodness. • Midnight Snacks – Dips and midnight cheese sandwiches. • Also: Kids’ meals, brunches and parties, thrifty gifts.
But the true fun of the book is the liberal sprinkling of valuable tips throughout
that help you live well for less. Like buying a mini-bottle of brandy instead of a whole bottle for your Steak au Poivre.
And having a substitution chart in case you don’t have maple sugar or shallots on hand. Or how to make an instant granita.
Of course, there’s a perception issue here. How “stretchy” do you want to go? Do you want to invite friends and ask them to all bring a seafood for your Block Party Bouillabaisse? Or decorate toilet paper rolls with buttons to be napkin holders? Or put your greens in a pillowcase and swing it around your head as a free salad spinner?
In other words, how frugal a foodie are you? The comfort level is up to you. The
dedication says it all: Be tight with your money and open with your heart.
A few comments, free from me: 1) The quotes throughout are way fun, e.g. “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap” – Dolly Parton. 2) I tried one tip about pouring olive oil into the food processor’s feeder tube to make pesto. Well, just a word of warning. Be sure all the oil’s drained before you open up the processor. Man, what a mess. 4) Will you save enough
to make back your $15.95? We did the calculations. Eating only a few breakfasts and lunches brought from home would more than
pay for the book. Now if someone would serve it to me on a tablecloth in a place that is not my desk… Interested in finding about more about foodal frugality? The Frugal Foodies have a blog. It's
free of course: FrugalFoodieCookbook.
Find The Frugal Foodie at: The Compleat Bookseller |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
