Cooking on a Budget

[Usually Curious]

But whose budget? Certainly not mine! Keep in mind these are the people 'reporting' on our economic situation and presuming that they can tell us what we should do.



Spaghetti Meal With Twist And On The Cheap
Add Lamb To The Mix! Chef Amanda Freitag Tries To Prep Family-Friendly Dinner On "Shoestring" Budget Of $35

Comments Comments28 | Page 1 of 2

NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2009
Send this story via emailE-Mail Story

View a Printer-friendly version of this storyPrint Story

Read related blogs & articles about this storySphere

Share

Text Size: A A A

* Videos
* Photos

Chef Amanda Freitag prepares Lamb Ragu with Rigatoni and Fresh Ricotta on "The Early Show."
Previous PhotoNext Photo
1 | 2

Beet Salad with Crushed Pistachios & Soft Goat Cheese is prepared by chef Amanda Freitag and host Erica Hill on "The Early Show." (CBS)

Play Video
PlayVideo
Lamb & Rigatoni Delight!

Get ready for some mouthwatering recipes, as Tribeca chef Amanda Freitag presents a budget "Chef On A Shoestring" dinner with some innovative Italian-style dishes. | Share/Embed

» More Videos
Related
Chef on a Shoestring
In The Spotlight

Chef on a Shoestring

Check out recipes and tips from many chefs who accepted our "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge!


Recipe Finder
News Tools

Recipe Finder

Searching for a new dish? Get cooking with The Early Show's recipe archive.



Answers.com

(CBS) Amanda Freitag is all about feeding the family.

She's executive chef at The Harrison, in Manhattan's trendy Tribeca neighborhood. Freitag treats guests to an inspired New-American menu that tourists and New Yorkers alike can't seem to get enough of.

As The Early Show Saturday Edition's "Chef on a Shoestring," Freitag sought to take a traditional, three-course spaghetti dinner and give it a little twist any family would love - on our new, lower, recession-busting budget of $35.

And, we introduced another challenge to our "Shoestring" chefs. We're calling it "How Low Can You Go?" The chef who prepares the least-costly meal will be back at the end of the year to create our big, blowout holiday feast!

Menu
# Beet Salad with Crushed Pistachios & Soft Goat Cheese
# Lamb Ragu with Rigatoni and Fresh Ricotta
# Greek Yogurt with Blood Oranges, Honey & Mint

[freespirited]

What a joke! I feed my family for three days for $35! Who needs crushed pistachios and soft goat cheese and blood oranges if you are on a "shoestring budget"? I can do a ground buffalo bolognese sauce with gluten-free penne, a nice organic salad and fresh fruit for dessert for like $10-$15 and my family would enjoy it just as much. Lamb? I don't even think I'd like lamb in pasta. Weird.

[yeahwhat]

If I want to spend $35 on a spaghetti dinner, I'll go to a restaurant and let someone else do the cooking, serving and cleanup. A local restaurant is having a $34 for 2 special that includes appetiser, spaghetti, dessert, coffee and half a bottle of wine for $34.

$35 on one meal made at home would be a fancy party/holiday meal with several guests and a bottle of wine around here. It doesn't happen very often.

[onthemove]

How low can you go? certainly lower than $35, I agree we could go out and eat for that amount and not have the cleanup.

[ArtsyMomma]

Ha. We could eat dinner for a week on $35.

[Guinevere]

How more out of touch with the average American's tastes and budget can you get? $35 for spaghetti? Seriously? And spaghetti is traditionally thought of as one of the cheaper meals -- try $5 for the entire meal to feed 8, including bread and salad. What a total waste of journalism!

Guin

[4kidlets4me]

I'm making spaghetti for dinner tonight,
My costs: noodles 1.00
homemade sauce .76
homemade rolls .50 and that's being generous
total costs 2.26 that will feed my family of 6 will some leftovers. Even if I decided to add in a lb of ground beef that would only bring it up to 4.15. If I was gonna spend 35 on a meal it would probably be a holiday meal and we would have several days of leftovers.

[MamaChicken]

If red beans and rice aren't on her list, it can't be that "shoestring". I mean that is our ultimate cheap meal - a few cups of rice (brown or white) and a few cups of dried red beans. We mix in cajun spice and maybe some Worsteshire sauce. Since I buy it all in bulk, it's maybe $1.50 for the whole family? If I'm feeling crazy, I'll add a $2 keilbasa or other sausage. I mean seriously, $35?

[lolar2]

I don't think she'll win that contest.

[Llyra]

How is $35 shoestring? Well, if you're used to prime rib and lobster seven nights a week, I guess.

We could eat out for less than that, all five of us.

My weekly grocery bill right now is only about $85, for the whole week, all meals, all five of us. In one of the highest COL areas in the USA, too. And I think we eat really well, too.

I think stuff like this makes a mockery of what real, average, working people go through to keep food on the table for their families. There are people like me, who are honestly doing without genuine necessities, in order to cut back and save money, and then I see things like this, and it's like some rich snob is "slumming" and playacting at being "on a budget," and I feel mocked.

And I think putting beets and pistachios and goat cheese together sounds nasty, anyway. I like any of those individually, but together? Ew.

[Fuamami]

I don't think it's a recipe you make at home, I think she serves it to your family for $35, right? It's kind of hard to follow. The salad sounds yummy!

[mnnice]

Chef on a shoestring has been a regular segment on CBS for years. It used to be $25 than they raised it to $50 and apparently they dropped it down to $35.

The idea is that you can make fancy, quality resturant style food for four adults with out spending a ton. It way for top NYC chefs to showcase their skills; it's not meant to be competition for the Hillbilly housewife. It's meant to be special occasion food/dinner party type food. I really don't think $35 is that out of line to spend on your DP or best friend birthday (especially if you enjoy cooking and meal is the gift). Around here I think you'd spend about $35a piece for that meal (plus a bottle of wine) so your total would be $140 plus another $35 in tax and tip.

I thought it sounded good. :Blood oranges are pretty seasonal and this is their peak. Beets are seasonal too.

[elephantmargaret]

$35 for 1 meal? I try to keep mine between $3-5!