It’s easy to fall in love with the Farmers Market. Though, I don’t often go to mine because I often grocery shop on Sunday nights. But I was so excited for this week’s challenge that I woke at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning and headed to my local Farmers Market. What could I get for $25?
One of my foodie friends sent me this helpful link. After reading about what was in season and making sure I had 25 dollars in cash, I was ready to take on this challenge!
The Shopping Experience:
When I arrived, the colors of the fresh fruits and vegetables were stunning. The fresh smells of pies, flowers and herbs lured me to all corners of the market. I loved talking to the vendors about their food and the stories and recipes behind them. It is truly the ultimate community experience. Here is what I ended up buying:
Shallots and Fingerling Potatoes $4
Butterkäse Cheese $6
Red Curry Squash $3
Cherry Tomatoes $2
Seasonal Herb Tagliatelle $10
Total: $25
As I was riding home with all my new local treasures, it hit me. What exactly was I going to make? I didn’t come with recipes in mind – I just picked up things that sounded good together. My taste buds wouldn’t lead me wrong (or leave me hungry) right? I came home and created the menu.
Please note it was a shorter week than expected at home (will explain and blog about those details in two weeks!). Thus, I have three main meals to share with you.
Sunday: Red Curry Squash Soup
Notes: My friend who shopped with me at the Farmers Market encouraged me to try something new. When she picked up the Red Curry Squash she said, “How hard can it be?”
The answer: Hard! I couldn’t find a ton of recipes using it. So I went with this one: http://www.wildlandfire.com/recipes/squash_soup.htm
Tweaks: I used shallots instead of onions. I baked the squash with some garlic olive oil. I didn’t have soy milk, so I used skim milk instead. I thinly sliced and baked some of the potatoes I bought for a garnish.
You will need your sharpest knife to cut the squash in half (And after five minutes of attempting to cut into the squash, I called my husband in to assist.)
Results: My husband was hesitant (Probably because it looked like fancier version of nacho sauce – Ha!). We liked the overall flavor. Honestly, though, when I took the squash out the oven and tasted it, I thought it was amazing as is. (Then again, I think garlic olive oil makes everything taste better.) I would make it again and serve as a side. If I were making a bigger menu, I would serve the soup as a starter. As a main meal again, I would add veggies to the sauté (like zucchini and mushrooms). I’ve realized I like chunkier soups. The soup can feed 4-6 easily, so I froze the leftover to eat when we’re looking for a quick meal.
Monday: Egg & Hash Brown Pancake
Notes: It’s fun to do breakfast for dinner every once in a while. I made this recipe up (taste testing all the way through the process). Because I wanted to get the most out of my fingerling potatoes, I decided to shred them. I was surprised how much hash browns came from one potato. If we had eaten them whole, we would have gone through them quicker.
Potato Cakes: (In each pancake)
1 large fingerling potato shredded
½ shallot diced
1/4 cup shredded cheese
Pepper
Fresh diced basil and chives
1 Egg
Cherry tomatoes
1. Mix first five ingredients into patties. Heat frying pan with a tablespoon of oil. Continue to flatten patties as they cook on medium-low. I cooked mine for five minutes on each side. Cooking times may vary depending on how thin (or thick) your pancake is.
2. In another frying pan, cook the egg as you please (fried, scrambled, etc).
3. Put egg over Hash Brown Pancake. Sprinkle with more pepper and fresh herbs and serve. Garnish with cherry tomatoes.
Results: It worked well, but in hindsight… why didn’t I just look at the Betty Crocker recipe? I think this recipe is pretty flexible due to my theory that everyone likes hash browns. Would I make again? Yes, but I might match it closer to the Betty Crocker recipe.
Tuesday: Fancy Pasta Night! (My Birthday Dinner)
Notes: My husband knows that I love a good Italian meal, but I have hard time paying $40 for a pasta dinner, no matter the occasion. I still wanted our dinner to feel special and quick enough to not stress about it on a weeknight.
Ingredients:
Fancy pasta of your choice!
Simple Sauce:
6-10 cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
1 shallot diced
8 oz can of tomato sauce
Fresh pepper
Fresh basil
Fresh grated Parmesan with Italian bread crumbs
1. Sauté tomatoes and shallots in olive oil for a few minutes over medium. To make it feel a little saucier, I threw in an 8 oz can of a tomato sauce that I had in the pantry.
2. Add a little fresh pepper and fresh basil.
3. Cook noodles till are al dente and add sauce.
4. Sprinkle some Parm cheese and Italian bread crumbs on top if desired.
Results: One minute ‘til al dente? Happy birthday to me! I never thought I could make such a classy dinner in less than 10 minutes. This was by far our favorite meal.
For the other two dinners of the week:
We used leftover ingredients. With the extra cheese, we made grilled cheese sandwiches one night. Another night we grilled the leftover fingerling potatoes as a simple side to our marinated chicken.
Lessons Learned:
- Know what’s in season before you go to the Farmers Market.
- Don’t be afraid to try something new.
- Come with a couple recipe ideas. With more recipe research, I would have bought differently.
- It’s hard to say if the Farmers Market is cheaper than the supermarket. (I think it depends on if you want to barter or the time of the day you go there). In the end I learned I can still make a week’s worth of dinners either way!
Next Week’s Budget Challenge: Back to the supermarket! $25 dollars and Betty Crocker coupons. What kind of meals can I make?