Welcome to a Valentine’s Day or Date Night dinner. This is another one in the pick your budget series. Let’s start with an appetizer. Please note all prices are from Walmart unless otherwise noted.
APPETIZERS
1.9oz Lunchables Value Pack $1.00 or
2.4oz Armour Lunchmakers kit $1.00
Note: these have your cheese, meat and crackers. To make it more festive cut the meat and cheese using a mini heart shaped cookie cutter. If you desire, Dollar General has a 12 count Baked With Love mini cookie cutters for $2.40 or just use a knife.
5oz box of Snapps Mozzarella Sticks or Loaded Potato Sticks $1.24
Dollar Tree 24oz Conagra Brands Pasta Sauce $1.25 or
Dollar Tree 8oz Classic Ranch Salad Dressing $1.25
8oz Great Value Flavored Cream Cheese Spread/Dip $1.84 or
7.5oz Philadelphia Flavored Cream Cheese Spread/Dip $3.97
Dollar Tree has 12oz Global Brands Vegetable Crackers $1.25 or
Dollar Tree 7oz Monet Crackers (a few varieties) $1.25
10oz Marketside Hummus $2.72 or
8oz TGI Fridays Frozen Spinach Artichoke Dip $4.44
9.5oz Town House Pita Crackers $3.97
Now that you have picked your appetizer let’s move onto our Main Course.
MAIN COURSE
The cheapest option would be 1 or 2 15oz cans Great Value Spaghetti Rings Pasta with or without Meatballs in Sauce $1.08
Spaghetti with Pink Sauce, Meatballs or Not, Salad and Garlic Herb Biscuits
16oz Great Value Spaghetti .98¢
24oz can Conagra Brand Red Pasta Sauce - Dollar Tree $1.25
14oz Prego White Alfredo Sauce - Dollar Tree $1.25
To make: cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package. In another saucepan mix equal parts marinara and alfredo sauce. Heat the sauce through and serve.
Meatballs if desired - 1lb Mild Pork Italian Style Meatballs - Aldi’s $3.79
4ish ounces Taylor Farms Salad Kit (different varieties available) $1.97
8.5oz Harvest Hill Garlic Herb Biscuits Mix - Dollar Tree $1.25
Milk 32oz Marcel’s Modern Pantry Shelf Stable 2% Milk Dollar Tree $1.25
Parmesan cheese for pasta topping - Colonna Grated Parmesan Cheese Dollar Tree $1.25
Pork Chops in Creamy Mustard Sauce, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans and Biscuits
Pork Chops
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard - 12oz Great Value Dijon Mustard $1.62 (you can use regular mustard but it won’t be as flavorful as it is with the Dijon)
¼ cup sour cream - 8oz Great Value Sour Cream $1.24
¼ cup milk - 32oz Marcel’s Modern Pantry Shelf Stable 2% Milk Dollar Tree $1.25
1 tablespoon butter or oil - 8oz Land O Lakes Butter Butter in half sticks $2.57 or 8.5oz GEM Extra Virgin Olive Oil $4.48
Salt and pepper to taste - Everyday Salt and Pepper Shaker Set Dollar Tree $1.25
Optional: 1 teaspoon flour (for thickening) 2lb bag Nancy Jane Flour Dollar Tree $1.25
Optional: pinch garlic or onion powder - 3.25-3.4oz Great Value Garlic or Onion Powder $1.08
Optional: Splash vinegar for brighter flavor - 32oz Old Style White Vinegar Dollar Tree $1.25
Optional: Pinch sugar - helps balance mustard - 1lb Domino Granulated Sugar Dollar Tree $1.25
Optional: A little dried parsley for a restaurant vibe - .4oz Great Value Parsley Flakes $1.08
To make: Cook your pork chops, estimated 2-6 minutes per side. You need an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Remove them and set them aside to rest before serving. Leave the pan on low heat and warm your butter/oil. Add your flour if using and stir together for about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk so it doesn’t clump up. Now stir in the mustard, salt, pepper and any optional seasonings. Simmer this mixture for 2-3 minutes until it thickens and becomes creamy. Remove your mixture from the heat and whisk in your sour cream (if it needs to be heated do so gently without boiling.) Spoon this mixture over the pork chops.
Baked Potatoes - Russet Baking Potato .88¢ a pound with
Butter - 8oz Land O Lakes Butter in half sticks $2.57
Whipped (whipped with your hand mixer) and/or
Sour Cream - leftover from your pork chops
Green Beans - 14.5oz can Great Value French Style Green Beans .76¢ or
12oz Marketside Fresh Green Beans $2.47
8.5oz Harvest Hill Garlic Herb Biscuits Mix - Dollar Tree $1.25
Milk - 32oz Marcel’s Modern Pantry Shelf Stable 2% Milk Dollar Tree $1.25
CopyCat Long John Silver’s Fish or Shrimp with Hushpuppies and Homemade French Fries by RecreATE by Sarah
Fish - 1lb Great Value Cod Skinless Fillets $8.43 and/or
Shrimp - 12oz Great Value Frozen Extra Large Shrimp $6.96
1 ¾ cup flour - 2lb bag Nancy Jane Flour Dollar Tree $1.25
2 tablespoons cornstarch - 16oz Great Value Cornstarch $1.92
¼ teaspoon baking soda - 8oz box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda .87¢
1 teaspoon salt - 26oz Great Value Iodized Salt .76¢
1 cup club soda - 33.8oz Great Value Club Soda .97¢
Add a pinch of each of the following:
Paprika - 2.5oz Great Value Paprika $1.08
Garlic Powder - 3.4oz Great Value Garlic Powder $1.08
Onion powder - 3.25oz Great Value Onion Powder $1.08
Oil for frying - 16oz Golden Chef Vegetable Oil Dollar Tree $1.25
To make: sift together the flour, cornstarch and baking soda. Add in your seasoning and mix well. Finally add the club soda and whisk everything together. Season your fish with salt and pepper then coat in the batter (if using shrimp simply coat the shrimp in the batter.) Place your battered fish or shrimp into a deep pan that has plenty of oil in it heated to 320 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer drop a small pinch of batter into the oil - when it sizzles, bubbles and floats to the top your oil is ready.
Hush Puppies
½ cup flour - 2lb bag Nancy Jane Flour Dollar Tree $1.25
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornmeal - 35.27oz PAN White Cornmeal $2.87
½ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon baking powder - 8.1oz Great Value Baking Powder $1.98
¾ teaspoon sugar - 1lb Domino Granulated Sugar Dollar Tree $1.25
1 teaspoon onion powder - 3.25oz Great Value Onion Powder $1.08
1 teaspoon garlic powder - 3.4oz Great Value Garlic Powder $1.08
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons onion, minced - Whole Fresh Yellow Onion .85¢lb
½ large egg (crack into a bowl and whisk until perfectly combined. Then measure it and half that amount.) 6ct Great Value Large Eggs $1.13
½ cup milk- 32oz Marcel’s Modern Pantry Shelf Stable 2% Milk Dollar Tree $1.25
To make: mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder and minced onion. In another bowl add your half egg and the milk, mix well. Mix your milk and egg mixture into your other bowl and mix well. Drop about 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of this batter into the oil heated to 320 degrees. Cook the hushpuppies until golden brown.
12oz Great Value Tarter Sauce $1.52 or Copycat Long John Silvers Tarter Sauce
½ cup mayo - 15oz Great Value Mayonnaise $2.12
½ cup finely chopped pickles - 17oz Breckenridge Farms Hamburger Dill Pickle Chips Dollar Tree $1.25
A pinch of black pepper - 2oz Spice Time Ground Black Pepper Dollar Tree $1.25
½ teaspoon lemon juice - 17oz Riverton Orchards Lemon Juice Dollar Tree $1.25
1 cup sugar - 1lb Domino Granulated Sugar Dollar Tree $1.25
To make: simply mix everything together and stir well.
Homemade French Fries - Russet Baking Potato .88¢ a pound
To make: wash and peel the potatoes if desired (I never peel my potatoes.) Cut the potatoes into evenly sized strips, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Uniform size ensures even cooking. Place the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water as you cut them and then soak for at least 30 minutes to remove excess starch, which helps make the fries crispier. Drain and pat dry thoroughly with a clean towel or paper towels. Pour enough oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot to submerge the fries. Heat the oil to about 325 degrees for the first fry. First Fry - fry the potatoes in batches for about 3-4 minutes until they are soft but not browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Let them cool slightly; this step helps achieve crispiness later. Increase the oil temperature to 375 degrees. Fry the potatoes again in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Immediately season with salt or other seasonings and serve.
Salt for seasoning - 26oz Great Value Iodized Salt .76¢
DRINK - next we need to select a drink to have with our dinner.
8.4oz Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider Dollar Tree $1.25 or
25.4oz Welch’s Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Juice Cocktail (various Flavors) $2.00 or
Cranberry Ginger Ale:
2 liter bottle Great Value Ginger Ale $1.00
64oz Great Value Cranberry Cocktail $2.64
To Make: simply mix 50% Ginger Ale with 50% Cranberry Cocktail.
Note: Be sure to chill any drink before serving.
DESSERT - finally let’s move on to dessert.
4” Chocolate Eclair Pie .96¢ or
5.75oz Marketside Chocolate Creamy Mousse Cup $2.98 or
5.41oz Edwards Frozen Singles Dessert Pie (2pack) $3.74 or
12count Mini Cupcakes in the bakery aisle $4.48
8oz Great Value Frozen Whipped Topping $1.12 or
6.5oz can Great Value Whipped Topping $1.97 - to make a pretty presentation
Add-Ons
Salt and pepper shakers for the table - Everyday Salt and Pepper Shaker Set Dollar Tree $1.25
Butter - 8oz Land O Lakes Butter Butter in half sticks $2.57
Have an amazing evening!
You can download the PDF file of this, here.
💗 Jo
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