10 bucks! Feed 4!
Just like in top chef what would you make if you were faced with the same challenge?
Don't copy the ideas that they used on the show...
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36 Comments:
chili and cornbread
asian chicken salad
vegetable lasagna
sausage and pepper pasta w/ green salad
mac and cheese w/ green salad or green veggie of some kind
sustarz at 1:31AM on 05/01/08
grilled chicken cutlets with oven roasted sweet potatoes and Israeli salad
stir-fried chicken with red bell peppers and broccoli over brown rice
turkey meatballs with cauliflower mash and asparagus
sausage, spinach & red bell pepper quiche with green salad
brooke29 at 2:03AM on 05/01/08
a big pot of roasted veggie soup and fresh bread. (into comfort food this week)
huney_bumper at 7:24AM on 05/01/08
First of all, I was quite annoyed that Mark left. I thought he had a fun vibe, and as far as the overall dishes went, I was disappointed that Stephanie's combo of peanut butter and tomatoes did not send her home (though granted, I have liked Stephanie up until last night). Perhaps Stephanie is more talented overall, but I do hate when it seems as the though judges make decisions based on their past abilities. Stephanie, your dish last night sucked, and you should have gone home. I would have eaten that curry over your meal any night...Regardless, my cheap meal would consist of:
1.Chicken Tortilla soup (or chicken chili...), with a fresh tomato/corn/cilantro/black bean salad on the side, and if the budget allowed for it, some cornbread (maybe I would just spruce up a good ole box of 39cent jiffy :) )
2. Chicken Cacciatore with whole wheat angel hair, and a sauce of crushed tomatoes, onions, zucchini, green bell pepper, and tons of garlic and herbs.
3. Grilled Ham and Cheese sandwiches on a thick slice of grainy bread (onions on the sandwich if desired), with Chunky Tomato Soup (maybe filled with other veggies too? Like carrots?).
4. Chicken Tacos with tons of fresh veggies piled on top, and a side of either fresh tomato salsa, or a fresh corn salsa.
luswim06 at 8:18AM on 05/01/08
I've just gotta say - $10, okay, fine. $10 at Whole Foods!?!? WTF? Come on.
Anyhoo...
Pan roasted chicken thighs served on top of polenta
Salad - Romaine, string beans, cherry tomatoes, boiled new potatoes in a viniagrette.
If I could squeeze it in, I'd saute mushrooms in a bit of the remaining chicken fat, and add a bit of white wine, cook it down a tiny bit and then pour over the polenta before topping with the chicken.
chisai at 8:42AM on 05/01/08
chisai - I was thinking polenta too. Maybe you could find a cheap cut of pork to braise and top the polenta - I'd add some healthy, cheap greens too - maybe collards. You'd have to just see what was cheapest at the market and get creative.
SSMom at 9:13AM on 05/01/08
What, no meatloaf and baked potatoes? No chicken and rice? Even in this era of rising food prices, there are plenty of options from traditional favorites, just cranked up with newer slants. My guess is that almost any entry in the meatloaf contest would come in under $7.
lemons at 9:34AM on 05/01/08
$10 at Whole Foods isn’t as bad as you think it is. If you stick with their 365 brand products and bulk bins, you can definitely make a good meal for 4. In fact, I’ve found that their brand is cheaper than many other store brands or national brands and the quality is excellent.
I would have made saag “paneer” using their brand of tofu (only 99 cents!) instead of paneer and their store brand frozen spinach, rice pilaf (depending on what’s in that “Top Chef pantry,” otherwise just some seasoned steamed basmati rice), cucumber-cilantro raita, and mango lassis for dessert. And yes it would come in at under $10 – I shop at Whole Foods quite often (but I don’t buy their produce – it’s a fortune) and I know their prices like the back of my hand!
I would consider that a nutritious and healthy meal – tons of spinach, tofu provides protein (Tom can't complain), and lots of yogurt. And you get a dessert fruit/yogurt smoothie, too. Yay.
charm city cupcake at 11:15AM on 05/01/08
Lemons, I had thought about that and decided that I totally would have done a turkey sausage meatloaf with mashed sweet potatoes and a green side, maybe roasted brussel sprouts or steamed green beans. It would be kid friendly, healthy, and cheap! I probably could've made an apple or peach crisp to go with it.
I also thought of chicken and dumplings or any other kind of chicken soup, a whole chicken, carrots, onion, noodles - what would that cost? Maybe $5... I loved that Nikki did the roasted chicken, it was simple and looked yummy.
Tara Tot at 12:49PM on 05/01/08
Red Lentil soup made with the broth from poaching a couple of chicken thighs, onion and cumin with shredded parsley and a dollop of yogurt as a garnish,
followed by the chicken and a butter lettuce salad dressed with a lemon vinaigrette.
Creme Caramel for dessert.
suegsf at 12:57PM on 05/01/08
Last night we had Arroz con Pollo because chicken was on sale at the local market (0.48 cents per pound!!!!)
Anyway, Arroz con Pollo, pretty much one skillet cooking. Add a leafy salad.
And to stay true to my roots, I gotta go Asian:
Rice bowls--like a bibimbap of sorts. The kids can put in whatever they want. You don't need a ton of meat, just mince, season, and sautee. Then some seasoned veggies like spinach, zucchini, julienned carrots, mung bean sprouts. Some raw vegs like shredded romaine, julienned cukes. Add a fried egg, some sesame seed oil and gochujang to taste. Of course getting all that produce at Whole Foods would bust the budget, but getting them at an Asian mart would keep it cheap.
wookie at 1:17PM on 05/01/08
I've never seen Top Chef...I hope I don't copy (not likely).
- mabo tofu (ground pork, tofu, asparagus, mabo tofu packet) with steamed rice
- pasta (ground beef, asparagus, celery, yellow squash, tomatoes, linguine)
- yakisoba (noodles, asparagus, eggs, Spam (the most expensive part), spinach, shiitake)
Cassaendra at 2:01PM on 05/01/08
LOL...this is in a Kroger ad in our area...naturally they want you to buy stuff from their private label...
Lasagna
Dinner rolls
Bagged salad
Some sort of dessert...I forget what it was...maybe one of the $2 tube cakes?
I still had trouble believing that even this would be under $10, so here's my suggestions:
Hamburger stroganoff -1 lb hamburger, 1 bag egg noodles, 1 pkg sliced mushrooms, 1 cup water (free), 8 oz sour cream
Spinach salad - bag of spinach, sliced red onion, bottled dressing
Fresh fruit with custard sauce - fruit, egg, milk, sugar
akk328 at 3:10PM on 05/01/08
A few ideas:
-Frittata w/ spinach, mushrooms, any veggies on sale and cheese. side salad w/ other veggies on sale.
- Tofu teriyaki stir fried w/ bok choy and carrots over brown rice.
-Pasta bake- whole wheat ziti, part skim ricotta onions, eggplant, mushrooms, tomato sauce, chicken/turkey sausage a little shredded mozz on top.
-homemade whole wheat pizza- chicken, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, cheese.
- Baked cod fillet sandwiches with homemade tartar sauce, cole slaw, and baked sweet potato fries.
KtMc24 at 3:23PM on 05/01/08
If there's no time limit (I don't get that show here) I'd make pozole. Pork shoulder was 99 cents a pound last time I bought it, and the dried pozole corn is cheap and it expands a lot. Dried pepper are also cheap and its lot like you really need a lot. What's left is minimal and/or might be considered panty items, if that's incuded. I could probably feed 4 people for a couple days for $10. Or, buy some fresh tortillas, a couple avocados, and some Mexican beer to spend the rest of the money.
dbcurrie at 4:38PM on 05/01/08
grillades and grits
red beans and rice
pulled pork sandwiches with slaw
GumbeauxGal at 5:58PM on 05/01/08
Panty items, db?!
Just picking on ya. :D
Oh, GumbeauxGal! My husband does red beans and rice also, when we're really tight on cash, with andouille. Andouille is $2.35/lb and strong tasting so a lb goes a long way. A funky combo that hits the post with this is iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes, with the Benihana salad dressing.
Cassaendra at 6:12PM on 05/01/08
4 chicken thighs - $4
1 head garlic - $1
1 # penne pasta - $2
1/2 pt cream - $1
Salt, pepper, water, 2Tbs oil, 2 Tbs cider vinegar - $2
In a large dutch oven brown both sides of chicken in a little oil, remove to plate. Chop garlic, sautee in chicken pot with a little more oil. Debone chicken and return to pot. add s&p and one cup water. Cover and braise over low heat 1 hour. Boil salted water, cook the pasta. Add cream and vinegar to chicken, re-season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta, toss to coat.
Et voila! Delicious & filling meal for 4, under $10.
butterface at 6:48PM on 05/01/08
I'm not sure what prices in the States are now, but I've made this meal out of $10--
chicken riggies-- mushrooms, a couple of chicken breasts, box of rigatoni, can of sauce, a green bell pepper, 1/2 pint of cream, can of olives. throw everything but the pasta and the cream in a crock pot, put on low all day. when you're ready to eat, cook the pasta, add the cream to the sauce, mix the pasta and the sauce et voila!
stove-top chicken parm is also easy and cheap.
Vegetarian Chili with a side of spiffed up Jiffy cornbread-- add a can of jalapenos!
Corn Chowder (I use frozen corn, fresh corn when it's in season and I'm at my grandparents and the neighbor will give me 3 dozen for $2!)
Vegetarian Shepherd's pie..mmm potatoes!
I can't even get a watermelon for $10 here..oi
machellebelle at 11:39PM on 05/01/08
Cooked cheese ravioli, served with canned tomatoes sauteed with onion, garlic, olive oil, a little basil, and salt & pepper.
Stew beef, canned tomatoes, canned beans, chili power and other sundry spices - cooked in the crock-pot all day, it makes a delicious chili. Serve with saltines and some shredded cheddar.
Couscous, frozen veggies, chicken broth, basil, garlic, salt. Cook until everything's done, mix in a little cheese and butter. One of my favorite lunches (with water instead of broth) when I was a poor veggie college student.
Baked spaghetti. Pre-cooked noodles, a can of Hunt's garlic & herb sauce (no HFCS!), mozzarella. Add some bread and a quick steamed veggie.
Roasted chicken legs and thighs with rosemary and lemon, mashed potatoes and gravy, formerly frozen peas and carrots lightly steamed instead of cooking to mush.
jenilowrance at 12:30AM on 05/02/08
I would do an asian tofu and rice stir fry.
Bricks of the 365 tofu at WF are only a dollar. Then you could add some nice veggies, sugar snap peas, carrots, bean sprouts, maybe fried egg. Maybe even some canned pineapple pieces. I like that. Season with soy and oyster sauce. Yum!
puppymomma at 7:45AM on 05/02/08
I'm surprised nobody's come up with something centered on eggs... at under $4 per dozen, they're still one of the best ways to stretch a food buck. And so versatile, too...
LoCo at 9:55AM on 05/02/08
@LoCo--agreed!
Eggs are a great source of protein and were underused in this challenge. I think a couple of the contestants mentioned that they had added eggs to their dish, but no one used eggs as a centerpiece. $10 could make a pretty amazing frittata--add a bit of cooked pasta (to give it teeth) and LOTS of veggies. Serve w/ green salad and fresh bread. You could even add in a small amount of ham or sausage if you really felt the need to include meat.
Re: the challenge. What was up with nearly all of the cheftestants doing some version of a baked apple? Come on people, a bit more creativity please...at least think about some different kinds of fruit! There must have been an amazing special at WF for them all to flock to apples.
jenberger at 10:59AM on 05/02/08
I'd do a rice & sausage dish my mother in law taught me.....diced onion, 1 pound of diced smoked sausage browned together with salt & pepper & as much paprika as you can handle - add your rice & cook covered 25 minutes. (I also add garlic to mine, a minced clove)
Make a salad, and dinner is ready.
This week Hillshire Farm sausage is on sale at our grocery store for $2.99 lb. (I assume we're not being food snobs with this challenge, and using the least expensive brands)
I'd use any $$ leftover to buy fruit for a pie. Maybe alot of the chefs might be heading towards apples because they are cheap still....I picked up a 3# bag of NY apples yesterday for $2.50.
mepolo at 11:28AM on 05/02/08
Just like in top chef what would you make if you were faced with the same challenge?
If, as on Top Chef, the challenge is to be creative, four people, kid-friendly (including parts in which they could participate in the cooking process), under ten dollars?
I'd make a deep-fried noodle bowl for each person that would be centered on the plate that would be filled with a quick saute of brightly colored fresh veggie chunks, some roll-cut. There would be two sauces in little shot glasses one to each side of the top of the plate: one peanut sauce, one a cilantro-mint raita. If there was any money left over after buying the things like oil and cilantro that would add to the cost I'd buy as many shrimp as possible, do a quick poach then add them around the edges of the plate.
The kids could cut the veggies (learning about roll-cuts) and saute them - and also make the sauces.
Noodles $1.
Oil $3.
Veggies $3.
Sauce ingredients $3.
Hmm. Looks like unless I find a sale the peanut butter will have to be the protein. :)
Karen Resta at 12:02PM on 05/02/08
I loved this challenge...especially with the kids helping to cook. I would make a sausage ragu with polenta, sauteed veggies (whatever was green and on sale)...for dessert a fresh fruit cup (even if just with bananas, apples or oranges) with frozen yogurt. You can really make a decent meal for $10.00...all it takes is a little thinking and planning. BTW I really did think Mark needed to go. He got a free pass on the tailgate show and he needed to step up and didn't. Who else is ready for Lisa to go next?
jsd517 at 2:26PM on 05/02/08
A six-pack of beer and four beef jerkey
srhcb at 3:05PM on 05/02/08
Minestrone, with loads of veggies and whole grain pasta in it; Garlic bread and a salad. Fresh applesauce for dessert.
Brownie at 3:29PM on 05/02/08
A six-pack of beer and four beef jerkey
srhcb at 3:05PM on 05/02/08
So would the kids help you make the jerky or would their job be to get the beer . . .
Karen Resta at 4:42PM on 05/02/08
RE Karen: would the kids help you make the jerky or would their job be to get the beer
I didn't know we had to EAT the meal!
Then better change it to a box of Velveeta & Shells, a litre of Coke, and a bag of marshmallows.
SB (doesn't care for jerky or beer)
srhcb at 5:29PM on 05/02/08
I didn't see the show but here is what I'd make- bearing in mind that it's kid friendly!
I would do a breakfast for dinner theme with eggs Benedict, turkey bacon, and sliced bananas drizzled with honey for dessert.
Eggs: $2.00
Hollandaise Ingredients: $3.00 (because butter is insanely expensive)
Brioche ingredients (ever so much nicer than English muffins): $1.50 plus a couple of pantry items
Bacon: whatever was on sale $2.50
Bananas: $1.00
sbelle at 6:11PM on 05/02/08
Sweet and sour meatballs over buttered noodles
Oven-baked parmesan crusted catfish sticks with spicy tartar sauce, chipotle mashed sweet potatoes and green beans
Julia Child's roasted lemon chicken and a scalloped potato gratin
Roasted pepper and spicy monterey jack quesadillas and black bean soup
Layered polenta, sausage and tomato sauce casserole
Tamale pie
I also love the breakfast for dinner idea, but I would go with apple pancakes with whipped cinnamon butter, homemade turkey or chicken sausage, and a citrus garnish.
This is too easy. The hard part must have been shopping at Whole Foods on that budget.
Mizbee at 7:19PM on 05/02/08
Homemade chicken soup with rice and a big loaf of homemade bread!
MeMeg at 8:50PM on 05/02/08
Rice with some kind of sausage, onion, mushroom combo on top. Or just indian food now that I'm thinking of it if i had access to a spice cabinet.
nevereverforever at 12:33PM on 05/03/08
There was an article about this exact thing here that ran in the Washington Post (considered to be one of the "national" newspapers, I believe) as well as in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Karen Resta at 7:03AM on 05/06/08
I made a pasta dish last night big enough to feed a family of four with many leftovers! Farfalle pasta, sliced veggie italian sausage, peas, carrots, and yellow squash. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and add pepper and salt to taste. Sprinkle with some parm, and you're good to go.
modysoul at 8:15AM on 05/06/08