Frugal Floozie Friday - Cardamom

My dear friend Marcie joined Jeremy and me at Cardamom recently; Marcie and I had been counting down 'til it opened, and Jeremy was happy to share in the adventure of trying a brand spankin' new restaurant.

Marcie, unfortunately, suffers from numerous food allergies and intolerances; so Cardamom's menu - which provides a code indicating which items are vegetarian or vegan, which can be made gluten-free or vegan, which ones contain nuts or gluten - makes ordering much easier for those who need to be careful with their diets. Our waitress, Grace, was wonderfully helpful, too, in answering questions and checking with the kitchen to find out information about ingredients.

We ended up ordering an array of items from the lunch menu (available Tuesday - Friday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.) to try numerous dishes. The dinner menu is more extensive and costs a bit extra because of larger servings; the lunch menu offers some sandwiches and other quick items, as it is designed to facilitate a fast meal - but not typical "fast food" - for busy folks who need to get back to work for the afternoon.

The vegetarian thali (pictured above) costs only $10 and is absolutely generous enough for two, to meet our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person. I ate a huge lunch from this platter, shared tastes, and still had enough food to bring home for another meal the next day. There were dishes of chickpeas, cauliflower, spinach, and lentils; rice and naan; chutney and pickles; and even dessert, the creamy and fragrant rice pudding.

All but one of the appetizers comes in under budget, so we ordered the Vegetable Pakora (left; potatoes, onions, spinach, and cauliflower) and Onion Bhaji (right) for $4 each.  I could happily have made a lunch from either of these, or divvied them up to enjoy a plate of half-and-half. The fried fritters, dipped in a chickpea flour batter, come with both tamarind and mint chutneys for dipping, and were excellent.

A full serving of the cardamom-infused rice pudding costs $3.50. Jeremy ordered the Gulab Jamun - fried balls of dough in a sweet, rose-scented syrup - which also costs $3.50, and which he enjoyed immensely; I was fortunate to be given a small taste, to see how good they were.

You could also order a cup of soup for $3, a generously-portioned side salad for $4 (the lime vinaigrette, one of three choices for a dressing, was lovely and bright), one of the numerous beverages (the mango lassi for $3.50 was rich and creamy), or one of the luscious desserts (most of which come in under budget, or could easily be shared with a loved one).

I love Indian food, so it's wonderful to welcome another restaurant offering this fabulous cuisine!

Cardamom
1739 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-662-2877
Tuesday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 - 10 p.m.
Friday - Sunday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 - 10:30 p.m.
Closed Mondays



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Frugal Floozie Friday - Siam Cuisine

Siam Cuisine is today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature, where there are a variety of delicious treats available for less than our mandatory budget of $5 per person.

Craig and I enjoyed a really lovely lunch there recently, before heading off to an afternoon of holiday shopping. Rather than splitting a dish - though there are many that meet our criteria - we decided to sample an assortment of appetizers.

We shared each of these, except for the Tao-Hu Tod (pictured at left) - "deep-fried bean curd, served with sweet and sour chili peanuts sauce."  It cost a mere $3.50, and Craig loved it. The Chicken in Peanut Curry Sauce (at right), served with a dipping sauce as well, was wonderfully flavorful and tender; it was very, very good.

The beef salad pictured above was a generous serving for $5.25 - just over our individual budget - and enough to share with another appetizer for a light meal. Crisp, fresh vegetables topped with zesty, but not spicy, chili-sauced beef strips ... it was an excellent dish.

The Po Pia Tod - "Spring rolls stuffed with shredded chicken" - were crispy and not at all greasy. Overstuffed, like a comfy chair, they were a substantial starter. And at only $2.95 for two, the order can easily be split with a dining companion leaving room financially, and otherwise, for another option to round out your meal.

Our final choice was the Geaw Grob, which cost $3 for 6 large beautifully fried, crispy-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside shrimp. These were served with a cucumber chili peanut sauce for dipping, which was a perfect complement.

Siam Cuisine is at the front of the Braun Court strip of restaurants and small shops, in a warm and cozy house. Service is very friendly and welcoming, making customers feel very much at home.

So, for good food, good service, and good value, head over to Siam Cuisine for your next meal.

Siam Cuisine
313 Braun Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-663-4083



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Frugal Floozie Friday at Seva

I had read that Seva [say-VAH] - the long-time Ann Arbor vegetarian institution - had a "Happy Hour" menu with remarkable prices: $1, $2, or $3 for tasting-sized dishes. Well, how could a frugal eater resist?

Craig and I headed there one evening, to sample an inexpensive assortment of foods. So we tried a little bit within each price range.

For $3, we ordered the General Tso's cauliflower, which is deep-fried and served with sliced scallions and a spicy sauce. Another $3 item was the Gouda Tots - breaded, fried cubes of cheese with a creamy herbed dipping sauce.

From the $2 menu, we decided to go for the classic chips 'n' salsa; they were brought later than the rest of the food, by which time I completely forgot to give them their photo op while I grazed and chatted. The chips were thick and crisp, and I liked them best when dunking them into the sauce that had been provided with the Gouda Tots.

Finally, from the $1 menu we tried the spiced nuts, which had a hint of curry to them.

There are also daily drink specials, to complement the food, which could qualify for our mandatory $5 per person Frugal Floozie Friday budget: Tuesdays offer half-price wine, Wednesdays bring half-price draft beers, and on Thursdays and Fridays you can get $1 off all cocktails.

Small bites for a small price, available during Seva's happy hour every Monday through Friday!


Seva
314 E. Liberty
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-662-1111
Happy Hour: Monday through Friday, 4 - 6 p.m.



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Frugal Floozie Friday - Mani Osteria

Mani Osteria was recently named one of the country's best new pizza places by Food & Wine magazine. You wouldn't think it could be a Frugal Floozie Friday feature with that kind of reputation, but it is!

I met my friend Kate, who was in Michigan for an annual family vacation, for dinner there recently; she was going to be heading back home the next morning, so I left it up to her to choose where she'd like to eat on her one evening in town. We had never met before, having only exchanged witty and pithy messages and comments on Facebook. I knew that she had worked as a chef, and also that she is likely the only other person alive who'd ever heard of Gary Numan's "Telekon" album or even knew that he'd recorded any songs other than "Cars." A kindred spirit - how could we not meet for dinner while we had the chance?

It turns out that Kate is also as indecisive as I am, given that neither of us is a picky eater. I often think life would be easier if I didn't like so many foods - I'd know which one or two would pass inspection, and then I'd be done. But Kate and I kept talking, debating options, talking, considering choices, talking, and trying valiantly to narrow down the potential selections; everything looked good, which only makes my brain hurt. We were both "impressed by the wait staff not pressuring us," as Kate noted, since this really did take a fair amount of time.

We decided to start with the carpaccio - beautifully thin slices of raw beef - served with arugula, Parmigianino, capers, and a spritz of lemon. As Kate said, she "was a bit hesitant to go with the meat on such a hot day, (but) it was just so light and tasty."

Other appetizers that could easily be split among two would be the Roasted Olives for $6, the Arancini for $7, or the Pickled Tomatoes with Ricotta or Isabel's Meatballs for $9 each.

The beef was, to use an overworked but still accurate phrase, meltingly tender. The arugula had just the right peppery bite, and the flavors all combined beautifully, distinct and yet in harmony. At $14, it could come in at our mandatory $5 per person budget if shared with 1 or 2 more people; and that would be a sufficient portion, even given the lightness of the dish, considering the generosity of the pizza that followed.

An even more difficult decision than choosing an appetizer was choosing a pizza. This combination sounded wonderful, but was perhaps heavy for a hot day. This other one was seemed maybe a bit spicy. Decisions, decisions! But we finally settled upon the Red Onion and Pistachio pizza which also features goat cheese, rosemary and chili flakes.

It turns out that Kate's sister, Amy McNulty, who lives in Ann Arbor, orders this regularly when she and her husband eat at Mani. We hadn't known, we just honed in on it for its flavors and textures. At $15, and with 6 slices, it is a perfect Frugal Floozie Friday option for a party of 3-4; as it was, I went home with leftovers since Kate had no refrigerator at her hotel to store the treasure in.

The crust was perfectly crisp, yet chewy rather than cracker-like. Each flavor, from the thinly sliced onion to the crumbled cheese, is perfectly portioned such that none overwhelms the others. Not only that, but Kate told me that Amy describes it perfectly: "Each flavor is discrete." You note the pistachio's richness, and yet, it's not the sole flavor you detect. You taste the chilies as they tingle your tongue, but they aren't pervasive.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time and had to go.  The perfect Frugal Floozie Friday feature is the gelato, available in seasonal flavors for precisely $5, but we didn't have a chance to try it. Perhaps we'll start with dessert when we go back ...?


Mani Osteria
341 E. Liberty
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-769-6700
Tuesday - Thursday: 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday: 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Saturday: 4 - 11 p.m.
Sunday: 4 - 9 p.m.



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Frugal Floozie Friday - The Village Pub

Today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature - The Village Pub - is a boon to a hearty eater on a tight budget. Not only does it already offer very reasonable prices for generous portions of food; but my family and I found out completely serendipitously that on Sundays all appetizers - precisely what we'd ordered, without realizing there were any special circumstances - are half-price for the entire day.

So when Jeremy ordered the Loaded Fries at $4.99 for an entire plateful, we thought he was just squeaking in under our mandatory budget of $5 per person or less. Little did we know that this large serving (which he couldn't even finish, thus providing me with leftovers for an excellent breakfast the next morning) would ultimately cost only $2.50.

The chili had just the right amount of spice to it - not bland, not hot - and the fries that weren't buried were perfectly crisp on the outside and tender in the center. The potatoes weren't just an afterthought, a mere vehicle for the topping; they were excellent on their own.

Stuart and I split the Pile High Nachos, pictured above, which were laden with cheese sauce, spiced beef, onions and tomatoes; the dish is served with sour cream and a fresh salsa. These normally cost $7.99 ($4 on Sundays) and were a lot of food even for two good eaters. Both the nachos and the fries can be ordered either with shredded cheese or with the meltingly gooey sauce.

We received great friendly service, even though the bartender was manning the fort by himself and handling both bar and dining patrons. The space is sophisticated, featuring some lovely art work; it's not just a standard sports-watching venue, even though a multitude of televisions lines the walls so that junkies can get their fix of baseball, soccer, NASCAR, dodgeball, or anything else that's being played.

Cottage Inn pizza is available, and there are substantial sandwiches to halve - steak or chicken Philly, New York Reuben, grilled salmon, or chicken bruschetta - ranging in price from $7.99-$8.99. There are a number of appetizers to choose from, and they're perfect for sharing with family and friends. For $7.99, you can split Village Wings, a chicken and vegetable quesadilla, or chicken tenders; for $8.99, you can share Big Bang Shrimp or calamari. And remember, on Sundays these starters are all half-price.

Perfectly located along Washtenaw, the Pub is across the street from Arborland Mall, ready to feed hungry shoppers.  It's convenient for those travelling between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, those exiting off US-23 ... really, it's all about location, location, location.  And great food at that location!

The Village Pub
3452 Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-929-5370



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Frugal Floozie Friday - Roger Monk's Yappy Hour

Roger Monk's is today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature for many reasons.  It's got great food, and it offers a wide variety of appetizers, drinks and desserts for $5 or less - our mandatory per-person budget - during its weekday Happy Hour.

But not only does this casual, comfortable, but still sophisticated restaurant welcome humans, on Thursdays it also welcomes dogs at its fabulous Yappy Hour.  Yes, well-behaved humans and their adorable leashed owners can gather on the back deck for food and fun - a chance to chat with fellow animal lovers and furry friends.

So, of course, I had to bring my grandpuppy, Poochie, one gorgeous sunny afternoon.  He's a very sociable beast - a veritable party animal!

Jeremy, Stuart (Jeremy's dad, my ex-husband), Poochie, and I recently took advantage of a perfect summery day to enjoy some fabulous food.  We started with appetizers, each of which costs $5: a very generous portion of chips with a slightly spicy salsa, crisp-coated and tender chicken satay with a creamy peanut sauce, and enormous mussels braised in a lemon-wine sauce.  These were delicious, as well as being perfect for sharing.   The two other options we could have chosen were hummus served with toasted pita bread and a duck liver mousse served with crackers.

We drank water - as did Poochie, who was given his own personal bowl of water even before the humans were taken care of; and it was served refreshingly with orange rather than the ubiquitous lemon.  But if you're in the mood for something a bit stronger, 20-ounce pints of draught beer cost $4; glasses of wine and drinks such as Martinis, a Daiquiri, or a Cosmopolitan cost $5.

And then there was the temptation of dessert.  Desserts, too, cost an even $5 - perfect for our budget.  As good as the appetizers were - and they were very good - these were absolutely the stars of the show.


Jeremy order the utterly decadent chocolate mousse pictured at the top of the post.  It was as thick as ice cream, rather than pudding-like as some can be.  It was intensely chocolatey and simply addictive.  You'd be tempted to keep eating if the portion were larger, but the full coffee cup of this treat was a perfect and generous serving.

As soon as I heard a few of my very favorite words - "bread pudding," "cherries," and "caramel" - all in the same sentence, as our server recited the dessert options, I knew that this would be mine.  Bread pudding featuring tart cherries and a bourbon caramel sauce ... oh, be still my heart!  This was rich, sweet, had a bit of a kick, and was just perfection.  I loved the dessert, but would happily have just taken a spoon to a jar of the sauce and eaten it "as is" even without the tender, fabulous pudding base.

Stuart was in the mood for a hot fudge sundae, which isn't on the menu; but our very kind and helpful server, Dennis, offered to bring a serving of vanilla ice cream (which is a standard offering) topped with the bourbon caramel sauce.  Although one of my personal pet peeves is customers who make special orders - hard-working restaurant staff are not personal chefs - I was very pleased to know that great service and keeping customers happy was high on the agenda at Roger Monk's.

There are many public places that dogs aren't welcome, so it's wonderful that on Thursdays you can linger over great food and cool drinks at Roger Monk's while your dog gets to play with new friends.  Poochie was fussed over by the staff and by other customers enjoying the fabulous weather, and he just loves being the center of attention!

We had a grand time at Roger Monk's, and highly recommend its Happy and Yappy Hours for fabulous treats at reasonable prices.  What a great opportunity to unwind at the end of the day!

Roger Monk's
5400 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-662-1647
Tuesday - Saturday: 3 - 10 p.m.
Sunday: 3 - 9 p.m.
Closed Monday
Happy Hour: Tuesday - Friday 3 - 6 p.m.
Yappy Hour: Thursday 4 - 7 p.m.



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"Chopped" Challenge - Red Pepper, Spinach and Feta Risotto

My fabulous blogging buddies Judee (Gluten-Free A-Z Blog) and Judy (Cranberry Morning) suggested feta cheese and basil pesto, respectively, as items they wanted me to use in creating an appetizer for my "Chopped" challenge, in which I had asked readers to suggest ingredients that I would then have to use in creating something wonderful to eat.

In addition to sharing a name, despite the spelling variation, they also both eat gluten-free diets.  So I thought that this was a match made in cyber-Heaven and that I should unite my friends' items into one great dish!

I didn't want to offer a recipe for pizza or noodles or anything that could contain gluten.  Sure, there are breads and pastas which would accommodate this dietary restriction; but there are also so many, many foods without gluten that it seemed better to showcase them rather than to use substitutions.

The ingredients I was challenged to use made my thoughts immediately travel to the Mediterranean.  In Italy, it is customary to eat dishes in succession, with pasta or rice - a "primo piatto," or first course - served before the main meat dish.  So a creamy risotto, enhanced with the vibrant flavor of pesto and the zesty addition of Feta, sounded like the perfect antidote to a winter day.

I must say, this dish is simply, richly, and addictively delicious; I was so disappointed when I finished the last of it!  And isn't flavor the most important ingredient in any dish?


Red Pepper, Spinach and Feta Risotto

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup Arborio rice (the high starch content contributes to the creamy texture of the dish)
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon kosher salt
generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
2" rind of Parmesan cheese (see note below)
3 tablespoons basil pesto
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup Feta cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat the rice in the oil.

Heat the stock and the wine.  Add the liquid to the saucepan in small increments, stirring the rice until the liquid is mostly absorbed and then adding a bit more liquid.  When half of the liquid has been added, add the salt, pepper, Parmesan rind, and pesto.  Continue to add liquid to the rice, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been used up.  Test the rice to make sure it is just tender; if it's a bit on the crunchy side still, add a bit more liquid and continue to stir.

Once the liquid has been almost entirely absorbed and the rice is creamy, remove the Parmesan rind.  Stir in the lemon zest, 3/4 of the Feta, the red peppers, and the spinach; cook just until the spinach is wilted.

Place onto small serving dishes and sprinkle the remaining Feta on top.

Serves 4-6.

Note: Buy hunks of good Parmesan cheese, and always save the rinds!  With the last scraps of cheese on them that are beyond being grated, they add flavor and creaminess to risotto, to sauces, and to soups.

"Chopped" Challenge - Meatballs in Mole Sauce with Swiss Chard

It's Day 2 of my "Chopped" challenge, in which I had asked my blog readers to suggest ingredients that I would then have to use in creating an appetizer, an entree, or a dessert.

My fabulously wonderful blogging buddy Jenn, of Jenn's Food Journey (who guest posted about Runza Bites in honor of the Michigan-Nebraska game this past fall), took me up on the project with the following dare:


"Oh my gosh, what a great way to challenge yourself!! Wow, let's see.... I'll suggest dark chocolate in the appetizer round. :) Good luck!!!" 

Well, chocolate - of course! - is usually reserved for sweets.  I had visions of a rich and decadent mousse, of decorative chocolate drizzles tucked into whipped cream, of melting the lusciousness and sprinkling it with lovely little tidbits like glaceed cherries and candied orange peel to make small and sophisticated candies.

But while those would have made exceptional desserts, they didn't qualify as appetizers, did they?

So then my mind meandered down to Mexico, where dark chocolate is a regular ingredient in savory sauces.  I, myself, have been known to toss chocolate into chili, so this wasn't too far-fetched to me.

I started to do some research, and found the following information about pipián sauces, which are a type of mole, at bellaonline.com:

"A pipián is a sauce thickened with ground seeds or nuts and Mexican food at its most historical and authentically pre-hispanic. It belongs to the family of the great 'moles' of Mexico, and while the actual word mole, derived from the Aztecs’ Náhuatl language, simply means sauce, today it is almost invariably a sauce containing chillies .... (This sauce is) richly flavoured with spices and dried chillies, and further enhanced by the acidity of tomatoes or tomatillos."

I also found this on Wikipedia:

"The term mole is most often associated with thick, dark, brownish-red sauces, but the term is really more general than that ....  Pipian is a type of mole which mostly consists of ground squash seeds. It does not contain chocolate (though other moles do) ... (and is) served with poultry and pork, and sometimes with fish or vegetables."

And so, armed with this information as well as a tendency to put my own spin on foods by respecting tradition but tweaking it a bit, I started to create my dish.  Some pepitas would be necessary ... some peppers, perhaps chipotles in adobo sauce ... some tomatoes ... and don't forget the requisite chocolate!

I somehow had a notion about wanting to serve something small, like meatballs, rather than strips of meat; but I also didn't want to just serve boring ol' rice, or stuff the filling into a tortilla that would just be a drippy mess with the sauce.  Some red chard looked gorgeous at the market on the day I did my shopping, and so it became the accompaniment.  (Yes, that really is how it works sometimes in my brain - no plan, just whatever strikes my fancy!)  It definitely paired well with the sauce and with the pork.

Jenn loves both spicy food and her signature sauces.  So I tried to stay true to her spirit with these tender meatballs and their fabulous accompaniments.

Meatballs in Mole Sauce with Swiss Chard

Sauce:
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 cup roasted, salted pepitas, coarsely ground
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup beer
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat the oil, cumin seeds, and pepitas over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Combine the tomato sauce and chipotle peppers in a blender; puree until smooth, then pour into the saucepan.  Stir in the salt and beer; bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to "low," then stir in the chocolate until melted.

Meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1 medium scallion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon oil

In a large bowl, combine pork, scallion, parsley, salt, pepper, and chili powder; combine well.  Form generous 1" meatballs.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the meatballs and cook for 6-7 minutes until well browned on all sides and slightly firm.  Carefully add the meatballs to the simmering sauce, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Swiss Chard:
1 tablespoon oil
8 ounces red Swiss chard, torn into strips
pinch of kosher salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chard and the salt; cook just until wilted.

To serve: Place the chard onto a serving platter.  Top with the meatballs and the sauce.

Serves 6 as an appetizer.

"Chopped" Challenge - Triple Treyf Mac 'n' Cheese Soup

Today is the first day of reporting back about my "Chopped" challenge, in which I had asked readers to suggest ingredients I'd have to use in preparing appetizers, entrees, or desserts.

I had originally intended to just pick four options to write about; but I received several extra suggestions that were just too much fun to resist.  How could I leave anyone out?  So I'll be offering my concoctions this week and part of next, as well - everyone's ideas were used for inspiration!  Thank you for making me go beyond my culinary comfort zone; it's easy to get into a rut sometimes.  This really was a lot of fun.

Because this is Day 1, I'm featuring Jeremy's suggestion: to make an appetizer using shrimp, bacon, and Co-Jack cheese.  It doesn't get much more treyf [TRAYf] - non-kosher - than this!  Bacon is taboo.  Shellfish is verboten.  Mixing meat and dairy products is a violation of the Jewish dietary laws.

And yet, they are all required ingredients.  Good thing I don't keep kosher, huh?

Jeremy loves comfort foods, particularly macaroni and cheese.  So I thought I'd make him a soup based upon that dish, incorporating the shrimp and the bacon and the Co-Jack into a luscious, creamy starter to a meal.  Of course, this is so rich that you might not even need the rest of your dinner by the time you finish a serving!

The smokiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the shrimp combine beautifully with the mild Co-Jack cheese; Pepper Jack and cayenne pepper sauce contribute just a hint of a kick.  And the macaroni adds substance, because Jeremy doesn't like soups that are primarily broth.  Whether serving a cup of this as an appetizer or making it the mainstay of your meal with a larger portion, this is a perfect solace on a cold winter evening.

This soup readily passed Jeremy's exacting standards - he loved it, and even thanked me for making it!


Triple Treyf Mac 'n' Cheese Soup

5 strips bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped cooked shrimp
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups skim milk, divided
generous splash cayenne pepper sauce
8 ounces Co-Jack cheese, shredded
3 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1-1/2 cups macaroni

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until just lightly brown but not crisp.  Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute.

Add the flour and stir to coat the ingredients; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add the salt and pepper.

Slowly add 2 cups of the milk, stirring well after each addition to incorporate it.  Add the cayenne pepper sauce and heat just until small bubbles start to appear.

Add half of the cheese and stir until melted.  Add the rest of the cheese and stir until melted.  Add the remaining 1 cup of milk.  Cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

While the soup heats, prepare the macaroni according to package directions; stir into soup.

Serves 8-10.

Note: If this isn't served right away or if there are leftovers, you can eat it as macaroni and cheese or you'll need to thin it a bit for soup; the macaroni absorbs a lot of the liquid.

Frugal Floozie Friday - Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub

A pint o' Guinness - or, at least, a pint of Guinness ice cream - for $4.95: that's the fabulous dessert Jeremy chose for his 21st birthday recently at today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature, Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub.

The Guinness Ice Cream Sundae falls perfectly within our mandatory $5 budget, and is an enormous, luscious concoction: 3 scoops of ice cream topped with chocolate fudge, caramel sauce, pecans, chocolate chips, whipped cream and the crowning cherry.  The birthday guest can choose either a dessert or a $10 card as the restaurant's gift.  Jeremy had chosen the latter last time, as Conor O'Neill's is where he asks me to take him every year for his celebration, so he decided to indulge in the sugar rush this time.

Several of the desserts fall within our budgetary constraints for individual servings, but could happily be shared.  The appetizers, which range in price from $6.50 to $8.50, are easily split as well so that they meet our $5 per person limit.

For as long as we've been going to Conor O'Neill's, we've ordered the Galway Bay Mussels appetizer, so I was astounded not to see it on the lunch menu at our visit; apparently it's only available at dinner now.  But our very sweet waitress, Jennifer, checked with the kitchen and told us that they would make it in honor of Jeremy's birthday.

The cream sauce that the mussels are served in is rich with mustard, garlic and sherry; the dish also comes with slices of baguette and some hearty brown bread.  At $8.95, this is a fabulous dish for two - far more than one person could eat alone, particularly before a meal.  The real treasure is the sauce, though, which is just sublime!  Order extra bread to sop it up, because you truly won't want to leave one tiny morsel on the plate.

I have never ordered anything at Conor O'Neill's that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed, from the Irish "fayre" (fish and chips, shepherd's pie, boxty, etc.) to the sandwiches, from the salads to the desserts.  While they exceeded our Frugal Floozie Friday budget, our entrees - the Big House Burger (with cheese, bacon, mushrooms and onion rings) and Ploughman's Sandwich (grilled vegetables and cheddar) with a side salad - were so fabulous that they warranted a photo op, and a few moments of fame, nonetheless:

In addition to the excellent food, Conor O'Neill's also offers entertainment several evenings each week, from trivia contests to Irish jam sessions - you can find both food and fun for $5 or less per person!  How great is that?


Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub
318 South Main Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
(734) 665-2968


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Buffalo Celery Sticks

Cool and crisp, these blue cheese-filled celery sticks are a great snack.   The crushed corn chips on top offer a bit of contrasting spice, too, with Cajun flavoring.  These are not necessarily photogenic, but they're fabulous nonetheless!

The notion for this recipe came to me in a flash as I perused all the lovely goodies at the new Michigan General Store in Ypsilanti.  Oh, it's so much fun to shop there!  My favorite treats so far are the Great Lakes kettle cooked potato chips, made with potatoes grown in the state, and buttery, creamy tart cherry-flavored caramels ... sigh.  Garlicky pickles, hot sauces, beers, shortbread cookies, candies, smoked fish dips - there are so many amazing products, all proudly made right here in Michigan.  And the wines you can buy there are lovely served in beautiful glasses etched with the famous mitten shape of our state, which you'll also find just waiting for you at the shop.

As I admired the bounty, I saw Cajun tortilla chips made right in Ypsilanti ... I heard them calling to me.  With a clear vision, I thought of combining these treats into an homage to all the flavors of a traditional plate of Buffalo wings - cooling sticks of celery, blue cheese dip, spicy sauce - but without the chicken part of the equation.

Whether serving these while watching a sporting event or a movie, or serving them at a party, they're an easy and fun food to offer.  Buy dairy products and celery from Michigan to go with the tortilla chips when making this recipe, and your entire feast can celebrate the Great Lakes State!


Buffalo Celery Sticks

1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
several splashes cayenne pepper sauce
2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large stalk celery, cut into 5" ribs
1 cup Cajun-flavored corn chips (see note below)

Combine sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, blue cheese, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl; cover and let rest overnight.

Spread the blue cheese dip down the center of the celery ribs. Crush the corn chips and press the celery ribs upside-down into the crumbs to coat the dip with them. Place onto a serving dish.

Makes 12 or more Buffalo Celery Sticks.

Note: If you don't have access to Cajun-flavored chips, you can use either corn or potato chips and sprinkle them with Cajun seasoning.

Michigan General Store
44 E. Cross Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
734-961-8039




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Frugal Floozie Friday - The Heidelberg

On New Year's Eve, my BFF Wendy and I decided to have dinner at a place that we hadn't been to for quite some time: The Heidelberg, an Ann Arbor institution and today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature.

We were bidding "Good riddance" to a wretchedly bad year, and wanted to imbue 2012 with all of our very best hopes and wishes and dreams for happiness.  So we ordered food that was indulgent and celebratory.

The cheesy, bacon-topped decadence pictured above is a plate of the German Potato Skins, which are served with a strong (but not overpowering) garlic sauce.  Rather than finding the usual potato beds stuffed with fillings, these are closer to being roasted potatoes inundated with generous quantities of all the goodies.  At only $7.99, this is an excellent Frugal Floozie Friday deal; it could easily have made an entire meal for two, and would be a great dish to split among four friends and enjoyed with a soda.  This falls well within the mandatory $5 budget per person, as do all of the restaurant's appetizers.

Our entrees were well over that price range, so I'll spare you the temptation of seeing them; they were quite good, though, and so large that they provided us with dinner as well as with the next day's breakfast.  Let's just move right along to another Frugal Floozie Friday option - sharing dessert with a loved one.

The Heidelberg's desserts are $6 each, which places them outside of our budget for individual servings.  But they are so rich that, truly, you could split them - sharing both the joy and the calories - and not feel at all deprived.

Our server, Travis, who was utterly charming (Wendy and I had notions of playing yenta and fixing him up with her daughter, since they're both interested in international economics and are studying Chinese), presented us with an astounding tray of sweets to choose from.  He smiled brightly while leading us into temptation though, really, we didn't need much nudging to find our way there all by ourselves.

Wendy couldn't decide between the carrot cake and the Key lime cheesecake.  So, given that she planned to start training for the Detroit Free Press Marathon once the new year officially began, she decided to provide herself with some incentive to run ... she ordered both.  Atta girl!  Both selections were rich and moist and sublime.

I paid no attention to most of the offerings because I had already eyed one which featured chocolate and caramel and creaminess - the Snickers cheesecake.  And yes, it was as luscious and decadent as it looks!  Snickers + cheesecake ... is there any way to go wrong with that?  It would be a perfect treat to share with a date, sighing happily together as you enjoyed it.

The Heidelberg was warm and welcoming, with very friendly service.  Wendy and I had a grand time there, sending 2011 on its way and happify-ing ourselves for the new year.

The Heidelberg
215 N. Main St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-663-7758



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Frugal Floozie Friday -- Dalat

Wendy and I meandered through an evening recently, first attending a class about Rembrandt's representations of Jesus and other Biblical figures, then learning about a cross-country bike ride being planned for this summer by Hazon, the country's largest Jewish environmental group. (That last part was for Wendy's benefit alone - she who recently completed a half-marathon. I cook, I bake, I write, I eat. I like to go for long walks. If I remember, I use free weights ... but that's pretty occasional unless my blogging buddy Sheila, the personal trainer behind Reforming U, is nudging and encouraging me!)

After all of these adventures, we were hungry. We tried to go to one place that had been recommended as an inexpensive option, but it was closed; so we walked over to Dalat [dah-LAHT] - today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature - and enjoyed some lovely Vietnamese cuisine at a family-run restaurant.

Wendy and I could have split one of the many dishes on the extensive menu, but we decided to go for a bit more variety: we ordered one of each of the four appetizers.

The first item we tried was the Vietnamese Shrimp Roll for a mere $1.30: "A salad roll of shredded chicken, shrimp, lettuce, bean sprouts, cilantro and rice vermicelli wrapped in translucent rice-paper. Served with peanut sauce." This was not some measly egg roll-sized portion, but rather it was very generous - lacking a ruler and spatial ability, I would guess 7" x 1-1/2". It was packed with all of the listed ingredients, and artfully presented with the shrimp peeking through the translucent rice paper. The peanut sauce was sweet, not at all spicy, and complemented the vegetables beautifully.

Our next treat was the Dalat Special Roll, for $1.95: "A Special salad roll of grilled chicken, shrimp, shredded pork, lettuce, bean sprouts, cilantro and rice vermicelli wrapped in translucent rice-paper. Served with peanut sauce." It sounds quite reminiscent of its predecessor, but the flavors of each appetizer were remarkably different. The slight difference in ingredients combined with the modification in preparing the fillings created a taste that was not quite like the other.

Next on our list of taste treats was the Vietnamese Egg Roll for $1.35: "Deep-fried roll of chicken, thin transparent noodles, black mushrooms, shredded cabbages and carrots. Served with Vietnamese sweet and sour sauce." The exterior was just as crisp and flaky as expected, with an abundant filling that nearly fell out once freed when bitten into. The dipping sauce was more sour than sweet, which I liked very much; Wendy, however, doesn't care for anything vinegary. I found that the tartness was an ideal complement to the simplicity of the vegetables.

Our final selection (pictured at the top) was the Steamed Rice Roll with Sliced Pork Loaf, our greatest expenditure at only $4.95: "Steamed rice roll stuffed of chicken, black mushrooms & onions topped with sliced Vietnamese pork loaf, cucumber, bean sprouts & fried onions. Served with Vietnamese sweet and sour sauce." The vegetables were fresh and crisp and vibrantly flavored, while the sliced meat was intriguing and unique. This salad was quite substantial, even when shared, and was quite nice without the sweet and sour sauce but also enhanced by it, as well.

For $10 - right on the mark of our $5 per person Frugal Floozie Friday budget - Wendy and I shared an abundant meal of tremendous nutrition, flavor, freshness, variety and value. What a great deal!

Dalat
100 W. Michigan Ave.
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
734-487-7600


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Frugal Floozie Friday -- Tuptim

A friend and I recently ate a fabulous dinner at Tuptim Thai restaurant. Neither of us had been there in ages, so it seemed a perfect place to go on a Friday evening.

Tuptim means "ruby" in Thai, and the restaurant's owners extend a very warm invitation on the menu with hopes that "you will find our atmosphere as lovely and our food as enticing as that precious gem."

The atmosphere is friendly and very inviting; the exterior is a bright and vibrant red. The staff is also quite gracious, helping to create an ambience conducive to conversation.

But the food is the greatest enticement - I have never eaten anything at Tuptim that I haven't loved.

Our Frugal Floozie Friday feature is the appetizer pictured above: Curry Puffs. Delicate pillows of puff pastry stuffed with a curried potato and pea filling, these are tender and delicious! They're served with a tangy cucumber vinaigrette that isn't absolutely necessary - the puffs are wonderful without it - but which also adds a unique flavor and distinction if used for dipping. They were a perfect fit for the mission, at precisely $5.

We also ordered a Grilled Beef Salad, with tomatoes and cucumbers and a lovely vinaigrette. At $8, it exceeded our Frugal Floozie Friday $5 per person budget if ordered by an individual; and it is admittedly a perfect size for one person's meal. But since we split the salad as part of a several course meal, this also counted as a less-than-$5 per person option. The beef was tender, the vegetables were fresh and crisp, and the dressing was slightly tart, slightly sweet, and an ideal way to bring all of the flavors and textures together.

Our entree went over the budget even when shared; but it was so wonderful that I had to mention it anyway. The Basil Fried Rice with chicken cost $12, was fragrant with a variety of seductive aromas, and was probably the highlight of the entire meal ... quite a statement, given how delicious everything was!

There were several other potential Frugal Floozie Friday options at Tuptim, from spring rolls to fish cakes to dumplings, a vegetable soup with tofu and ginger and vermicelli, as well as a tapioca pudding prepared with coconut milk.

Enjoy some great frugal - but still delicious! - dishes at Tuptim!

Tuptim
4896 Washtenaw
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734-528-5588


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