Dining In: An Affordable Alternative

If there's one thing the area where I live doesn't lack, it's dining establishments. And I'm not talking Chick Fil-A; Murray Hill boasts an astounding selection of high-quality, ethnically diverse menus. Walking anywhere to and from my apartment requires me to pass a restaurant-laden stretch of 3rd Ave in which I get tempting hints of what the other side of those glossy windows have to offer. Every deep inhale of fresh cheesy pizza and Nutella-filled crepes makes me feel like that little girl in Pan's Labyrinth in the "forbidden fruit" scene, in which even the threat of that disgusting pale "thing" (in serious need of nail trimmers) can't stop her from indulging in a single grape.

While the temptation of grabbing a delicious hot meal is ever-present, my significant other and I make it a point to cook our own dinner once a week, usually on Saturdays. This has become somewhat of a highly anticipated weekend ritual for us, and I urge others to give it a try, if you don't do something like this already. It's a great way to save money, learn a thing or two about cooking, and spend time with someone. And who doesn't love leftovers?

So now I will share our Valentine's Day menu, which we made last night, costing us a total of approximately $40. Now, while I wouldn't go so far as to call this "cheap," keep in mind this includes priority seating, a playlist of our choosing, dinner for two, wine, dessert, and generous leftovers. I've provided links to the original recipes, supplemented with my own tidbits of advice.

The Main Course: Ricotta and Spinach pasta
Gus and I agreed we wanted something cheesy with pasta with vegetables. I recently had a delicious pasta meal at an Italian restaurant that fulfilled these requirements, and a quick Google search yielded this seemingly similar recipe. While the instructions are decidedly terse, it's quick and easy, and, best of all, it doesn't require many ingredients. We already had the olive oil and garlic on hand (as any kitchen should), so the remaining ingredients cost us about $17.85. I highly recommend using fresh spinach for this dish. I also used part-skim ricotta cheese and campanelli red tomatoes (just buy the best-looking ones). I followed the recipe fairly closely, with the addition of 2 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp salt, freshly ground pepper, and a dash of hot pepper flakes during the "sauteeing" step. I also recommend using a glass baking dish (about 9 x 9"), and covering the top with tin foil to lock in the moisture. The result was a creamy, cheesy sauce, well-balanced by the fresh veggies. Definitely a great winter pasta dish that hits the comfort food zone. Next time I might try adding some shredded Parmasean or Asiago cheese to the sauce and sprinkling bread crumbs on the top.

The Wine: Santa Cristina, a 2007 red from Cortona, a tiny hill town in Tuscany. It's made from traditional Tuscan Sangiovese grapes, blended with a little Merlot. This wine holds a special place in our hearts because I studied abroad in Cortona two summers ago, and Gus came to visit (there's us enjoying some 2 euro bottles of wine on Toga Night in Cortona...classy). I can pretend to be a wine connoisseur here and start describing the flavors, but I'll just suffice it to say it complemented the meal nicely.

The Dessert: Caramelized Banana Splits with Hot Chocolate Sauce, courtesy of Bobby Flay. I saw Bobby make this recipe on his show "Boy Meets Grill,"and immediately made a mental note to try it out myself. It's simple, quick, and--best of all--combines my three favorite dessert items: chocolate, bananas, and ice cream. The description on Epicurious reads "With its warm, gooey goodness, this dessert will bring bananas Foster to mind." Need I say more? I did everything exactly the way Bobby told me to, except I ommitted the walnuts (because someone has a nut allergy) and topped it off with some crushed peanuts instead (don't be confused: peanuts are legumes, not nuts, and therefore don't irritate Gus's delicate immune system). Now, you can save one or two bucks by buying some Hershey's chocolate syrup, but I really recommend making the chocolate sauce yourself. It's easy and really adds a level of sophistication. I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate. You'll thank me for this one.