When you want to save money, eating out is usually the first thing to go. While this can definitely save you cash, you may find that it is a little difficult to have as much fun when you are just cooking at home! If you are interested in capturing some of the fun of eating out when you are thinking about staying at home, consider some of these options. Simply by paying attention to the ambiance and checking out a few simple menus, you can make things a lot easier on yourself.
Tablecloths and Candles
When you want to recreate the restaurant setting, remember that most restaurants don’t have you eating off of plain tables! Clean off your dining room table, and make sure that you put down a simple tablecloth. If you are short on tablecloths, a simple folded sheet will do. You may be surprised at how much of a difference this can make! A few candles in the middle of the table, especially when they are placed on a small mirror, can give the room an even more romantic atmosphere.
Plate Appropriately
Even your normal meatloaf recipe can be quite lovely if you decide to plate it well. In the restaurant business, people know that presentation is everything. For example, consider a normal dinner that includes a slice of meatloaf and some mashed potatoes. Instead of having everyone serve themselves, prepare plates with neatly sliced meatloaf and scoop out the mashed potatoes with an ice-cream scoop to make it appear more elegant. If you have little kids around, consider asking them to help by drawing on the plates with condiments like mustard and ketchup.
Pizza Night
Pizza is a surprisingly easy treat to make at home. There are pizza dough recipes that can be put together quite quickly, or you can simply spring for a few pizza crusts at the grocery store. This gives you the option to make pizza exactly the way that you like it and to get your kids to help! For example, let them put whatever toppings on their pizza that they want, or ask them to make pizzas for each other. If you want to go all out, you can make your own garlic bread as well, using bread brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with garlic powder and then baked until crispy. Throw in a shaker of prepared cheese and you’re good to go!
Burger Night
Burgers are fairly easy to make, and if you want to save more money, simply start stretching the meat with TVP. If you want to make burgers at home, go all out and throw on plenty of fixings. That will make it feel more like a restaurant meal, and if you have lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and pickles in the fridge anyway, it’s very simple. Then suggest that your kids play restaurant, with you as the guest. This is fantastic for children who love to go to restaurants and want to play pretend. Give them a menu to offer you, and create a “staff table” for them so that they can enjoy their own dinner as well.
Skipping the restaurant doesn’t mean that you and your family have to skip the fun. Take some time to think about how you can bring the restaurant experience home with you!
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Resources from Amazon:
- Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
- Top Secret Restaurant Recipes: Creating Kitchen Clones from America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains
- Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3: The Secret Formulas for Duplicating Your Favorite Restaurant Dishes at Home (Top Secret Recipes)
- Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! : 150+ Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home–All 8 POINTS or Less
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