The $6 Gourmet Valentine's Dinner for Two

Hi everyone!

If you haven't seen the blog, you can get a great deal on Luvs diapers for $3.70 a package at diapers.com. If you tried the diapers.com deal and they were sold out, I just checked and they are restocked now. I got my order the next day, so shipping is super fast! Check it out and get your discount code here!

In today's newsletter, we're featuring our $6 Gourmet Valentine's Dinner for Two. You don't have to spend a lot to have a great Valentine's Day, so do something special for the one you love!

For more Valentine's ideas, you can get our Valentine's On A Dime e-book free. Get it here! If you have a blog, website or newsletter you may post the following link to the download page: http://www.livingonadime.com/ebooks/valentinespr.html

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Permissions:

If you would like to reprint any of the articles, tips or recipes from our newsletters for your newsletter (print or on-line), website or blog you may as long as you credit and link back to www.LivingOnADime.com .

---

The $6 Gourmet Valentine's Dinner
for Two

For under $6, you can make a special Valentine's Day dinner for two. Tawra and her mom have put together this Valentine menu that is sure to please that special someone!

You can add a little romantic ambiance with a nice place setting. Fancy napkins, tapered candles, china place settings and a lace tablecloth add a nice touch. It is relatively easy to find one or two nice settings of china for 50 cents each at thrift stores or garage sales.

If you happened to hit the after Christmas sales, you may have found that white taper candles usually get marked down 75% after the holidays. You can also purchase red napkins, lace tablecloths, and red ribbon after Christmas for .50 - $1.00. Try it after next Christmas. You can also purchase things on sale 50% after Valentine's Day and keep them for next year. ... Of course if you're with the one you love, who needs food for Valentine's Day! ;-)

For The Menu:
( $5.69 for 2 people)

French Onion Soup
Tomato Basil Salad
Maple-Glazed Chicken
Glazed Carrots
Lemon Potatoes
Red Velvet Cake
Water with lemon slices
Tea or coffee with dessert

French Onion Soup
($1.15)

2 onions, thinly sliced (yellow onions work best) (.25)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.10)
2 cups beef stock (made with bullion cubes or beef bones) (.10)
1 bay leaf
2 slices day-old French bread (.20)
1/2 cup mozzarella or Swiss cheese, grated (.50)

Melt butter in a skillet. Saute onions until slightly brown. Add onions to beef broth in saucepan. Simmer slowly 10 minutes or simmer overnight in the crock pot on low. Pour into bowls. Place bread on top of each bowl of soup, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Then set under broiler and cook until cheese is melted and brown.

Tomato Basil Salad
($1.44)

4 large peeled tomatoes (.79)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp. wine vinegar (.10)
2 Tbsp. olive oil (.05)
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped into small pieces (.50)

Dice tomatoes and combine with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil and basil. Serve. You may also add cubes of mozzarella cheese.

Maple-Glazed Chicken
($1.43)

1/4 cup maple syrup (.05)
4 tsp. lemon juice (.05)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.05)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
4 pieces chicken ($1.28 purchased on sale at $1.34/.lb)

Preheat oven to 450°. Mix maple syrup, lemon juice and butter together in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish and place chicken in it. Add salt and pepper to the chicken. Bake 10 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and pour on glaze. Bake 15 minutes more or until juices run clear.

---

Grocery Shopping On A Budget

Learn to save, stretch and get more for your food dollars!

Grocery Shopping On A Budget includes lots of tips to reduce your grocery bill, menus and recipes to get you in and out of the kitchen fast, tips to help you save on meats and cleaning supplies and more. Learn More Here!

---

Glazed Carrots
(.37)

1/2 lb. fresh carrots or baby carrots (.12)
1/2 stick margarine (.05)
6 Tbsp. brown sugar (.10)
1 tsp. cinnamon (.05)
1 tsp. ginger (optional) (.05)

Clean carrots and cut into bite-size pieces. Steam 10 minutes in a small amount of boiling water (just until tender). Melt margarine in a large skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add hot carrots, stirring well to coat. Remove when shiny and well glazed.

Lemon Potatoes
(.75)

6 new potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, cut in halves or quarters (.50)
2 Tbsp. margarine (.05)
1/2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice (.05)
1 tsp. chives, chopped (.10)
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
dash of nutmeg (.05 for all spices)

Clean and steam potatoes 20 minutes (until tender). Heat remaining ingredients just to boiling. Pour lemon butter over potatoes and serve.

Red Velvet Cake
(.50 for 2 servings)*

3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 oz. red food coloring
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk

Cream together butter, eggs and sugar in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and buttermilk. Mix well. Add flour and buttermilk alternately. Beat until all the lumps are out. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost with Red Velvet Frosting.

Red Velvet Frosting

2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook milk and flour until thick, stirring constantly. Cool thoroughly. Beat milk and flour for one minute until fluffy. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add to milk and flour and add vanilla. Mix well. Frosts one Red Velvet Cake.

*Or purchase a box mix on sale .79 and canned frosting on sale .69. plus .50 for eggs, etc. to make the cake $1.48

The $6 Gourmet Valentine's Dinner for Two - February 5, 2009

Hi everyone!

I hope you're having a great day! Our kindergartener is having his first school concert tonight and we're looking forward to it!

Don't forget this week's Sale of the Week week, "How ANY Woman Can Learn to Make Money on the Internet" by Kathy Wilson. It's a wonderful e-book set that explains how to have an internet business at home. This is one of the few legitimate e-courses that I've found on this subject. If you want to know how to start up your own business, be sure and check it out today!

Just a reminder that you can get our Valentine's On A Dime e-book free. Get it here! If you have a blog, website or newsletter you may post the following link to the download page: http://www.livingonadime.com/ebooks/valentinespr.html

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

---

The $6 Gourmet Valentine's Dinner
for Two

For under $6, you can make a special Valentine's Day dinner for two. Tawra and her mom have put together this Valentine menu that is sure to please that special someone!

You can add a little romantic ambiance with a nice place setting. Fancy napkins, tapered candles, china place settings and a lace tablecloth add a nice touch. It is relatively easy to find one or two nice settings of china for 50 cents each at thrift stores or garage sales.

If you happened to hit the after Christmas sales, you may have found that white taper candles usually get marked down 75% after the holidays. You can also purchase red napkins, lace tablecloths, and red ribbon after Christmas for .50 - $1.00. Try it after next Christmas. You can also purchase things on sale 50% after Valentine's Day and keep them for next year. ... Of course if you're with the one you love, who needs food for Valentine's Day! ;-)

For The Menu:
( $5.69 for 2 people)

French Onion Soup
Tomato Basil Salad
Maple-Glazed Chicken
Glazed Carrots
Lemon Potatoes
Red Velvet Cake
Water with lemon slices
Tea or coffee with desert

French Onion Soup
($1.15)

2 onions, thinly sliced (yellow onions work best) (.25)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.10)
2 cups beef stock (made with bullion cubes or beef bones) (.10)
1 bay leaf
2 slices day-old French bread (.20)
1/2 cup mozzarella or Swiss cheese, grated (.50)

Melt butter in a skillet. Saute onions until slightly brown. Add onions to beef broth in saucepan. Simmer slowly 10 minutes or simmer overnight in the crock pot on low. Pour into bowls. Place bread on top of each bowl of soup, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Then set under broiler and cook until cheese is melted and brown.

Tomato Basil Salad
($1.44)

4 large peeled tomatoes (.79)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp. wine vinegar (.10)
2 Tbsp. olive oil (.05)
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped into small pieces (.50)

Dice tomatoes and combine with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil and basil. Serve. You may also add cubes of mozzarella cheese.

Maple-Glazed Chicken
($1.43)

1/4 cup maple syrup (.05)
4 tsp. lemon juice (.05)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.05)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
4 pieces chicken ($1.28 purchased on sale at $1.34/.lb)

Preheat oven to 450°. Mix maple syrup, lemon juice and butter together in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish and place chicken in it. Add salt and pepper to the chicken. Bake 10 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and pour on glaze. Bake 15 minutes more or until juices run clear.

---

Sale of the Week
(expires February 9th)

How ANY Woman Can Learn To Make Money on the Internet

Even If She's Just Getting Her Surfing Feet Wet...

No Matter How Tight Her Budget...and

Using What She Already Knows!

Find out How a Stay at Home Mom Built a Successful Online Business and Career with No College Degree, No Experience on the Internet, Too Little Money and Too Little Time... Just Like Most of You... and How You Can Do It Too!

Learn more about it here!

---

Glazed Carrots
(.37)

1/2 lb. fresh carrots or baby carrots (.12)
1/2 stick margarine (.05)
6 Tbsp. brown sugar (.10)
1 tsp. cinnamon (.05)
1 tsp. ginger (optional) (.05)

Clean carrots and cut into bite-size pieces. Steam 10 minutes in a small amount of boiling water (just until tender). Melt margarine in a large skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add hot carrots, stirring well to coat. Remove when shiny and well glazed.

Lemon Potatoes
(.75)

6 new potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, cut in halves or quarters (.50)
2 Tbsp. margarine (.05)
1/2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice (.05)
1 tsp. chives, chopped (.10)
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
dash of nutmeg (.05 for all spices)

Clean and steam potatoes 20 minutes (until tender). Heat remaining ingredients just to boiling. Pour lemon butter over potatoes and serve.

Red Velvet Cake
(.50 for 2 servings)*

3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 oz. red food coloring
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk

Cream together butter, eggs and sugar in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and buttermilk. Mix well. Add flour and buttermilk alternately. Beat until all the lumps are out. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost with Red Velvet Frosting.

Red Velvet Frosting

2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook milk and flour until thick, stirring constantly. Cool thoroughly. Beat milk and flour for one minute until fluffy. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add to milk and flour and add vanilla. Mix well. Frosts one Red Velvet Cake.

*Or purchase a box mix on sale .79 and canned frosting on sale .69. plus .50 for eggs, etc. to make the cake $1.48