And, no, I am not talking about In N Out Burger. Perish the thought. I am talking about replacing an evening out with a killer dinner at home. Better food. Less money.
We did that today.
Courtesy of Wegmans, my freezer, the Breezy Willow CSA, and my favorite Virginia winery, Linden.
It all started with a coupon for $5 from Wegmans, and a trip to Safelite because my windshield finally turned a ding into an eighteen inch long crack. A new windshield this morning and a visit to Wegmans looking for coffee.
Wegmans sells an 80 pack of this French roast for $35. Cheaper than Costco for an 80 pack. Add a $5 coupon to it, and it is a real deal for coffee snobs. A big, rich, bold coffee in environmentally friendly packaging. What’s not to love?
We had other coupons too. Yogurt, deli, sushi and cheese. I could do serious damage.
Today is Tuesday. Half price wine night at Bistro Blanc, right down the road. We considered dinner out. Until I saw the U-10 scallops in the seafood section at Wegmans. This is why I still love the place.
Buying a dinner out with scallops this huge would set you back a large amount of cash in a restaurant. Pan searing them in butter at home. A fraction of the cost. Trust me. Scallops are easy. So are fingerlings. I put the fingerlings in a pot with water for 15 minutes while looking for everything else. Finished them in that browned butter in the searing pan.
Made a salad with microgreens and the beets from the CSA. I roast the beets and use them in salads. I finished the potatoes with the last of that container of garlic scape pesto from my freezer.
Opened a bottle of chardonnay. Without the chardonnay, this dinner cost me $30 in ingredients. The scallops, $18. You could pay way more than $15 a person for much less at any chain restaurant for an entree.
Really easy here. Two pots, one for potatoes and one for scallops. Greens on the plate. Goat cheese from Cherry Glen. Kumatoes, I wanted to try. Not bad, a little mushy but a good taste. I did homemade dressing. You could buy yours.
Dinner in a half hour. Way better than Applebees, or any of those other chains. No beepers. No really overpriced beers and wines, the real cash cows at restaurants. What is stopping you from cooking great stuff at home?
Really. Don’t “Get out there”. Get in your kitchen.
hocofood@@@
AnnieRie Unplugged 
That looks delicious. The scallops at Wegmans are top-notch.
My husband is still fighting the flu and has a touchy stomach. So our dinner was Breezy Willow eggs with a little bit of Bowling Green Farms feta. Also delicious.