Belly Up to the Cheap Bar!

Economic woes got you down? Want to go to a place "where everybody knows your name and their always glad you came"? Well, this ain't Boston- Buddy, but there is one think New Yorkers have perfected: Happy Hour with Strangers.

That's right. At the end of a long workday, nothing is better than bellying up to the bar and kickin' back a few (or four or more) with the drunk and drunker of New York's working masses. However, also with these economic times may come the urge to save, save, save (even on drinking!)!

Well have I got the site for you.

Drink Deal is the real deal.

Separated by Neighborhood in Manhattan and including Brooklyn (sadly there are no drink deals for Queenies at this time), not only do they showcase Happy Hour deals, but also other Specials such as: All-You-Can-Drink/Open Bar Specials, Wine/Margaritas/Mojitos/Fancy Drink Specials, Entertainment Specials (can anyone say Karaoke?), and Food Specials (to vom up later). The site also directs you to Gay Bars, Hooka Bars, Ladies Night Bars, and Smoking Bars to name a few...

Searching the site itself is *intoxicating*. Imagine what will happen when you actually gallivant to one of these fine establishments.....

Liquid Dinner Party!

The Cheap Chic's Guide to your very own

Liquid Dinner Party

I love, love, love to socialize with my friends and entertain. However, a five course Dinner at Eight every/other week can be a little taxing on the budget. Thus, I came up with the idea of the Liquid Dinner Party.

To start, it is BYOW, B or L, 3 Buck Chuck is usually the drink of choice.

Second, appetizers (if you thus choose) should be anything that is on sale (usually stuffed grape leaves in my area- $6 for 4lbs!) or inexpensive to make (hummus with pita or feta mixed with freshly chopped basil and a dash of balsamic vinegar on top of Triskets) and don't go overboard! Think of your appets as an amuse-bouche just to show your guests that you aren't going to poison them with your cooking.

Next, the main course. After years of missing out on dinner parties, because I was stuck in the kitchen preparing the next course, I learned an important lesson (actually, it comes from the Boy Scouts)- BE PREPARED! Thus, I can have a dinner party at 6:30pm, when I get home at 6pm on a Friday. "How Cheap Chic?" you inquire. You make...SOUP! It can be prepared ahead of time, freezes easily and comes to a boil in less than 15 min, even when frozen. Thus, freeing you up from a hot stove and letting you enjoy being the HOST(ESS) with the MOST(ESS)!

Now, there are many soup recipes in cookbooks at the library, on the internet, or maybe that you have. From a basic Chicken Noodle to a New Orleans Gumbo to an Armenian Apricot Soup the variations are endless. However, I have two standbys that I swear by. The first is a Mexican Tomato Lime Soup from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home Cookbook (you can also find this recipe online, but I'm a big fan of cookbooks, so I'm linking you to the actual book). If you want to cheat or tomatoes are out of season, I've also made this recipe with 2 cups of canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones. The second one is a much heartier soup, actually a stew, perfect for winter. This one is a Groundnut Stew, which has many variations depending on the location in West Africa. Below is the Cheap Chic version which is a mixture of my friend Sam's version (Thanks Sam!) and of tried and true testing on unsuspecting guests.

Groundnut Stew
(Cheap Chic Style)

Ingredients:

• oil (peanut or vegetable)
  
• couscous
• pressed garlic cloves (I like at least 4)
• 1/2 tbsp pressed fresh ginger (optional)
  
• 2-cups chopped onion
• 2-16oz cans chopped tomatoes, undrained
  
• 2-16oz cans of black beans
• 2 cups hard veggie (carrots, okra, yams or all)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• cayenne pepper to taste
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Heat oil in a soup pot. Saute garlic (and ginger if chosen). Add onions and saute till slightly browned. Add both cans of chopped tomatoes, black beans and veggies. Once everything becomes hot and mixes together, add peanut butter and cayenne to taste. Soup is done. Cover and let cool. Put pot in fridge if serving within a day or in freezable tupperware if freezing. 15 minutes before entertaining: Cook couscous as directed. Put soup on to de-thaw or bring to warmth. Simmer. In a bowl, put the couscous in and top with the stew. Add salt and pepper to taste. The aroma of this stew is great and sure to bring your guests back for seconds. And really this soup is all about the personal touch so feel free to play around with the ingredients.

~o~o~o~

You always have that one friend that insists on bring something to help with the cooking. If you need no last minute "Oops, I forgot that" ingredient ask them to bring 1 or 2 loaves of French bread. It's cheap (maybe 3 bucks max and they've felt like they've done their part).

"What's the bread for?" you may ask. For making Homemade Garlic Bread (you have to have something to soak up all the liquid)! "But Cheap Chic, I usually buy Pre-made Garlic Bread." This is a big "Hell's No!" Making your own Garlic Bread is cheap and easy (just how I like it). Also you can make it as good (little butter) or as bad (lots of garlic-no kissing for you!) as you like.

Cheap Chic's Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• 2 loaves of French bread
• 1-2 sticks of Butter
• pressed garlic cloves (the more the better)
• oregano (optional)
  

Half the loaves of bread. Soften the butter. Add the pressed garlic to the soften butter and mix. Slather the spread onto the French bread loaves. Sprinkle as much oregano on as desired. Broil in the oven till browned (about 5-7 minutes, but make sure to check it frequently! Broiling can lead to blackening quite quickly!).

~o~o~o~

Now you have a full 4-Course Liquid dinner: appetizers, soup, garlic bread and of course, alcoholic liquid.

And for dessert? Well, I always keep a box of cake or brownie mix (when it goes on sale for 99c) in the house (just in case). Just make sure you have enough eggs and oil handy. It even is a great party activity. Who doesn't love licking the spatula clean or spilt wine flavored brownies?

One final thought- Make sure you have enough toilet paper for when everyone breaks the seal. After all, this is a liquid dinner party!

Enjoy!

New Year, New Hair (on the cheap) PART 3

So the next morning (did you really believe I would cut my hair while drinking?), I did some research on my "side swept bangs." I recommend Chris Faircloth's Women's hairstyles instructions on Expert Village. His videos will show you how to cut a variety of women's hairstyles, although really I suggest practicing on a friend, not yourself.

I grabbed my sewing scissors, my smaller scissors from the 5th grade, a comb, some water and case things got too out of hand, some wine to calm myself down.

Thus I started cutting and a half an hour later.....

I looked like Lady Gaga, before she went blonde. Instead of stopping and leaving my hair alone (since I obviously didn't manage to pull off the side swept bangs), I thought the bangs were still a little off-centered.......

2 hours later....

I now look like Becca Moody from Californication. And, yes that is the 12 year old daughter of Hank Moody. And, yes that means I look like a 12 year old (well in real life, she's actually 15, but still I'm not even legal).




I'm still coming to terms with my new underage look, therefore, you'll have to give me some time before I reveal the look. Let me have some time to "age it up" a bit. Maybe go more Cleopatra than Goth Lolita.

Stay tuned for the PART 4- The Reveal!

New Year, New Hair (on the cheap) PART 2

So last night was the night that I decided to whip up some D.I.Y. action to become a celebrity (well, at least have celeb hair).

First I decided to get some celebrity inspiration for what I wanted- Enter the Internet and the hairstyle websites (http://www.hairpedia.com, http://www.hairstylesdesign.com).

Second, there were some conditions. No to Brook Hogan, Charlize Theron, or Paris Hilton. My hair has only been blonde once and I got sick of the drag queen comments. Also, since it is Winter, I should go darker in hair color and keep my hair longer.

After searching around the sites for a while, I remembered someone once said I looked like a mixture of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Alyson Hannigan (must be the quirkiness. Well, that or the pronounced chin). Therefore, I decide on an Alyson Hannigan style, which was Dark Brown with side swept bangs.


So now that I decided on my style, it was time for action. Enter the drug store. Oh, so convenient (down the block, real time saver) and oh so cheap for hair color (in a box at $7.58 with tax vs. at the salon, low end starting at $50 plus tax and tip). I decided on L'OREAL Paris ColorSpa Moisture Actif No. 12- Dark Brown. I've used this brand before and love it, because it is about 3 bucks less than most hair color and it is Non-Permanent color (for all us commitment-phobics out there. Plus if the color is abhorrent, in 28 hair washes its gone, whether over the course of a month or one very scour filled night.).

Then I gathered my supplies:

- hair color
- bottle of $6.99 Finca Flichman 2007 Malbec (the wine is the best part of hair coloring at home and it's still under $20 for a color and a few drinks! You can't beat it!).
- wine glass
- corkscrew
- iPod
- old towel


After reading all the instructions and drinking a glass of wine, I began....

Stay tuned for PART 3!

An Ode to 3 Buck Chuck! (well, 2 Bucks in CA)

I thought it was only apropos to start my first posting with something that is especially near and dear to my heart.....

WINE!

and particularly my love for 3 Buck Chuck as we fondly refer to it in New York City which costs $3, is produced by Charles Shaw Winery (hence the name) and bottled exclusively for Trader Joe's.

The 3 Buck Chuck brand is known for its consistency in flavor and accessibility the masses, whether, a budget conscious wine connoisseur or a wannabe posh college student trying to look sophisticated at the local Frat. However, in essence, really these wines are about drinkability, especially when most wines at this price point taste like vinegar with funky undertones.

The only downfall to this wine, is its location to me. If I live in California it would only be $2 and in NYC the only Trader Joe's is right by Union Square/14th St and a trip for me. However with Trader Joes offers a handy 6 Bottle Reusable/Eco-friendly Wine bag for the Cheap price of 99c.

Log on to Trader Joe's to find the store nearest you.