A Low Budget Wonder!

Budget & Find Those Deals

This is what The Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen is all about! Eating well and not paying out the A-R-S doing it! I always get comments about the photo’s my wife and I post on all the top sharing sites. It seems that some think my recipes contradict the very idea I preach about; gourmet meals at a low budget wonder. But, I’m telling you folks it can be done very easily, and you don’t have to store up all of your coupons like all of those super moms that Groupon all the time.

Take these crab legs for example. These are called Santolla Reds, and most days they’re cheaper than Jumbo Shrimp. Here’s the really crazy thing… they are the size of King Crab legs! And, they look and taste just like them. To be completely honest, just a little bit saltier is all. So what… use unsalted butter and they are fantastic. I usually buy 4 to 5 lbs of these Santolla Red Crab Legs for under $40 bucks and it feeds my whole family, with left over’s. Try getting ½ a pound of King Crab Legs and a Baked Potato at any restaurant for under $26 dollars!

Budget those Threats

How about these Crawfish? Do you see the Budget price listed on the front of the carts in the pic above? It even got down to 99 cents a lbs shortly after I took this photo. Ironically, some guy on my Crawfish video freaked out on me, the other day, about it. He called me a liar and proclaimed in his well educated text, “no where is america its sold for 99 Cent per pound”. Shortly there after he threatened to come after me and get me evicted from my house when I proved to him they are. See for your self in the comment thread.

Budget and Save

Anyway, if you don’t budget and you’re paying top dollar for everything you are trying to cook at home, then you are either stuck on the wrong website or you are severely trying to learn. So if you haven’t closed out this blog yet and your still reading, and you truly want to know the trade secret to paying less, then whip out your note pad app and write this down: start talking to the chefs, start talking to the butchers, start talking to anybody and everyone that handles the service behind the refrigerated counters, AND(wait for it), MAKE NICE! Get in good with them; shit, flirt a little. It’s not going to hurt you. I’m telling you from experience and matter of factually, if you get in good with them, you’ll get in good with the prices and you will Budget and Save big!

My Hobbie My Headache!

I love to cook. I love to eat. I absolutely love food. But! I don’t eat drink and sleep recipes. I can’t stand all day in a kitchen preparing meals for others that I’m simply not going to be able to sit down and enjoy for myself. Though I love the critics, and I enjoy the compliments, if I’m going to endure a full day stand in the kitchen I’m going to inherit a headache.

Moderation is the key for good cooking I think; at least it is for me. I’ve got to resonate after I take in a good meal and process what I can do better next time. Putting it down on paper doesn’t seem to help. In fact it’s actually something I avoid wholeheartedly. Doing the blog, the facebook page and the Youtube channel weren’t even things that I originally wanted to do, like, at all. My brother talked me into it. And the problem I find myself repeating constantly is making the time to write down these recipes that I’m constantly perfecting on a daily basis.

As you can see here, I’m clearly cooking. There’s the evidence right in front of you. But, I ask myself, “Is this something others want to be cooking?”, “Are these secrets that I even want to be giving away?! It’s really tough to swallow sometimes. A ton of hard work goes into making a dish something that everyone wants and loves to eat, then just hand over the recipes.

Why do others do it? We see it all over the web these days right? What’s the payoff? Advertising! Commercials, product placement and pay per clicks. Guess what though. You’ve got to be getting hundreds if not thousands of ad clicks a day to see any results from that kind of gig before you even see a dime. I haven’t. not even one red cent. Not that I’m complaining, I just want you to recognize that some people just love what they do so much they feel like keeping things to themselves. That way our hobbies don’t become headaches and we don’t become slaves to the pills that stop the pain.

I don’t want that for me; headaches that kill the passion I have for my hobbies. As long as I can share the things that I’ve learned through my education and experimentation, I’ll keep cranking out recipes for Poor Mans Gourmet Kitchen. But like any true artist out there, sometimes you’ve got to wait for the release of a masterpiece!

On a lighter note, here are a few concoctions I’ve been thinking about writing about. If any of these recipes catch your attention I’d like to know about it. There’s a Lo mein noodle that is as good as any restaurant or fast food I’ve ever had; grilled Salmon smothered in a sweet and sour sauce with veggies; Nachos… baked; Ceviche Tilapia; fresh Chicken Tequitos; and last but not least, a Chicken Wrap with a Peanut Lime sauce!

Crawfish Boil Recipe from Scratch

The Easiest Crawfish Boil Recipe

What an experience! Anyone that hasn’t ever had their own Crawfish boil is really missing out. I imagine it could possibly be a nightmare for some if they really don’t know what they’re doing, but that’s why there’s tutorials like these to help the “Not so Common” common folk out! But first, you’ve got to find a good Crawfish Boil Recipe!

My Crawfish Boil

I’ve been eating Crawfish for a while now, and I think I’ve finally had enough boils and etouffee in my life to finally have a real good perspective on how great crawfish should taste. So I figured it was time to see if my seasoned pallet, training and the talent I’ve worked hard to develop over the years has really paid off. I was ready to try my own Crawfish Boil Recipe, from scratch. So I bought this 31 pound of bag of live Crawfish for $46 and this bag of Slap Ya Mama.

Crawfish Boil Seasoning

I didn’t put together any of the actual ingredients in this boil, but you can by a bag of this stuff just about anywhere in the South, or online if you’re trying to find it elsewhere. I previously had never been a part of a Crawfish Boil before this day, and I can honestly say I was relying on instinct and instruction from locals alone before I filmed my first time with my own Crawfish Boil. So what you are witnessing here today is my first time ever dealing with live crawfish in my kitchen. Though I was a little nervous, over all, I think I handled this Crawfish Boil Recipe like a Pro!

Update: I have since done so many Crawfish Boils it’s unbelievable. I’ve even discovered so more secrets to perfecting their flavor. One of the thins I do now is melt in a whole cube of butter. I also dumb down the spice a bit, without the expense of losing flavor, by adding in Tomato bouillon. These too things bring a richer, sweeter flavor to the boil and makes the broth heavenly to suck from the heads, if you know what I mean. Now all you need to do is throw in some Potatoes, Andouille Sausage slices and some half portioned corn on the cob and your well on your way to perfect Crawfish Boil Dinner!