Bachelor on a Budget

BudgetFood: Chocolate Lava Cake (with Cayenne and Sea Salt)

2011-03-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

Skipping ahead to dessert, here is a great way to finish off a home-cooked meal for your date. If a home-cooked meal is the bases loaded of dating, a chocolate lava cake is the walk-off grand-slam. Add the pink peppercorn whipped cream, and you've pitched a perfect game.

Not entirely sure why I'm using baseball metaphors - I'm a football guy. Oh well... GO PIRATES!

Chocolate Lava Cake (with Cayenne and Sea Salt)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people):
For the cake:
6 oz. Dark or semi-sweet chocolate
6 oz. Unsalted butter (diced, room temperature) + 1 oz for ramekins or cupcake cups
3 Eggs
1/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp good sea salt

For the whipped cream:
Heavy cream
Vanilla extract
Sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, etc...)
Pink peppercorn (ground)

Equipment:

4 ramekins or 6 cupcake cups/muffin tray

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F
1. Melt chocolate in microwave, using 3 to 4 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst. When melted, remove and
2. Stir in diced butter, until melted
3. While microwaving, in another bowl, beat eggs and sugar until it starts to get frothy and whiten.
4. Gently stir in melted chocolate, and then the flour.
5. Butter 4 ramekins or, for smaller portions, 6 cupcake cups, and pour in chocolate batter until not quite full.
6. Bake for about 9-10 minutes for cups, 10-12 minutes for ramekins. Check often in the final minutes to avoid overcooking.
7. Run a knife gentle around the edge of the ramekins/cups.
8. Gently turn container upside down onto dessert plates or rack and serve immediately.

BudgetDate: Hot Chocolate Festival at City Bakery

2010-02-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

Need a quick, simple "coffee" style date, but hate Starbucks? Well, for the month of February (yes, that leaves you 8 days), New York City residents are in luck, because City Bakery is having their annual Hot Chocolate Festival, featuring a different flavor of hot chocolate every day, in addition to their regular, super-thick-and-rich variety.

A single $5 cup is usually too much for most people's sweet teeth (not mine, unfortunately), but they do have smaller 1/3 cup shots for $2.50. This is perfect, as you can get one of the special flavor and one of the regular for the price of a single cup, and both you and your companion can then get a nice sample of each without going into diabetic shock.

Speaking of which, you can also get a home-made marshmallow in your cup. Now, I've been told by some people that this makes the whole thing way too sweet. These people are dead inside.

If your date doesn't want to share a cup or shots... well, after all, first dates are for weeding out the crazies, right?

Grab a muffin or biscuit ($2.50-$4.00) to go along with your chocolate delight, get some water to cleanse the palate between sips and all's good with the world.

If you don't live in NYC, I'm sure your town has some cafe or restaurant that can boast a really good cup of hot chocolate. In Philadelphia, for example, I'm told of an Argentinean restaurant that has one of the best cups in the world (We shall see.... oh yes, we shall see). Regardless, it makes for a nice, little destination event to meet someone and get to know them, whether it's for the first time, or a familiar lover who you want to see smile over a steaming cup of cocoa.

Enjoy!

(The old cups were even BIGGER.... sigh...)

The Putting Lot

2009-10-02T11:36:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry.

That said, it's your last weekend to combine the inspiring spectacle of public installation art with the joys of Putt-Putt Golfing! It's The Putting Lot, and it's closing Sunday, October 4th!

Head out to Bushwick, where a mere $5 will get you a ball, club and the chance to play on 9 putting holes designed by 9 different artists in a formerly empty lot deep in East Brooklyn. Mostly designed from reclaimed materials, the different installations range from a pink soda bottle forest and lake to a storefront bodega where you have to shoot your ball through an old stand-up video game. The first hole is a clever simple stretch of "green" that is simply a photo poster of the garbage that was in the exact spot where the green sits.

It's easy enough to get to. Just take the L-Train out to the Jefferson stop, get out at the Jefferson/Wycoff exit and walk a block to 12 Wycoff. Done. Afterwards, grab some cheap tacos from the highly rated Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos, a few blocks away at 271 Starr Street (between Wyckoff Ave & St Nicholas Ave). There's a map on the link.

It's a mite chilly this weekend, of course, so take a jacket.

BudgetPolitics: Vote. It's Free. Plus, FREE SEX TOYS!

2008-11-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

Seriously.

Don't know where your polling place is? Go here: http://www.voteforchange.com/index_obama.php

But aside from doing your duty as a citizen, you can also get free stuff from various corporations trying to get some free advertising, and small businesses with a civic minded bent.

Starbucks is giving away free coffee with proof of voting. Whole Foods is doing the same. And Ben and Jerry's is giving away free scoops of ice cream. You can get free star-shaped donuts from Krispy Kreme and some Chik-Fil-A's are giving away chicken sandwiches.

And perhaps best of all, Toys in Babeland is giving away free sex toys. Both men's and women's.

So go vote, you deadbeats!

BudgetSex: Free Condoms (and Testing!)

2008-10-25T06:24:00.001-07:00

In these hard times (no pun intended) it's difficult to find cheap, or free, entertainments to pass the time away. However, there is one activity that will always be available to the masses free of charge: Sex!

Or is it? Condom prices are pretty ridiculous these days; a 12-pack of condoms at Duane Reade will run you anywhere from $11-$15. That's about a dollar a condom! Ridiculous!

Fortunately, there's a free alternative in New York City, with no loss in quality. NYC offers the "NYC Condom" at it's health clinics in all five boroughs. They're just regular Lifestyles brand condoms with a fancy wrapper and you can take as many as you want. They also have female condoms and lubricant packets as well!

"But, I need extra large condoms," you say? To which I say: Aww, poor fucking you... do you actually expect pity for that? Turn your head and cough up the money! That's what you get for having such a big penis, you dick (pun intended). Though, seriously, try the female condoms and lubricant if the regulars are too small and you need another free option.

And just as important, NYC provides free STD and HIV testing at these health clinics as well. There's often a bit of a wait, so the trick is to get there before they open (Doors open at 8:30am at most locations, so get there at LEAST at 8am). That way you'll be in and out within an hour or so, rather than sitting there all day. In any event, bring a book just in case things take longer than you expect.

Oh, and if the clinic is closed and you're in need of protection, also know that Lifestyes is a brand that also is sold in three-packs at 99-cent stores. But being a Budget Bachelor is about PREPARATION! Have condoms on hand before you need them.

Knowing and protecting your health status, whatever it is, will be a big relief and let you enjoy your life more. And that's what a Budget Life is all about!

BudgetDate: Whatever You Like

2008-10-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

The economy's a mess, people have lost a good portion of their net worth and prices are higher than ever; but romance and life aren't something you can press the Pause button on. So what's a boy or girl to do to keep on dating in the middle of a ~~Recession~~ Depression?

Well, here's the thing about dates: the point is to get to know the person. And vice versa. So rather than trying to dazzle with theater or concert tickets, or dinner at four-star restaurant, share something with them that you enjoy doing. Most everyone has a few simple, free activities that they enjoy: wandering around used bookstores, sitting in the park, trying a new recipe, window shopping, going to the public museum. Why not try to connect with a new special someone on that everyday level? Something that doesn't require a whole itinerary and reservations.

Here's an idea: look up a nice fall soup recipe. Then, take a trip to the local farmer's market with someone you want to get know better. Grab a cup of cider and some carbs, then walk around visiting the stalls, talking about whatever. Pick up the various ingredients you need, and anything else that appeals to the both of you, and then have her over for some tea and cooking.

Then you'll be cooking with gas*!

* Unless your stove is electric. Loser

Roller Skate for Free in Coney Island this Saturday!

2008-03-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Lola Staar, a boutique owner and an active part of the Save Coney Island movement, recently won a Tommy Hilfiger "Make Your Dreams Come True!" contest. She's using the opportunity to open a roller rink in the historic Child's Building in Coney.

The rink will be opening this Saturday, March 22nd, and there will be a FREE celebration skating party from 6pm-Midnight. If the party goes well and a lot of support is shown, the rink may be here to stay. If not, it will be very fleeting.

So come support roller skating in NYC (we have no rinks left!) by skating your pants off on Saturday night. There will be rentals, but they will likely be limited, so come early. I asked Lola if it would be okay to wear roller blades instead and she said, "Sure!" (She also said that I'd have to wear a Wonder Woman outfit as well, but I suspect she was being facetious about that part. I think...)

On a personal note, I lived out near Coney Island for 10 years and would often run along the boardwalk past the amusement park and the boarded up Child's Building. It's a beautiful old building, with wonderfully detailed exterior ornamental sculpture and tiling. For decades it's remained empty and unused, slowly deteriorating with the passing seasons. A roller skating rink would be fantastic in this venue and would help breathe new life into the area.

The Child's Building is at 3052 West 21st St (enter on the boardwalk). RSVP to 866-211-1629. Some more info at Lola's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lolastaar

BudgetFood: Rice. Yeah, that's right... I said Rice.

2007-12-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

They're called bread lines for a reason. Carbohydrates, be they bread, pasta, rice, etc... are the staple food of most cultures. They are not, in fact, some evil, dietary enemy of the people as depicted by Dr. Atkins (both overweight and deceased), but rather they are an essential foundation of a healthy diet.

But bread is expensive these days, and pasta is limited in it's application (yes, yes, there are piles upon piles of cookbooks with pasta recipes... but in the end, it's still pasta). Which brings us to rice. Rice, bought in bulk, is INCREDIBLY inexpensive, either in white or brown rice varieties. In Chinatown you can pick up a 20 lbs bag of long-grain, white jasmine rice from Thailand for $11 - $20 bags of brown rice can be found for as little as $12.

As for storing it, with holiday time about, offices and homes are going to be filled with those huge cans of popcorn and pretzels that vendors and relatives send out as end of the year gifts/bribes. Coincidentally, a 20 lbs bag of rice fits PERFECTLY in one of these tins, so Post-it Note dibs on one of these cans and bring it home for rice storage. They're pretty much airtight, so you don't have to worry about bugs, and the rice keeps forever as long as it's dry.

As for preparing it, it's simple - 2 parts water to 1 part rice, bring to a boil then simmer until little holes appear in the surface of the rice (the eyes of the rice, as they're called). Or just buy a cheap rice cooker. I HEARTILY recommend this, as it saves you a LOT of hassle and burning/wasting of rice, and it's incredibly nice and convenient to be able to just dish some rice in a bowl and toss some soy sauce or Furikake on it as a snack. (Furikake is a delicious Japanese seaweed topping for rice.) Cheap rice cookers (get one with a non-stick pot), Furikake, and other "Asian" condiments are available at Pearl River Mart on Broadway between Grand and Broom.
Rice is an incredibly versatile foodstuff - perfect for sides, entrees, soups and even in salads (try adding some room temperature brown rice to your next salad - fantastic!). Here then is just one, super cheap and super easy recipe for rice that can be had for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

THAI RICE SOUP

Ingredients:

1-2 cups white jasmine rice (cooked) (you can use brown, or noodles even too)
3/4 cup finely chopped celery (1 stalk)
3/4 cup finely chopped scallion (1 or 2 stalks)
3/4 cup chopped cilantro (also called Chinese parsley or coriander)
1 tablespoon of diced/finely julienned ginger root
2 tablespoons of preserved cabbage **(see below)
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon (more to taste) hot chili paste or chopped hot peppers
2 tablespoons fish or soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar

(** You can get a jar of preserved cabbage from Chinatown when you're buying your rice. One jar lasts for many many months if you eat this regularly, and never goes bad. Preserved cabbage typically comes in a neat little brown ceramic or glass container.)

For the soup base, use either:

- One of those Ramen noodle packs you have lying around
- Broth Boullion Cubes or Powder (Cheap Jacks 99-cent store currently has jars of chicken and beef broth powder that makes tons of soup. For vegetarians, Vegebase is a fairly affordable vegan broth.)
- Or just boil then simmer chicken parts (which they also sometimes have at the 99-cent store) in enough water to cover until they're cooked through, use that liquid as broth and then use the meat in the soup as well.

Directions:

Put the rice in a large soup bowl, and then on top add the cilantro, scallions, celery, ginger, and preserved cabbage. Then pour the hot, boiling broth over to the ingredients, which will cook the vegetables to perfection, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Serve immediately.

If you want to get fancy, you can lightly toast the garlic in vegetable oil in a frying pan, til it's golden brown, then pour both the oil and the garlic in the soup. Delicious!

This dish costs maybe $1-$2 tops when you break everything down. And the great thing is, you can change it as you see fit - make the broth from pork meatballs, add or use different chopped up vegetables, like bean sprouts, carrots, etc... Toss in some shrinp! Play around with it and have some fun!

BudgetDate: Free Ice Skating

2007-12-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

It's cold. It's snowy. It's cold. There's nothing we can do about it. It's cold.

So when life gives you frozen lemons... go ice skating!

There are a number of free venues for ice skating here in New York, with very affordable skate rentals. There's free skating in Bryant Park in Manhattan until mid-January, with $10 skate rental and free lockers (you have to bring your own lock - but there's a Cheap Jack's 2 blocks away on 40th Street between 5th and Madison, so you can grab a $0.99 lock if need be!)

And coming up on Friday, December 14th, there's free skating all day, 8:30 a.m. – 9 p.m., at Wollman Rink in Prospect Park! Admission to the rink will be free, with ice skate rentals available for $6.

And really, does it get more romantic than ice skating? Here's a perfect opportunity to invite that special someone, or potential special someone, on a low-pressure, fun activity date! Hard to beat a date that basically has hot chocolate built into the end.

BudgetFun: Live Karaoke

2007-11-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

Now, as an Asian, naturally ANY karaoke is going to be great time for me. It's a little known fact that Karaoke is a Japanese word meaning "Asian guy singing Elvis songs."

However, this enjoyment is multiplied ten-fold when it's karaoke done to a LIVE backup band. Guitar Hero is great and all, but this is the way to REALLY feel like a rock star.

Plus, it's typically cheaper than regular karaoke - no per song charge, no room charges. You just have to wait your turn. Sometimes there's a cover charge, but often not.

There are three main live karaoke bands in the city to look for:

The Human Karaoke Experience:
This is a great place for live karaoke beginners. They're a super cool and relaxed trio with a mind-blowing playlist of 500 songs! Pick out your songs from their website and get to their events early as they have a hardcore group of regulars that always get there and fill up the first couple of pages rather quickly. Put your name down in the earliest slot available, then once on each of the next pages if you want to sing several songs during the night. They play in multiple venues so check their website for a schedule - I've gone to see them at O'Flanagan's Pub on 1st Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets. They serve food there too; I heartily recommend the O'Flanagan Burger for $9.95. Great size and quality of beef, with swiss cheese, mushrooms, onions and sour cream, and decent thick and dirty fries. Drinks aren't quite cheap: Gin and tonics are $6, beers are $7, but I don't drink so take THAT "the MAN!"

Punk Rock/Heavy Metal Karaoke:
The grand daddy of all live karaoke bands and NOT for the faint of heart. Formerly the house band for Arlene's Grocery's Monday night karaoke, they were rather unceremoniously bumped out of there in favor of one of their imitators. Arlene's loss, everyone else's gain. Then they played a regular gig at the Continental before that joint sold out and stopped hosting live music altogether. Now they play in multiple venues, primarily at Club Midway on Avenue B in the East Village. There IS a $5 cover, but it's worth it and the singing is free.

This is the hardest rocking live karaoke band in the city, with the band doing dead on renditions of a slew of heavy metal and punk rock covers, with nearly 250 songs in their playlist. The regulars can SING with a capital STFU, so make sure you're ready to leave it on the stage when you get up there. Again, get there early and sign up, as spots and songs fill up quickly.

Rock and Roll Karaoke at Arlene's Grocery:
The band which replaced the aforementioned Punk Rock/Heavy Metal Karaoke band is competent, but feature a rather meager song list. Still, Arlene's is a cool venue for all you hipsters and scenesters, so throw on your best ironic couture distressed t-shirt and head on over there on Monday nights from 11pm-2am for their live karaoke rockfest!

The band also plays other venues from time to time, so check out their MySpace for schedule info.

Welcome to Bachelor on a Budget!

2007-11-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hi. This blog is dedicated to living the frugal and single life. There are so many affordable and even free activities and opportunities for fantastic living here in New York City, but many of these ideas and events are available in one form or another in every major city in the world!

Expect posts about recipes, date ideas, fitness, housing, shopping tips, entertainment opportunities and finance - everything the frugal bachelor needs to live and love in the big city!

So let's get started!