Friday Night Lite

Before I get into today's post I HAVE to share some exciting news with you! Remember Wednesday's post about Berry Good Cupcakes??? Well....somehow the folks at IZZE caught wind and shared the link to my recipe on their Facebook page! I had all sorts of extra traffic to Fiscally Chic due to the digital love. Isn't social media cool?!?!

Anyways, back to the original post:

In the spirit of sharing money saving tips, here's how last Friday night went down at Fiscally Chic. See also: How to have fun on a Friday for $15.

Cathy: I don’t think I can go to Goose Island for dinner. I had a burger for lunch. So I’d like something other than bar food. [We were going to use a restaurant.com certificate]
John: No worries about Goose Island. I was kind of thinking about seeing a movie tonight anyway. Should we make dinner at home?
Cathy: What movie are you thinking? I’m in the mood for something light for dinner. Haven’t decided what that is yet. Thoughts?
John: Not sure what movie to watch tonight. We could always rent "Inception" if that video store has it. How about tacos?
Cathy: "Inception" sounds good. How about fish tacos?
John: Sure. This recipe looks pretty good.

Two hours later...

Cathy (via text): Getting a free cupcake at Crumbs!!!
John (via text): Picking up "Inception" at the Redbox

At home, we made a less-complicated version of Bobby Flay's fish tacos (see below for recipe), enjoyed two beers (one homebrew, one microbrew), a free cupcake, and "Inception." While I'm sure the special effects would have been even better at the movie theater, it was nice to be able to pause the movie to talk about confusing parts or take a bathroom break.

Tasty, but it didn't fare well on the L.

As for the free cupcake, Crumbs Bake Shop is a bakery out of New York City and just opened a shop in Chicago. They were giving away free cupcakes last Friday as a promotion. While the s'mores cupcake was pretty good, it wasn't the best in Chicago. My favorite Chicago cupcakes are from Sugar Bliss and Molly's. My all time favorite is still The Cup in St. Louis.

So how did our dinner and a movie night in compare to a night out? I think $43+ in savings is pretty Fiscally Chic!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Any date night ideas to share?


Simplified Fish Tacos
Based on Bobby Flay's recipe

Tacos:
•1 pound white flaky fish, such as mahi mahi or tilapia. We also made this with shrimp later in the weekend.
•EVOO
•1 tablespoon chili powder, more if you like. You could also use jerk seasoning for a little more zing.
•8 flour tortillas

Garnish:
•Shredded white cabbage (we used bagged cole slaw mix)
•Chopped cilantro leaves
•Tomato Salsa, recipe follows (or use your favorite jar 'o salsa)

Directions
Pour a little EVOO in a pan and preheat to medium-high heat. Spray the fish with EVOO. Sprinkle with chili powder. Let marinate for 5 minutes.

Cook fish in the medium-high pan for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

Heat the tortillas in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 20 seconds. Remove the tortillas to a plate and cover with a clean towel until you're ready to eat.

Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.

Tomato Salsa:
•1/4 red onion, coarsely chopped
•2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
•1 14.5oz can of diced/chopped tomatoes with jalapenos, drained
•Juice of one lime, maybe more
•1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
•Salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

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