DP Debut

You've heard us talk all about the core of the thirthythousanddollarmillionaire so we figured it's time to show you just what we're talking about. DPs. Dinner parties are the heart of what makes 30Km so fabulous because when it comes down to it, getting together with your favorite people, good libations and great food is worth more than millions. Trillions, even.

Last Tuesday we had our 30KM kick-off (although we've been dp-ing for almost a year, just sans blog) and it was great! We gathered at Chez Shrock-Mannies around 8 and started things off right with a few glasses of wine and some Mexican beer. For apps we had our signature goat cheese and marinara, courtesy of Down Town Marge (DTM), and sushi fresh from Kona Jack's own, Queenie (Ryan).

From there we ventured up to the top patio of the house, caught up on the weekly happenings and snapped a few photos (thanks, Haley!) so we could share them with you, our lovely readers. By the time we had our mini photo sesh and polished off ALL the sushi, it was time for the main event.

Cue: salt-crusted fish. Our main entree of the night was Salt-Crusted Walleye, which you can read all about in Wednesday morning's post. The fish was accompanied by a fresh and sassy Mexican Bean salad that Chris made and Fruit Salad via Karlie.

We would be ungracious if we didn't mention how great our photographer, Haley, was! She was a blast to be around and totally captured the fun. THANK YOU HALEY! Check her out, she is so very talented!

All in all, it was a GREAT time! We cheers'd so many times to our happiness that my arms got a workout. Now that is the sign of a good evening. We've included some photos for your enjoyment!

Welcome to the DPMags and Karz enjoying cocktail hour

DTM and the signature Goat Cheese & Marinara

Digging into the the marinara and sushi

Cocktail hour done right, Cas on the prowl

Fish preparation

Fish completion

Chris' Mexican Bean Salad goodness

Karlie prepping the fruit
Matt doing a fabulous job at what we like to call the "the 30k creep"

Mmmmmmm

Cheers, to good friends and good food!

P.S. Want to know more about the millionaires? Every week we'll feature a different thirtythou contributer and pick their brain on their favorite cheap thrills as well as their insights on love life and living each day one deal at a time!

Salt-Crusted Fish

Want an easy way to impress your friends at a DP? Try Salt-Crusted Fish. This European classic is tasty to eat and fun to serve!

Start by finding a great seafood department. This dish is typically made with a whole fish (scaled and gutted) but if you don't have a local fish monger at your fingertips you can also grab two large fillets and put them together (skin side out).

Make sure to use a non-endangered species of fish! Many seafood species have become drastically over-fished and are about to become extinct. For a great way to make sure your seafood is sustainably sound, check out the system the fine folks at Monterey Bay Aquarium are using to make these decisions easy for all of us.

Alright, now to the recipe.

This is what you'll need: A nice sized whole fish or two fillets stacked together skin side out, about 2 lbs of kosher salt (mix this with 1/3 cups water and you've got your salt mix!), 1 lemon, herbs of your choice.

• Pre-Heat oven to 475 degrees
• Line your pan with parchment paper
• Make a bed of salt 3/4 of an inch thick for your fish to lay on
• Slap your fish down on the salt
• Fill the cavities of the fish with lemon slices and your favorite herbs (for our DP I used fresh oregano, sage, and basil)
• COMPLETELY cover the fish with salt, packing it into a nice mound
• Pop it in the oven, leave it for 45 minutes or until the salt gets a nice brownish crust on it
• Use some heavy kitchen utensils to crack open the salt
• Behold the tender and juicy goodness that is your salt-crusted fish and serve

We tried this at last night's DP and it was a great success! Enjoy!

Cost: about $30 for 5 lbs of fish, $2 for the salt, herbs are free when you grow your own! $32 total. For a dozen guests, this is about $2.60 a person. Nice!

photo courtesy: haleyobrianphoto

Secrets of DP success

I'm starting to wonder how long it's going to take for this blog to start showing up in Google search results for some of those "other" DPs...

The DP is a staple of the thirtythousanddollarmillionaire lifestyle. Predominantly held on week nights, they're a way to bring friends together over a simple combination of good food, a few bottles of wine and beer, and ridiculous conversation.

Since my personality tends to mirror that of a crotchety old woman from the Bronx, I learned to cook. And cooking easy, delicious DP food is what I'm actually pretty good at.

Here's a quick photo tutorial for one of my new favorites, coming to a TTDM DP soon: Curried chicken. The recipe below feeds three, which is obviously not enough for a DP, but doubling or tripling the recipe is a cinch. Also included are little tips--making this easier on the cook makes for a happier cook and a less stressful DP with less cleanup after.

Step one: Get your shit together.

• 2 pounds of chicken breast, cubed into 1-inch pieces.
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced (I always quarter onions and stick them in the food processor for a few seconds, along with the whole cloves of garlic. It's fast and the cleanup is easy since everything is dishwasher safe.)
  
• 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, no salt added, drained
  
• 1 cup mango chutney
• 1/2 can coconut milk or coconut juice
• 1 14 oz can of chickpeas (microwave in their liquid for a minute and a half, then drain. This will cut down on cooking time when they're mixed with everything else.)
  
• 2 1/2 tbsp. curry powder (or less...depending on how you like it)
  
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Cast-iron skillet or other large pot or pan that's at least 3 inches deep. Make sure it's deeper if you're doubling or tripling.
• Instant brown rice (follow packaging instructions)
• Cilantro, for garnish
  

Step two: Get hot

• Put the skillet on the stove over medium heat
• Take the cubed chicken and sprinkle salt and pepper over it--just enough for a light coat. Nothing too heavy--you've got a lot of spice coming.
• Microwave chickpeas, if you're microwaving them. You don't have to, but if you're not, count on adding an additional 5 minutes to your cook time or the chickpeas will be a little too firm. That's what I've found, at least. You might like firm chickpeas. That's cool, too.

• Drizzle olive oil into the warm skillet and add the chicken.
• Sautee the chicken until it's browned, but not fully cooked. If you cook it too long, you're going to end up with dry chicken.

• Add in the onion and garlic and sautee for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is tender.
• Add in the chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, curry paste, mango chutney and half of the coconut milk/juice.
  
• Mix.
• Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by about half. (About 20 to 25 minutes)

(Blogger seems to be under the impression that I didn't already rotate this in iPhoto. Sorry.)

• While this is going on, clean up--you don't want a messy kitchen when the TTDMs get there--and set the table.
  
• Add in the rest of the coconut milk/juice and stir. Turn the heat down to low.
• Make the rice

Step three: Make a good impression

• Benefit of this dish: Once the heat is turned down, it can simmer for up to 25 additional minutes without drying out too much. So, if your guests are running late from work, you've got 0 worries. If you need to, use some of the rest of the can of coconut milk to keep things from getting too thick.
• When you're ready to eat, plate up the rice, top with the curry mixture and garnish with cilantro. Serve with warmed pita bread (or naan, if you can find it).
• Get ready for at least 9 inappropriate comments and a ridiculously wonderful evening.
  

30KM Food Corner: 20-Something Foodies with Million-Dollar Recipes

Baked Goat Cheese in Spicy Marinara

Welcome to the first installment of the 30KM Food Corner! As you know, one of the keys to being a successful thirty-thousand dollar millionaire, is dinner parties (which will henceforth be referred to as DPs). Whether you're hosting or bringing a dish to a friend's, it's important to always bring your A-game. During this reoccurring column, we 20-somethings will share with you our million-dollar recipes, on a 30K salary budget.

This recipe was inspired by one of our favorite Downtown restaurants, Barcelona, which is this fantastic tapas bar. They have incredible meat dishes and a warm chickpea and spinach side that is out of this world. But their best dish by far is their baked goat cheese in spicy marinara. It's so easy and simple, but this elegant dish will make you look like a rockstar (or millionaire with a private chef) at any DP.

Ingredients:
One jar good-quality marinara (If you want to make your own, fine. But we recommend using the extra time to pick out a chic outfit with killer accessories).
One log goat cheese
Red pepper flakes
Chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley
One loaf of good, crusty bread

For this it's key to use a great ceramic or cast iron dish, as it's all about presentation. Pour marinara in dish. Slice goat cheese and arrange in center of the sauce. (This will all melt and spread out into cheesy goodness). Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and put in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is very soft and marinara is hot. Remove and top with parsley for color. For bread; slice loaf on diagonal into quarter-inch slices. Place on baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and toast. When bread is done, remove and smear with garlic clove for extra flavor. Serve hot. Brush your shoulders off as compliments abound.