Melissa D’Arabian is the season five winner of “The Next Food Network Star” and host of the hit Food Network show “Ten Dollar Dinners” (Sundays at 12:30pm ET/PT). Now in her second season, Melissa continues to share delicious dinner ideas for 4 people under $10.
She was kind enough to take a moment to chat with us. Melissa was in New York doing a segment on the Today show to promote her Easter ideas and gear up for her upcoming season of “Ten Dollar Dinners.”
Are there any other shows or projects you have coming up?
Season three is keeping me pretty busy. That being said I am going to be a guest on some prime time episodes coming up. (She will be appearing in the upcoming sixth season of “The Next Food Network Star,” “Chef Versus City” and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”) During one episode of the shows we shot on location grilling. It was a beautiful beach and you won’t want to miss it. There was a guys versus girls challenge for “Food Network Challenge” and it was a lot of fun. I am also doing a few spots on “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
What is your typical day like? Being a mom of four, cooking and filming must be a lot to juggle.
I have about three different typical days. One is I am traveling and I am shooting like today. I am in New York and interviewing along with a stop on the “Today Show.” I try to keep very busy and a full schedule because the second I am done with work, I am on a plane back to my family. They are my priority, but I also love my job. The second type of day involves testing recipes or cooking. I usually do that at home and that’s were balancing is so important. The third type of day is just my family. I will take my kids to school and be a stay at home mom. I have a mix of these kinds of days.
What can we expect to see in season three of “Ten Dollar Dinners”?
I love having a small hoop to jump through. People ask if it’s hard to cook on just ten dollars. Well, number one, it’s how I cook. Number two I think that is how a lot of people have to cook. I think the possibilities are endless. Cooking on a budget should still feel great. That’s what I plan on doing for season three. There are going to be some creative, fun and surprising recipes that you are going to see. Since this season is going to run during the summer you are going to see a lot of summer recipes and barbecuing.
What is one tip that you find the most useful?
Manager specials. Items that get close to the “sell by” date will be on sale in a manager special and will save you money. Don’t forget that the “sell by” date is different than a “consume by” or “use by” date. Usually things on a manager special will have a “sell by” date. You usually have a few days after that to actually eat it by.
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