Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian Season 6 Episode 15 Ten Dollar Game Day

In Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian season 6 episode 15, titled Ten Dollar Game Day, Melissa prepares a spread of affordable and delicious snacks for a game day party with her family and friends. She starts by creating a basic salsa with canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cilantro, which she spices up with jalapeno and lime juice. She also makes a creamy avocado dip with Greek yogurt, avocado, garlic, and lime juice.

For the main course, Melissa prepares a batch of slow cooker pulled pork, which she serves on slider buns with barbecue sauce and coleslaw. To keep costs down, she buys a large pork shoulder and cuts it into smaller pieces herself. She slow cooks the pork with onion, garlic, and barbecue sauce for several hours until it's tender and falls apart easily.

Melissa also creates a few side dishes to round out the meal, including loaded sweet potato skins and a refreshing cucumber and tomato salad. She hollows out sweet potato halves and fills them with a mixture of black beans, corn, cheese, and bacon, then bakes them until they're crispy. For the salad, Melissa combines chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and red onion with lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of sugar.

To top off the meal, Melissa makes a dessert that's perfect for a game day party – chocolate-covered strawberry footballs. She melts chocolate chips and dips washed and dried strawberries into it, then decorates them to look like mini footballs with white frosting.

Throughout the episode, Melissa shares tips and tricks for hosting an affordable and stress-free game day party. She recommends serving a mix of hot and cold dishes that can be made ahead of time, and setting up a self-serve bar area with beverages and snacks so guests can help themselves. She also suggests using reusable plates and utensils to reduce waste and costs.

In the end, Melissa's game day spread is a hit with her family and friends, proving that delicious and affordable food is possible for any occasion, big or small.