This economic downturn could turn out bad for  the restaurant industry.  Restaurants serving expensive dishes will take a profit hit, while places with lower prices may fair better. People will turn to cheaper nights out.  If you are a foodie, it is a conundrum. You crave to to save cash, but cravings for good food still steer you toward more expensive and complex fare. There is a way out...

You may not have a clue about how to cook. But if you are foodie, then you most certainly have taken in enough of the Food Channel to at least learn a few tricks.  You will probably surprise yourself in the process it you look outside the box. So get in the kitchen and try to make something. If you do not usually cook then there has never been a better time to learn.

Start simple. Make an old "stand by" that you are very familiar with. Jazz it up a little.  Then try to make something just a little different from usual.  Instead of beef hamburgers, make some grilled salmon burgers instead. Or try a simple recipe, like this homemade baked macaroni and cheese. Once you have mac and cheese mastered you can graduate to baked tortellini alfredo. On a weekend morning, make some homemade pancakes and sausage. These are all really easy things to prepare, and you only need to add a little presentation to make it into something special.

Get together. Cook in a group, either with your significant other or with friends.  You can have just as much fun in the kitchen, or grilling out in the backyard as you would in the restaurants.  Remember to have plenty of adult beverages on hand if that is your preference.  Think about breaking up tasks and making things fun. Assign duties to people.  Someone can chop, sautee, or grill.  To complete the dishes,  you could have a plating contest, to see who make the best presentation.

 Get educated.  Sure you can watch the food channel. This is a great channel to watch to get ideas and to learn new and different techniques.  But there are also many other way to learn.  Look for cooking seminars in your area. There also many on line cooking classes. There is also always the internet searches for an endless supply of recipes.

Once you are comfortable with making a few dishes, start thinking about presentation and style. Most high class restaurant offerings are really not that special.  Keep in mind that most of the ingredients they use are probably available locally. You may have to search around little more.  Forget the chain grocery store. Start poking around different smaller grocers, vegetable, and farmers markets to see what is available locally. Do not leave out the ethnic markets either.  They have plenty to offer too!  Look for interesting items.  You will likely find ingredients you never dreamed were available in many of these smaller shops.

Once you have an idea of the type of ingredients that are available, then you can really start to expand your horizons.  Do not let the economy  thwart your quest for good food.