September 2012 - Page 2 of 2

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Noodles

September 11, 2012 by frugalbites 1 Comment

Last weekend, I was watching an old episode of Barefoot Contessa and Ina Garten presented her fabulous shrimp scampi recipe. It looked so simple and easy, I decided to put it to the test. I’ve made shrimp scampi many times before, but Ina’s recipe called for lemon and cracked red pepper in addition to my typical recipe. As expected, it was delicious!

Frugal Tips: I rarely pay full price for shrimp. Often, it goes on sale at the grocery store during BOGO sales. When it does, I stock up!

Adapted from Shrimp Scampi by Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa on Foodnetwork.com

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Noodles

Recipe type: main

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

This delicious dish is ready in under 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 box linguine noodles
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2½ Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cracked black pepper
1 lb. uncooked shrimp
⅓ C. chopped fresh parsley leaves
¼ C. lemon juice (I used juice from concentrate)
⅛ tsp. red pepper flakes

Instructions

Prepare linguine according to package instructions. In a large skillet, melt butter in olive oil. Add garlic and give a quick stir. Next, add salt, pepper and shrimp and cook until they turn light pink, turning as necessary. Add parsley, lemon juice, and red pepper. Add linguine noodles, tossing to coat with the shrimp scampi sauce. Serve immediately.

Filed Under: 30 Minutes or Less, Fish and Seafood, Pasta Tagged With: ina garten, linguine, seafood, shrimp, shrimp scampi

She Crab Soup Recipe: Flavors of the Gulf at Home

September 11, 2012 by frugalbites 3 Comments

On our Panama City Beach road trip, I was reminded how wonderful she crab soup can taste. Living in Minnesota, it’s not something we see on the menu very often. My first taste of she crab soup was at The Bubble Room on Captiva Island in Florida when my daughter was a baby. Since then, I’ve been ordering it whenever I’m near the gulf. Like most regional foods I crave when I’m back at home, I set out to try to make it myself.

The version below is pretty close to what I know and love. It was inspired by Paula Deen’s She Crab Soup Recipe on Foodnetwork.com and The Classic She Crab Soup recipe on Allrecipes.com. I switched it up by blending it with a stick blender (shown below). If you use fresh crab meat (vs. the canned kind I used) you may want to omit that step for a chunkier soup. Note: NEVER use imitation crab meat in this recipe. I didn’t want the flaky texture of the canned crab in my soup and opted to blend it to make it creamy. If you can’t find Louisiana Hot Sauce, you can add heat with a few shakes of Tabasco.

Frugal Tips: Traditional she-crab soup calls for the roe of the crab, but hard-cooked eggs are a frugal (and more accessible) substitute.

She Crab Soup Recipe

Ingredients

3 hard boiled egg yolks
4 Tbsp. butter
2 green onions, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1½ C. fish stock
1½ C. milk
1½ C. heavy cream
2 6-oz. cans crabmeat
⅓ C. sherry
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. Louisiana Hot Sauce (or similar)
¾ C. Parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp. paprika for garnish

Instructions

With a fork, crumble the eggs yolks. Set aside. In a stockpot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add green onion, celery and garlic, and stir until translucent. Add the flour and cook until it starts to form a paste. Add fish stock, milk, and cream. Bring to a simmer.
Add egg yolks, crab meat, sherry, pepper, hot sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Heat until cheese has entirely melted. With a stick blender, blend until the soup is thick and creamy. Garnish with green onions and a sprinkle of paprika.

Filed Under: Fish and Seafood, Recipes Tagged With: Florida, panama city beach, seafood, she-crab soup

Dee’s Hangout: Great Eats in Panama City Beach, FL

September 11, 2012 by frugalbites Leave a Comment

Without Yelp, we probably would have walked right by Dee’s Hangout. Located in a strip mall, it’s not exactly a high-profile location. That’s OK. The tourists can hit Pineapple Willy’s down the block while the true foodies can join me at Dee’s. We enjoyed it so much the first time, we made it our last stop before heading home to Minnesota.

Both our starters were fantastic. The she crab soup was out-of-this world, and rivaled one served at the Bubble Room on Captiva Island (which is also fabulous). I wanted to lick the bowl when I was done. The BBQ shrimp was also swimming in flavor. The sauce, with its Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and butter base was tangy and delicious as well as unique.

My husband ordered the beans and rice. It’s a simple dish, but since the roux takes a long time to get just right, not one we have too often. My blackened redfish was also delicious. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the fried mac and cheese balls. With two kids, mac and cheese is usually the last thing I want to order when eating out – but this doesn’t even compare to the orange stuff in the blue box.

Our server, Kaylee, was outstanding. Not only was she friendly, she was knowledgeable about the food and the area. We will definitely be going back, and recommending it to anyone who makes the trip down to PCB.

Frugal Tip: Don’t forget to check in on Foursquare. When we did, we got our appetizer for 1/2 off.

Dee’s Hangout

http://www.deeshangout.com/

10440 Front Beach Road
Panama City Beach, Florida 32407
850-249-4264

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: dee's hangout, Florida, mac and cheese, panama city beach

Basic Homemade Pesto Recipe + How to Freeze and Enjoy All Year

September 10, 2012 by frugalbites 1 Comment

Homemade pesto is something I’ve been making a few years in a row now, and it’s an excellent way to use up the rest of the fresh basil in your garden before a hard frost. Freeze what you don’t use in ice cube trays to enjoy in the middle of the winter.

How to Use Your Homemade Pesto:

As a pasta sauce
Add a little homemade pesto to mayo for a sandwich spread
Top salmon or chicken with pesto before grilling
Add to mashed potatoes
As a baked potato topper
On homemade pizza as a sauce
In artisan breads
Make pesto butter as an appetizer spread

Frugal Tips: Even though fresh Parmesan is somewhat expensive, it’s worth it. A little bit goes a long way. You may also experience sticker shock if you’re purchasing pine nuts for the first time. If you have walnuts at home, they are a good substitute. Some even prefer the taste of walnut pesto to pine nut pesto.

Thanks to the Mommysavers Forum members for the inspiration behind this basil pesto recipe

Basic Homemade Pesto Recipe

A great recipe to make with fresh basil from your garden before the hard frost

Ingredients

1½ C. fresh basil leaves
½ C. extra virgin olive oil
¼ C. pine nuts, toasted (or walnuts)
⅓ C. grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of salt
Pepper or Tabasco to taste

Instructions

/2 c chopped fresh basil
/3-1/2 c extra virgin olive oil(just eyeball how ya like it as you go)
/4 c pine nuts,toasted (or you can sub walnuts)
/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
Tbs minced garlic
/4 tsp chili powder
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays, remove and place in a freezer bag until ready to use.

Filed Under: 30 Minutes or Less, Salads and Sides Tagged With: appetizers, basil, homemade pesto, pesto

The Brauhaus Restaurant & Lounge: Authentic German Food in Northern Minnesota

September 4, 2012 by frugalbites Leave a Comment

The Brauhaus: Authentic German Food in Northern Minnesota

Situated between tiny Nevis and Akelely Minnesota in the heart of lake country, you’ll find a hidden gem known as The Brauhaus German Restaurant. Despite its remote location, visitors flock here year after year for authentic German food they can’t get anywhere else. We’ve been going there for over twenty years. It’s as much a part of our summer cabin tradition as taking the dock in and out of the lake. Owner Gabriele Kirschman, known to everyone as Gabi, always greets us warmly when we walk in. The hospitality is second only to the great food.

Everything on the menu at The Brauhaus is good, but our family’s favorite dish is the jägerschnitzel: a delicious, lightly-breaded pork cutlet served with green peppers, mushroom and onion gravy. We always order it with a side of spaetzle noodles (great with the gravy) and red cabbage. The spaetzle noodles are so good, we started making them at home years ago. The kids have been raised having them at least once a month or so (here is our own spaetzle noodle recipe). All the entrees are under $20 (with the glazed duck at $21 as the one exception) and the portions are large; so there’s no arguing about the value. Other restaurant specialties include sauerbraten and schweinhaxe; as well as desserts like schwarzwälder kirschtorte. If you’re in a group, the hostess is likely to bring you a free plate of liver pate (pictured below). If you’ve got picky eaters or kids in your group, there are plenty of American specialties to choose from as too – although I believe you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not ordering anything German.

The decor is homey with a bit of kitsch, but stays true to the experience: waitresses dressed in old-fashioned German dresses, posters of Germany, and the bar stocked with German beers. It’s definitely a family favorite and worth the trip if you’re ever in the area.

Frugal Tip: The portions here are huge. For lighter appetites, the side dishes can be ordered a la carte. Sometimes, I simply order a side and have a few bites from my husband’s plate.

The Brauhaus German Restaurant
http://www.brauhaus-german.com/
Akeley, MN 56433-8024
(218) 652-2478