Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread with Self Rising Flour

April 25, 2013 by 4 Comments

bacon cheddar beer bread with self-rising flour | frugalbites.com

 One of the reasons I like beer bread is that it is SO easy.  It surprises me how costly the prepackaged mixes are!  The basic beer bread with self-rising flour recipe is super-frugal and only uses a few ingredients.  Plus, it’s easy to tweak the basic recipe to come up with fun creations like this Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread.  It’s great to serve at a party with dips and spreads.

Frugal Tip:  If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can make your own:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
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Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread with Self Rising Flour
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
This variation of beer bread uses self-rising flour to make it easy.
Ingredients
  • 12-oz. beer
  • 3 C. self-rising flour
  • ¾ C. Cheddar cheese
  • 8 slices bacon, chopped into crumbles
  • ¼ C. butter
Instructions
  1. Mix the beer, self-rising flour, Cheddar cheese and bacon together in a bowl. Spread batter in a greased bread pan.
  2. Melt the butter and pour over the top.
  3. Bake 40-45 minutes at 375. At the end, I sprinkled a little cheese on the top of the loaf for color.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Muffins and Rolls Tagged With: , , , ,

Shrimp Creole

April 23, 2013 by 1 Comment

shrimp-creole-recipe

Shrimp Creole is a flavorful Louisiana recipe that relies on the flavors of the trinity (celery, onion and green pepper) along with Tabasco to give it a kick.  It’s served over rice, which makes it one of our favorite frugal dishes.

However, don’t confuse it with Gumbo!  Gumbo is Cajun rather than Creole.  Gumbo is created by slow-cooking roux until golden brown.  Creole dishes are usually a bit spicier, and don’t contain a roux.  Both include the trinity and are ”improvisational” dishes, as the basic recipe may be altered to include whatever ingredients the cook has available (Wikipedia).

Frugal Tips:  I use bagged frozen shrimp for this recipe.  About every 2-3 months, I find it on sale at Cub Foods during their BOGO sales.  Since I’m able to store it in my deep freeze, I buy several bags when the price is low.

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Shrimp Creole
Serves: 4-6
 
Creole flavors plus rice and shrimp come together for this easy dish
Ingredients
  • ½ C. (1 stick) butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 14-5-oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Tabasco
  • 1 lb. cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in skillet. Add onion, green pepper and celery and saute until soft (about 5-7 minutes). Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic. Pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat. Add shrimp five minutes before serving and heat through. Serve over white rice.

View more creole recipes on Mommysavers.com.

Filed Under: Fish and Seafood Tagged With: , ,

(Better Than) Applebee’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip

April 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

applebee's spinach and artichoke dip

(Better Than) Applebee’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I’ve heard people say they’re nuts about the Applebee’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  I’m really not much of a fan of chain restaurants.  We have an Applebee’s in our town and I think I’ve only been there a few times (only because someone else chose the location).  I have nothing against Applebee’s.  We just choose to frequent mom and pop restaurants (see our road trip family rules).

Forget the chains.  I have a Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe that I would put up against any restaurant recipe.  Honestly, I’ve never come across a better version.  Yes, I’m bragging.

Frugal Tip:  Instead of going out to eat, invite another couple over this weekend.  This is the perfect thing to serve at a casual party.  In my opinion, it’s so much more fun (and frugal) to invite people over to your home instead of going out to a restaurant.

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(Better Than) Applebee’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip
 
Do you love Applebee’s Spinach and Artichoke dip? This version is even better!
Ingredients
  • 1 14-oz. can artichokes, drained and chopped
  • ½ of a 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained (re-freeze the remainder to use the next time)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ C. sour cream
  • ¼ C. mayonnaise
  • ¼ C. cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ C. Romano cheese, grated
  • ¼ C. Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Panko bread crumbs (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Combine all ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese and mix well.
  3. Spread the dip in a baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Next, sprinkle Panko bread crumbs on top with a little pat of butter here and there.
  4. Bake until completely heated through and the cheese begins to bubble and brown.
  5. Serve with crackers, cocktail rye, pita, tortilla chips or even veggies.

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Copycat Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Easy Fried Ice Cream

April 18, 2013 by 1 Comment

easy fried ice cream recipe

Ask anyone their favorite Mexican dessert, and they’re likely to say fried ice cream.  The trouble is, the “real” version is kind of intimidating to make.  This Easy Fried Ice Cream recipe incorporates all the flavors without the deep frying.  Plus, the extras are easily refrozen for later (that is, if there are any leftovers).

Plus, once you make the crushed corn flake topping for your homemade fried ice cream, you could easily store it for later use.  It would be fun at an ice cream sundae bar!

Frugal Tip:  My friend just said she gets her vanilla ice cream at ALDI.  Instead of buying the ‘premium’ Belmont brand, she actually prefers the cheaper kind they have there, and says it tastes just like Schwan’s.  I’m going to pick some up next time I’m there!

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Easy Fried Ice Cream
 
Ingredients
  • 2 C. crushed corn flakes
  • 1 stick butter
  • ¾ C. sugar
  • 2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened about ½ hour
  • 1 tub whipped topping
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • Honey
Instructions
  1. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add crushed corn flakes and sugar and stir constantly until lightly browned (3-5 minutes). Don’t let sugar burn. Set mixture aside to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine whipped topping, ice cream and cinnamon.
  3. In cake pan, sprinkle about ½ of the corn flake mixture on the bottom. Add ice cream. Top with remaining corn flake mixture.
  4. Freeze 1-2 hours to set well.
  5. Before serving, drizzle with honey.

easy fried ice cream recipe

easy fried ice cream recipe

easy fried ice cream recipe

easy fried ice cream recipe

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: ,

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

April 16, 2013 by 1 Comment

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

 

Last week, I was searching for an easy dessert that would be kid-friendly yet sophisticated enough to serve with a nice meal.  Since I planned on sharing the meal with our neighbors, I had to be at the top of my culinary game.  The kids requested cookies, but to me chocolate chip cookies just are too ordinary to be impressive.   I landed on this version of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.  The saltiness of the macadamia nuts go perfectly with the sweet white chocolate.  Plus, it’s just a little bit more refined than its chocolate chip cousin.

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 36
 
A flavorful change from the traditional chocolate chip cookie. Macadamia nuts give these cookies a salty goodness that highlights the sweet chocolate.
Ingredients
  • 1 C. butter, softened
  • ¾ C. brown sugar
  • ½ C. white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 2½ C. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 C. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
  • 1¼ C. white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a mixer, cream the butter, sugars, and eggs together.
  3. Add eggs, one at at time. Add vanilla and almond extract.
  4. Next, combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir until well-combined.
  5. Add nuts and chocolate chips.
  6. Drop teaspoons of batter onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Filed Under: Cookies and Bars, Desserts Tagged With: ,
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