Fondue Cheese Recipe

1 tsp. minced garlic
1 C. dry white wine
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 C. Swiss cheese, shredded
2 C. Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
Pinch nutmeg

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer the garlic, wine, and lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cheeses, and blend well until melted. Add mustard and nutmeg. Keep warm over Sterno with a fondue pot.

Dip assorted breads, meats, and veggies in the cheese. We diced French bread, salami, and fresh mushrooms to eat with our fondue.

Frugal Tips:  Gruyere isn’t exactly frugal.  I found it at Sam’s Club for $12/lb., and that was the best price I could find.  However, a splurge like this doubles as a Fun, Frugal Family Activity while providing a meal as well.  You can do the whole thing for less than $20, which is much less than an evening out.

Thanks, Mommysavers!  Originally posted here: Melting Pot Cheese Fondue

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This Tortellini Gorgonzola recipe was inspired by a local restaurant called The Neighbors Italian Bistro.  I order it almost every time I go there, so I wanted to figure out how to make it at home.  This semi-homemade version is quick and easy – ready in 30 minutes.   Plus, now that I feel I’ve got a good version of my own I may branch out and try something different the next time I’m there.

Frugal Tip:  Flash frozen chicken breasts that come in a bag are pretty cheap, but they often get dried out and don’t taste as flavorful as fresh chicken breasts.  One thing I’ve discovered is that if you par-boil them in chicken stock before grilling, they taste better and are more juicy.

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This copycat version of the creamy Parmesan dressing from Carrabba’s Italian Grill is my new favorite. Not only is it delicious, it’s incredibly easy to make.

Frugal Tips:  This recipe only calls for a little bit of buttermilk, so don’t let the leftovers go to waste.  Did you know you could freeze buttermilk?  Here are some great ideas to use up buttermilk after making this dressing.

See how simple the ingredient list is?  Much of this is in your refrigerator already.

Mix the dressing well.

Serve with romaine and croutons.

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Steamed mussels are one of our favorite “at-home date night” meals. They cost around $4 per pound, and are easy to make. I first posted our Mussels in Garlic Wine Sauce recipe on Frugal Bites a couple months ago. I recently found this recipe in the newspaper and gave it a try.  It’s based on a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated.  It was very similar to our other recipe, with just slight variations in the amounts of each ingredient.

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These Toffee Club Crackers were something I remember my Grandma making at Christmastime. I’m not sure I got the recipe quite right, but they were delicious (almost addictive!) nonetheless. There are many, many variations of these cracker cookies. I also have a recipe that uses graham crackers and pecans – also delicious. Really, the possibilities are endless.

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I live in Minnesota:  Land of 10,000 lakes and even more hunters.   While my own husband enjoys fishing and duck hunting, deer hunting is something he’s never really gotten into.  That’s too bad, because I really like the taste of venison.  However, we’re lucky to have friends that do deer hunt… and bring us meat!

These venison medallions were such a treat.  This recipe is based on Emerill’s Venison Medallions recipe on Foodnetwork.com but adapted according to our taste.  The balsamic glaze was to-die-for.  And SO easy.

Frugal Tip:  Hunting and foraging for food is the most basic of frugal tips.  My husband jokes that his duck hunting expenses go to “put food on the table” but c’mon… I know better.   Hunting is just an excuse for men to escape their jobs, wives, obligations and be primal.  However, I never turn down free meat.  If you get offers, do the same!  Use the internet to find ways to prepare things according to your own taste.

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I admit it, I’m not much of a sandwich person.  The idea of white, fluffy bread and poor-quality fillings doesn’t satisfy my hunger or my palate.   Gourmet sandwiches are another story.   If a sandwich has a beyond-the-basic spread, quality ingredients, and artisan bread… I’m in!

George Foreman Grill = Panini Press

I first mentioned my Turkey Artichoke Panini on the Mommysavers Frugal Forums, and someone said it sounded just like a Panera Copycat.  I’ve never had their version, but this one is really good!  I created this recipe almost entirely by chance.  I had made a big batch of my spinach artichoke dip for a party, and had some left over.  The next day, I used the dip along with some smoked turkey on a sandwich; and it was fabulous!  Since then, I’ve discovered that caramelized onions and red peppers make it even better.

This time around, I used Sam’s Club Castle Wood lunch meat.  It’s Sam’s private label brand, and it comes in wide variety of flavors and combo pack options.  I also picked up some focaccia bread to give it a true gourmet flair.  Feel free to use artistic license when you make this.  I’ve got the basic recipe for you to print out below, but add your own personal touch!  Different types of meats and cheese are fun alternatives to make it even better-tasting to you, personally.  My husband didn’t want the red peppers on his, so I created sandwich with them, and one without.  Both fabulous!

To see more photos of the sandwich creation process, view my Google+ Photo Album:  Turkey Artichoke Panini

Frugal Tips:  Don’t have a panini press?  You can use your George Foreman grill!

Additional Resources:

• Sam’s Club Castle Wood lunch meat
• Twitter @SamsClub
• Facebook

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Sam’s Club Private Label #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.

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The best thing about salmon, other than its great flavor, is the fact that it’s good for you.   It’s packed with Omega-3 fatty acids that have been shown to lower your cholesterol and improve your memory (among other great things).

When it comes to preparing salmon, I often get stuck in a rut.  I went about searching for recipes the other day and came up with this one.  I love that this dish can be made in under 30 minutes from start to finish.  The red pepper flakes add a kick, but you can dial back the heat by adding more or less according to your taste.  Hoisin sauce is almost like an Asian molasses.  I found it in the ethnic section of our regular grocery store, but if you have trouble finding it you can always get it on Amazon.com.   If you want to go the frugal route, don’t get it at all and substitute molasses.  It won’t be as authentic-tasting, but it will still be good.

Frugal Tips:  Many people avoid eating salmon because it tends to be expensive.  A bag of four salmon fillets is just $4.99 in the freezer section at ALDI Food Stores.   When you offset a dish like this by serving it with rice, the cost is actually very reasonable.

This was originally posted on Mommysavers:  Ruby Tuesday copycat salmon

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German Spaetzle is the ultimate “cheap” dish.  After all, it doesn’t get much more frugal than a dish mainly comprised of eggs, water and flour.  It’s the shape of these noodles that make them fun to eat.  Dress them up with gravy, herbs or freshly grated cheese.  My kids LOVE this dish and my daughter can make them all by herself.  Plus, they’re ready in about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Frugal Tips:  We have a Spaetzle Maker, but you can make an impromptu spaetzle maker at home.  The first time my husband and I made these noodles we were newly married and broke – so we used a tin can with holes punched in the bottom.   A smaller can “squeezes” the spaetzle dough through the holes.  You can also use a colander to make spaetzle if it has wide enough holes.

I first posted this recipe on Mommysavers.com

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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

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