Pumpkin Donut Holes

September 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

pumpkin donut holes

These pumpkin donut holes are easy, frugal and perfect for those fall mornings when there’s a slight chill in the air.   Besides, nothing says fall food like pumpkin does.  Make up a big batch of dough early in the week, and make enough for fresh donuts each morning.

Frugal Tip:  In 2010, a pumpkin shortage made canned pumpkin not only expensive, but very hard to find.  Back then, I shared how to make your own pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins on Mommysavers.  It’s still a great resource today.  The pumpkin puree can be frozen and enjoyed all winter long.

skillet pumpkin donut holes

Sizzle sizzle sizzle

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Pumpkin Donut Holes
 
Pumpkin and spices add the flavors of fall to this easy donut holes recipe
Ingredients
  • 3½ C. flour
  • 4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ginger
  • ½ tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 C. sugar
  • 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ½ C. milk
  • 1 Tbsp. sour cream
  • 1 C. canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
Instructions
  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and the spices. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, blend the sugar and butter until smooth. Add egg and egg yolks, vanilla, milk, sour cream, and pumpkin. Blend well, then add dry ingredients gradually until a batter forms. Chill the dough for 1-2 hours or overnight.
  2. Roll 1″ dough balls, adding a little flour to prevent stickiness if necessary. Heat 1-2″ oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Place the dough balls in the pan, turning to brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. When cool enough to touch, roll in a mixture of cinnamon sugar (1/2 C. sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon). Serve immediately.
This recipe was adapted from the pumpkin donuts recipe on Annie’s Eats.

 

Filed Under: Breads Tagged With: , , ,

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Noodles

September 11, 2012 by 1 Comment

shrimp scampi linguine

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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Shrimp Scampi with Linguine Noodles
Recipe type: main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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
  1. 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: , , , ,

She Crab Soup Recipe: Flavors of the Gulf at Home

September 11, 2012 by 3 Comments

she crab soup recipe

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.

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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
  1. 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.
  2. 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: , , ,

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

September 10, 2012 by 1 Comment

homemade pesto recipe

basic homemade pestoHomemade 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.

 

homemade-basil-pesto homemade-basil-pesto

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

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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
  1. /2 c chopped fresh basil
  2. /3-1/2 c extra virgin olive oil(just eyeball how ya like it as you go)
  3. /4 c pine nuts,toasted (or you can sub walnuts)
  4. /3 c grated Parmesan cheese
  5. Tbs minced garlic
  6. /4 tsp chili powder
  7. 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: , , ,

Skillet Cornbread for 12″ Skillet

August 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

skillet cornbread for 12" skillet

 

Skillet Cornbread for 12″ Skillet

After visiting the south, skillet cornbread was on my list of things I wanted to make when I got home.   Any soul food restaurant worth its salt knows how to get cornbread just right, and I wanted to add it to my list of culinary accomplishments as well.   Plus, I just so happened to have a brand new Le Creuset cast-iron skillet waiting to be broken in.

When I searched for skillet cornbread recipes, most of them were for an 8″ skillet.  Since I have a 12″ skillet, I  had to adapt my recipe accordingly.  This recipe was not only easy, it was a big hit with my kids.  While it wasn’t quite as delicious as the skillet cornbread we tasted at Sweetie Pie’s, I will definitely be making it this way again.  Apparently the south, it goes against everything that is well and good to do it any other way.  As Mommysavers member Phoenyx says, “If I ever made cornbread in anything BUT a cast iron skillet, my grandmother would come out of her grave for the sole purpose of kicking my arse.” 

What are your favorite skillet recipes?  Let me know what you make in your cast-iron skillet.

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Skillet Cornbread for 12″ Skillet
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 C. cornmeal
  • 1½ C. flour
  • 2 C. buttermilk
  • 2 C. corn
  • ½ C. butter, melted
  • ¼ C. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • Crisco for the skillet
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, corn and milk. Next, combine wet and dry ingredients.
  2. Heat the Crisco in your 12″ skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Pour batter in skillet and heat 2-3 minutes until the edges start to pull away from the sides. Continue cooking in the oven for about 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when insert in the middle of the bread. Serve while hot. Drizzle a little honey butter on top for added sweetness.

 

Filed Under: Breads, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,
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