Baked Brie in a Bread Bowl

• Bread bowl
• One bulb roasted garlic, mashed into spreadable paste (DIY:  How to roast garlic)
• 1 brie cheese round
• 1 tsp. rosemary leaves

This baked brie recipe is sure to impress any guests at your New Year’s Eve gathering.  They’ll never guess how easy (and frugal!) it really is.  First, I started with this Super-Easy Bread Bowl Recipe.  Basically, it’s any regular beer bread recipe.  Instead of making it in a bread pan, bake it in a bowl.  There are many variations on beer bread.  For this recipe, don’t make the sweet version.  You’ll want the savory nature of the cheese to stand out.  I normally add about 1/3 – 1/2 C. sugar to my beer bread.  For this version, I’d dial back the sugar in the bread dough to just a tablespoon or two.

Next, cut the top off the bread bowl and hollow out enough of the bread to insert the brie round, reserving the bread which you’ll cut into cubes for dipping.  Spread the roasted garlic paste over the brie and sprinkle with rosemary. Next, put the top of the bread bowl back on and wrap in aluminum foil.  Bake for 40-45 min. at 350 until the cheese has melted.  Remove the top and cube for dipping as well.

Frugal Tips:  If you haven’t yet discovered all of the great seasonal cheeses at ALDI, head there PRONTO!  Many of them will go away until next November.  Their brie is just $2.99.  You can’t beat that!  We also really loved their Spanish cheese variety pack, which included yummy Manchego cheese.

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Mussels with wine and garlic sauce is simple to make, doesn’t take very long, and is surprisingly frugal.  It’s something my husband and I enjoy if we are doing a date night dinner at home.    This dish costs around $10 total, and serves 3-4.  There is something about freshly steamed mussels that seems romantic, or date-worthy.   For us, anyway, they’re “special.”

Frugal Tip:  At only around $4 per pound, mussels have a huge visual impact for not much money.  They look great on your plate and will impress any dinner guests you may have!  Another great way to use them is in this easy paella recipe, which is a great way to use up leftovers.

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