2frugalfoodies » baguette

Mini Eggs Benedict with Quail Eggs

2frugalfoodies — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 12:32:35 +0000

In more than two incredibly happy years of marriage, one thing that I’ve learned about Mary Katherine is her love of all things that are mini. Mini spatulas, mini chairs, mini whisks, any clothing for babies (inherently mini), mini pancakes, and so forth and so on. When I brought up mini eggs, she wasn’t so sure.

But, another thing that I’ve learned about her is that she’s an incredibly good sport and is a fantastic adventurous eating partner. So, when we found quail eggs (more later on the source), it didn’t take too much talking before we were leaving the store with a mini package of 10 mini eggs. This is how mini they were:

Really pretty, aren’t they? As much as it was hard to crack these beauties, you have to crack some eggs to make an omelette… or in our case, mini eggs benedict. While these would be great for breakfast, we actually had them for dinner. We made some with sauteed mushrooms (vegetarian!), some with bacon (not vegetarian!) and some with both. In the end, we liked the ones with both more than either component by itself.

Because they are mini eggs benedict, we used baguette slices instead of English muffins, and we really liked this substitution, particularly for dinner. The eggs themselves were delicious, not all that different in taste from a chicken egg. But of course, they were mini.

Recipe: Mini Eggs Benedict

Charcuterie Plate

2frugalfoodies — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:41:47 +0000

Some of the best cooking advice that we’ve gotten this summer comes from the following suggestion: Don’t cook.

This may seem like an odd recommendation on a cooking blog, but bear with us. The advice comes from Belmont Butchery. Since we talked about them on Thursday, we might as well keep heaping the praise on our favorite shop in Richmond. Anyway- when it gets hot and the days are long, standing behind a hot stove may not be your idea of fun.

But, of course, you still have to eat. So! Assemble a charcuterie plate for dinner and have a nice, relaxed, no-cook dinner out on your patio. We combined two great cheeses (an italian soft cheese and a blue cheese from Virginia), 2 kinds of salami, beautiful slices of prosciutto, water crackers, and crusty baguettes for our charcuterie plate.

The plate was actually created by our good friends, Perry and Dan. (We have to give credit where credit is due.) The four of us enjoyed the meal with a big pitcher of dark and stormys and watched the world go by from our little perch on the patio. Isn’t summer great?

Simple Hors d’Oeuvres

2frugalfoodies — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:37:48 +0000

Sometimes when you’re cooking dinner for guests, you get focused on the main course (which in our case is usually post-poned until about 8:30 or later due to some unforeseen occurrence or necessity in the kitchen) and forget all about something to snack on beforehand. Especially if you’re eating on the later side, these hors d’oeuvres are key to satisfying hungry guests while you finish off the dinner.

Neither of these ideas are extremely creative, novel, or unique to 2frugalfoodies. They are frugal and they are delicious. Next time you’re looking for something in a pinch, go to your fridge and see what you can piece together: it may just be tapenade, sun-dried tomatoes, or smoked salmon.

Because these recipes are so simple, we’re including 2 today!

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Tapenade Toasts along with Smoked Salmon, Cucumber and Dill Crackers

Escargots

2frugalfoodies — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:53:15 +0000

We definitely recommend this recipe if you’re:

A. Open to new tastes and foods

B. Love escargots

C. Will eat anything with lots of garlic and butter

D. Are blindfolded and not told the truth about the origin of the delicious new taste in your mouth.

Recipe: Escargots

Cannellini Bean Goodness

2frugalfoodies — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:17:53 +0000

Holy smokes. This is our new favorite appetizer. I could eat this for DINNER, and maybe dessert, too. For the story on how it was created….click here.

Recipe: I laid this page out a little differently, because the recipe is so simple. You’ll see.

Caprese Toasts

2frugalfoodies — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:27:08 +0000

The summer only lasts but so long, so your appetizers during these precious months might as well reflect the season. These delicious Caprese Toasts are incredibly simple, but also incredibly delicious.

Recipe: Caprese Toasts

Apple, Caramelized Onion, and Brie Toasts

2frugalfoodies — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:42:34 +0000

The shopping list is short, the active prep time is quick, and the result is tasty…what more could you ask for?

Recipe: Apple, Caramelized Onion, and Brie Toasts

This is Frugal?

2frugalfoodies — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:33:30 +0000

Yes! It is.

One night last year, one of our good friends treated us to an unbelievable meal, featuring these mussels as an appetizer and we’ve been on a mussel-kick ever since. We’re excited to feature these on 2frugalfoodies with John’s original recipe (and we do admit that the butter is our addition – John is healthier than we are.)

Recipe: Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Gazpacho!!!

2frugalfoodies — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:23:21 +0000

This is a post we’ve been looking forward to making for a long time. It’s so exciting to finally be in the middle of summer and enjoy fresh, ripe tomatoes that are locally grown and brought in on the produce truck every day. And what better to do with fresh vegetables than make gazpacho?

Recipe: Gazpacho I