Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on January 28, 2011

Chilling winter blasts demand beautiful food photo distractions. More snow and record cold has been slamming much of the United States — although not here in Arizona. It’s been sunny and pleasant this past week, and we’ve turned off our heater during the day (nights are still a bit nippy… dropping to about the mid 40s). For those who are becoming despondent, fed up, or overwhelmed by all the nasty unseasonably cold and snowy weather hitting your area, all I can say is, thank goodness it’s Friday. Yes indeed, lots of beautiful food photos to the rescue for mandatory distraction. Also, consider moving to Arizona. If you can survive the month of August, you’ll love it here.

When available, recipes will accompany the “Fab Food Friday Fotos,” with a guarantee that at least one recipe — most preferably a frugal recipe — will always-always be included.

Wine in Glasses - Wine Tasting at Boschendal Wine Estate, South Africa | Photo credit: slack12, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Freshly Baked Scones with Jam & Whipped Cream | Photo credit: Mikaela Danvers, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook Mikaela Danvers has a delightful posting, What a Lovely Afternoon, with many other photos on her personal blog about the tea party for which she made these scrumptious-looking scones pictured above and many other heavenly goodies — be sure to swing by to check it out.

Hobo Scramble - Diner Food in Redmond, Washington | Photo credit: Accidental Hedonist, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Twinkie Fondue | Photo credit: starchy, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Included in the photo of this odd, overly sweet, skewered dessert are sliced Hostess Twinkies, circus peanuts, caramel Ho-Hos, marshmallows, and candied orange slices… quite fattening and unhealthy, but good grief, I really want to dip this into a chocolate fudge fondue sauce! This Twinkie fondue would be a big hit with any youth groups, camp-outs, sleepovers, or at kids’ birthday parties. Adding some strawberries, kiwi, grapes, banana slices, or other fruits would make it less of a junk food abomination… LOL.

Chinese Food Goodness from Pine Yard Restaurant, Evanston, Illinois: Fried Shrimp Rice, Mandarin Shrimp with Cashews, Szechwan Spicy Chicken with Broccoli Garlic Sauce | Photo credit: She Who Shall Not Be Named, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Ricotta & Basil Ravioli with Zucchini, Red Pepper & Mushroom | Photo credit: Dimitri dF, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

This is No. 18 in an ongoing food photo series by Dimitri dF on Flickr — he wrote this about this beautiful ricotta dish:

Super easy dinner this time. Bought these fresh ricotta/basil ravioli from the super market I cooked them with cilantro. I topped it with strips of zucchini and red pepper, with mushrooms, green onions, some tomatoes and garlic. On the top I added shredded Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese.

NOTE: Smoking hot, notice the steam?

Creme-filled Brandy Snaps for English Tea Party | Photo credit: Sam Breach, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Jokbal (Pigs' Feet Cooked in a Spiced Soy Sauce) | Photo credit: South Korea website, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Bento Box Fun | Photo credit: munkayo, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

For hot-spot descriptions of these bento boxes and links to tutorials and other photos related to making Japanese bentos, click here.

White Beans with Vegetables / Fabada con chorizo vegetal | Photo credit: La.blasco, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Super Easy Kale with Pecans | Photo credit: Darya Pino, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Intriguing combination of vitamin-rich kale and pecans — photographer/cook Darya Pino not only created the website Summer Tomato, but is a scientist. She has posted many fabulous, health-minded recipes with gorgeous photos like this one. Here’s her recipe from Summer Tomato… check out the site for many more:

Super Easy Kale With Pecans Recipe

* 1 bunch kale or chard
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans or pistachios
* Extra virgin olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* Sea salt to taste

Start by mincing your garlic, just to make it a tiny bit healthier. Rinse your greens and place them all on a cutting board oriented in the same direction. If the leaves have very thick stems you may want to remove them as explained here. Personally I buy greens that are fresh and tender enough that I rarely bother removing stems.

Pile the greens on top of each other. Starting at the tip of the leaves, cut 1 inch strips until you have cut the entire bunch. If you are using Tuscan or red Russian kale, a lot less chopping is necessary because the leaves are thin and only need be cut in one direction. If your leaves are wide, cut them into 1-2 inch squares. It’s okay if your greens are still wet, the water will help them steam.

Using a pan with tall sides and a lid, add the nuts and turn it on medium heat. Lightly toast the nuts, stirring regularly with tongs. After 2-3 minutes, add olive oil to the pan and allow it to heat up. Add your chopped greens to the pan, sprinkle generously with sea salt and toss with tongs. Cover.

Stir the greens occasionally so they don’t burn, always replacing the lid after stirring. Continue cooking the greens as they wilt and turn dark green. If they start to burn lower the heat, add 1-2 tbsp of water and cover again to steam.

Kale is done cooking when it is dark green and the stems are tender. Unlike spinach, it is very difficult to over-cook kale because it retains its crispness very well. Before turning off the heat, use tongs to clear a space in the center of the pan and add your minced garlic in a single layer. Allow the garlic to cook until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds, then mix it up with the kale and nuts. Add half cup of beans or lentils at this point if desired.

Continue to cook greens uncovered for another minute or two. Taste test a leaf for saltiness and adjust to taste (be careful if you are using chard, it is naturally salty and easy to over-season).

Serve immediately.

Serves 1-3 people.

Health in the Frame - Spring Onions, Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, Young Carrots, Shallot, Garlic | Photo credit: magda indigo, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Vanilla Ice Cream with Raspberry | Photo credit: Emilie Hardman, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Interesting info on this vegan ice cream dish/dessert from photographer Emilie Hardman:

A tiny dish of vanilla ice cream topped with a chocolate coated raspberry and paired with a chocolate mini tart filled with vanilla pastry cream and crowned with fresh raspberries and chocolate. Made with Wheeler’s Black Label vegan ice cream. More on the dessert and Wheeler’s at The Conscious Kitchen.

French Dipped Roast Beef Sandwich, Philippe's in Los Angeles, California | Photo credit: Nathan Gray, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Pickle Vendor, Farmers' Market in St. Petersburg, Russia | Photo credit: sparkle glowplug, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Chinese Style Stewed Meatballs | Photo credit: Eliza, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Notes from My Food Diary… creative food blog with recipes and photos. Webmistress and photographer/cook Eliza provided this fairly-frugal recipe for Chinese Style Stewed Meatballs, which just looking at are making my stomach growl with anticipation.

A few other dishes to tempt you with that Eliza’s featured on the blog, with gorgeous photos, include steamed chicken with soy-ginger sauce, fried sweet potato dumplings, grilled London broil with rum molasses sauce, and marbled green tea yogurt cake.

Spaghetti and meatballs are comfort food, Italian style. Stewed meatballs and rice are comfort food, Chinese style. Either one is very welcome in my family and I decided to make one this week.

It’s a pretty straightforward dish, pair it with one or two other stir-fried dish to serve for a family meal.

Chinese Style Stewed Meatballs

* 400 g ground beef
* 80 g ground pork
* 3 tablespoons cold water
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 600 g Napa cabbage
* 1 cup beef stock
* 1 tablespoon sliced green onion

Seasoning for the meatballs:

* 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
* 1 egg
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Seasonings for the sauce:
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
* 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Grind ground beef and pork in a food processor with cold water for about 1 minute until the mixture comes together smoothly. Add the seasonings for the meatballs to the mixture, and using your fingers blend them into the mixture until it comes together.

Slice the Napa cabbage into large pieces. Stir fry with 2 tablespoons oil and season with 1/3 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until the cabbage is soft but still has bite to it. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Wet hands with water and form ball from about 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat mixture. Drop the meatballs to the hot pan and press slightly on top of each meatballs. Cook each side approximate 3-4 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Drain off the oil from the skillet.

Pour 1 cup of beef stock to the skillet, add soy sauce, salt, and sugar. Let it boil then simmer fro 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if needed at this time. Thicken the sauce with the mixture of cornstarch and water, stir continuously until the sauce thicken. Splash sesame oil and sprinkle chopped green onions on top. Place meatballs over Napa cabbage on the platter.

Serves 4.

Gouda Walnut Biscotti | Photo credit: Joana Petrova, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Salad Days | Photo credit: Clare Bell, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Peace of Garlic - Hudson Valley Garlic Festival, New York | Photo credit: David Goehring, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Fish Stew | Photo credit: Bookchen, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

A Frenchman wouldn’t recognize this as a bouillabaisse, I’m afraid: no monkfish, mussels, ailloli, rouille, or saffron.

But it did have: potatoes, onions, garlic, fish (paste) balls, finely sliced carrots, celery, red peppers, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes (leftovers I wanted to use), sun-dried tomatoes, cod, and shrimp. For seasoning: lemon juice and wedge, parsley, marjoram, bay leaf, basil, fennel, freshly ground pepper, sambal oelek chili sauce, and quick dash of both balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce.

The bowl is a favourite one from the Gallery of B.C. Ceramics on Granville Island, Vancouver. Small wooden spoon is from Little Tokyo in Kensington Market, Toronto.

(And next time, I’ll remember to wipe the lip of the bowl before photography.)

Cheese. Cheese. Cheese - Cheese on the Factory-line at Tillamook | Photo credit: John Virive, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Southern Dining - Frog Legs, Cornbread, Purple Hull Peas | Photo credit: Katharine Shilcutt, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Winter Vegetable Casserole with Herb Biscuit Topping | Photo credit: Elaine Raskin, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Just what’s needed to fight the winter chill — this filling, thrift-minded winter vegetable casserole with an herb biscuit topping. I’m a sucker for this kind of easy, cheap, stick-to-your-ribs kind of casserole — especially when it’s unseasonably cold — so I just may make it this next week when the temperatures in Arizona are suppose to nosedive. Recipe is also posted on Rebecca’s excellent vegan food blog (this dish was guest-posted by her friend Elaine Raskin) Meals for Moderns:

The sweet flavors of winter vegetables combine with savory herb biscuits for a delicious cold weather casserole.

This recipe serves six, or reheats splendidly.

Filling:
* 1 Acorn Squash
* 12 Brussels Sprouts
* 3 Large Carrots
* 2 Cups Peas
* 1 Orange
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 400.

Remove the seeds and rind from the squash and cut into cubes. Slice the carrots and halve the brussels sprouts, add the peas and place everything in a 9″ x 11″ baking dish.

Squeeze the juice of the orange through a strainer over the vegetables, drizzle with the olive oil and mix to coat. Season gently with salt and pepper.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender. While the vegetables cook, prepare the biscuits for the topping.

Biscuit Topping:
* 2 Cups Flour
* 1/2 teaspoon Salt
* 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
* 4 Tablespoons Cold Butter
* 1 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Milk
* 3 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary

Finely chop the Rosemary, carefully avoiding any stem pieces, and combine with the milk.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then cut in the cold butter using a pastry blade. Add the milk in portions, folding it into the dough until smooth.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough into quarters and roll again to 1/4″ thickness. Cut the dough into 3″ rounds. Place the rounds in the refrigerator as you prepare the sauce.

Sauce:
* 1 Large Onion
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 2 Cups Vegetable Broth
* 2 Tablespoons Flour
* 12 Fresh Sage Leaves

Cut the sage leaves into ribbons. Dice the onion and saute with the butter in a sauce pan until translucent. Coat the onions with the flour and stir 30 seconds. Continue stirring and slowly add the vegetable broth. Once the sauce thickens season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the sage leaves and remove from heat.

Pour the sauce evenly over the vegetables and stir together. Place the biscuit rounds over the top, and brush with the remaining milk.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes at 400 degrees F, until biscuits are golden.

A&W Root Beer Float, TGI Friday's, Guam | Photo credit: jetalone, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Chopping Spree | Photo credit: Colors of My Dreams, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Bucket of Peanuts, Texas Roadhouse | Photo credit: Tojosan, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Bowl of Cherries | Photo credit: Simone Walsh, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Bird Ice Carving, Fire & Ice 2010 Chili & Ice Carving Festival, Mt Holly, New Jersey | Photo credit: Jazz Guy, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Easy Tartlets | Photo credit: Cassie, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

My son will definitely love eating these tartlets, and they should be easy enough for a jock high schooler like him, who’s always on the go, to whip up a batch on his own. You can be very creative with toppings… this is the recipe provided by photographer/cook Cassie:

Easy Tartlets Recipe

A shortcut to making tartlets using canned biscuits. Get a mini muffin tin and in each cup, place about half of one canned biscuit. Form into a cup and fill about 2/3 full with your favorite stuffing. Bake for 14 minutes at 400. The two varieties here were corn and tomato, both topped with Asiago cheese.

Tomato filling:

* 4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
* 1 red bell, cut into slices
* Several cloves peeled garlic
* Half an onion, sliced

Place all ingredients on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven – about 350 for 15 minutes, though this is pretty flexible. Just do it long enough to soften up the ingredients and bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes. I let mine stew overnight afterwards and then chopped it all a little more finely. Add a little pepper, rosemary, and cheese, and it’s very much like a mini pizza!

Pancake Rolls - Little Canapes of Pancakes Wrapped Around Shredded Peking Duck with Scallions and Sauce & Tied with Chives | Photo credit: Loua, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Food photos selected and posted are credited and have Creative Commons-licensed content with some rights reserved for noncommercial purposes, unless otherwise noted.

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Previous Fab Food Friday Fotos posts:

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers, Garlic Rolls, Broccoli Quiche, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Tzatziki, Stuffed Turnips, Thrifty Recipes, & More

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