Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on December 9, 2011

My weaknesses have always been food and men — in that order.

~ Dolly Parton

FOOD. GLORIOUS FOOD.

Friday, at last… unwind, slow down, sigh deeply, turn on some quiet music, and tantalize your senses with these fabulous feasts.

When they’re available, recipes and recipe links will accompany select “Fab Food Friday Fotos,” with a guarantee that at least one thrift-minded recipe will always be included.

Chocolate Raspberry Mudcake | Photo credit: pykmi, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

This divine chocolate raspberry “mudcake” made from scratch should be easy to make — photographer/cook pykmi wrote this:

I baked this little chocolate/raspberry cake for my girlfriend today, since I didn’t get to bake a cake for her last week, when it was her birthday =)

Found this recipe from a Finnish cooking blog.

For this one, you’ll need:
- 3 eggs, whites and yellows separated
- 75 g sugar
- 1/2 dl wheat flour
- 200 g dark raspberry chocolate (I used a brand called Marabou), or just dark

Chocolate
- 1 tbsp water
- 65 g butter
- 1-2 dl raspberry
- powdered sugar

Whip the egg yellows with sugar, add flour.

Melt butter in a cooking pot, take it off the heat and throw in sliced chocolate. Stir until chocolate has fully melted, heat further if necessary. Add 1 tbsp water and mix.

Combine whipped yellows/sugar/flour with the chocolate mix.

Whip the egg whites until you get a nice, hard foam. Add about one third of the egg white foam with the rest of the dough and stir thoroughly. Add rest of the foam carefully to give the cake some air.

Pour the dough into a springform cake pan with a diameter about from 18 to 22 cm.

Stick some raspberries into the dough.

Bake in 200 deg C (approx. 392 deg F) for about half an hour. When the cake has cooled, powder it with powdered sugar. This cake works best with vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries.

Jars of Jelly | Photo credit: adactio, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Amazing photo…

Sticky Sweet Thai Chili Baby Back Ribs: After Broiling to Caramelize the Sweet Chili Sauce | Photo credit: I Believe I Can Fry, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Magnificent, spicy ribs that would make any red-blooded man swoon — webmistress/cook/photographer Julia has posted the recipe, thorough cooking directions, and more photos for making these sticky sweet Thai chili baby back ribs on her food blog I Believe I Can Fry.

The blog’s tag line is, “Cook a meal for someone you love today” — amen to that.

Escarole & Garbanzo Stuffed Eggplant | Photo credit: Joan Nova, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Lunch at Muslim Region of Xian, China | Photo credit: Cangul, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Cream Tea for Three, Stowford Manor Farm | Photo credit: crunchcandy, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Charming late-day tea, described by photographer crunchcandy:

Cream Tea for Three

Cream Tea – excellent tea from here: Stowford Manor Farm £4 for 2 scones, cream, jam, and really nice cuppa tea.

Spinach Noodle Pie | Photo credit: nc_hiker, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Tahini and garlic with spinach in a vegan pasta dish — photographer/cook nc_hiker wrote this about the unconventional spinach noodle pie:

From Robin Robertson’s 1,000 Vegan Recipes. A creamy, vegan fettuccine Alfredo-type of dish. The sauce is made from tahini, garlic, miso, and lemon juice. Mix with baby spinach and pasta, and then bake.

Definitely a recipe I’ll be making again. Easily made gluten free by using GF pasta (I used this brand of GF pasta).

Stacking Whole Dungeness Crabs at Mutual Fish, the Best Fresh Fish Market in Seattle, Washington | Photo credit: dreaming_of_rivers, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Vegan Olive Oil Rosemary Semolina Cake | Photo credit: Mattie/VeganBaking, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

This vegan cake sounds perfect for a light dessert — photographer/cook Mattie has the recipe posted at VeganBaking, and wrote this about how this recipe came to be:

This moist, rich cake showcases how olive oil can make a great combination of sweet and savory when it’s paired with fresh rosemary. Early on in the design of this cake recipe I was really liking where this cake was going but I knew I cold take it further. I remembered how olive oil tends to go seamlessly with pasta dishes so why not use the same type of flour for an olive oil cake?

Luckily, I was able to find semolina flour in the local health food store. Semolina flour is ground from the endosperm of durum wheat and is yellow in color due to its high protein content. This high protein content makes semolina flour extremely coarse and brittle in a cake recipe if you use traditional cake baking methods. I soon learned that if you soak the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients for about 8 hours, the semolina hydrates and turns into a pudding-like consistency. This could be perfect as cake batter, but how am I going to evenly disperse baking powder and baking soda into cake batter and expect even leavening?

I had good results mixing the baking powder and baking soda into a 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, then mixing that into the cake batter just before baking but I wanted a cake that was 100% semolina flour. If the batter has to sit for 8 hours to hydrate, then why not use yeast for leavening instead of chemical leaveners like baking powder? I’d be able to make a 100% semolina flour cake, the yeast would produce flavor compounds that would further compliment the cake and it would be one less step. A triple win!

This cake doesn’t really need frosting due to its savory and sweet flavor profile but drizzled with Orange Icing, it’s literally icing on the cake. This cake is a little time consuming, but you’re probably not going to find this at a bakery due to the cost of the ingredients and time involved in its preparation.

Fried Ginko Nuts | Photo credit: Soo Ching, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Lemons in Salt | Photo credit: terriem, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Brief explanation from photographer terriem:

I’m also making some preserved lemons. I’m told it’s a staple of Moroccan dishes, but can also be a nice flavor addition to things like pasta.

To make your own preserved lemons, there are two recipes posted here on the Frugal Café main website. One of the two recipes is for quick preserved lemons and has a how-to video from New York Times’ cook Mark Bittman.

Garlic Mushrooms with Chorizo & Peppers | Photo credit: rovingl, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

I’ve never thought to combine chorizo with mushrooms — an intriguing combination. Photographer/cook rovingl provided this recipe:

Garlic Mushrooms with Chorizo & Peppers

I don’t try much non-Indian cooking, but this turned out really delicious. The chorizo was firm and fiery, but well balanced by the mushrooms.

Soak 200gm mushrooms in boiling water for 10 minutes and drain. Chop the mushrooms. Add 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and add 2 cloves chopped garlic and fry for 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms and stir. Fry for 3 minutes.

Add 2 sliced salsa peppers and 25gm sliced chorizo sausage and fry for 5 minutes.

Ice Cream Filling | Photo credit: Tetra Pak, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Roasted Duck with Garlic and Chili, Sapp Coffee Shop, Los Angeles, California | Photo credit: LWY, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Sunday Spuds | Photo credit: madlyinlovewithlife, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook madlyinlovewithlife shared her new-found philosophy about food preparation — I totally agree:

Preparations for a Sunday roast chicken dinner. I quite enjoy cooking when I’m in the mood. I used to rush though food preparation, but I’ve discovered that if I truly enjoy each task at hand, not only does the task go faster, but it’s more fun. So, on a day such as today, a lovely Sunday, I like to put on some happy tunes, take my time, and methodically wash, peel and slice potatoes. These beautiful red potatoes are grown locally and came fresh from the Farmer’s Market just yesterday. I have so much appreciation for all the food growers, the distributors and the vendors of the world, who provide such a bounty of food and such easy access to so many delicious products and fresh produce, like these beautiful potatoes.

Tonight’s dinner: a herbed, perfectly roasted, succulent chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, and a fresh salad of arugula, baby spinach, radicchio, sweet grapes, and crumbled goat cheese, lightly dressed with a homemade balsamic Dijon dressing.

6-in-1 Tomatoes | Photo credit: kitsunebabe, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Indian Butter Biscuits | Photo credit: jazzijava, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Easy, inexpensive recipe — the link for this Indian Butter Biscuits recipe was provided by photographer/cook jazzijava:

I found this on someone’s blog, but now I can’t find it again! I did find the same base recipe I used here at Recipes Indian. If you know what blog featured the recipe, please let me know!

I used half / half butter and shortening for sturdiness, added brown sugar for flavour and decorated them with pepitas and a Craisin centre. I also watched these like a hawk in the oven – they can be finicky because they contain (gluten-free) chickpea flour as part of the batter and spread like crazy!

Recipe posted at Yummy Smells.

Breakfast Overlooking the Sea | Photo credit: adrian clark, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Fettuccine with Parsley Pesto & Walnuts | Photo credit: slettvet, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook slettvet provided the link and the recipe for this delicious fettuccine pesto dish from MarthaStewart.com:

A twist on pesto — with parsley and walnuts — gives fettuccine springtime color and freshness. It’s sure to impress the fussiest guests.

* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 3/4 pound fettuccine
* 2 cups packed fresh parsley
* 1/4 cup walnuts, plus more chopped for serving
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
* 1 garlic clove
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 5 ounces baby spinach

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.

In a food processor, purée parsley, walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water until a paste forms. With machine running, add oil in a thin stream; process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Season pesto with salt and pepper.

To pasta in pot, add pesto, 1/4 cup pasta water, and spinach; toss to combine. Thin with pasta water as needed. Serve sprinkled with walnuts and Parmesan.

Fresh Onions, Tepic Market, Nayarit, Mexico | Photo credit: antefixus21, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Japanese Breakfast, Park Hyatt Tokyo | Photo credit: owally, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Asparagus and Garlic Scape Tart with Polenta Crust | Photo credit: Haley Suzanne, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook Haley Suzanne has provided a detailed recipe for her delectable Asparagus and Garlic Scape Tart with Polenta Crust on her blog.

Yes, this is a must-try recipe for my family… anything with garlic!

Indian Scrambled Eggs Improvisatio | Photo credit: Stephanie Booth, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The thrift-minded recipe for photographer/cook Stephanie Booth’s Indian Scrambled Eggs is posted on her blog Climb to the Stars — it’s in English and French.

Rice Plants in The Philippines | Photo credit: Jeff Youngstrom, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

German Potato Salad | Photo credit: Taryn Domingos, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

While photographer/cook Taryn Domingos’ blog hasn’t been updated since August 2008, her recipe for this lovely German potato salad with bacon is still available at her Goonie blog.

Coffee Beans, Waikapu, Hawaii | Photo credit: Rex Bennett, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Interesting coffee trivia provided by photographer Rex Bennett:

Like many of the plants found in Hawaii today, coffee is not native to the islands, but was brought here for cultivation by Europeans.

Coffee beans are harvested when ripe, and you can tell the ripe ones by the bright red color of the flesh. No machine has yet been invented that can successfully harvest ripe coffee beans, so all coffee must be picked by hand.

Bacon-wrapped BBQ Tuna | Photo credit: recorder, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Creamed Spinach | Photo credit: Glory Foods, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

I adore creamed spinach, and will definitely give this recipe a try soon. Photographer/cook Glory Foods provided the link:

Whether you use fresh spinach or canned, there is nothing like a well seasoned creamed spinach. And here’s another secret about creamed spinach: it is just as tasty when you eat it cold the next day. Visit The Glory Blog to get the recipe.

Butterscotch Fudge Cups with Caramel & Milk Chocolate Centers | Photo credit: VSoch, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Making Sausages | Photo credit: Nick Dawson, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Omi Sushi, Toronto, Canada | Photo credit: Sifu Renka, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Exquisite presentation — photographer Sifu Renka describes the sushi:

Omi Sushi

Chef’s selection:
Back: sake (salmon) with sesame salt (pretty)
Middle: maguro (tuna), white fish
Front: sake, battered unagi (BBQ eel) doused in unagi sauce

Without a doubt, the fish is very fresh, but the sake is still the orange Atlantic type that I can’t escape from in this city.

More of that big-eye tuna – its firm, almost sweet flesh, bright texture set against a slightly warm bite of rice (Chef Lee does the size right). The white fish, although not a typical favourite of mine on any sushi plate, is dense, cool and faintly aromatic – aka actually good. However it is the showstopping tempura unagi, that is every bit as unctuous, deep in umami flavour that finds my favour as it possesses that valued textural contrast that I love so much.

This was a very nice selection by the chef, although I would have loved to have seen hamachi… as I *know* they had it.

Italian Omelette for Lunch | Photo credit: The Style PA, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Sweet Potato Muffins | Photo credit: Lucas Everidge, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Recipe for these sweet potato muffins is from TexasCooking.com and commentary provided by photographer/cook Lucas Everidge — check out the food blog for other authentic Southwestern recipes, like for Texas Pecan Pie and Easy Meatloaf Recipes:

It’s the perfect time to chew through this basket of sweet-tasting sweet potato muffins dusted with sugar.

Lamb Biryani, Biryani House, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Photo credit: avlxyz, Flickr, Creative Commons

Gorgeous lamb dish — photographer avlxyz provided this commentary:

Lamb Biryani – Biryani House AUD8.50

The lamb was tender and moist with a nice marinade of yoghurt, ginger, garlic and possibly cardamon. The rice was also nicely spiced with cloves and cardamon. It’s a pity that there was quite a lot of ghee in the biryani. The first few mouthfuls were very good, with the buttery richness of the ghee, but I could only finish half. The other half will probably become leftover lunch, with a good helping of vegies to cut through the ghee!

FYI: Ghee is clarified butter, used mostly in Indian cuisine.

Hot Chocolate + Fruit Cake with My Dad, Hungry Man Café, Rozel Bay, New Jersey | Photo credit: Lolla Moon, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Chickpea & Mushroom Curry | Photo credit: penguincakes, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The vegan chickpea and mushroom curry recipe that photographer/cook penguincakes used to make the dish above is available on the food blog Tigers and Strawberries.

Chiles Grown in My Backyard Garden - Clockwise from Top: Poblano, Thai, Jalapeño, Italian, Hatch, & Purple Bell Pepper | Photo credit: lorises, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Chocolate-flecked Irish Cream Pound Cake | Photo credit: Mary W E, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

I want this cake. Now.

Photographer/cook Mary W. E. wrote, “Here’s the recipe for this chocolate-flecked Irish cream pound cake.”

Fruit Compote with Oranges & Cranberries | Photo credit: moonlightbulb, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Mexican Baked Beans, Breakfast Club, Northcote, Victoria, Australia | Photo credit: snarkattack, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

White Castle Burgers, 90th Birthday Celebration, Wichita, Kansas | Photo credit: ercwttmn, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Hearty Crockpot Beef Stew with Veggies | Photo credit: Eyebee, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Indian Chicken Dish | Photo credit: ario, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Vintage Food Ad: Kellogg's Product 19 Cereal Magazine Ad, National Geographic, January 1978 | Photo credit: jbcurio, 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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Past three months of Fab Food Friday Fotos posts:

Beautiful Christmas Food, Drink, & Recipes Collection… Cookin’ & Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

BBQ Beer-Can Chicken, Best Caramel Corn, Revithosoupa, Zucchini Cookies, Dirty Rice & Shrimp, Pumpkin Curry, Salads, Tandoori Chicken, Split Pea Soup, Smoked Fish Cakes, Corn Pudding, Recipes, & More

Categories: Business & Economy, Food, Drink, Frugal Kitchen Tricks, Health, Social and Political Climate
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