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Are You Ready for a New Chocolate Addiction? Chocolate Toffee with a Surprise Secret Ingredient: Saltines!

February 12, 2011 in Desserts, Oh My!

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Praline Chocolate Saltines Toffee

I love making home made Valentine treats – it’s one food tradition I follow religiously every February. But, sugar cookies are just so boring. And chocolate candies are, well, just ho-hum. I wanted something easy. Something decadent. Something different. Something salty and sweet and chocolate-y all in one bite. And definitely something unique for all my sweeties. You know, along the lines of chocolate dipped potato chips. Only not those. Also boring.

Then I remembered a sweet decadent treat that was popular in the early 1990′s.

It was made with matzoh crackers, with an ooey-gooey topping.  It was the kind of treat that surprises you from the very first bite. Salty. Sweet Rich. Homey. I decided to try it with saltines and it turned out even more delicious than my memory of the matzoh-based version.

Oh. My. Gosh. This is a magical substance!

The hot brown sugar and butter mixture seeps down into the saltines and transforms them into an other-worldly delicious substance.

My family members made that speechless “This is Heaven” groaning sound when eating these recently  – and couldn’t stop. The whole batch – all 48 squares – were inhaled in just a few minutes.

THIS IS THE EASIEST, NO-FAIL TOFFEE RECIPE YOU WILL EVER MAKE!

This treat takes 20 minutes from start to finish and only has 6 ingredients. Super easy, but the kind of recipe that will make your friends and loved ones think you’ve been slaving for hours.

You MUST try this version out and see if you agree with me that these are an “Oh-My-Goodness What IS in this stuff?” Treat!

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Easy Chocolate Toffee Recipe - Ready for Shipping

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Fab Frugal Friday: 20-Minute Five-Ingredient Berry Parfaits with Pound Cake Croutons and Tangerine Zest

May 21, 2010 in Desserts, Healthy Fare

Don’t you just love Berry Time of year? Seasonal berries are healthy, frugal and fabulous – perfect for this blog! So, here is a dessert that takes 20 minutes - tops! – from grocery bag to table. Each bite has a different taste: some  crunchy, some creamy, some tangy but all bites are light, refreshing and fruity. The tangerine zest is what makes this dessert extraordinary. It is the perfect bit of intensity and adds such an amazing flavor – but you can use any citrus zest you like. I made these last Sunday and my family is already begging to have this again!

Use your best clear parfait glasses – so colorful and inviting!

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Meatless Monday: Hip Hip Hooray for Mario Batali! – and featuring his fabulous Broccoli Rabe Pesto, budget-friendly style

May 10, 2010 in Healthy Fare, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Entrees

Iron Chef Mario Batali’s rock-star signature dishes often include meat-lover’s ingredients like veal shanks and bone marrow. Needless to say, we were surprised and thrilled at the announcement that Chef Batali is going meatless on Mondays!

“The fact is, most people in the U.S. eat way more meat than is good for them or the planet,” said Batali. “Asking everyone to go vegetarian or vegan isn’t a realistic or attainable goal. But we can focus on a more plant-based diet. That’s why I’m such a big believer in the Meatless Monday movement!” Batali announced last week that he will feature several vegetarian entrees in all his restaurants on Mondays.

To applaud his efforts, I made up a huge batch of his Broccoli Rabe Pesto and tossed it with orchiette pasta.

I have never eaten broccoli rabe, and have never seen it in my local grocery stores. I understand the taste is similar to broccoli with a more bitter taste. I als0 understand it is very expensive. I made a more budget-friendly version by using regular broccoli with some Balsamic vinegar to give it some tang.

For this recipe I also substituted toasted walnuts for the pine nuts to save money and discovered that broccoli and walnuts are a fabulous flavor combination. As Chef Batali would say: “Perfecto!”

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Using Sustainable Fish: Tilapia with Tarragon and Sweet Corn Sauce Recipe

March 10, 2010 in Entrees, Healthy Fare

Who says you can’t turn out a healthy and flavorful meal in less than 20 minutes?  I saw this idea in Sunset magazine and thought the mellow tastes of corn and tarragon would pair well with white fish. I like tilapia because it is a sustainable fish, it’s exceedingly frugal and has a firm white flesh. Tilapia farmed in the  USA or Central America is eco-friendly and uber healthy, so buy tons when it’s on sale and keep a few fillets stashed in your freezer.

To learn about sustainable fish issues, I like the Seafood Watch Site, and you can even doanload a Pocket Guide to eating sustainable fish in your area!

We love tilapia here at FFF, and we’ve featured it before in a Spice Rubbed Tilapia and Tilapia with Sopes and Raw Corn Salad.

With this new tilapia recipe, all you need to add is some crusty French bread and a salad – what-the-heck, you can even use the bagged stuff with a little vinaigrette – and Voila! – dinner is still less than 20 minutes from grocery bag to table!

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