The Magnificent Bloody Maria

If you’re anything like us, you probably have some extra tequila laying around from your Cinco de Mayo celebration.  And if you’re anything like us, you probably only ever drink tequila in Magaritas (or, of course, solo as a shot)!  But that’s all about to change.  Just in time for Memorial Day, we want to remind you of one of our favorite Fab & Fru uses for tequila: The Bloody MARIA! 

New Take On A Classic Fave

You all know by now that being Fab & Fru requires a lot of creativity – but not a lot of cash.  By substituting your leftover Tequila – instead of Vodka – in your Bloody Mary, you’ll not only use something you have on hand, but you’ll also treat your guests to an unexpected delight!  And recycling and reusing is all the rage, right?

Make it Extra “Especial”

For an extra Fab & Fru presentation, just creatively label the drinks – all you need to do is stick a sign on a sombrero, it takes only two seconds, but makes it seem more special.  Another nice touch is to frost your cocktail glasses in the freezer for an hour before serving – it costs you nothing but definitely makes the bevvies look and taste even MORE Fab!

There are of course tons of recipes out there, but here is a basic one from our very Fab & Fru friend, Andrea Moya:

Andrea’s Bloody Maria

Makes 2 drinks

Ingredients:

3 oz. of Tequila
1 1/2 cups low sodium chilled tomato juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Garnish with your choice of cucumber wedge, celery stalk, or a piece of jicama

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients. Stir well. Pour into 2 tall frosted glasses with ice cubes. Garnish to taste.

Gracias to Andrea Moya for the Fab idea! Anyone else have unexpected uses for Tequila?  We want to hear from you – let us know! 

Fab & Fru Holiday Yum

With Easter coming up on Sunday, it’s time to get creative and make some delicious snacks that will make your table festive, and WOW your guests’ taste buds!  Here are our favorite picks for making this holiday fun & yum – on a frugal budget…

Lollipop Chick & Bunny Planters

You know we are obsessed with Yummy Earth Organic Candy – we keep their treats on hand all year round.  Their products are full of great taste – and NOT full of icky stuff like chemicals and corn syrup.  And our friends at Yummy Earth came up with this very Fab & Fru Centerpiece for your Easter gathering – we love it because not only is it a decoration – it is also part of dessert!  Check out this week’s Organic Coupon Corner for deals on Yummy Earth Organic Candy, and then decorate away!  Besides the lollies, all you really need is some construction paper, and an old cup or planter. This is also a great idea to keep kids busy if you have a little craft table set up.  Or -if you don’t want the chaos, just do it yourself in advance!

Dark Chocolate Bird Nests

Last year, Carol Ramos from the blog The Pastry Chef’s Baking, published this adorable sweet and salty recipe from “A Year in Chocolate” by Alice Medrich – and it instantly became a Fab & Fru favorite.  Making these 3 ingredient Easter delights does takes a little time, but believe us – they’re totally worth it!

• 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (quality dark chocolate is totally worth the splurge here!)
• 3 cups or more thin pretzel sticks, salted or unsalted (break them up so they are different lengths)
• 1 bag of candy coated Cadbury Chocolate Eggs (you can also use Jordan Almonds too)
  
• Size bowl or box of your choosing, lined with plastic wrap for a large nest.  Use sheets of wax paper for smaller nests.
  

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Cool to lukewarm. In a medium bowl, pour most of the chocolate over the pretzels. Use a rubber spatula to turn the pretzels gently in the chocolate until they are lightly coated, adding as much as the rest of the chocolate as necessary. It’s okay if some of the pretzel shows through the chocolate.

For a large basket or nest, scrape the pretzels into the lined bowl or box. Arrange the sticky pretzels against the sides of the container to resemble a nest. Shape small nests or wreaths on sheets of wax paper.

Refrigerate to set the chocolate. To unmold the large basket, lift the plastic liner from the container and peel it away from the pretzels. Fill each nest with candy coated Cadbury Chocolate eggs .  Display, eat and enjoy!

The OMG Omelet Muffin!

There’s nothing better than sharing a delicious Sunday brunch with family or friends.  So, when Brandi’s sister-in-law Megan forwarded us a recipe for “Omelet Muffins” – from the fabulous blog Quirky Cookery – it quickly dawned on us this has to be one of the most Fab & Fru recipes we’ve seen to date!

Here’s the deal: make personal mini omelets in an old muffin tin – you can eat them on the spot, make them in advance, or freeze ‘em for next time…

Not only are Omelet Muffins a very elegant dish to serve, they are also totally frugal.  Like a traditional omelet, you can throw in whatever leftover ingredients you have on hand – a great way to make sure you’re not wasting valuable produce and meats.  The recipe makes 12 muffins, so there’s room to customize each one to please everyone in the family.  And because they freeze perfectly, these bad boys are also an easy hot and homemade breakfast to serve your kids any day of the week!

Omelet Muffin Recipe by Jessi from  Quirky Cookery

• A dozen eggs
• 2 – 4 Tbs. milk, half and half, etc (whatever you have is fine…it just stretches the eggs a bit further)
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups “fillings” (sausage, ham, green onions, peppers, tomatoes, kale….again, use what you have on hand)
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups cheese of choice
• Season to taste

Preheat your oven to 375F.  Grease a regular 12 cup muffin tin muffin pan with butter, spray with nonstick spray, or use liners.

Chop all your fillings and place a bit of each, including the cheese, into the bottom of the cups. Fill them about 2/3-3/4 of the way full. Beat eggs with the milk (you can skip the milk if you prefer not to mix down your eggs), and season to your liking. Pour egg mixture into each cup, level with the pan edge.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Muffins will puff up a little bit and brown around the edges. Cool before removing from muffin tin.

*Jessi’s Ingredient Tip: If you don’t have fresh veggies on hand, use canned diced tomatoes that have spicy onions and peppers already in them. Drain the liquid completely so it doesn’t make your muffins soggy. Adding these gives the muffins a salsa-y kick.

by Brandi Savitt – December 19, 2011

Bake Like You Mean It

Have you been planning on getting your bake on this holiday season but can’t seem to find the time?  Well, it’s not too late!  We have three easy but deliciously sinful recipes so you can whip up a variety of homemade treats that Santa, the kids AND foodies from far and wide will equally enjoy.  Serve them to guests, or make up a box for the neighbors – no cookie cutters needed…  While they’re special enough to serve for the holidays, you’re going to want to make them all year long!

–The tradition of Christmas cookies may date back to Medieval Europe, but our favorite holiday cookie recipes are definitely for more modern taste buds.  Happy Baking!

Oatmeal Cherry Cookies

Put a little BING – cherry that is – into this oatmeal cookie classic.  The sweet and tangy twist from the cherry makes this special cookie – unforgettable!  Click here for the recipe.

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Looking for a deliciously decadent cookie with a kick?  These super chocolatey coffee treats will keep a smile on Santa’s face all night long! Click here for the recipe.

Pecan Crescent Cookies

Some call them Russian wedding cookies, we just call them perfection. These super easy to make shortbread like delights are one of our favorite holiday cookies of all time!  Click here for the recipe.

We want to know…  What are your favorite holiday cookie recipes?

Ingredients

• 10 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate (chips or roughly chopped)
• 12 oz of semi sweet or dark chocolate chunks
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground espresso or dark roasted coffee
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Melt chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and butter over low flame on the stove until almost completely melted.  Stir constantly so not to burn.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and espresso on high speed until fluffy.  Reduce speed and blend in melted chocolate mixture.
• Mix in dry ingredients until blended.  Stir in chocolate chunks.
• Drop generous spoonfuls of the dough (like thick brownie batter) 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies are shiny and crackly and the centers are still soft.  Cool for a least 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup of powder sugar
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• Preheat Oven 350 degrees.
• Cream butter until smooth and fluffy.  Add 1/2 cup powder sugar and vanilla and cream again.  Fold in flour and mix well.  Mix in pecans.  Shape dough into small crescents and place on cookie sheet
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.  Let the cookies cool and sprinkle with plenty of powder sugar.

–Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 sugar
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups dried bing cherries (easy to find at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees

• Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.  Cream together softened butter, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla.  Once creamy, reduce speed and mix in eggs.  Slowly mix in dry mixture until blended.  Stir in cherries and nuts.  Spoon  dough onto  un-greased cookie sheets.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

• Recipes yields about 2 dozen cookies.

Having a dinner party?  Greet your guests with an old school cocktail that will knock their socks off (literally).  This recipe makes 8-10 mini Manhattans or 4-5 regular size drinks!

Manhattans with a Twist

• 8 oz of Bourbon or Rye
• 2 1/2 oz of Sweet Vermouth
• 5-8 dashes of Angstura Bitters (add to taste, but we like our Manhattans on the herby side)
• 8-10 Black Cherries in syrup or Maraschino Cherries
• 2 good size twists of lemon peel

Fill a pitcher with ice and add the bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters and lemon peel.  Stir vigorously until the outside of the pitcher is beaded with sweat and is ice cold to the touch.  Place a cherry (don’t shake off the juice.  A little extra syrup is good) at the bottom of each glass, strain the ice as you pour the cocktail.  Serve immediately!

*Tip: You can prep this cocktail an hour before serving by pouring the ingredients into the pitcher, but WAIT to add the ice.  Prepare your glasses on a tray and place a cherry at the bottom of each glass.  When you’re ready to serve, add the ice and follow the rest of the instructions above.

Enjoy!

by Brandi Savitt – November 14, 2011

Fancy & Frugal Anytime Appetizers

Looking for easy to make appetizers this Holiday Season?  And, yes,  of course we mean ones that don’t cost a lot, but will please even your foodiest of friends.  Well, you’ve come to the right place: Try out our 3 delightful, meatless crostini variations and instantly become the hit of the dinner party!  Make one kind – or do what we do – make a sampling of them all.  They’re bite sized, beautiful, and sure to please even the most curmudgeonly (is that a word?) of relatives.

Quality & Freshness Count

The difference between making a good crostini and an excellent one is starting with the freshiest ingredients.  None of the ingredients in the following recipes are expensive, and a little will go a long way – so don’t skip on quality and taste just to save a few pennies…

Start with Good Bread

The first step in creating a perfect crostini is a good French baguette.  One large baguette will yield about 40-45 crostini.  Slice the baguette into 1/4 inch slices, but cut the bread at a slight angle to get larger pieces.  Place the slices onto cookie sheets and lightly brush each piece of bread with olive oil. Toast the crostini in the oven until they begin to brown around the edges and the oil bakes in.  Do not over toast.  The bread is best if it remains crispy on the outside but slightly chewy in the the center.  Let the crostini cool.  –This step can be done in advance.

The Avocado Pesto Crostini

*Makes 12 crostini

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of Fresh Pesto
• 3 Ripe Avocados
• Ground Black Pepper
• Sea Salt

When you are just about ready to serve the appetizers, assembly of the crostini begins.  Of course, you can easily make your own pesto by blending (in a blender or mixer) a bunch of fresh basil with a 1/4 cup of olive oil, an 1/4 of pine or walnuts, and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.  Or….  buying a $3 container of fresh pesto from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s will do the trick in a pinch too!

Instructions:

Spread a layer of pesto on each crostini.  Cut each avocado into halves and slice.  Gentle pile each crostini with avocado slices then sprinkle each creation with salt and pepper.  -Each avocado should make 4 crostini.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Here at Fab & Fru, we are beyond excited it is finally Labor Day. The storm in New York from last weekend had everyone in hibernation mode, so it will be nice to make up for it by spending some extra time with family and friends!

Throwing a party or having friends over today? Try one of these yummy cocktail recipes from Baileys Original Irish Cream and Moon Mountain Organic Vodka:

Labor Day Iced Latte

Ingredients

1 ounce Baileys Original Irish Cream
1/2 ounce Chilled Espresso
1 ounce Bulleit Bourbon
1/8 ounce Simple Syrup
3 Mint Sprigs

Instructions

1. Mix coffee and sugar syrup together and set aside
2. In a highball glass, layer 2 mint sprigs in the bottom of the glass, then top with crushed ice
3. Add Baileys Original Irish Cream, Bulleit Bourbon, and simple syrup
4. Swizzle together, leaving the mint at the bottom of the glass
5. Float coffee on top and garnish with last mint sprig

Summer’s End Sipper

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces Moon Mountain Organic Vodka
1 ounce Fresh Lime Juice
1 ounce Simple Syrup
3 Cucumbers
4 Mint Leaves

Instructions

1. Muddle fresh mint, cucumber and raw simple syrup in a mixing glass.
2. Add Moon Mountain Organic Vodka and lime juice and shake with ice.
3. Strain over fresh ice in a high ball glass.
4. Garnish with a slice of fresh cucumber.

What are you doing to celebrate Labor Day?