The frugal gourmet

[Ursy]

Made this today, loved it, so I thought I'd share - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fresh-Pea-Soup/Detail.aspx

Oh, but I used frozen peas - it was still wonderful.
I am in love with simplicity

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 cups water
3 cups fresh shelled green peas
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons whipping cream (optional)
Directions

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in the water and peas, season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, 12 to 18 minutes.
Puree the peas in a blender or food processor in batches. Strain back into the saucepan, stir in the cream if using, and reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

[Ursy]

Oops, probably ought to mention that I added some stock powder to the soup... and some rosemary that I had on hand.

[Fancy]

Maybe a little off the topic, but I love grilling in the summer. When it's warm out, it's almost a must to get out of the stuffy kitchen and throw something on the fire outside. I delight in finding new things I like to grill, so here's what came out of this weekend....

* Corn on the cob - cooked - then cut off the cob
* Sliced long-ways and grilled zucchini - then cut into smaller pieces
* A dash of Montreal Steak seasoning
* Mix it all together and toss it in the fridge
* Toss in fresh - chopped up tomato just before eating it

It was simple, and my taste buds are smiling.

[Ursy]

Originally Posted by Freckle-K

Maybe a little off the topic, but I love grilling in the summer. When it's warm out, it's almost a must to get out of the stuffy kitchen and throw something on the fire outside. I delight in finding new things I like to grill, so here's what came out of this weekend....

* Corn on the cob - cooked - then cut off the cob
* Sliced long-ways and grilled zucchini - then cut into smaller pieces
* A dash of Montreal Steak seasoning
* Mix it all together and toss it in the fridge
* Toss in fresh - chopped up tomato just before eating it

It was simple, and my taste buds are smiling.

Why would that be off topic? Sounds wonderful! I love the charry flavour grilling gives - there's nothing like it!

[femmennoir]

Went to help some friends upstate with their garage sale on Saturday, and got a load of stuff very very cheap from them, including two full boxes of Mason jars with lids, and a vintage glass canning funnel, also quite a few stoneware molds for shortbread, cookie cutters, and 14 cookbooks in mint shape! Plus three huge boxes of yarn!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!
But the canning jars are so great since I have been the canning banshee! We are joining them again next Saturday with our own stuff to sell, to empty our storage a little! This will be fun! I love to go to garage sales, and I love to hold them!

Elle*

[Ursy]

Not so frugal for us, because Maple syrup is almost $10 for a 500 ml bottle here in Australia. I wonder if it's cheaper for those of you who are closer to Canada? Anyway, I used maple flavoured syrup which was much cheaper, and still oh-so-good.

Maple butter

Cream about half a cup of butter. I used real butter (salted) because I just think nothing compares with the taste of real butter.

Slowly add maple syrup while creaming. I also added a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar (you could also use icing sugar, just as long as it's some kind of fine sugar. I added this just to add some "body" to it)

Stop when it tastes amazing. I think for me this was about 3/4 of a cup of maple syrup. I've looked up recipes and some use more maple syrup than butter, some use less - so I think in the end it's just a matter of personal taste.

Use as a spread on toast, or it would be absolutely awesome on freshly baked bread. Just need to take it out of the fridge for awhile beforehand because it's pretty hard, just like butter, when chilled.

I'm enjoying finding new things to make to serve to Kris on his morning toast.

[Bit]

WOW!! Elle, that's amazing! Congrats!

Urs, thanks for the maple butter recipe! I dunno about Canada, but in the US maple syrup is cheaper when you're closer to the east coast, because the sugaring states are in the northeast. I just paid $8 US for 8 oz--236 ml. Prices in Kansas are shockingly high and I suspect I could get it waaaay cheaper online.

*scurries off to amazon*

Ohhh yeah, online is way cheaper. 32 oz ORGANIC grade B syrup--the very best for baking is grade B; grade A isn't as strong--is about $20 US. Oh, and you can subscribe! That drops the price and makes the shipping free. Wow, am I tempted! It would fit with Gryph's desire to eat more Native American foods, yanno? More maple, less sugar... ~heaven, I'm in heaven~ lol....

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Coombs-Family-Farms-Organic-32-Ounce/dp/B00271OPVU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1279510141&sr=8-1"]Coombs Family Farms 100% Pure Organic Maple Syrup Grade B, 32-Ounce Jug: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food[/ame]

[Ursy]

Ooh, I'm surprised that it's still so expensive for you guys, Cath - even more expensive than it is for us!

I just love maple syrup, the flavour is gorgeous. I use it a lot in cooking, particularly as a substitute for honey because I don't care for honey too much.

I found a recipe for maple candy in my travels, but I don't have a candy thermometer, and maybe it's safer for our waistlines if I just don't go there anyway. Already flirting with disaster with the maple butter - lol...

Maybe I'll look online and see if there are cheaper options here in Australia too - I'm pretty sure Amazon wouldn't ship their maple syrup here.