The Cheap Gourmet

Second Announcement: Alouette Cheese Fall Gourmet Cheese Giveaway

Dear Readers,

I am attempting to give the amazing Alouette Cheese Fall Gourmet Cheese Giveaway to the randomly selected winner. The first winner was contacted three times via email and her name was published on the blog. Unfortunately, she never contacted The Cheap Gourmet to confirm her mailing address.

On Wednesday evening, a second winner was randomly selected by Contest Machine. The chosen winner is Jennifer Phillips of Indiana (yeah, Hoosiers! my home town!). Jennifer, if you are reading this please contact me no later than midnight tonight to claim your Alouette Cheese prize. Two emails have been sent to you using the email address provided when you entered the contest. Check your spam folder just in case the emails didn't arrive in your inbox.

If Jennifer has not claimed the Alouette Cheese giveaway prize by this 11:59pm EST on Friday, November 6th, I will select a third winner. This time, I will use a different selection method.

If you entered the Alouette Cheese contest, please submit your name, email address, phone number and mailing address (no P.O. Boxes) via the Comment box below. Please note, all comments are moderated and I will not publish your personal information.

If Jennifer does not claim her prize, I will select a person from the entrants who provide their information via the comment box below TODAY.

In order to be entered into the final drawing for the Alouette Cheese prize, you must have previously entered and you must provide your contact information as per the instructions above.

The final winner will be selected and contacted by email and phone. If I am unable to reach you, I will select the next person on the list until I find someone who confirms their mailing address. I need to submit this information to Allouette Cheese immediately so they can send the prize to the winner.

Don't delay! If you want a second chance at winning the gorgeous cheeseboard, free cheese and various other goodies, send your contact info to me TODAY!

Good Luck!

The Cheap Gourmet

P.S. Please take a moment to download The Cheap Gourmet's complementary "Gourmet Wine and Cheese Menu" by clicking on the link below. This is in PDF format and requires Adobe Reader.

Download Gourmet Wine and Cheese Party Menu

ANNOUNCEMENT: Winner of Alouette Gourmet Fall Cheese Giveaway

Drumroll please.... The winner of the Alouette Cheese: "Let's Slow Down and Savor Life Wine and Cheese Giveaway is.... Samantha Lim.

Samantha's suggestion to slow down and savor life is "When taking the bus home, get off a few stops earlier and enjoy the walk".

I couldn't agree more with Samantha's suggestion. It's amazing the wonderful things you can see, smell and hear when taking a leisurely stroll. Not to mention, walking is great exercise that increases endorphin production and makes you feel good!

Congratulations Samantha. Please check your email for instructions to confirm your mailing address. Once you have confirmed your address, I will submit to Corrinne, the marketing director of Alouette. Your prize package will be sent directly from Alouette.

May your gift help you create many slow down and savor life moments for years to come! Congratulations!

To those who entered, but did not win, don't worry. The Cheap Gourmet will continue to offer a variety of contests and prizes throughout the year.

In case you missed the previous post, I have created a wonderful Wine and Cheese menu planner complete with recipes for finger foods, fruit and veggie trays, dips and desserts. The menu is in PDF format and requires Adobe Reader to view.

Download Gourmet Wine and Cheese Party Menu

Alouette Cheese Gourmet Fall Cheese Party Giveaway

It's not too late to enter the Alouette Cheese Gourmet Fall Cheese Party Giveaway. But, you better hurry because the winner will be selected at midnight on Halloween night, October 31st. My dear friend, Maeme, was gracious enough to open her home and host The Cheap Gourmet's wine and cheese party. It was a huge success and tons of fun. Here's Maeme enjoying one of Alouette's spreadable cheeses.

Kim, shown below, brought two bottles of Chocolate Wine, which was a big hit. After all, who doesn't love chocolate? The chocolate wine is definitely more of an after-dinner dessert wine. A small glass or two is the perfect accompaniment with a piece of dark chocolate and a slice of brie cheese. Thanks for the chocolate wine Kim. It was delightful!

We indulged in a bounty of finger foods, salads, veggie tray, fruit platter, nuts, candies, crackers, breads and cheeses. As you can see, everyone loved the luscious Alouette cheeses and were extremely impressed by the gorgeous cheeseboard that's part of the Gourmet Fall Cheese Party giveaway.

Delane loved Alouette's spreadable spinach and artichoke dip.

Bonnie's favorites included the spreadable Sundried Tomato and Basil and and Creme de Brie.

I have compiled a Wine and Cheese menu which includes several of the dishes served at The Cheap Gourmet's Wine and Cheese party. I hope you enjoy the recipes and wish you the best of luck in the drawing. 

Click here to download The Cheap Gourmet Wine and Cheese Party Menu

The winner of Alouette's Slow Down and Savor Life Gourmet Cheese giveaway will be announced on the blog on Monday, November 2nd, 2009. The winner will be notified via email to confirm the mailing address for their prize. If the winner does not respond within three days, a new winner will be selected at random. Be sure to check the blog and your email to see if you win!

How to Make a Cupcake Cake for any Occasion

How to Make a Cupcake Cake for any Occasion

Last weekend my husband and I attended a birthday celebration for friends who were both turning 60. Being such a milestone birthday, friends and family organized a semi-surprise party and planned a feast for royalty.

In July, I ordered mini cupcake pans from Easy Bakeware, which I had not had a chance to try out. Several years ago, another friend of mine taught me how to make cupcake cakes. The guest list included several children and I thought mini cupcakes would be a great way to keep them away from the "grown-up" cake until it was ready to be served.

I was preparing several dishes for the party and needed to save a little time, so I purchased boxed cake mixes and canned icing. Overall, I baked about 225 mini cupcakes. Although I only had two 12-cupcake mini muffin pans, the Easy Bakeware made the process a breeze!

I used mini muffin paper baking tins and filled each about 2/3rd's full of batter. Baking time per batch was 13 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I used three types of cake batter - French Vanilla, Dark Chocolate and Butter Chocolate. The Butter Chocolate was by far my favorite; although all of them were quite tasty and addicting!

Next, I cut a cardboard moving box into a 24"x18" rectangle and covered it with foil. I had purchased decorative letters and colored sprinkles at the store. For the cupcakes used for the mini cupcake cake, I spread the icing evenly using a small icing knife, then placed one letter on each mini cupcake.

 

As  you can see, I used white frosting for the cupcakes with letters. It reads: "Happy 60th Birthday Maeme and Carl". I alternated flavors on each row. The first, third and fifth row are French Vanilla cupcakes, while the second and fourth rows are chocolate cupcakes.

Using some of the extra mini cupcakes, I created little islands on the sides to fill in the extra space. I purchased paper palm trees attached to a toothpick. These palm trees gave me fits because they had this teeny-tiny square adhesive covered in paper. The paper had to be removed and the palm trees stretched out and attached to the other side. Considering it was 4am when I was finishing up this cake, not all the palm trees came out uniformly. As they say, it's the thought that counts!

 

I used the butter chocolate mini cupcakes to create the islands and used a piping bag to swirl the icing. I placed 3 to 4 "island" cupcakes together and then placed one on top of the stack to create the illusion of an island. I then used white icing to pipe around the edges of the cardboard and topped with colored sprinkles. 

This was my first attempt at making a cupcake cake and while it isn't perfect, it was certainly a huge hit at the party. I placed the remaining cupcakes on dessert trays and when we departed the party, I noticed only 3 were left. The cupcake cake was completely devoured.

Not only was the cupcake cake a lot of fun to make, it didn't take much time and the guests absolutely loved it. Homemade gifts are always a great way to make people feel special. Even though I used boxed cake mixes, I could not have been more pleased with the final product.

If you are wondering how I transported the cake, I simply covered it loosely with foil. The palm trees helped keep the foil off the icing. I drive a Toyota Rav4, so the cardboard platform fit perfectly in the tailgate area. We drove extra careful to make certain we didn't need to make any sudden stops or take corners on two wheels ;-)

The possibilities of cupcake cakes are endless. Grocery stores, dollar stores, and party stores carry a wide range of novelty items that can be used to create all kinds of theme cakes. If you don't own a pasty bag and piping tips, you can place icing inside a sandwich bag and snip one corner off. Piping the icing on the cupcakes is considerably more efficient than using an icing spreader.

After using the EasyBakeware muffin pan, I can honestly say that I will be converting ALL my bakeware to this brand. The pans are made from silicone (I think!) and are super easy to clean. The muffins popped out easily and there was little mess to clean up.

EasyBakeware is currently offering FREE bakeware. You can receive any piece of bakeware for free, but will have to pay the shipping cost of $7.95. I've seen this type of bakeware in stores and the average retail price is $19.95 to $24.95 per piece!

If you're like me and love to bake, I highly recommend giving EasyBakeware a try. Click on the banner below and take advantage of the free offer before it's too late.

How to Host a Hurricane Party

For those of us who live in Hurricane Alley, hurricane parties are a way of life. Typically hosted in a spacious home equipped with hurricane shutters and generators, people unite to have fun, reduce stress, and literally eat all the food in the house -- at least frozen and refrigerated foods ;-)

A few weeks ago a friend of ours purchased the Tailgator Gas-Powered Blender. This gadget is an absolute Must-Have for any party, but particularly Hurricane Parties. The engine is something you would normally see on a gas-powered weedeater. With just one gallon of gas, you can crank out 6500 frozen concoctions. In my opinion, this is the ultimate machine for making frozen margaritas!

When hosting a Hurricane Party, safety is the #1 Priority so make certain you have all the necessary supplies. Typically, guests will bring their own sleeping bag and flashlight and an appropriate hurricane party accessory such as board games, playing cards, snack foods and bottled water.

Everything you need to know about hosting a Hurricane Party can be found in an article I published, entitled How to Host a Hurricane Party. For me, gourmet food is a must have so the remainder of this week I will be publishing Hurricane Party recipes and party tips. Stop back by to grab these yummy recipes, or better yet subscribe to The Cheap Gourmet newsletter. Simply enter your email address in the Newsletter Subscription Box on the right side of this page. Each week you'll receive an update of blog posts.

Spicy Boiled Peanuts Recipe

Spicy Boiled Peanuts are part of the Southern culture and a necessity at hurricane parties. They are super easy to make, but take a few hours to cook. You can make them plain or spicy. You can add beer or vodka or tequila. You can eat them hot (the preferred method) or cold and they can be frozen for up to six months.

Although we live in a sub-tropical climate, we prefer our boiled peanuts to be spicy hot. I've become interested in growing peppers, so pretty much everything I make these days has one of my gorgeous beauties tucked inside ;-) My recipe for spicy boiled peanuts is no exception. I experimented with this version and believe this is the best yet. Feel free to adapt it to suit your needs.

Spicy Boiled Peanuts Recipe
Serves 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1-1/2 to 2 hours

Ingredients:
4 pounds Green Peanuts (only available between June and August)
6 quarts water (substitute with 2 quarts beer and 4 quarts water, if desired)
2 medium Cowhorn peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped
6 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning

Directions:

• Place peanuts in colander and rinse well.
• Pour water into large kettle or stock pot.
• Add peanuts, peppers, salt and seasoning.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cover.
• Cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until peanuts are tender.
• Remove from heat and allow to soak in water for 30 minutes.
• Drain and serve immediately.

How to Remove Wine Stains

How to Remove Wine Stains from Clothing

Have you ever spilled wine on your favorite shirt, dress or slacks? I bet you thought your clothing article was a goner, didn't you? Well, today is your lucky day! This short video will show you exactly what you need to do to remove wine stains.

Remove Wine Stains With Milk! - Click here for another funny movie.

Food Wishes Video Recipes

I recently found an amazing cooking blog. It's called Food Wishes Video Recipes and it's owned by Chef John. This blog features step-by-step cooking videos for American Classics, Asian and French Cuisine, Desserts, Dressings, Pasta, Poultry and much more. It truly is a feast for the eyes!

At Food Wishes Video Recipes you will find an ever-growing collection of mouth-watering gourmet recipes including. A few of the delectable creations include:

Chicken Breasts with Herbs de Provence and Mushrooms
Braised Chicken and Artichoke Hearts with Lemon, Cherry Peppers and Thyme
Mascarpone Brulee with Fresh Berries

If you love to cook, you're going to love this Food Wishes Video Recipes. Be sure to thank Chef John for sharing his cooking secrets!

Click here to visit Food Wishes Video Recipes blog.

A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments

If you like to alter the flavor of your coffee or tea through the use of sweeteners, creamers, or flavored syrups, check out "A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments"; an article I wrote for Associated Content.

A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments discusses the various types of sugar, honey, artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners including stevia and agave syrup, creamers and flavored syrups.

I hope you enjoy A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments, and invite you to peruse my entire writing portfolio consisting of recipes, cooking tips, kitchen gadget product reviews, coffee and tea product reviews and much more. 

My writing portfolio is located at www.KathyBrowning.com. I hope you benefit from the information presented there. If you enjoy writing and would like to be paid for your work, sign-up to be an AC Contributor at AssociatedContent.com.

Red, White and Blue Recipes for the 4th of July!

It's not too late to plan a bodacious red, white and blue menu for your 4th of July celebration. The Recipe Zaar offers an abundance of deliciously delightful concoctions that are certain to please your family and guests. You'll find everything from 4th of July Margaritas to Red, White and Blue Burgers and plenty of tastebud exploding desserts!

If you've never been to Recipe Zaar, you are missing out! Not only will you find thousands of mouth-watering recipes, you'll also be able to interact with other home cooks and chefs in the Recipe Zaar community, share your own recipes, and save recipes in a personal cookbook. Go check them out at www.RecipeZaar.com and sign-up for your free account today!

Photo by RecipeLink.com

Homemade Salsa Recipe

Homemade Salsa Recipe

After months of cultivating my organic salsa garden, the fruits (or veggies in this case) of my labor are ready for harvest. I tended these gorgeous tomatoes, peppers, and herbs myself, but didn't have much success with the garlic. From what I now know, garlic is grown during the winter months. Other than that, my garden was a success and today I would like to share my favorite Homemade Salsa Recipe with you.

There's nothing better than the rich, robust flavor of homemade salsa made from home-grown vegetables. However, if you don't have homegrown produce you can still enjoy this delicious recipe. Simply purchase the ingredients at your local grocery store, health food store or Farmer's Market. Enjoy!

Homemade Salsa Recipe

2-3 stalks Cilantro, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
5-6 stems Chives, finely chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 Vadalia onion, finely chopped
1 small Habaneros or Cowhorn pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 Banana or Sweet peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped
1/2 Green, Red, or Yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
3-4 vine-rippened Tomatos, chopped
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator for 24 hours. Serve with organic blue chips and enjoy!

Saveur Magazine

Saveur Magazine is one of my all-time favorites. Not only will you find magnificent recipes, you'll also learn about the history of foods, discover secret cooking tips, and read food articles that will spark your imagination and inspire you to create new dishes in your own kitchen.

Order a one-year subscription to Saveur Magazine by clicking on the link below. Doing so will net you an annual savings of 56-percent. You will receive 9 issues of Saveur Magazine, with a fresh issue delivered straight to your mailbox every six weeks. To learn more about Saveur Magazine or to start your subscription, click on the link below.

Order Saveur Magazine

Eating Well Magazine

Introducing Eating Well Magazine

Oftentimes people associate gourmet cooking to rich, calorie-laden foods. While this can be true, gourmet cooking can also include delicious, healthy foods. Eating Well Magazine is an excellent resource for learning how to incorporate healthy foods that actually taste good into your diet.

A one-year subscription of Eating Well Magazine is a mere $14.97. This consists of 6 issues for about $2.50 each. Quite a bargain, wouldn't you agree?

Each issue is packed with healthy recipes, cooking tips, product suggestions and more. Give it a try. If you don't like it, you can cancel your subscription, so you really have nothing to lose.

To start your subscription and begin eating well click on the link below.

Eating Well Magazine

Ten Things I Love About the Food Network

If you love cooking as much as I do, chances are good you are familiar with the Food Network. If not, be sure to visit their website at www.FoodNetwork.com. Not only do I spend way too many hours watching their incredible line-up of cooking shows, I also spend too much time at their website.

The problem is the Food Network is addictive. There is an abundance of good stuff and from the look of things, they update their website on a regular basis. There's always new stuff to learn and new recipes to try. I'm certain you'll find an abundance of things to love about the Food Network too. To help you get started, I've compiled a list of my ten favorite things...

1. Bobby Flay - The star of "Boy Meets Grill" and "Throwdown with Bobby Flay". I love both these shows, but think Boy Meets Grill must be on hiatus because it hasn't been on for awhile. Bobby is just downright cute and fun to watch. Who knows, maybe someday I'll meet him in person??
2. Everyday Italian - Giada De Laurentiis is the hostess and she is adorable. She offers easy and delicious Italian recipes. You simply must check out her recipe selection on the Food Network website. Marvelous-O!
3. Ace of Cakes - Duff Goldman is the host, but his entire team of bakers are frequently spotlighted in the show. They create the most incredible cakes on the planet. Oh, to have that kind of talent!
4. Unwrapped - Marc Summers hosts this educational and entertaining show that takes you behind-the-scenes to see how stuff is made. They recently toured "Hungry Howie's" which is a pizza delivery company that we order from all the time. Unwrapped features all kinds of crazy stuff, so be sure to watch an episode or two.
5. Challenges - These shows are competitions between chefs who are competing for a large check -- usually around $10,000. The challenges have included gingerbread houses, theme cakes, cakes made from rice cereal, and sugar sculpture competitions, to name a few. It's amazing to see what these chefs and bakers are able to create out of food.
6. Tasty Travel - This section of the Food Network website is really cool. It contains listing of restaurants in major cities around the globe. On each city page you'll find information about various restaurants, travel tips, links to hotels, recipes and more. It's quite informative!
7. Kitchen Design - Currently, we're planning a kitchen remodel and I have spent hours exploring this section of the Food Network website. You can learn everything you need to know - from choosing the best paint color to installing a sink. You can watch how-to videos, read articles, and even purchase products online. It's a beautiful thing!
8. Cooking - Everything you could possibly ever want to know about cooking can be found in this section of the Food Network website. And I do mean EVERYTHING! From cooking with your kids to holiday baking, you'll find recipes, cooking videos, cooking encyclopedia and tons more. Even if you have never boiled water, the Cooking section can quickly turn you into a gourmet cook!
9. Contests and Offers - The Food Network is always offering some kind of cool contest or sweepstakes. The grand prize always involves something related to cooking. It might be a cooking vacation, an opportunity to meet one of the network's chefs, or winning a kitchen remodel or set of professional cookware. The prizes are always great and I hope to win big one of these days!
10. The Food Network Store - Here's an easy place to melt your plastic. Everything you could possibly want can be found in the online store. You can order products offered by your favorite cooking celeb. Love Emeril's spices? You can order them online. How about Paula Deen's recipes? You can order her cookbooks directly from the website. If you're ever stuck for a gift idea, hop on over to the Food Network Store and your shopping problem will be solved.

These are my top ten. Feel free to let me know what your favorite aspect of the Food Network is. I know there are a lot of you who love the network as much as I do. I'd love to hear from you!

Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe

What you are about to read is my highly regarded, and up until this moment, highly secret spicy garlic grilled chicken wings recipe. I have decided to share it with you today because that's what good cooks do ;-). Please note that this recipe is copyrighted. Should you decide to share it with others, please provide a link back to TheCheapGourmet.com.

Spicy Garlic Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe
Serves 2-4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

12 Chicken Wings, tips removed and divided into sections
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1 stick Butter, unsalted
2/3 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Goya Adobo seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat gas grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash chicken wings and pat dry with paper towel. Remove tips and cut wings into sections.
3. Lightly sprinkle cayenne pepper over wings.
4. Place wings on hot grill. Turn after wings have cooked for about 7 minutes.
5. Place butter, hot sauce, garlic and Adobo seasoning into a 1-quart pan.
6. Heat over medium-low heat. When butter begins to melt; whisk lightly to incorporate all ingredients.
7. When wings are finished, remove from heat and place in a container with a lid.
8. Pour melted sauce over wings and shake well to evenly distribute.
9. Transfer to serving platter and serve immediately.

Serve with chunky bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks if desired.

Gourmet Crab Legs Recipe

Gourmet Crab Legs Recipe
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds frozen King Crab Legs (you can use Snow Crab if desired)
1 whole Onion, chopped (yellow or white onion)
6 whole Garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup Dales Seasoning or Soy Sauce
1 cup Water

This recipe is best prepared using an electric roaster. If you don't have one, these can be prepared in a large stock pot. We start with frozen crab legs, so if using fresh you'll need to reduce your cooking time by about 10 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat roaster to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Rinse crab legs in warm water to remove ice crystals.
3. Arrange crab in a single layer and place on roasting rack in the roaster.
4. Cut onion in half, than cut each half into thirds.
5. Place onion chunks around the crab legs.
6. Chop garlic and distribute evenly on top of crab legs.
7. Mix Dales Seasoning or Soy sauce and water together. Whisk to combine. Pour over crab legs.
8. Place lid on roaster and cook for 30 minutes.
9. Remove from roaster. Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately.

The onion is included for flavoring purposes only. However, if you want to eat them, feel free to do so. They have an amazing flavor!