Novita - Restaurant Review Coming SOON!

I promise. Things have been crazy lately!! Later today, check back around 1 EST.

THANKS!

Solvay Cares Scholarship

Now I realize that this has nothing to do with food, but its for a good cause and I like good causes.

Solvay Cares is a scholarship awarded to students with cystic fibrosis. For those of you who may not know, Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. Today, more than 40 percent of people living with CF are aged 18 or older.

So what I need all my foodies to do is to go to: http://www.solvaycaresscholarship.com/ and vote to help one finalist go on to win $10,000! Each scholarship winner has received an initial $2,500 for entering their artwork and essays to help finance post-secondary education.

Their stories are great and definitely worth reading!

New food posts tomorrow but just thought I'd share with everyone this great cause!!

Cheese Dip - The Ultimate Football Snack

Last weekend I was in Charlotte with Jef and we somehow concocted this amazing cheese dip that must be tried by everyone. It tasted like fondue and queso combined, thus amazing.

Ingredients

• 1 beer can (you'll use about half so drink the rest)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1-2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (just a splash really)
• 1 jalapeno (chopped)
• 1 smoked pepper of your choice (chopped) (we chose pablano, but any will work)

Directions

In a sauce pan on medium low heat add the butter and let melt, then add flour and whisk vigorously to make a rue. A rue is basically just equal parts flour and butter and just adds a thickness to the sauce.

Once the rue starts to bubble add a splash of cream, and about a 1/4 of beer to get everything off the bottom of the pan. Then add in garlic and a handful of cheese. Whisk everything together and wait till melted. Then add in peppers. You will basically repeat this step till all the ingredients are gone and everything is gooey and delicious.

The hard part is not "sampling" the whole dip before it hits the table.

It seems like this is hard, but its really not, just a lot of whisking and sampling till you find the right taste. I promise it'll make watching football better...trust me.

Basil Gnocchi with Peas and Onion

So this recipe just kind of came to me. There's no rhyme or reason just some things I threw together that I thought sounded good! Let's get started!

Ingredients

• 1 shallot or small sweet onion
• 1 small can of peas
• 4-5 mushroom caps (any kind you like)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup marscapone cheese (if the have marscapone with basil - GET IT! So good!)
• 1 package of basil gnocchi (regular gnocchi is fine, really any pasta will probably be good)
• 1/2 tablespoon of butter
• Splash of white
• Splash of heavy cream
• Basil (if you can't find the cheese or gnocchi with basil in it)

Directions

Corsely chop the onion and garlic and add to a frying pan with butter or medium-low heat. Sautee for a couple of minutes until tender and clear, do not burn the onion or garlic.

Next add in the mushrooms and let them sautee for a while until tender. Then add a splash of white wine and let that reduce for about a minute or two.

When the wine is cooked out turn all the way down to low and add in your cream and cheese and let the mixture sit together and get gooey and delicious.

While your mixture is melting together, get a pan of water boiling (don't forget to add salt!) When the water comes to a boil, add in your package of gnocchi. They should be ready in 3-3 1/2 minutes (basically once they float to the top.)

Once the gnocchi are cooked drain them and add to your cheesey, delicious mixture. Toss around for minute and then serve :)

I promise its so good and easy you will be sure to impress anyone. While this is a pretty heavy dinner, its great heated up for the next day.

If you have any recipes you would like to submit the Frugal Foodie is always looking for new great recipes!

Recipe Post Coming Later Today!!

I'm a little busy at work right now, but I promise a new post is coming today!

Let's Talk Gnocchi

Ahh gnocchi, I don't know why my mother and father (who are both Italian) deprived me of this in my youth, but let me tell you, since I have tasted this delectable treat, my life has been better.

Gnocchi is basically the Italian name for a variety of thick, soft noodle, pasta, dumpling, whatever you want to call it. It comes from the word 'gnocco' which means "lump", nocchio, a knot in the wood, thus gnocchi.

You can toss it in ANYTHING, I mean literally, pestos, tomato sauce, cream sauce, anything that would be good with pasta will be good with gnocchi, possible better.

So there you have it, next time you go to an Italian restaurant or anywhere you see it on the menu, give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Corn Dip

So this is my go-to dip for any party. It's delicious, easy and always a hit.

Here it is!

1 can white showpeg corn
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (or less depending on your taste) Mayonnaise
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 - 1/2 finely chopped sweet onion
Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredient and chill, salt and pepper to taste. Eat with tortilla chips and your welcome!