More to come from the Frugal Foodie!

Hey there! Just a quick post...

Starting this blog has been a project in my mind for many months that I haven't had time to do until now (when the other half is away!) so expect a flood of posts to come forth soon! Watch this space!

Adventures in Baking: Rhubarb crumble muffins

If I had to name a favourite vegetable, it might possibly be rhubarb :). After all, there's not many other "vegetables" you can cook up with sugar and turn into delicious desserts!

I must admit I haven't always been a fan of those red-hued stalks. As a kid my mum would sometimes try to get me to eat some sort of rhubarb-laced dessert and I would steadfastly refuse.

But I am a big fan of Nigella Lawson, who just happens to be obsessed with the stuff, and after reading some of her luscious descriptions of rhubarb themed dishes I gave it a try.

Now I am totally in love. It's red-pink; it has a perfumed tartness to it when you cook it, what's not to like? It's available all year round, but in Maggie Beer's produce book Maggie's Harvest she says it's best in May and June and I'd kind of have to agree (though there's some nice looking stuff out at the moment.)

Rhubarb is pretty cheap to buy, but grows really well in veggie gardens. As soon as I'm able to stay in one spot for more than three years (due to moving around for work), I'll definately be growing it in my dream veggie garden.

I use rhubarb in crumbles, cake, stewed for my breakfast museli, and have been known to sneak to the fridge and eat roasted rhubarb straight from the tub.

The roasted rhubarb, from Nigella (who else) is likely to be the subject of another post. For now, here's a for rhubarb crumble muffins, modified from a recipe that once appeared in Super Food Ideas a few years ago.

You can basically use any fruit in these muffins, but I like to dice up rhubarb into little cubes and mix it through. My husband and I both love these and they make a great, cheap snack to take to work. They're probably not the best in the health department but one a day is okay and really they're not too sweet.


And I love the cupcake papers I used for the batch pictured, found for a bargain at the Robert Gordon factory in Pakenham, Victoria.

Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup brown sugar
60g melted, and cooled butter
1/3 cup buttermilk (I normally just use regular milk soured with about 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar)
2 eggs, lightly whisked
200g chopped fruit (for this I added rhubarb chopped into 1cm dice, but you can also use tinned apples, peaches, apricots, whatever you like)

Nut crumble for the top
About 30g chopped butter (you may need a little more)
1/4 cup plain flour
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (I use pecans or almonds)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.
To make the pecan crumble put the butter and flour in a food processor and process until it resembles breadcrumbs.
You can also just rub the butter into the flour with your fingers (this is how I often do it).
Stir in the nuts and sugar then cover and refrigerate.

Now for the muffin mix. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl, stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre.
Whisk the melted butter, milk and eggs in a jug and pour into the flour well.
Add your fruit and fold it in until just combined.
Grab your lined muffin trays and fill the paper cases with mixture so that it's two thirds full.
Sprinkle your chilled crumble mixture over muffins then plonk them in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Stand the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes and then lift them onto a wire rack. Serve warm. They keep for a few days in an airtight container and freeze really well too, they just need a nuke in the microwave to make them warm again.

*Note: Sometimes I make double the crumble mixture if I want them extra crumbly.

Welcome to the Frugal Foodie

Welcome to Frugal Foodie. So who am I and what is this blog about exactly?

I'm a twenty-something-year-old Australian woman who writes for a living and just happens to have a massive passion for food, so a foodie blog is kind of an inevitability

I love eating food, cooking it, visiting restaurants, reading cookbooks and magazines, talking about food, and I'm especially mad about baking.

But while I love to indulge in all things epicurean, I have a few things to consider. The first thing is my body is showing the effects of being a lifelong foodie and I'm in the process of trying to lose some weight (okay, a lot of weight). I've made some progress but there's a long way to go...

The second is my husband and I are trying hard to save our dollars so we can pursue some very big dreams for our life. Therefore, we have to be pretty sensible with how we use our hard earned dough each week.

Sadly, I sometimes think the term "frugal" is considered to be somewhat of an "F" word in our society, with its negative connotations of a life of denial. But being frugal doesn't have to be that way, especially when it comes to eating! With a little bit of creativity and cooking smarts you can enjoy a scrumptious smorgasboard on a shoe string - and I joyfully discover this on a regular basis!

This blog will chart my kitchen adventures with a focus on making food that doesn't hurt the wallet or the waistline. Okay, maybe one of those things will be hurt sometimes, as I'm not perfect! All I know is there will be lots of cooking and lots of eating! But I hope you enjoy the gastronomic journey with me!