• My search for the perfect frugal snack: A mystery solved

    Posted on February 20th, 2009 Saver Queen 18 comments

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    By jove I did it! As most of you know, I have been searching for a homemade snack that satisfies my cravings.  My latest pretzel endeavour didn’t go over so well so I’ve been hunting for a tasty alternative.

    Finally, I found a delicious snack that satisfies deep junk food cravings, and costs, well, nothing! It’s easy to make and uses up leftovers - that’s my favourite kind of cooking!

    The answer? The homemade cheese spread.

    First of all, let it be known that I love cheese. I mean it’s really the cow’s gift to humankind. So when Alton Brown (yes, I realize his name has come up quite a bit on this blog, but I spent last weekend on an Alton Brown bingefest, so forgive me, please) provided a recipe for his favourite cheese trick - a homemade cheese spread - I was intrigued. 

    You know all those cheese bits you have lying around? The teeny chunks leftover from cheese platters you served at parties, or in my case, just bought for yourself to enjoy? Maybe the rinds of parmesan that didn’t get eaten right down to the nub, or the extra mozzarella that didn’t make it on the homemade pizza? Those crumbly little bits from old cheddar, too awkward to slice into sandwich? These lost little cheesy bits can be saved from them from their destiny of winding up, undigested, in the garbage can.

    How, you ask? It’s easy!

    Simply gather these bits and throw them into a food processor. If you have any particularly hard cheeses, such as parmesan, grate it first. (This is important because otherwise it will stay in a clump.) If you have a pound of cheese, add 1/4 cup dry white wine (I actually added a little extra), 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (I added a little more, once again), some parsley, and one small clove of garlic. Blend in the food pro until smooth. Presto, you have yourself a delicious - and I mean delicious - cheese spread.

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    I love this because it uses up the old bits of cheese, along with any leftover wine you have (as Alton points out, it’s quite common to have leftover wine from a wine and cheese party, but it’s also easy to find that you have just a little extra wine in a bottle.) Since it uses up these extra ingredients that might otherwise go to waste, you’ve got yourself what is essentially a free snack.

    My only suggestion is to eat while it’s fresh.  Alton says that you can refrigerate for up to a week.  I refrigerated for a few hours and, while it was still tasty, the texture was too firm - the cheese cracked - and the flavours seemed to diminish a little.  

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    What to serve it with? If you have a leftover crusty bread or baguette, follow my recipe to make baguette chips -they are ever so satisfying and perfect for a spreadable cheese. Plus, if you make them because you are using up leftover bread that has gone stale, you are once again using up a product that will otherwise have a date with the trash can.

    Don’t forget to save your plastic containers. This leftover container from spreadable goat cheese fit the bill perfectly.

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    Eat and enjoy!  After all, not only are you saving money by eating in and using up ingredients instead of consuming expensive, store-bought snacks, you are relishing real, pure, good food.  The flavours of good quality cheese and wine will definitely satisfy the craving for a rich, flavourful snack.  This outshines a $3 bag of chips any day.

    The Saver Queen

    Groceries, Recipes
     

    18 responses to “My search for the perfect frugal snack: A mystery solved”

    1. Fabulously Broke February 20th, 2009 at 10:09

      That looks… so.. freaking good.

      I have blocks of cheese in my fridge that I haven’t used, and I want to buy some baguette now and eat the whole block LOL

    2. Erica February 20th, 2009 at 11:23

      I’m sooo hungry for cheese spread now…and it’s only 10AM!
      Brilliant idea, though my food safety police fiance may not agree.

    3. noble pig February 20th, 2009 at 11:42

      What a good idea. I am always annoyed by the small hunks of cheese left over. What a great idea.

    4. Dawn February 20th, 2009 at 12:41

      Love this idea!! In fact, I have a gathering this weekend with some friends, and a whole bunch of cheese in the freezer. A little wine and bread… I’ve got the garlic and butter…. hmmm…..

      Thanks for the great tip! The timing was perfect!

    5. Kaycee February 20th, 2009 at 14:22

      This looks really good, Alton Brown is a culinary genius.

    6. Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam February 20th, 2009 at 16:07

      This looks fabulous..thanks for sharing.

    7. Catherine February 20th, 2009 at 16:32

      Great idea! I would like to try it.
      What would you substitute for the wine? I don’t drink…..any ideas?

    8. Judy February 20th, 2009 at 18:44

      Catherine, I’d imagine you could use some mayo as a binding agent. or alternatively maybe you could use cream cheese as a base? not sure if either of them would work, but it might be worth a try.

    9. Saver Queen February 20th, 2009 at 20:13

      Dawn - I think it would be perfect for a party!

      Catherine - what about apple cider, or apple, orange or white grape juice?

    10. Catherine February 20th, 2009 at 21:25

      Thanks Judy and SQ!
      I can’t have the mayo or cream cheese either :o(, but,
      the white grape juice sounds perfect! Thanks again!

    11. Rags2Riches February 21st, 2009 at 12:32

      that’s such a good idea! & I have a few different kinds of cheese sitting at home.

    12. J. Money February 21st, 2009 at 13:45

      oooh gotta love that! cheese is one of my favorite treats in the world….in fact, i should really get out to the store and buy some before i get lazy again today ;)

    13. Miss M February 22nd, 2009 at 15:40

      That sounds delish, I’m a huge cheese fan too. Often the little bits go to waste, great idea.

    14. Saver Queen » Blog Archive » What are you wasting? February 25th, 2009 at 06:17

      [...] I turned little leftover crumbly bits of cheese into a delicious cheese dip. [...]

    15. Dawn March 22nd, 2009 at 13:04

      Oh, my!! It sounds so wonderful and so easy! Thank you!

    16. Sue Caissy April 9th, 2009 at 06:08

      Big grin here reading all the comments from fellow cheese lovers….who is this Alton bloke that has left-over wine? Wouldn’t happen here LOL

      I wonder if you brought the spread back up to room temp(without poisoning yourself) after refrigerating it it would be tastier? A dollop of mustard would be brill too.
      In England this recipe goes under the name, Potted Cheese. I also love to make Mock Chicken and Potted Beef when I have the ingredients.

      So loving your blog Mrs SQ,
      Keep up the splendid work!
      Sue

    17. Saver Queen April 9th, 2009 at 11:05

      Good question about slowly bringing the cheese back to room temp whether it would work well. Although I still expect that eating it fresh is still the best way to go! :) Thanks for your kind words, Sue, and thanks for reading! :)

    18. Squawkfox April 17th, 2009 at 11:19

      Your photographs look yummy…not cheesy at all. :D My husband ALWAYS eats the entire cheese…so there’s never any cheese bits lying around. He’s a cheese freak. But I love this idea and may just see if I can hide some cheesy bits for a yummy spread one day. Great tip!

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