Cranberry Salsa

It's no secret in my family that I don't like cranberry sauce.  Even homemade cranberry sauce is yuck to me.  It's so gelatinous. And that stuff from the can? Ugh, can't even think about it! Gross.  But this Cranberry Salsa is sensational!

I've actually given this as a hostess gift by putting it in a mason jar with a pretty ribbon.  And you could serve it poured over a block of cream cheese for a party.  Or call it Razorback Cranberry Salsa and serve it at your tailgate tomorrow (like I'm going to do!)  Fresh cranberries are only in stores until December, so hurry and make this salsa now!

Cranberry Salsa

12 oz fresh cranberries
large bunch fresh cilantro
5-6 large green onions, cut into 3 inch pieces
juice of 2 fresh limes
1/2-3/4 cup sugar

Add cranberries, lime juice, cilantro, green onions, and 1/2 cup sugar to the food processor and pulse until combined.  Taste salsa, and add more sugar and salt if necessary.  

Easy Mexican Layer Dip

This is just a throw-together dip, and everything was store bought, but you can do a little number with the sour cream to make it really Halloween-y and festive.  I took it to a Halloween party, and it was all gone by the end of the evening!  I'm still a little worried that someone ate the plastic spiders....

 Easy Mexican Layer Dip (from Pioneer Woman)

1 can refried beans
Tabasco Sauce, to taste
1 can diced green chilies
taco seasoning, to taste
3/4 cups grated cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup guacamole (homemade is better, but I used store bought for this)
1 cup pico de gallo (again, from the deli, but homemade is better)

Heat the refried beans in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add several dashes of Tabasco sauce and a small can of (undrained) diced green chilies. Stir well. Next, sprinkle a little bit of taco seasoning.
Spread the beans on the bottom of a serving dish.  Next, add the grated cheese.  Add the pico de gallo around the edge.  The next layer is the guacamole. To make the last layer like a spider web, pipe the sour cream in a swirl patter using a plastic bag (put the sour cream in a Ziploc and cut off the corner).  Run a toothpick or end of a fork from the center out to make the spider web.  Add some plastic spiders. Make sure nobody eats the spiders (I should have done that!).  Serve with tortilla chips.

PSY-Pumpkin Spice Yogurt with Maple Spice Granola

These days everybody's all runnin' around gettin' their PSLs from Starbucks.  So I had this idea to make PSY (Pumpkin Spice Yogurt).  Healthy and yum. 

I made a lot because I took it to the elementary school for a teachers' brunch.  You can adjust the recipe to make fewer servings or just store leftovers in the fridge. Don't add the granola until the last minute, though, or it might get soggy.

Pumpkin Spice Yogurt

32 oz container plain fat free Greek yogurt

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 

2  teaspoons vanilla

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you like it, and I'd use Splenda brown sugar if I were making it for myself to cut calories)

Whisk all the ingredients together and serve with granola on top.

Maple Spice Granola 

4 cups oats (not quick cooking)

2 T brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup craisins

Combine oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix canola oil and maple syrup with vanilla in a large measuring cup and pour over dry ingredients.  Mix well and spread on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until brown.  Let cool and then add craisins. 

Monster Munch

I made Monster Munch for the teachers at our elementary school to snack on during parent/teacher conferences this week.  I was extremely glad to get it out of the house; it's so good I couldn't stop eating it!! 

Monster Munch
This recipe makes a lot.  You can adjust all the amounts to your tastes.  
1 package almond bark (this stuff tastes like white chocolate, but melts easily and perfectly)
3 bags Orville Redenbacher Tender White microwave popcorn (this is the best popcorn ever)
1 bag candy corn
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 package Reeses Pieces

Line 3 sheet pans with wax paper.  Pop popcorn.  Melt almond bark in microwave until smooth.    Add candy corn, peanuts, Reeses Pieces to the popcorn.  Pour chocolate over the popcorn, candy, and peanuts and stir until everything is coated.  You'll probably have to do 2-3 batches, depending on the size of your bowl.  Spread popcorn mixture onto the sheet pans and let cool.

Pumpkin Spice Latte (almost)

Everyone loves a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, right?  Everyone except my wallet and my waistline, that is.  Here's a fantastic substitute for you.  And you don't have to wait in line, pay $4.50, or do any extra crunches at the gym! 

Pumpkin Spice Latte (almost)

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (recipe follows)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tablespoons Splenda (or sweetener of choice, brown sugar or maple sy)

Blend all the ingredients in your fancy blender.  Hint hint, I want one of these for Christmas! 

Warm the pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave for a few seconds before adding it to your coffee. 

Pour 1 cup of brewed coffee into a mug and pour about half a cup of the pumpkin over the top and stir.  You can add a little whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if you want.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

makes about 2 tablespoons

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg*

Blend all spices together, working out any lumps that might occur.  Store in an airtight container.

*To grate nutmeg, just run the whole nutmeg over the microplane to grate.

Watermelon Pineapple Salsa

What's the deal with watermelons these days?  Have you noticed how they are all perfectly round and seedless now?  My state is famous for it's watermelons, and in Arkansas it's just not right, and it goes against the natural order of things, I say, to have perfectly round watermelons!

Anyway, I was at Walmart today and I finally found a big, irregular shaped watermelon with seeds.  We cut into that thing, and it was so sweet and juicy!  We ate half of it at lunch, and the other half we turned into Watermelon Pineapple Salsa (we had friends over for dinner so I made a lot of salsa; you might want to half the recipe).

Watermelon Pineapple Salsa

3 cups watermelon, diced
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced (not canned, not ever)
1/2-1 cup red onion, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir.  Refrigerate for 1-3 hours.  Serve with chips or over grilled fish. 

Texas Caviar

I could eat this as main dish. Love it!  Perfect for a Memorial Day cookout. 

5 cans of black eyed peas, drained and rinshed
Small bottle of Italian dressing (may need to use all - add some stir, add, stir, etc.)
1 purple onion - finely chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper  - all finely chopped
2 stalks celery - finely chopped
jalapenos - to taste
1/2 tsp. garlic - minced
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro to taste
juice of one lime
Mix all together and enjoy - I usually serve with Fritos.

Feta in Phyllo

John and I first ate Greek food at the Greek Food Festival in Little Rock when we were first married (not a lot of Greek restaurants in Arkansas when we were growing up!).  We spent all afternoon one day sampling the best food we'd ever tasted, and ended up going back every year we lived there.  John always jokes that he must be part Greek, based on his love for the food (have you seen him? Definitely not Greek.).

So when one of Beta's sweet preschool teachers offered to make me something she had eaten on a recent trip to Greece, I was so excited!  She handed me the dish of feta cheese wrapped in phyllo, and I had every intention of saving some for John....but then I tasted it, and had to eat the whole thing! It's salty, sweet, crunchy, gooey.

I'm not sure what to call it, and I can't really find the exact recipe she gave me anywhere, so I'll just call it Feta in Phyllo, since it's kind of like Brie en Croute.  It's an appetizer, but I had it for lunch. :)

Feta in Phyllo

1/3 of a whole block of feta
several sheets of phyllo dough (the directions are on the box)
butter, melted
honey
sesame seeds

Wrap the feta cheese with sheets of Phyllo dough, each sheet coated with butter.  Bake until brown and then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve hot.

Homemade Granola

This granola is not exactly low in calories, but it's so much better than store bought granola.  And you know what's in it....

I like to eat a handful over Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast or a snack, like in this picture.  The kids like it with milk for breakfast and John just grabs handfuls. I've even made it for teacher gifts.  Everybody loves it.

Homemade Granola

4 cups oats (not quick cooking)

2 T brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

everything else is to taste

vanilla

milled flax seed*

wheat germ

salt 

cinnamon

almonds, walnuts, or other nuts 

golden raisins, craisins, other dried fruits

Combine oats, nuts, brown sugar, flax seed, wheat germ, salt (don't leave out the salt), and cinnamon. Mix canola oil and honey with vanilla and pour over dry ingredients.  Mix well and spread on cookie sheet.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until brown.  Let cool then add dried fruits.  

*The flax and wheat germ are tasteless, but they bump up the vitamins, protein, and fiber.  I use about 1/2 cup of each per batch of granola.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

My kids love ranch dressing, and it's a condiment that will get them to eat almost any vegetable.  Aside from the general health concerns about ranch, I think it's gloppy and gross, so I make my own much tastier (and healthier) version.  I mix it up and just keep in the the fridge to eat throughout the week.  The kids like to dip carrots in it, and I really like it with raw red (or orange or yellow) bell peppers.  And radishes. I love radishes.  I'm weird like that.

3 parts fat free Greek yogurt
1 part real mayo like Hellman's (I hate mayo, btw, but it's necessary to make this taste like dressing)
1-2 cloves of garlic grated with a microplane (don't chop it or you'll bite into raw garlic)
juice of one whole lemon
salt and pepper to taste
various fresh herbs to taste (in the winter I don't add herbs, only because I don't have any)

Just mix it up with a wisk until combined.  To make the dressing thinner to use as salad dressing, add a little skim milk or better yet, skim buttermilk.

Hummus

2 cloves of garlic 
1 can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans drained, liquid reserved
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons tahini*
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon water or liquid from the chickpeas

Add the garlic first and grind it up in a food processor.  Add the chickpeas, salt, tahini, and lemon and mix it up.  Add liquid from the chickpeas (or just water) until you get the consistency you like.

*Tahini is a sesame paste that I buy at the natural food store (Wal Mart doesn't carry it).  Hummus just doesn't taste like hummus without it, but you can leave it out to cut calories or if you can't find it.

Smoothies

We went out for dinner last night, so I thought I'd tell you about something my kids love for breakfast and snacks: smoothies.  I'm sure you've been making smoothies for years, but I've recently discovered making them at home.  I always thought smoothies were just milkshakes, because they are so darn good, but they don't have to be!  Add a piece of toast and you've got breakfast.

Start with frozen fruit in a blender (go easy on the blackberries because of the seeds; kids don't like seeds), add some yogurt (I use vanilla nonfat because it's sweet), and some skim milk. You can put in a banana or any fresh fruit you've got, too. And I've heard tell of healthy folks putting spinach, kale, broccoli, and things like that in them.  My kids watch me make the smoothies and that would never fly with them.

Just blend it up.  Add more milk if you need to make it thinner.  We like our smoothies to be thin so we can drink out of crazy straws...

Banana Bread (um, cake)

My kids are fickle when it comes to food.  Are yours?  Last week, the baby loved bananas.  Couldn't get enough of them.  Ate a dozen in a week.  This week he hates them.  He won't even look at them.

So I made banana bread with those bananas just lying around getting brown.  I'd actually say it's more of a cake;  I mean, it has a cup of sugar and a stick of butter in it!  It's a Paula Deen recipe, you see, so just know it's not good for you.  Eat a little, not a lot.  But this is my go to recipe for banana bread since you don't have to drag out your mixer.

Banana Bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar; mix well. Add the salt, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, baking powder and bananas. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Almonds

Last night for dinner, we ate Chicken Enchiladas from Dinner Divas.  If you live in Northwest Arkansas, Elli is a great cook who uses real ingredients, has a commercial kitchen, AND she delivers.  It's a great alternative to take out. 

For a snack yesterday afternoon, my husband made his family's famous Roasted Almonds.  I have no idea why these were only a Christmas treat for him growing up, because they are just too good (and addictive) to have just once a year.  And the best part was that this snack was that he did it all!  Here's how he made them:
Boil raw (must be raw almonds; not blanched, salted, or smoked) almonds for about 30 seconds to blanch.  Drain and then wrap the almonds in a kitchen towel and rub them in the towel to loosen the skins. Pinch the almonds from the skins; the almonds should slip out easily.  The kids can do this part.  And if you can find blanched almonds in the grocery store you can skip that whole step. 

Transfer the almonds to a sheet pan and toss with oil or melted butter to coat and plenty of kosher salt.

Toast the almonds in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until browned. Don't walk out and overcook them, and stir them a few times while they are toasting.  Cool on paper towels and wait to eat them until they are crunchy (if you can). If you eat them while they are hot you will burn your tongue.  Not that I know anything about that...