Festive Cranberry Salsa

I love an appetizer that is festive looking, incredibly tasty, and super easy to make.  You too, huh?  Then allow me to introduce you to...cranberry salsa.  This recipe is really fast to make and requires very little clean up.  And the vibrant red and green colors make it the perfect appetizer.  You could even serve it at your Christmas meal as your cranberry side.  Too bold?  If that's going against tradition too much, bring it as an appetizer, and it may just make its way to the main course.  It's that good.  I like to serve it with chips, but I was just thinking how wonderful it would be over some warm brie or maybe a block of cream cheese.  Hmmm, I'm liking the sound of that more and more.  Maybe I'll try that next time. :)

Festive Cranberry Salsa

You will need:

12 oz. raw cranberries
1/2 large jalapeño, de-seeded
1 small bunch green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup sugar (heaping)
1/4 cup orange juice

How to make it:

In a food processor, pulse the cranberries until finely diced.  Put cranberries in a medium sized bowl.  In the same food processor, pulse the green onions, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, and pepper until finely diced.  Add to the cranberries.  Stir in the sugar and orange juice. Allow salsa to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

Smoked Turkey Sliders with Pesto Mayo

These sliders were a team effort.  Jack smoked the turkey breasts, and I made the pesto mayo and did all of the assembly.  We served these at a Christmas Party we hosted.  It is the perfect party food.  Easy to grab and eat.  You can serve it chilled or warm.  And they are darn tasty.  Everyone loved them, and the star of the slider is definitely the turkey.  Kudos to Jack for mastering the smoked turkey on the Green Egg.  

The recipe for the turkey breast can be found here (we omitted the potatoes).

Smoked Turkey Sliders with Pesto Mayo

You will need:

1 5-6 lb. turkey breast

36 Hawaiian King Rolls

1/2 cup mayo

1/3 cup pesto

9 slices swiss cheese

How to make it:

Carve the smoked turkey into pieces that will fit easily on the sliced rolls.  

Cut each cheese slice into four squares.  

Combine pesto and mayo in a bowl and stir until completely combined.  

Create an assembly line: spread pesto mayo on one side of a roll, top with one square of swiss cheese and two pieces of turkey. It's as easy as that! :)

Progressive Christmas Party

We hosted a really fun progressive Christmas Party at our house this year and had a blast.  Our house was the main course, and we had a whole spread of yummy food.  I think we had 35 people come, and we ate almost everything!  My talented sister-in-law, Allison, did all of the flowers for me, and they were festive and beautiful.  I loved having friends at our home and celebrating the season in such a fun way.  And it's nothing like a party to get your house in order.  I'm already looking forward to the party next year....

Below is the menu I served along with several appetizers and a salad from sweet friends who offered to bring something.  The key was making things that can be served at room temperature and can be made in advance.  Recipes to be added soon!

Smoked Turkey Sliders with Pesto Mayo

Good Ole' Macaroni & Cheese

Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon & Almonds

Festive Cranberry Salsa

Prosciutto-wrapped Dates

Mini Caprese Apps & Mini Mascarpone Cranberry Apps

Vegetable Beef Soup

My mom is a really good cook and always made delicious homemade meals.  She had a few go-to meals that were standards for us growing up.  One of those was vegetable beef soup.  I wanted to make it as we were trapped inside during the icepocalypse, but I could not remember where I had put the recipe.  I used what I had, bought a few extra ingredients, and winged it a bit.  It turned out really tasty and definitely hit the spot on this cold December night!

You could make a few substitutes to this base recipe and create all sorts of vegetable soups! A few ideas would be to use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, or you could use any vegetables you have.  Add more tomatoes to make it more of a red base or more beef stock to make it a thinner soup.  The possibilities are endless!

Vegetable Beef Soup

You will need:

2 lbs ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 poblano, chopped
1 16 oz bag frozen mixed veggies
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 15.5 oz can fire roasted diced garlic tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
2 cups beef stock

How to make it:
In a large dutch oven, brown the ground beef.  Drain onto a plate once cooked.

In the same pan,  add olive oil and sweat onion, garlic and poblano until onion translucent.  Add all of the spices and heat for 2 minutes.  Add diced tomatoes and crush the whole tomatoes with your hand into the pan.  Cook for 5-10 minutes and then add the beef back to the pan.  Pour in the beef stock, stir to combine, and allow soup to simmer for approximately 45 minutes until desired consistency is reached.  Serve with shredded cheese and chopped green onions.

French Breakfast Puffs

I love the Pioneer Woman.  Her blog is hilarious and everything she makes looks scrumptious.  Almost all of her dishes would not be part of any diet, but that is probably what makes them all look so yummy.  Last weekend we had an unlikely ice storm sweep through Dallas.  I made the Pioneer Woman's French Breakfast Puffs for Jack's bible study group, but because of the snow, no one came over.  Thus, Jack and I had a few too many breakfast puffs for the two of us.  Oh well.  I don't regret eating a sweet treat for breakfast on Saturday morning.  And a snack on Saturday afternoon.  And breakfast on Sunday.  You get the idea.

Riley was so confused by but absolutely loved the snow.

Biscuits covered in butter and cinnamon and sugar.  That's basically what these babies taste like.  The muffin is basic, but once you soak them in butter and then roll them in cinnamon sugar, an ordinary muffin is transformed into a treat.  These are an easy and quick breakfast that will make your guests think you bought them from the nearby bakery.  Try them!

French Breakfast Puffs

You will need:

3 cups Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 cup Sugar
2/3 cups Shortening (Crisco)
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Milk
1-1/2 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 sticks Butter

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

In a bowl, melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Our friends, Megan and Blake Michelson, hosted a Friends-giving dinner last night.  It was really fun to share dinner with friends and pause for a quick moment to remember how thankful we are for friendships.  And dinner was delicious.  I made these pumpkin cupcakes which were pretty tasty!

For the cake, I followed Sally's Baking Addiction pumpkin cupcake recipe.  I added 1/4 teaspoon all spice and an extra 1/4 cup pumpkin puree to her recipe.  Next time I make pumpkin cupcakes though, I will alter the recipe a little more.  The cake was not as sweet or as moist as I usually like it!  I topped the cupcakes with a cinnamon cream cheese icing.  Ridiculously good.  I got the idea from my sister, Lauren, who made a delicious pumpkin cake and used cream cheese icing with cinnamon in it.  It was such a great cake that I wanted to replicate it into bite size goodness.

Below is my cinnamon cream cheese icing recipe.  Cream cheese icing is my all-time favorite.  Add the warm flavor of cinnamon to it, and it's just the icing on the cake..... Bad pun?  Sorry, it was too easy.  Enjoy your sweet treat!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

You will need:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3  - 3.5 cups powdered sugar
3 - 4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

How to make it:
Cream the butter, cream cheese and 1 tablespoon heavy cream together until fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.  Slowly add the powdered sugar and remaining heavy cream.  Beat on high for another 2 - 3 minutes until the icing reaches your desired consistency.  You can add more powdered sugar to thicken the icing if necessary.  Add the vanilla, salt and cinnamon and mix to combine.

Corn Dip

Despite the sudden cold burst, Jack had a Green Egg cookout with our friends yesterday.  They smoked six racks of ribs and played ping pong all afternoon.  Even though their football teams didn't win, it seemed like they had a blast.  And the ribs were yummy!

                     

Riley had a bath for the party and came home with some bows. :)

I made my mom's corn dip for them to snack on while they waited on the ribs.  The super easy recipe is below.  It's a go-to party snack for us!

Corn Dip

You will need:
2 cans of corn, drained
1 small can diced green chiles
8 oz. mayonnaise
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. grated cheese (yellow & white)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.  Serve with tortilla chips and veggies.

Brownie Sundaes with Cinnamon Ice Cream

Jack and I fell in love with cannella gelato while we studied abroad in Florence, Italy.  One of our favorite gelato places nearby served the cinnamon ice cream, and it was our favorite!  The shop held strange hours, and we could never quite pinpoint when it would be open.  After dinner, we would make a deal.  If Vivoli was open, we get gelato.  If it's closed, we don't.  That deal was the primary culprit for many days filled with two servings of gelato. :) I'm not complaining.

For the brownies, I used Ina Garten's "Outrageous Brownies" recipe.  They lived up to their name!  I did not include the walnuts, and I topped the cooked brownies with caramel sauce and sea salt right after they came out of the oven.  The brownies were fudgey and rich, and I love the combination of salty and sweet.  The brownie sundaes were topped with homemade whipped cream and one of my favorite homemade ice cream recipes.

Riley, Miller and Ralph at the dinner party wishing they could have some ice cream, too.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

You will need:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk

2 eggs

2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon


How to make it:

Using a wooden spoon, stir the sugar and whole milk together in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer. 

Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Slowly ladle the milk mixture into the eggs whisking constantly to temper the eggs and prevent the eggs from scrambling.  Once half the milk mixture has been combined with the eggs, slowly pour the rest of the milk mixture into the eggs and whisk.  

Return the mixture back to the saucepan.  Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 6-8 minutes.  

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  Whisk in the vanilla and cinnamon.  Let the mixture cool completely.  Pour it back into the large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Make sure the plastic wrap sits directly on top of the custard so that a film does not form.  Refrigerate for at least six hours or up to 24 hours.   

Pour the cooled mixture through a strainer into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

It's ironic that I have posted several savory recipes and that this is my first dessert recipe on my new blog.  I would say I am a better baker than a cook, and my weakness is definitely sweets.  If I find myself alone with a batch of cookie dough, I'm in trouble.  I try to limit my baking so as not to have too many sweets in the house, but now that I have a blog, I might just have to start baking more.  It's all in the name of research, of course.

These cookies pack a punch.  The ginger is prominent but balances perfectly with the smooth, sweet molasses flavor.  If you have a hard time believing that it is the middle of November like I do, bake these cookies and you'll start feeling like the holidays are right around the corner.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

You will need:
3/4 cup butter, cold
3/4 cup + 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, all spice, ground ginger and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamed.  Add in the egg, molasses and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Next, slowly add in the dry ingredients in three batches.  Lastly, stir in the crystallized ginger.

Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to one day.

Pour 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon into a small bowl.  Roll the dough into small balls (I use a medium-sized ice cream scoop for even portions).  Next, roll each dough ball into the cinnamon sugar, coating every side thoroughly.  Place coated dough balls on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for two minutes on the cookie sheet.  Lastly, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Easiest Brisket Ever

Sometimes there are weeks days that you may just need a super easy recipe.  This brisket will come to the rescue!  I adapted this recipe from one that was given to me during a wedding shower before Jack and I got married.  Since leaving at 3pm to go home and put a brisket in the oven might not go over so well at the Bush Center, I made it into a slow cooker recipe.  I sliced the brisket and served it with green beans, salad and corn bread, but it is also delicious shredded for a sandwich.  If you have the time and/or want to put in the effort, you can reduce the sauce in a saucepan on the stove until it thickens.

If you claim that you can't cook, give this one a try and you'll convince yourself you can.

The Easiest Brisket Ever

You will need:
3 lbs trimmed beef brisket
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 cup Coca-Cola
1 cup BBQ sauce

How to make it:
Liberally coat the brisket in the salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Place the seasoned brisket in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Combine the Coca-Cola and BBQ sauce and pour over the brisket.  Cook on low for 9-10 hours.

That's it. Literally.

Cranberry Nut Granola

Granola is one of my favorite snacks.  Crunchy, sweet, addictive.  And notice how I said favorite snack and not favorite breakfast.  Granola is the perfect breakfast item, but it has so much more potential!  You can eat it with milk, have it with honey, yogurt and berries, add it to pancake batter for a unique texture, top off banana bread for an added crunch, use it as a topping for ice cream, or simply eat it straight.  It is a versatile, healthy snack that can be transported easily and can satisfy a sweet tooth.  The only danger of this granola recipe is that you can sit in front of the TV with a full bowl and suddenly have your spoon hit the bottom.  It is mildly addictive.  But trust me, it's worth it.

Here is one of my favorite granola recipes.  Enjoy!

Cranberry Nut Granola

You will need:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup chopped cashews
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, coconut, almonds, cashews, cranberries, salt and cinnamon.

Heat brown sugar, coconut oil, honey, and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 3 - 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Pour oil mixture over the oats and stir to fully coat.  Spread oats on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Sweet Potato Soup

Nothing tastes better than soup when you're sick.  Jack is running a fever and feels crummy, so I thought he needed some warm soup to make him feel just a little bit better.  My usual feel-better soup is chicken noodle, but today I made something a little different - sweet potato soup.  It is an easy, healthy meal and leftovers are delicious.

Sweet Potato Soup

What you will need:
2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 chopped white onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (less if you don't want your soup spicy)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
4 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
Shaved parmesan cheese
Green onions to garnish

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread cubed sweet potatoes on a sheet pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Roast for 35 minutes or until tender.  Set sweet potatoes aside to cool.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan.  Add onion and garlic; saute for 5 minutes until translucent.  Add the spices to the onion and stir to coat.  Remove onions from heat and allow to cool.

Using a Vitamix blender*, add chicken stock, sweet potatoes, onion mixture and salt.  Turn blender to the soup setting and blend until smooth, creamy and hot.  Top soup with cooked bacon, parmesan cheese and green onions.

*If you do not have a Vitamix, you can combine the stock, sweet potatoes, onions and salt into a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then transfer to a blender.  Work in batches to blend until creamy.

Thai Quinoa Salad

I have read that quinoa is "the super grain of the future" and one of the world's healthiest foods.  It has so many health benefits, including being high in protein and containing almost twice as much fiber as other grains.  It also has vital nutrients like iron, magnesium, lysine, B2, and manganese.  And do you know the greatest part about quinoa?  It can actually taste really, really good.  

Tonight we had a thai quinoa salad that I adapted from a recipe at www.ambitiouskitchen.com.  It has crunchy vegetables with a touch of tang from the lime juice all bathed in a creamy "peanut" sauce.  

Several months ago, Jack and I embarked on a paleo journey, and I learned a lot of healthy food substitutions in the process.  One of those substitutions is Sunbutter.  I use it to replace peanut butter in a lot of my recipes.  Peanut butter is not necessarily bad for you, but the “paleonistas” would argue that seeds are better for you than legumes (peanuts).  Sunflower seed butter contains 1/3 less saturated fat than peanut butter, has double the fiber, and the same amount of protein.
 The second substitute I use often is coconut aminos to replace soy sauce.  Coconut aminos is a soy-free sauce made with nutrient-dense coconut 'sap' offering 17 naturally occurring amino acids, and it tastes surprisingly similar to soy sauce.  Paleonistas would also not agree with eating the quinoa in the first place, so maybe using Sunbutter and coconut aminos is a moot point anyways.  Oh well.  I tried.  This recipe could absolutely be made with peanut butter and soy sauce, and it would be just as tasty.   I served the quinoa salad with Asian-marinated pork tenderloin.  Not bad for a weeknight dinner.  And the quinoa recipe leaves a lot of leftovers that make for a great lunch to take to work!

 

Thai Quinoa Salad You will need:
For the Salad:
¾ cup uncooked quinoa (I used tri-color quinoa)1 ½ cups shredded red cabbage¼ red onion, diced1 ½ cups shredded carrots¾ cup chopped cilantro½ cup diced green onions1 cup cashew halves1 cup edamameFresh lime squeezed at the last minute, for a bit of tang

For the dressing:¼ cup Sunbutter1 tablespoon agave nectar1 tablespoon ground ginger3 tablespoon coconut aminos1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar2 teaspoons sesame oil2 teaspoon olive oilJuice of 1 lime How to make it:Cook quinoa according to package directions.


To make the dressing: Add Sunbutter and agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, coconut aminos, vinegar, both oils, and lime juice and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, stir in a teaspoon or two of olive oil or water.

To make the salad: Combine the onion, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, cashews, edamame, and green onions in a large bowl.  Add in the quinoa and poor dressing over the salad.  Mix until well incorporated.  Garnish with extra cashews and green onions. Can be served either warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Bread

Each year I wait for the weather to change, and as soon as I see signs of cooler weather, I have a loaf (or 2 or 3) of pumpkin bread in the oven.  I love everything pumpkin.  There is something about pumpkin bread that feels homey, almost cozy, and who doesn't want to feel cozy on a cool fall day?  The taste of pumpkin pairs perfectly with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and it certainly makes it feel like fall, even if it isn’t.

Here is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe, and trust me, I have tried quite a few.  This recipe is super easy, and it is sweet.  It surely is not one of my healthier versions, and that is partly why it is so dang good.  It also makes 3 loaves, but I'm not complaining.  The bread freezes well or makes an excellent gift.  Or you can just eat all three loaves yourself.  No judgment here.  One time my friend, June, and I were convinced that we had to have pumpkin bread right that minute or else we wouldn't survive.  You know that feeling when you have to make cookies TONIGHT, and then after you go through all of the trouble of making them, you don't really want them as much?  You eat them anyways though, of course.  Or maybe that's just me.... Well, anyways, that's exactly what happened with our pumpkin bread craving.  We cut the recipe to make just one loaf, but I would say it wasn't as good.  It is harder to get the proportions right, but it is possible.  I vote for making the full recipe, and after you make it, I'm betting you will, too!

Oops.  I couldn't resist....

PUMPKIN BREAD

Yields: 3 loaves

You will need:

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tsps. baking soda

2 tsps. salt

2 tsps. ground cinnamon

1 1/4 tsps. ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. all spice

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

2 tsps. vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin

How to make it:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir slowly until smooth.  Be careful not to over-mix, as it will make your bread dense and chewy.  Divide batter between 3 greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Yields: 3 loaves