Dec 22

Chocolate Fruit Dip

If you are a chocolate lover this is for you. This creamy chocolate dip is so light and fluffy it wraps around each piece of fruit for a mouthful of deliciousness that will keep you dipping! I will warn you that you will have a hard time not digging in with a spoon; it taste like chocolate ice cream. So simple and delicious. A tip for anytime you have to whip heavy cream is to chill the bowl (glass or metal) and the beaters in the fridge ahead of time, this will make it stiffen up quickly. Enjoy!


1 C. heavy cream
1 C. powdered sugar, divided
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form, add 2 Tbsp. of the powdered sugar and whip until nearly stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl whip together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of the powdered sugar, the cocoa powder and vanilla extract until smooth. Mix in whipped cream mixture and remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Chill until ready to serve.

Dec 11

Coconut Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Pull out your slow cooker for this amazing side dish. Coconut gives this classic dish an update that will have your guests wanting seconds. Sweet potatoes slow cooked with pecans, coconut, sugar, and cinnamon with coconut and vanilla extract added at the end. It almost taste like you’re eating pie! The prep for this dish is so simple, and I have found it only takes about 3-1/2 hours to cook. During the holidays it’s always a bonus to find a dish that doesn’t have to take up room in the oven also. Enjoy!

4-lbs. sweet potatoes (about 6 medium),
peeled and cubed
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. flaked coconut
1/3 C. sugar
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place sweet potatoes in a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine pecans, coconut, sugars, butter, cinnamon and salt; sprinkle over sweet potatoes.

Cook, covered, on low 4 to 4-1/2 hours or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in coconut and vanilla extracts. Serve warm.

Makes 12 servings

Dec 05

Cherry and Almond Baked Oatmeal

Your family will love you even more when you serve warm bowls of this oatmeal before they go off to school or work, especially on these cooler mornings this time of year. I’ve prepared many oatmeal recipes and this one has become our favorite. Maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla beans flavor the oatmeal, the almonds give a crunch, and the cherries are a nice surprise. If you do not have a vanilla bean you can substitute 1-2 teaspoons of a good vanilla extract. If possible try to find vanilla beans (they are cheaper @ beanilla.com) they make a big difference. Frozen cherries work great and are available year round. To save you time in the morning, prepare the night before and refrigerate, then let it set out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking. Enjoy!

Cherry and Almond Baked Oatmeal

2 C. milk
1/2 C. maple syrup
1 egg
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
beans from one vanilla bean pod
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-3/4 C. oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
3/4 lb. dark cherries,
pitted and halved
turbinado sugar, for finishing
milk or cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously butter an 8 inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, maple syrup, egg, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla beans, and salt together well. In another bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, half the almonds, and cherries.

Pour the oat and cherry mixture into the dish in an even layer. Pour the milk mixture over the oats, everything should be saturated, and then sprinkle the top with the remaining almonds and the turbinado sugar. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly absorbed but still moist.

Serve each bowl warm with a little more milk or cream.

Nov 17

Cucumber Tomato Bites

The holidays are here and chances are you will need or want a great appetizer for a party you are hosting or a family dinner. These Cucumber Tomato Bites are perfect to wow your guest with presentation and flavor and can be made ahead time. Win win! Fresh cucumber with a cream cheese filling seasoned with garlic, Parmesan and spices topped off with a fresh tomato slice. Enjoy!

Cucumber Tomato Bites

2 (8-oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. sour cream
1/4 C. minced fresh flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan
2 English cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
parsley

In a large mixing bowl beat all ingredients except cucumbers and tomatoes until smooth and creamy. Set aside while you prep the cucumber and tomatoes.

Gently hollow out a small scoop of the cucumber slices with a melon baller. Spoon or pipe herb spread on top of cucumber slices. Top each bite with one tomato half and a small leaf of parsley. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nov 02

Chili Lime Shrimp

Simple and easy, these shrimp are great as an appetizer or part of your dinner menu. I love the sweet but spicy taste of the Thai sweet chili sauce blended with the lime juice, honey and garlic. The recipe recommended to marinate the shrimp for 30 minutes but that seemed too long to me with the lime starting to “cook” the shrimp. I found 10 minutes or less still long enough for the shrimp to pick up the delicious flavor of the marinade. Enjoy!

Chili Lime Shrimp

1-lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, tail-on
Marinade:
1/4 C. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro or parsley leaves,
chopped finely
2 Tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 Tbsp. honey
Pinch of salt

Soak the bamboo skewers with cold water. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients of the marinade together using a whisk. Add the shrimp making sure to coat the shrimp evenly. Marinate for 10 minutes.

Grill the shrimp until cooked and slightly charred on the surface. Serve immediately.

**You can also bake the shrimp in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Taken from rasamalaysia.com

Oct 29

Homemade Ranch Seasoning

This is another seasoning I used to love to use, but haven’t for some time due to all the chemicals in the ingredients of the store-bought packets. This great option has a lot of ingredients you might already have in your pantry. The buttermilk powder was new to me, but now I am interested in what other recipes I can use it in. It does need to be stored in the refrigerator after opening the container. 3 tablespoons will equal 1 packet of the store-bought seasoning. Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch Seasoning

2/3 C. buttermilk powder
1/4 C. dried parsley
1-1/2 Tbsp. dried minced onions
1-1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1-1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
3 tsp. dried dill
2 tsp. dried chives
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. salt

In an airtight container, add all the ingredients. Put the lid on tightly and give it a shake. You will need to store this in the refrigerator because of the buttermilk powder. It can be stored up to 3 months. Shake before each use.

3 Tbsp.= 1 packet of the store-bought seasoning mix.

Oct 03

Spinach Bacon Spaghetti Squash

Amazing! I knew I had to try this recipe when I had seen bacon, maple syrup, and blue cheese as ingredients, and wow I was not disappointed. The bacon and maple syrup add a smoky and sweet flavor, and the blue cheese takes it to a whole new level with its creamy texture that melts beautifully into the sauce. If you do not care for blue cheese, like my husband, you can substitute with feta or just leave the cheese out. Impressive for guests or simple and quick for a weeknight meal. If you have a more expensive balsamic vinegar which is already thick, there is no need to do a reduction. Enjoy!

Spinach Bacon Spaghetti Squash
1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half
lengthwise
6-8 slices of bacon, chopped
2 C. baby spinach
2/3 C. chopped walnuts or pecans
2/3 C. blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 C. balsamic reduction
2 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. champagne vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scoop out seeds from the inside of the spaghetti squash, then drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash halves face side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove squash from oven and let cool long enough to handle.

Meanwhile, cook bacon until crispy in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add champagne vinegar to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrap up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of your pan. Then reduce heat to low and mix in maple syrup. Add in baby spinach and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until wilted. Remove mixture from the heat.

Use a fork to shred the spaghetti squash into “noodles”. Place noodles in a large bowl and toss with spinach bacon mixture. Add chopped nuts and blue cheese crumbles. Mix everything together, then transfer back to the squash halves or to a serving dish. Drizzle the balsamic over the top and serve.

Recipe from 12 Tomatoes

Sep 27

Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate syrup in milk, chocolate syrup on ice cream, who doesn’t like chocolate syrup! If you have never check the ingredients on the back of your store-bought syrup you should. All those ingredients that you don’t know what they are, they are not needed to make chocolate syrup nor are they good for your body. It only takes a few ingredients to make a delicious syrup that will remind you of that glass of chocolate milk from childhood. Enjoy!

Chocolate Syrup 1 C. water
1/2 C. pure maple syrup
3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used cacao powder)
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

In a medium-size saucepan, over medium-high heat, whisk together the water and maple syrup, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low.

Whisk the cocoa into the water/syrup mixture until the powder is fully dissolved and simmer for 2 minutes.

Remove the chocolate syrup from the heat. Stir the vanilla extract and salt into the syrup.

Store the syrup in the refrigerator up to several months.

Sep 13

Thai Cucumber Salad

Super simple and super delicious. Just a few ingredients are needed to give this fresh salad a burst of flavor. If you’re not used to cooking with rice vinegar, it has a much milder flavor than other types of vinegar and it can be found in the Asian section at your local grocery store. Toasted sesame oil is often used as a flavor enhancer in many Asian cuisines. This is a refreshing alternative to the typical cucumber salad. Enjoy!

Thai Cucumber Salad

Dressing:
1/3 C. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar (or sugar substitute of choice)
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt

Salad:
2 large cucumbers
3 green onions
1/4 C. chopped peanuts (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and salt. Set the dressing aside to give it time to blend.

Peel and slice the cucumber and place in a large bowl. If you use an English cucumber there is no need to peel.

If using peanuts, chop into smaller pieces. Slice the green onions.

Add the dressing, peanuts, and green onions to the sliced cucumbers. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Give the salad a brief stir before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors.

Serves 6
Recipe by budgetbytes.com

Aug 31

Baked Shrimp Scampi

This is a great take on Shrimp Scampi that comes from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa of the Food Network. A great appetizer or shrimp dish for any meal that will definitely impress. As you see by my picture, it is easy to cut the recipe in half when 2 pounds of shrimp is not needed. When I am arranging the shrimp in the dish I top each shrimp with a pat of the butter mixture and if there is any remaining I toss it on top of the dish before baking. Make sure to butterfly your shrimp or you won’t be able to get them to stand up straight. Enjoy!

Baked Shrimp Scampi
2 lbs. (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil
2 Tbsp. dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 Tbsp. ( 1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
4 tsp. minced garlic cloves (4 cloves)
1/4 C. minced shallots
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 C. panko bread crumbs
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yields: 6 servings