Dip Here, Dip There

For Thanksgiving this year
I was charge of bringing the Veggie Tray

which I accompanied with my Grandmother's
fantastic Dill Veggie Dip!

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

And since I was doing that,
I decided I'd also make a Fruit Tray (plus pb celery sticks)

with which I decided to serve
an adaptation of many recipes, and created
Apple Pie Dip!

So, here's my new creation:
Apple Pie Dip
(Dip Apples or Graham Crackers in this scrumptious Dip!)

Two 8oz packages Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 bucket of Cool Whip

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

pinch of Kosher salt

prepared caramel sauce

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.

Add cool whip and spices, and beat again.

Spread mixture onto a plate,

and drizzle caramel sauce over top.

Refrigerate.

(Before serving, remove from fridge

at least 1/2 hour before,

in order to allow cream cheese to soften a bit.)

As mentioned above, 

you can dip apples or graham crackers in,

and it's FANTASTIC!

Happy Holiday Eating!

Maybe you can serve this at your next Christmas get together =)

Meat and Taters Soup

This soup is modeled after and inspired by the
Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden.

I saw that someone made it into a Facebook  slide
and was passing it around for "likes"
so we made our own kid-friendly
(and picky-hubby friendly)
version last night!

Oh.My.Goodness!!

So good!

ZUPPA TOSCANA

1 package Turkey Kielbasa
5 med. size Russet Potatoes, peeled, chopped to bite size
1 Vidalia Onion, chopped

2 Tbsp Minced Garlic

4 c. Chicken Broth
1 c. Fresh Baby Spinach, roughly chopped
1 c. Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Tbsp Flour (could use GF flour)

(4 slices crisped bacon, chopped, for garnish)

1. Cut Kielbasa links length wise, then cut slices.
(I think it would be great with pork kielbasa,
but we like the flavor and less fat of the turkey)

2. Brown sausage in a saute pan, then put in crockpot.

3. Saute onions and garlic in sausage drippings until beginning to carmelize.

4. Add onions/garlic, chicken broth, potatoes into slow cooker.

5. If potatoes are still above liquid, add water until all is covered.

6. Cook on HIGH 3-4 hours (or until potatoes are soft).

THEN 30 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING:

7. Pour cream in measuring cup, and mix flour until no longer lumpy.

(I think using a GF flour would work
if you need to serve those that eat gluten free.)

8. Add cream/flour to Crock Pot. Stir.

9. Add spinach. Stir.

(I think you could use frozen spinach if that's what you have on hand.)

10. Cook on HIGH 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

SERVE with Bacon Pieces on top!

The recipe I used called for cayenne and/or salt & pepper,

but we found that it was unnecessary.

The recipe I used also called for Italian Spicy sausage,

not Kielbasa, but we really liked this flavor combo!

The recipe I used also called for Swiss Chard instead of Spinach
but I know my hubby and kids wouldn't have enjoyed that,
plus as a breast-feedin' mama, I'm not doing cabbages right now.

This was satisfying, easy on the wallet,
and SO delicious!

I recommend it for any cool (or freezing) evening!!

Fresh Corn Salsa

My mom has this great recipe she calls "Vegetarian Salsa"

that she often even just warms up

and eats as though it's a Tortilla Soup!

I wanted a "fresh" version of this salsa,

especially in summer when the corn on the cob

is just so VERY VERY inviting

and the smell of corn cooking makes me salivate!

So here's my very own version,

a little more veggies and using fresh corn when possible!

Fresh Corn Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cobs corn, cooked, cut off cob

   (or 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed)

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped

¼ purple onion, chopped finely

10-15 grape tomatoes, cut in fourths

2 heaping Tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped

3 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp sugar

(optional ½ tsp ground jalapeño)

Instructions

Combine beans and chopped veggies.
In separate bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
Pour over veggies and beans.
Stir well.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours, best if overnight.

Serving ideas

serve with chips or quesadillas, 

serve with Mexican spiced Tilapia fillets, 

add chopped avocado or sour cream on top, 

serve as a soup, burrito or taco topping,

endless possible uses!

Banana Muffins

These are Gluten Free,

Dairy Free,

Egg Free

but they are SO DELICIOUS!

I was inspired by a gluten free strawberry muffin 

that I found on pinterest,

but I needed to make it dairy free and egg free,

and I just LOVE banana bread,

especially my mama's great banana bread,

so I thought this combination might be a winner.

And the household seems to agree!

Gluten Free Banana Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In Food Processor:

2  1/2 c. Old Fashioned Oats (not quick oats)

(if you want it GF, you need to be sure your oats are gluten free)

Blend the oats until they become a powdery consistency.

Add:

1 very ripe banana

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. sugar or splenda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Turn on processor, and slowly add

3/4 c. Almond milk

If you don't want dairy free, you can do 1 c. greek yogurt

Make sure mixture is fully combined,

grease a muffin tin

and divide batter...

Sadly, it only makes 11 muffins! Lol.

Set aside.

In a small bowl combine topping

1/8 c. brown sugar

1/8 c. white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp corn starch

Cut in with a fork

a little less than 1/4 c. cold margarine

(I used a vegetable spread cuz I wanted it dairy free)

Put a heaping 1/2 tsp of topping on each muffin.

The topping sort of "sauteed" the muffin in the pan,

as it melted down around it,

giving the cinnamon and sweet crunch to the whole muffin.

Place in the oven on about the middle rack

and bake for 15 minutes.

Check that a knife comes out cleanly.

The house will smell like cinnamon and banana bread,

and all that goodness!

Enjoy!

(Store in an airtight container.

Also, because they are gluten free

they do not last very long,

so you have a great excuse to eat up!)