Fruit Salsa with cinnamon chips

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
*1-2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.


*Above is the original recipe...for tonight I used:
2 golden delicious apples
1 pound strawberries
2 peaches
3 Tablespoons raspberry jam
1 tablespoon white sugar
(I meant to use kiwi's but i forgot to get them while i was at the store)
Then to make the chips I used whole wheat tortillas, and to make this easier i cut them in wedges with a pizza cutter, arranged them on a baking sheet in a single layer, and then sprayed with cooking spray then sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar mix. Then bake the usual time and temp.

I've made this using different fruits--blueberries, blackberries, nectarines work well. Don't use bananas or grapes!

Green Beans Amandine

8 ounces green beans or one 9 ounce package frozen cut or french-cut green beans
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cut fresh beans into 1-inch pieces. Cook fresh beans covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp-tender. (or, cook frozen beans according to package directions). Drain, keep warm.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan cook and stir almonds in melted butter over medium heat until golden. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Stir almond mixture into beans.

Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute + 1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients; set aside. Combine eggs, lemon, oil, vanilla -stir until combined, and sugar, stir, then add zucchini and nuts. Add in dry ingredients, mix. Divide batter between 2 8X4in. loaf pans coated in cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 bag baby spinach
10 strawberries, hulled, cut into slices
1 can mandarin oranges drained
half a small/medium sized red onion, sliced
1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tbs. sesame seeds
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tbs. raspberry jam

toss first 4 ingredients together in bowl. combine rest of ingredients in a mason jar and shake it up, refrigerate at least 15 minutes, then pour to taste over salad.

Thai Chicken tacos

1 lime

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces

1/4 c chopped cilantro

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T fish sauce

2 t reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 t hot chili sauce

2 T vegetable oil

flour/corn tortillas

1 recipe Cabbage Slaw (see below)

1. Juice one lime. In bowl stir together chicken, cilantro, onion, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

2. In large skillet cook chicken mixture in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally.

Cabbage Slaw:
2 c shredded napa cabbage

1/2 c shredded carrot

1/2 c sliced green onions

1/4 c sliced fresh cilantro

1/4 c coarsely chopped peanuts

1/4 c rice vinegar

1 T mayonnaise

Toss all ingredients together and serve with chicken in a warmed flour/corn tortilla. Or just eat chicken and cabbage slaw as a yummy salad!

Hot Pizza Dip

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
2 ounces pepperoni sausage, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced black olives

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.
Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with green pepper, pepperoni and olive slices. Cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. Serve hot with crackers, bagel chips, or sliced baguettes.

Grandma's cucumbers

6 cups sliced cucumbers
3 cups onions shredded or 1/2 cup dehydrated onions
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Let sit for several hours.

Can use the brine over again when cucumbers are finished.

Garlic Fridge Pickles

* 2 whole Cucumbers
* 2 cloves Garlic (I used that mashed garlic that comes in a jar)
* 1 cup Vinegar (I used 1/2 c. white vinegar and 1/2 c. red wine vinegar)
* 1 cup Water
* ⅓ cups Sugar
* 1 Tablespoon Salt
* 1 teaspoon Dill, Dried
* 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
* 1 pinch Coriander (Didn't have this; I used a dash of celery salt)
* 6 whole Peppercorns (I used about 1 tsp. coarse pepper)


Use cucumbers with no wax residue on the peels (I peeled my cucumbers)

Slice cucumbers in 1/4″-1/8″ slices.

Cut garlic cloves in quarters, then smash them a bit.

Put cucumbers and garlic in a bowl.

Heat vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar, but white works also), water, sugar, salt, dill, red pepper flakes, coriander and peppercorns in a small sauce pan until sugar and salt are dissolved.*

Pour over the cucumbers and garlic.

Cover and let marinate in refrigerator for at least two hours.

Serve cold.

Grapefruit Drink

1 Bottle of Fresca or Squirt (Squirt is sweeter, Fresca is more tart)
1 can of frozen, condensed white grape juice
1 grapefruit, sliced

Mix together grape juice and pop, add grapefruit slices for decoration. Serve with ice.

Dreamsicle Cake

Cake:
1 orange cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup water
1 small box orange gelatin

Mix all together and pour into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 large box vanilla instant pudding
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 11oz can mandarin oranges, thoroughly drained
8 oz cool whip or whipped cream

Blend together cream cheese, pudding, and sugar. Add orange juice. When blended, fold in whipped topping and mandarin oranges. Spread on top of thoroughly cooled cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Personal note: The next time I try this, I'm going to change the topping by eliminating the pudding, using real whipped cream instead of cool whip, and add a tsp. of vanilla flavoring to the cream cheese.

April Fool Jell-O Salad

This isn’t hard to make, you just need to be home for an afternoon to be able to make it…

You need 6 small boxes of jello. (You want a nice variety of colors. You can use any flavors, but here are the suggested ones:)

1. Lime
2. Lemon
3. Orange
4. Strawberry
5. Raspberry
6. Black Cherry

Dissolve the lime jello in 1 cup boiling water.

Remove 1/2 cup of jello and to that 1/2 cup, mix in 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt or sour cream (I like the yogurt best). Skim off the bubbles and pour into a lightly greased glass 9x13 pan or tall bowl. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour (or the layers won’t stick together.) **When I did this one in the 9 x 13 pan, it was ready after 15 minutes in the fridge, so I did the rotations every 15 minutes.

To the remaining 1/2 cup jello still in your sauce pan, add 3 Tblspns ice water and leave on the counter. At the end of the 1/2 hour, pour this over the 1st layer. (Just leave the pan or bowl that you’re pouring into right in the fridge so you don’t make it wiggle up the sides. It’s easiest that way.)

Wait another 1/2 hour *I only had to wait 15 minutes with the 9 x 13*.

Repeat with all flavors in the order shown, putting in the half with the yogurt first. Top it all off with Cool Whip, serve, and enjoy!

Guacamole

4 large ripe avocados
1 6 oz container plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp mined garlic
1-2 Tbsp minced jalepeno pepper
salt and pepper to taste
a little lime juice to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor, blender, magic bullet... whatever you got. Mix until desired consistancy. serve with tortilla chips.

Onion Dip

1 package cream cheese
1 8-12 oz container sour cream
1 lipton onion soup mix packet

Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth. Serve with potato chips

Cucumber salad

2 large cucumbers, peeled and diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 cup crumbled goat cheese

Mix ingredients in a bowl. Yummy!

Grilled Bread Salad

3 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 4oz ciabatta loaf, sliced in half horizontal
1 large garlic clove
3 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly torn

Grill your bread on a panini grill or a bbq grill. Chopped into cubes. Put red onion, tomato and bread into a medium bowl. In a small bowl mix the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped garlic. Whisk together. Pour over the salad and toss. Sprinkle on the goat cheese and basil.

Deviled Eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Fresh dill sprigs

Directions

Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks. Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, dill, garlic powder and salt.
Spoon into egg whites. Garnish with dill sprigs if desired. Refrigerate until serving.

Cordon Bleu Appetizer

1 pkg cream cheese softened
1 tsp dijon mustard
1cup shredded swiss cheese
3/4 cup cubed ham (cooked)
Sourdough baguette bread sliced

Mix together cream cheese and mustard. Add in swiss and ham. Spread about 1Tbsp of the cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.

Tortellini Corn Chowder

1 tablespoon canola oil or butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
3 cups water
1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
2 medium unpeeled potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 pound fully cooked ham, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can cream-style corn
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can evaporated milk
2 teapspoons chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion in oil, stirring occasionally until tender.

Stir in water, heat to boiling. Stir in tortellini, potatoes and ham. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 13 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered five minutes.

(I got this out of one of my mom's diabetic cookbooks, so it must be healthy.)

Pumpkin Pie Dessert

CRUST:

1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 c. for topping)
½ c. melted margarine or butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine above ingredients and press into bottom of 9x13 pan, greased on bottom only.

FILLING:

1 lg. (2 pie) can pumpkin (or 2 small ones)
1 lg. can evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
¾ tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 2 t. cinnamon and 2 t. allspice)

Combine all and pour over crust.

TOPPING:

1 c reserved dry cake mix
¼ c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. margarine or butter

Combine and sprinkle over top. Bake @ 350º for 45-50 minutes or until set.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cake pops

1 box of cake mix
1 can of frosting
1 bag of melting chocolate

Make the cake according to the instructions. When it is baked and cooled crumbled it up into a bowl. Make sure the crumbles are pretty fine. Mix in 1/2 of the can of frosting. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze for 3 hours or over night. Melt the chocolate in a pot on low heat. Remove the cake balls from the freezer and leave or you may insert a sucker stick. Dip the cake ball in the melted chocolate. Make sure not to twist the ball in the chocolate. Dip, pull out, turn and then dip again. If you turn the ball in the chocolate it may break apart. When the chocolate has cooled or hardened they are ready to eat.

Feta Brushcetta

1 Small loaf of french bread
4 diced tomatoes
2 chopped green onions
1 cup feta cheese
3 chopped basil leaves

Slice the bread spread with extra virgin olive oil. Broil for 1 minute each side or grills. (I did mine on a panini grill). Mix the tomato, onion, feta and basil in a bowl. Spoon over the grilled bread.

Chocolate Dippy Donuts

1 Can Store bought biscuits ( I used pilsbury grands)
1 4 ounce bar Baker's German Chocolate
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
oil for frying (peanut works best)

Preheat fryer or cast iron skillet with oil to 350 degrees. Separate pre-cut biscuits. Make a hole in the middle with your hand and sculpt dough into a doughnut shape. Place doughnut in the fryer and cook 4 to 5 minutes, flipping to fry both sides. Place doughnuts aside onto a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the sugar, alternating with the evaporated milk, blending well. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla then remove the pan from the heat.
Stick a fork through the hole of the doughnut and dip the doughnuts immediately into the chocolate mixture before the chocolate starts to cool. Place the doughnuts on a plate and serve when the chocolate on the doughnuts sets.

Meatballs

Meatballs (I brought frozen meatballs from Costco, but this is a really good recipe if you want to make your own meatballs)

1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 cup crushed croutons
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp Cajun seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and roll into 1-inch balls. Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes or until desired doneness. I turn the meatballs halfway through baking. Drain off any grease and place cooked meatballs into crockpot.

Sauce

1 20oz bottle of Coke
20oz ketchup
1 pkg onion soup mix

Mix all ingredients together. Pour over meatballs in the crock and stir well, coating all meatballs with sauce. Cook in a low crockpot 4-6 hours until sauce is desired thickness.

Cinnamon Roll ups

1 1/2 loaves white sandwich bread with crusts removed
2 T cinnamon
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese
4 sticks butter

Mix cinnamon and 1 cup sugar together and set aside. Beat egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and cream cheese together until smooth. Spread mixture on bread slices and roll up. Dip rolls in melter butter and then in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet and freeze. When ready to use, take directly out of freezer and bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly brown. Let them sit for a few minutes, so they don't fall apart when you pick them up with a spatula. Makes 20 to 24 servings.

Chicken Lasagne

3 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 4oz pakage feta cheese (tomato & basil flavor)
2 7oz cans artichoke hearts
1/2 red pepper chopped
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups shreaded mozzerella cheese
2 16oz bottles alfredo sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 T Oregano
10 lasagne noodles (cooked)
1 bag baby spinach

Mix the first 5 ingredients and add 1 1/2 cups of the mozzerella cheese. Mix the alfredo sauce milk and Oregano in a separate bowl. In a 9x13 in. pan, layer alfredo sauce, 5 lasagne noodles, spinach and chicken mixture. Repeat. Sprinkle the remaining mozzerella cheese on the top. Cook at 375 for 45 minutes covered with foil. Then remove the foil and cook for another 15 min. Let cool and set before serving.