14 ounce can artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, drained, & coarsely chopped 4 ounce reduced-fat bar cream cheese 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 small garlic clove, chopped 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 scallions, sliced 10 ounce frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
Place half the artichokes in a food processor; add cream cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne, and 3 tablespoons water. Process until smooth.
Add scallions, remaining artichokes, and spinach; pulse briefly. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl. (To store, refrigerate, up to 2 days.) Top with 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Serve dip with vegetables.
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
Topping:
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips or chunks 2 cups miniature marshmallows or homemade marshmallows cut into bite sized pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil.
Stir together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until all the crumbs are moistened. Press this mixture firmly onto the bottom of the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes, or just until the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and evenly sprinkle with the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the marshmallows are soft, lightly golden, and starting to meld together. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, lift the squares from the pan by holding the edges of the foil. With a long sharp knife, cut into squares. Can be stored at room temperature for several days.
Nothing like a bowl of hot chili to warm your bones. And it's good for you!
False Alarm Vegetable Chili
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 large carrot, chopped medium 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, or 1/4 cup drained canned chopped green chiles 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound dried lentils, rinsed 1/3 cup tomato paste 1 (15-ounce) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15-ounce) pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 stewed (28-ounce) tomatoes 1/3 cup chili powder 4 teaspoons ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, green and red peppers, carrot, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in 7 cups water, lentils, tomato paste, kidney beans, and pinto beans. Stir to blend, adding stewed tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and crushed red-pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. If the chili starts to dry out, add hot water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
The fortune could be your holiday greeting to whoever you give them to!
Fortune Cookies
2 large egg whites 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 teaspoons water Preparation:
1. Write fortunes on pieces of paper that are 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 9-X-13 inch baking sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla extract, almond extract and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff.
3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl. Stir the water into the flour mixture.
4. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a wooden spoon. Note: if you want to dye the fortune cookies, add the food coloring at this point, stirring it into the batter. For example, I used 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring to make green fortune cookies.
5. Place level tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth and from side to side so that each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 4 inches in diameter.
6. Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (14 - 15 minutes).
7. Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass, wooden spoon or the edge of a muffin tin. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.
Try something new ~ you might like it! There is nothing more frustrating than people who do not try new things because they are positive they will not like it. Don't be one of those people.
Make the most of abundant seasonal oranges and cranberries with this bright preserve. Serve with biscuits or toast for breakfast, or pair it with crackers, assorted cheeses, and nuts for a cheese platter. The sweet-sour marmalade pleasantly partners with cheese, such as gorgonzola.
Carefully remove rind from 3 oranges using a vegetable peeler, making sure not to get any of the white pithy part of the rind. Slice rind into thin strips. Peel all oranges; cut into sections. Combine rind strips, sections, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1 cup sugar in a medium saucepan; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add remaining 2 cups sugar and cranberries to pan. Simmer 1 hour and 30 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and cool completely. Cover and chill.
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for pan 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/3 cup buttermilk 1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree 3/4 cup light-brown sugar 2 large eggs
For the Sugar Coating: 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture and beat to combine.
Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.
The combination of hot chocolate and espresso is enjoyed in Spain and throughout Europe. This version shows off the chocolate with a hint of orange and isn't as sweet as traditional American-style cocoa drinks.
4 servings
2/3 cup boiling water 2 ounces good-quality dark or bittersweet (60 to 70 percent cocoa) chocolate, finely chopped 1 1/3 cups 1% low-fat milk 1 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 2-inch piece orange rind strip 1/4 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed Cocoa powder (optional)
Combine 2/3 cup boiling water and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan, stirring until chocolate melts. Add milk and next 4 ingredients (through rind); cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a whisk. Heat 5 minutes or until tiny bubbles form around edge of pan, stirring frequently (do not boil). Discard rind. Pour 1 cup mixture into each of 4 mugs. Spoon 1 tablespoon whipped topping over each serving. Dust with cocoa powder if desired.
1 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup 1 cup sugar 1 cup creamy peanut butter 6 cups crispy rice cereal 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup butterscotch chips
Cook corn syrup and sugar together in a large pan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter; mix well. Add cereal; stir until evenly coated. Pour into greased 13x9-inch pan and pat into place. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over cereal. Cool at least 45 minutes, or until firm. Cut into bars.
Starting my Twelve Days Of Holiday Recipes! Hope you try some of them :)
Sparkling Cranberries
For the simple syrup, raw cane sugar or real brown sugar lends a nice molasses flavor to the cranberries, but regular granulated sugar (or a blend of brown/white) will work.
2 cups cranberries, picked over 2 cups water 2 cups sugar (see head notes)
More sugar for coating: I do a mix of medium-grained organic sugar for the first coating, and then a second toss with regular granulated white sugar. You don't want a huge grain for that first toss, just something larger than standard sugar, smaller than most turbinado sugars. You can sort of see the different grain sizes in the third photo in the main write-up.
Place the cranberries in a medium glass bowl and set aside.
Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and sugar just to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Let the syrup cool for a couple minutes and then pour it over the cranberries. If the syrup is too hot the cranberries will burst, so be careful. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, drain the cranberries and toss them with larger grained sugar until they are well coated. I only use a scoop of sugar at a time, and small batches of cranberries, so the sugar doesn't get too damp. Place the coated cranberries on a baking sheet to dry for a few hours.
Do a second toss with the regular granulated sugar, this typically takes care of any sticky spots on the cranberries. Let dry another hour.
