Fruit Pizza Toast

I hosted a Christmas brunch for friends and served a variety of dishes that were red and green - including this lovely. It can easily be adapted to most dietary restrictions.

Bread (French, Gluten-free, etc.)
Butter, Palm Shortening, or Vegan Spread
Cinnamon-sugar
8 oz Cream cheese (or vegan alternative)
1/4 c Powdered sugar
2 T Milk (cow, nut, rice, hemp)
Fruit sliced thin

This simple tasty treat is a great way to use up bread (gluten-free or regular) that is starting to go stale. Spread a thin layer of butter, vegan spread, or palm shortening on small slice of bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake in a 300 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on top of each piece of toast. Top with your favorite slices of fruit and enjoy.

No Bake Energy Bites

I found this recipe for No Bake Energy Bites and adapted it. These are great for breakfast and a quick snack. They are rich and strong flavored. I listed what I used in red.

* 1/2 c Nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter)
* 1/3 c honey
* 1 c old fashioned rolled oats
* 1 c shredded unsweetened coconut (or wheat bran/germ, oat bran, some ground flax seed, ground nuts or sesame seeds.)
* 2 t vanilla
* pinch of sea salt
* 1-2 t your favorite spices or spice combination (optional - I used 1/2 t cinnamon)
* 1/2 c other add-ins (roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc)

Mix together the nut butter, honey, vanilla and salt if needed. Then mix in the remaining ingredients. I used
equal parts sesame seeds, coconut and mini chocolate chips. Mix well. Allow to chill slightly and then roll dough into 1-2" balls.

Keep refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to use. Makes approximately 18-24 depending on size.

Caprese Pinenut Pizza

This pizza is a seasonal sensation. I have fresh basil from my herb container garden. Real tomatoes are starting to appear in the store - you know the ripe kind. Put them together with freshly grated mozzarella, loaded tomato sauce, and pine nuts for a tasty and sophisticated pizza. 

There is something amazing about toasted pine nuts. They aren't cheap, but just a few add such great crunch and flavor. I keep them in the fridge for little splurges and to make pesto.

As a texture eater, crunch is one of the best things you can add to any dish. This pizza has the pine nuts for crunch along with toasted mozzarella and a crisp crust. Under that crisp surface is the stretching gooey cheese and a fresh sauce.

Spray the edge of the crust with a little oil and sprinkle with salt, sesame seeds, crushed herbs, or whatever you enjoy before baking.

The crust:
2 c Unbleached Flour
2 c Wheat Flour
1 1/2 c Water
2 T Olive Oil
1 t Italian Seasoning
1/2 t Sea Salt
1/4 t Garlic Powder
2 t Yeast

Throw it all the bread machine and let the paddles do the work for you. Spread out on parchment paper, add your choice of toppings and bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. I put a bit of basil on the flavors to bake in and sprinkled on fresh chopped basil after it came out for the fresh taste.

Time Crunch Method - add topping to your favorite frozen cheese pizza. Reserve some fresh basil to sprinkle on after it finishes baking.

Dilled Chicken Salad

I've never been a fan of chicken salad. More accurately, I've always hated chicken salad. I'm a texture eater and chicken salad usually falls in the slimy category. With a gallon of mayo and gobs of watery grapes, I've not been able to see past the texture to even get close enough to taste.

That was until my friend Sheila at FM Cheapskate introduced me to her version of chicken salad. This has it all - creamy + crunchy, salty + sweet, easy + stylish. This one will likely be finding it's way into my lunches for work. However, this likely won't fall into the kids category any time soon.

Now Sheila makes this like I would, all by eye and taste. There were no measuring utensils out, but I tried to eye ball the measurements. Tweak this to any amount that fits your fancy.

2 Chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1/2 c Mayonnaise
3 T Craisins
2 T Sunflower seeds
1 t Dill weed (more if yours isn't very fresh)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients to taste. Serve on sandwiches or on its own.

Thanks Sheila.

Bruschetta

6 - 8 Roma tomatoes
2 t garlic, minced (or 2 cloves)
1 T olive oil
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 T fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 t dried*)
1/2 t Salt

1 baguette, French, or Italian bread (or GF alternative)
1/4 c olive oil
1 t Salt

Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and dice the remaining tomato up finely. Roll up the basil tightly and slice up the leaves and then dice them finely. *If using dried basil, add it to the 1 T of olive oil and give it a bit of time to re-hydrate. Toss the tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt. Allow about an hour for flavors to meld together. Meanwhile, slice bread thinly and use a brush to lightly coat the bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until toasted.

Serve right away or refrigerate and let flavors meld . If refrigerated, allow the tomato mixture to sit out a bit to let the oils warm up.

Cheesecake Quesadillas

I know I promised this recipe a while ago, but it is finally here! Think of this as more of a method to fill as your heart desires. This is a nice dessert treat or a decadent brunch goody.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Quesadillas

Strawberry Cheesecake Quesadillas

Filling - Spread on a bit of cream cheese and add with your favorite topping.

• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake - 1 T soft cream cheese mixed together with 1 t of powdered sugar, 1 T of pumpkin pie puree/filling, a dash of cinnamon & nutmeg
• Strawberry Cheesecake - 1 T sweetened cream cheese, 1 T strawberry jam
• Nutella - 1 T soft cream cheese, 1 T nutella
• Sprinkles - 1 T soft cream cheese, sprinkles/jimmies
• Almond - mix a 1 t of almond extract with a block of cream cheese & 1/4 c powdered sugar. Spread 1 T of mixture and top with a few chopped almonds
  

Tortillas - lightly spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

On a medium-high heat, slightly grease a griddle. Heat until filling is melted and sugar starts to caramelize. Be careful no to over heat. The sugar will burn easily.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Apple butter is one of those great fall flavors. I've also found it INCREDIBLY easy and inexpensive to make. Break out the slow cooker and it pretty much makes itself. If you teach my kids, act surprised when you get this for Christmas...
Apple butter is a great topping for bread/toast and all those traditional uses, but I've also started using it in baked goods like the Apple Cinnamon Frosting and in pancakes. If I can use pumpkin in it, I'm trying using the apple butter in it's place for a different flavor. It cooks very much the same.

This is at the early stage of the process.

5-7 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
3/4 c brown sugar**
3 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Place the apples in a slow cooker and toss with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
2. Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
3. Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. (I let it go overnight)
4. Blend in either food processor or blender for a smooth consistency (or leave it lumpy if you'd like). Return to slow cooker and continue cooking on low 1 hour uncovered.
5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze. To can, pour hot apple butter into hot jars and process in a hot water bath for 10-12 minutes.

** I use sweet apples (Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Gala, etc.) that don't require much added sugar. Sweeten to you own liking.

Donut Muffins

Donuts with Dad is coming up at school and I was trying to figure out what I could make to send with my son (who has multiple food allergies). I found the recipe for Donut Muffin at GFCF Frugal Abundance. I substituted almond milk for the soy milk, an egg replacer, and used a soy-free vegan butter spread. My boys and I devoured the entire first batch. And we have a winner.

I'll let you visit GFCF Frugal Abundance for the recipe, but here is a picture to drool over first. I'm going to try to make them in mini-muffin tins to make them more bite-size like a donut hole.

These are amazing as gluten-free, so I can only imagine that they would be fantastic with traditional flour - simply omit the xanthan gum. Her GLAD flour mixture is probably the best GF flour I've tried so far.

Apple Sandwich

For dinner tonight, my friend Trista and I made these yummy (and messy) apple sandwiches. We put two apples through my handy-dandy apple/peeler/corer/slicer and than cut the apple into rings. If you don't have one of these devices, than simple core the apple and slice the apple into thin rings.

• Lay out each of the rings, and spread your favorite nut butter (sunbutter, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc) on each slice.
• Sprinkle your favorite toppings on on the sunbutter (which we used) - like chocolate shavings or chopped chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, seeds, or pretzel bits.
• Lay a sunbuttered apple slice on top of the sprinkled apple to make the "sandwich"

The kids all gobbled them up. Think this may become a new favorite after school snack. Sorry no picture. The kids were WAY too hungry (okay, and the moms too) to wait for a picture. I'll try to get one next time.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

This is one of the treats I love about autumn. If you've processed pumpkins to puree or have seeds from the pumpkins you've cut into jack-o-lanterns... then this is your reward.

Remove the strings and pulp and rinse thoroughly. I usually let mine soak overnight. Some boil theirs for 5-10 minutes to soften the shells. After patting the seeds dry, drizzle with a bit olive oil. Toss seeds (2-3 c) with the following mixture:

1 1/2 t Sea Salt
1/4 t Paprika (or chili powder if you want some kick)
1/4 t Garlic Powder

Spread out on a cookie sheet or cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown (10-15 minutes). Remove from oven and loosen with a spatula. All to cool completely. Store in an air tight container. Snack away.

Mojito Melon

I found this recipe at the Betty Crocker website and served it at my son's birthday party over the weekend. It was wonderful. The lime and mint adds a great contrast to the sweet cantaloupe that it topped. This is definitely worth making again.


2 Limes
5-6 c Melon or Pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 c Sugar or agave
1/3 c Limade, mojito mixer or dark rum
3 T Fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Put melon in a 1-gallon plastic bag or large sealable container.

Grate the peel from limes. Cut each lime in half and squeeze to remove 6 T of juice. Wisk together lime peel, lime juice, sugar, juice/rum and mint. Pour over the fruit and turn to coat.
Refrigerate 1-6 hour to meld flavors. To serve, drain marinade or push fruit cubes onto skewers. Discard marinade.

*Note, this picture was taken the day after the party. In the craziness of company, taking pictures of food wasn't on top of my list. Still tasted good, but the mint isn't vibrant green like it was the first day and the melon has started to get pretty soft.

Feta Corn Salad

Another great salad offering for the week.

My international friend Debby introduced me to the tasty combination of corn and feta in salads. I do admit that I stared at her salad for a bit before trying it, but fell in love at first taste. So here's my version of that combination.


Baby Spinach
Fresh Corn (left over corn on the cob)
Feta Crumbles
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Diced Tomato (optional - wish I had some that night)

Toss and eat.

Raspberry Spinach Salad

I love salads in the summer and here is a lovely fruit based salad that I savored every bite of. Raspberries are a special treat for me because they are so expensive. I found these berries on sale for $1.50 for the pack, so I jumped at the deal. I savored them in everything from salad, topping ice cream, and straight from the box. My mouth is watering at the memory. The good news is a little bit of these berries go a long way.

Someday I'll have my own to pick straight from my yard... someday.



Fresh Raspberries
Baby Spinach
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Sesame Seeds (sprinkle just a few on)
Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is tough one to make - toss it together and eat. This would be nice with a bit of grilled chicken for a meal.

For The Love of Pineapple

So, mention pineapple and you are bound to get mixed reviews. Usually people either love or hate it. I love a good pineapple. After having fresh ones in Hawaii, the store bought kind are just not the same, let alone canned. However, years later the memory of great pineapple has faded and I've learned to enjoy what's available on the mainland.

By far, my favorite way to eat pineapple is to grill it. I like to cut a fresh pineapple into long wedges and put them on skewers on the grill. It's an entirely different taste. The heat helps caramelize the sugars and yum. I've never tried to fry it, but I can imagine it would have similar results if you can leave it alone to brown slightly.

Skewer chunks of pineapple with chicken, pork, or shrimp and the juices help keep the meat moist. The grilled pineapple paired with grilled peppers, chicken, and mushrooms (which I don't usually like, but grilled with pineapple it was awesome) last night's cook out at our friends - was fabulous.

They had canned pineapple rings that they drained and threw on the grill and it was great as well. Sounds like a great summer treat to pull out mid-winter to me. Best of all, it's inexpensive. So happy fruit grilling to you.

NOTE: let it cool down before eating. Hot pineapple is not nearly as enjoyable.

Leftovers Pizza

It happens to all of us. You end up with just bits and pieces of the last couple of dinners in your fridge. Don't dump them (unless they've gone bad), repurpose them and they won't feel like leftovers anymore.

Whatever you've got leftover in the fridge can be served up on a pizza crust. Just use your imagination and a bit over cheese and your good to go. This particular pizza is a concoction of leftover grilled chicken and peppers that weren't used up from salad or beef/broccoli.


1 Pizza Crust (homemade or store bought)
1 c Pizza sauce (optional)
2 c Mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 c Toppings
1 t Oregano, dried
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

Total Costs (depending on toppings): $2.80 - 5.00
Cheese $1.25 (Sunmart)
Pizza crust $1.00 (Homemade)
Pizza sauce $.55 (homemade)
Toppings - leftovers so I priced them into a former meal

Topping Options:
Chicken & Broccoli
Chicken & Peppers
Ham, Onion & Peppers
Roasted Pork, Caramelized Onions, BBQ
Spaghetti & Pepperoni or Sausage (It sounds weird, but it's great)
Taco meat, Tomato, Peppers, Onions
Sausage, Eggs, Bacon, etc

Chicken Chimichangas

I adapted this recipe a bit from one I found at allrecipes.com - My husband and I both loved it, and the kids - not so much. Next time I might skip the work of rolling/frying and heat the filling to dip chips in.

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 can diced green chilies
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 T fresh lime juice
2 T sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
4 oz shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1-2 T taco seasoning
2/3 lb shredded cooked chicken meat
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1-2 c canola oil
Garnish - chopped green onion, sour cream, lettuce, chopped tomato, Cheddar cheese


In a blender, puree soup, green chilies, jalapeno, sour cream, and lime juice (or use canned enchilada sauce with 2-4 T of sour cream mixed in). Heat over low heat while making recipe.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese, and taco seasoning until well blended. Stir in chicken. Scoop 1/4 of mixture into a warm tortilla, fold sides in and roll up.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Test oil with wooden spoon to see if oil bubbles for heat test, or put a piece or broken tortilla in. If oil is too hot, the chimichanga will burn before cooking through. Fry 2-4 chimichangas at a time until golden brown, then drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Serve immediately with warm sauce and garnish as desired.

TOTAL COSTS: $5.65+
Soup: $.70 (Cashwise)
Chilies $.60 (Cheep Foods)
Jalapeno $.25 (Cashwise)
Lime $.50 (Cashwise)
Cream Cheese $.50 (Sunmart)
Cheese $.50 (Sunmart)
Meat $1.75 (Cashwise)
Tortillas $.85 (Cashwise)
Seasonings from pantry stock

VARIATION:
The filling would work GREAT as a hot dip for chips.

Vanilla Wafer Snackers

This was my sweet treat meets needing some protein one day. A yummy find.


The vanilla wafer is covered with a layer of sunbutter (or peanut butter) and then topped with whatever you have on hand. I had strawberries, bananas, and a few pieces of Ryan's leftover Valentines Day candy from school. I've done similar with Hershey Bars pieces, but the variety was a good.

(non)Peanut Butter Pizza

Growing up, peanut butter pizza was a specialty that we had when visiting our friend's house. They had dessert every night after dinner. We didn't. So visiting their house was a treat. However, we did get to eat sugar laden cereals in the morning and they didn't. So I guess it all evens out.

I hadn't had this little treat since I was a kid. My friend Sarah started talking about it on facebook and it brought back all the childhood memories. Peanut allergy rules out the peanut butter, but I tried it out with sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) and brought it to my moms group this week. It was a hit, and my 3-year-old was more than happy to be able to help finish it off.

(non)Peanut Butter Pizza Crust:
1/2 c White sugar
1/2 c Brown sugar
1/2 c Sunbutter (or peanut butter)
1/4 c Coconut oil (or shortening)
1/4 c Butter, softened
1 Egg
1 1/4 c Flour
3/4 t Baking soda
1/2 t Baking powder
1/4 t Salt
1/2 t Vanilla extract

Mix sugars, butter, coconut oil, and sunbutter until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Add dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.

Place dough on parchment paper on top of pizza stone or baking sheet. Pat or roll out into desired shape. Use hand to gently push edge of crust together and make a slight rim to hold toppings on.

Bake @ 375 for 8-10 minutes until slightly under-baked. Remove and add a layer of milk chocolate chips over the top (about 2/3 bag) and miniature marshmallows (1/2 bag) and return to oven for 2-4 more minutes until melted and gooey. I like my marshmallows nice and golden brown.

Hint: With sunbutter, it tastes better once it is cooled down to tone down the seed taste. With real peanut butter this is wonderful served slightly warm.

Total Cost: $5.45
White sugar: $.20 (Sunmart)
Brown sugar: $.25 (Walmart)
Sunbutter: $1.25 (Trader Joe)
Coconut oil: $1.00 (Cashwise)
Butter: $.20 (Sunmart)
Egg: $.10 (Sunmart)
Flour: $.35 (Cashwise)
Chocolate Chips: $1.50 (Cashwise)
Marshmallows: $.60 (Cashwise)

Strawberry Cream Wafers

Make the full recipe of these lovelies for a party or make a few for a snack. The frosting refrigerates well. We've tries all different fruits (think mini-fruit pizzas). Thinking of some chocolate shavings to top them with too. Yummy, easy, pleasing.

1 Box Vanilla wafers.
1 Qt fresh Strawberries, washed & sliced
Cream cheese frosting (recipe following)

FROSTING:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c Butter, softened
1 c Confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 t Vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar (store in the refrigerator until ready to use). Spread approximately 1 t of frosting on the flat side of the wafer. Top with a round slice of strawberry. Serve immediately. Makes about 100 wafers or 33 servings

**If cream cheese and butter are not good and soft the frosting will be lumpy.

Fresh Salsa

My youngest boy LOVES salsa. Must have something to do with all the Mexican food I ate during my third trimester (after the puking stopped). Usually it's the thinner restaurant style. Today I made a chunky pico de gallo style and figured he wouldn't touch it with visible tomatoes and peppers in it. To my astonishment, he inhaled it. If salsa gets him to eat more veggies, I might make this every week.

1/2 sm sweet onion, chopped
2 t garlic, minced
1/2 green/red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 fresh Jalapeno Peppers (to taste)6 fresh tomatoes, quartered (or diced)
2 t olive oil
2 t red or white wine vinegar
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 t salt
Sugar (to taste)

OPTION #1 DIRECTIONS - Restaurant Style
1. Place onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and jalapeno peppers into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add tomatoes, and pulse just a few times until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl with a tight-fitting lid.2. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, garlic, sugar, and salt.
3. Pour dressing over tomatoes, and stir well. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

OPTION #2 DIRECTIONS - Pico de Gallo
1. Place finely dice onions, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Toss together.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, sugar and salt.
3. Pour dressing over tomatoes, and stir well. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

VARIATION:

• If you like a bit milder/smokier taste (which I do) you can saute the onions, peppers, and garlic before adding. Makes the onions a little sweeter.
• Add a bit of FRESH (or frozen if no fresh is avail) corn and it's a sweet taste to top it off.