A lot of people think of vegetable cream cheese as the health nut cream cheese.  The cream cheese that only work out aholics eat because if they are going to use cream cheeses they should at least get in a few vegetables.  Sometimes even the outcast of all the cream cheeses.  Well guess what, it’s not!  It is just as delicious as the other cream cheeses, and it is actually healthier.

Here’s the recipe:

1 C of cream cheese

5 baby carrots

3 chives

3 scallions

freshly cracked sea salt

fresh cracked pepper

Put cream cheese in a bowl and stir until softened.  Take the carrots and chop them into small cubes.  Cut length wise twice and then cut width wise in small half centimeterish cuts.  Mince all of the scallions and chives into pieces about as long as the carrots pieces.  Stir well.  Add freshly cracked sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.  If available, use fresh cracked pink peppercorns as well.  Spread on a toasted bagel and enjoy.

Interesting fact: pink peppercorns are not actually peppers, like black pepper is.  Pink peppercorns are actually a dried berry harvested in may from Brazil.  They are also known as “baies roses”.  They are quite satisfying with their sweet, fruity tang and their spicy flourish after each bite.

Apparently, the lure of a coconut coating isn’t enough to convince her that the texture of shrimp isn’t odd.  She did eat a few bites of one shrimp, but then graciously left the rest for us.  We like shrimp and coconut, so we were more than delighted to eat it.

To my mind, shrimp served in this cocktail sort of fashion begs to be dipped.  We didn’t have any pre-made cocktail sauce at home, but as it is simple to make your own, I wasn’t worried.  I thought I would try using some of our homemade peach jam for sweetness in the sauce.  Also, it felt like a way of challenging my almost 16 year old.  He declares that he doesn’t like peaches, but I was pretty sure he would eat them in this format.

Guess what?  I was right.

Peachy Cocktail Sauce

2 Tb. peach jam
2 Tb. cider vinegar
4 Tb. ketchup
4-7 dashes hot sauce

Combine jam and vinegar in a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat for 20 seconds to allow jam to liquify.  Add ketchup and stir to combine.  Add hot sauce, determining amount by your heat preference.  Stir.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes.

Last weekend my family and I were having munchies for dinner, and I offered to help cook.  I decided to make pineapple mango salsa because I love mango, and I figured we would need something to cool down the meal seeing as we were having hot, homemade taquitos.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

3/4 pineapple
1 mango
1/4 red onion
1 jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 Tb. of honey
salt and pepper to taste

Pineapple:  I find the easiest way to cut it is to take the top and bottom off first and then take my knife and wedge it right between the shell and the flesh and to cut all the way down while the pineapple is standing on one end.  Do this until the pineapple is completely peeled.  Then cut it into eight pieces lengthwise.  After that take the core out of all the pieces and cut each round into twelve pieces.  (I know it sounds like a lot, but you don’t want huge chunks of pineapple in your salsa.) Place all the pieces in a large bowl.

Mango:  Cut it in half and take out the pit.  Take each half and sear them.  (By this I mean I ran the tip of my knife on the inside of the peel where all the flesh still is and I cubed it pretty much while it was still connected to the peel.  After that I inverted the peel so the fruit was sticking out off the peel and cut the chunks off the peel.  I know it sounds a little complicated, but it is much easier than peeling the mango.)  If a lot of fruit is still stuck to the core, just cut it off and then chop it up into pieces about the size of the seared mango.  (Be very careful when you are cutting the fruit off of the core, mango gets very slippery!)  Put these in the bowl as well.

Onion & jalapeno:  Dice the red onion and place the onion in the bowl.  Take the jalapeno and take the top off and cut it in half.  All of the heat lies in the ribs (the white fleshy things on the inside) and the seeds.  I took these out because I didn’t want much heat in my salsa.  If you want it to be spicier, you can add these in, but go sparingly.  You can always add, but you can never subtract in cooking.  Mince the jalapeno and throw it in the bowl as well.

Combine 1/4 cup of lime juice and tablespoon of honey in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, so they combine nicely.  Pour that onto your chopped fruits and veggies, toss, and refrigerate.  Right before you serve it add a pinch of salt to awaken the flavors and add pepper to taste.  Best served cold.

Hope you like it!

I was thinking about what could be added to the menu to provide a little lightness and more flavor when my husband asked about adding balsamic strawberries.  This was a convenient suggestion in that we had over a pound of strawberries in our refrigerator.  It also was convenient in that this is another one of those ridiculously easy, not really a recipe, recipes.

However, the combination of flavors in this topping is amazing.  Plus, it can be served in a variety of ways.  Use it on its own, as a dip for pita chips or crackers.  Serve it atop cheese, as a bruschetta topping.  Turn it into a dessert accompaniment, using it as an embellishment for pound cake or ice cream.  No matter what you choose, it is sure to be delicious.

Balsamic Strawberries

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
15 strawberries, diced

In a small bowl, combine vinegar and sugar.  Microwave for 30 seconds to help dissolve the sugar.  Add strawberries to vinegar, and toss well.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and to chill the ingredients.

*I prefer using this topping at the 30 minute point.  It can be refrigerated longer, but the strawberries will become softer.

I must note that she said that politely, and I had to smile.  How many 14 year olds talk about the simplicity of making a roux?  Yes, we are creating a few foodies.  She was right.  Making a roux is ridiculously easy.  Thus, she had a parmesan sauce for her pasta, and later my husband and I had feta sauce for our Greek meatballs.

I made both sauces using skim milk.  The feta sauce had a thinner consistency than I had anticipated, but I thought it worked well for dipping meatballs and pieces of grilled eggplant.  If you prefer something creamier, even using whole milk would add body.  If you are feeling quite indulgent, light cream would make it rich.

Feta Sauce

1-1/2 Tb. unsalted butter
1-1/2 Tb. flour
1 cup milk
6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
black pepper

Melt butter in a small saucepot over medium heat.  Add flour, and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth.  Bring to a gentle boil, and reduce the heat.  Add feta slowly, whisking until it is melted.  (There may be a few small pieces of feta that don’t melt, but they add delightful bites of flavor.)  Season with pepper.

Many of these nights involve a fair amount of cooking.  While the kids eat their dinner, I am working on that night’s menu.  However, sometimes there are other events on a Monday, which means that we need to reconfigure our dining.  This past Monday was one of those nights.  With a high school sports night from 7:00-9:00, I knew that my cooking time would be almost nonexistent.

So, we planned a simple menu.  On Sunday afternoon we shopped for an assortment of cheeses, sausage, crackers, and fruit.  A quick batch of maple-glazed almonds and walnuts was made.  Thinking about the assortment of cheeses, I thought that mustard would be a nice accompaniment, but why settle for something simply out a jar?  I wanted to add something that had my fingerprint.

Considering possible mix-ins, I ended up with Maple Apple Mustard.  It was a great compliment to some aged cheddar, providing a little sweet and a little vinegary pop.

Maple Apple Mustard

1 apple, peeled & diced
water
1/4 cup mustard
1-2 Tb. maple syrup

Place apple in a small saucepot and cover with water.  Boil until apple is fork tender, approximately 5 minutes.  Drain apple and place in a blender.  Add mustard and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.  Purée until smooth.  Add second tablespoon of maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter flavor.

Refrigerate or use immediately.

Typically, cocktail sauce contains horseradish, which gives the sauce its spiciness.  Unfortunately, we also were out of prepared horseradish, which meant it was time to create a new recipe.  It seemed that chili powder would make a fine replacement for the bite of horseradish and lemon juice would add brightness to the sauce.  Making it a couple hours before dinner began, I hoped the ingredients would have time to meld and develop their flavor.

I was curious as to how the sauce would be received.  For me, having a horseradish-free sauce wasn’t problematic, as it is one of my less favored condiments.  My husband, however, enjoys horseradish.  Seeing him liberally dunk his shrimp into the sauce assured me that the last minute fix seemed to work.

Horseradish-free Cocktail Sauce

1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
salt & pepper

Combine ketchup, lemon juice, chili powder, and brown sugar in a small bowl, stirring well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

The chutney is versatile and could be used as an accoutrement to many dishes.  Not only does it pair well with crackers and cheese, it could be used in place of cranberry sauce for a turkey dinner.  It can be used as a filling in a wrap or panini.  This chutney also can be made quickly and can be served warm or cold.

If you’re looking to make cheese and crackers more interesting or to provide a different sauce for your turkey dinner, give cranberry-pear chutney a try.

Cranberry-Pear Chutney

1 cup cider vinegar

2 shallots, diced

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 cup cranberries

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 bosc pear, peeled, cored, & chopped

Combine vinegar, shallots, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes in a medium pot over high heat.  Boil for 5-10 minutes, or until liquid reduces by half.  Add cranberries, sugar, and pear, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, and discard cinnamon stick.  Serve immediately, or store in refrigerator.

One of my best friends loves the combination of sweet and salty, such as chips and soda.  When going out for munchies, she has been known to request some tortilla chips after an especially sweet dessert.  Over time I have come to appreciate the way in which these two opposites make such a fine combination.

I made two different salts for her, Sun-Dried Tomato Salt and Citrus Salt.  The Citrus Salt had a delightfully strong aroma of fruit and would provide  extra flavor in a Caribbean inspired chicken dish.  I also thought it would work well as an accoutrement for a margarita glass.  For the perfect sweet-salty combination, I would recommend mixing an even amount of the salt with sugar to rim the glass.

Citrus Salt

1/2 cup kosher salt
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lime
zest of 1 orange

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  To get the most flavor, massage the ingredients with your fingertips to help the zest release its essence.  Spread in a thin layer on a plate and allow to sit for 12-24 hours in order to dry thoroughly.  Store in an airtight container.

Some toppings were quickly discarded, such as caramel because it seemed too sweet.  Macerated strawberries were considered, but I wasn’t sure how well strawberries and eggnog would pair.  Then it occurred to me that a bourbon sauce might work.  I had made one previously but thought I would create a recipe that had more bourbon flavor and less butter.

The addition of bourbon adds a smoky flavor and reduce the sweetness of the sauce just enough.  Yes, this is a sweet dessert, but not so much that it is cloying.  Give it a try on some homemade (or store-bought, if needed) ice cream.

Bourbon Sauce

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water, divided
1 Tb. cornstarch
1 Tb. vanilla
2 Tb. bourbon
1/2 Tb. butter

Place sugar in small pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar has melted and is amber.  Add 1/2 cup water to the melted sugar, and stir until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup water and cornstarch.  Add cornstarch mixture to sugar mixture, and cook over heat, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens.  Add bourbon, vanilla, and butter.  Once butter is melted, remove from heat and serve.