Cranberry - Orange Sauce

I made this Tyler Florence recipe last year for Thanksgiving. It was so good. Side note I made it a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I think I will replace the sugar with Splenda this year.

2 (8-ounce) packages cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 orange, zest cut into strips and juiced
1/2 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Directions
Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature or cool and refrigerate. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I use Rotisserie)
2 blocks light cream cheese, room temperature
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dry DIP mix
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup hot sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix cream cheese and hot sauce together well. Add ranch, milk, chicken and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Pour into an oven-safe dish and sprinkle rest of cheese on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with frito's, celery and carrot sticks.

Easy Spinach Rotel Dip

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained, and chopped into small pieces
1 lb. Velveta cheese - cut into cubes
4 oz cream cheese - cut into cubes
1 can RoTel tomatoes - undrained
1 lb breakfast sausage- cooked and crumbled

Combine in microwave bowl and heat for 5 minutes, stirring after each minute. Transfer to a small slow cooker to keep warm. Serve with tortilla chips or crostini.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1/2 cup diced jalapeno peppers (can use nacho jarred ones instead of fresh)

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (not the grated powdery)

1/2 cup of Panko crumbs that have been tossed in a little olive oil
Bag of Fritos or Baguettes, sliced and toasted

Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapenos. Spread into dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and then bread crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Spread on toasted baguette slices or in a bowl with Fritos on the side for dipping.

Salsa

This is my last recipe post today. You can use this on WW.

My friend Neely made this for a Life Group meeting. Jeremy could not get enough of it so he had me stalk her until she emailed me the recipe. It is addictive!

1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 large fresh white onion
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
3 fresh jalapenos (The more seeds to put in the sauce the hotter it is, so remove all the seeds for a milder sauce)
3 cloves of fresh garlic

Drain the canned tomatoes...set aside the juice. Drop the drained tomatoes in the blender, then one veggie at a time continue adding to the blended mixer.Once everything is blended together you can add some of the juice for a thinner sauce...how much is up to you. Refrigerated leftovers can last 3-4 days.

New Year's Day Black-eyed Pea Dip

In Texas (& the South) you must eat at least a spoonful of Black Eye Peas on New Year's Day. Here is a dip that I adapted from a recipe at All Recipes.

2 (15.5 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can Rotel, drained
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
8 fluid ounces Italian dressing (used Wishbone)

In the food processor, blend the black-eyed peas (reserve 1/2 cup of peas), Rotel, sweet onion, Italian dressing to a dip consistency. Fold in the reserved peas and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with Fritos.

Extra Special Queso

My friend Molly brought this to a Super Bowl party seven years ago. I had never had it made it this way - so I asked for the recipe.

1 -2 lb. Velveeta; cubed
1 lb. breakfast sausage; browned and drained
2 cans Rotel
1 small can of green chilies; chopped
1 small can of black olives; chopped

Dump all into crock - pot, set on low and stir occasionally. It takes 2-3 hours to fully melt. For faster results, put everything in a bowl in the microwave and cook until fully melted. Then if taking to a party put in crock pot to keep warm while at the event. Serve with your favorite corn chips.

Corn Salsa

For a party double or triple this recipe because it always goes fast!

1 can corn; warmed in microwave
10 grape tomatoes; cut in half

1 avocado; chopped

2 green onions, sliced finely

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tbsp. cilantro; chopped finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic; chopped finely

Put first four ingredients in a bowl - set aside. Mix together next four ingredients, pour over the vegetables. Let sit in the refrigerator 30 minutes for the flavors to mix together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Blue Cheese Spread

This is a super easy recipe that a friend brought to a meeting several years ago. Everyone wanted the recipe. If you like blue cheese you will love this.

½ to 1 pound Roquefort Blue Cheese
Fig preserves/jam in a jar*
Toasted chopped Walnuts

Slice block of cheese in half. Place both haves in dish. Pour over whole jar of spread. Top with toasted walnuts .

Serve are French petite slices of bread (sold at Whole Foods). Or take Italian bread, slice into 1 inch pieces - then toast on both sides.

*This can be hard to find but I always find it at Kroger and Whole Foods.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

I roasted my garlic (go here for recipe), as I read reviews that the fresh garlic was a bit sharp. I did not make the homemade Pita Chips. I served the dip with Stacy's Pita Chips (Simply Naked).

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (white beans), drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 pitas
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.
Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color.

Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree. Yield: 6 servings

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Image courtesy of the Food Network

Guacamole

2-3 large or 3-4 small avocados
½ to 1 tsp lime juice
½ to 1 tsp orange juice
1 tsp garlic; chopped (more if desired)
½ to 1 tsp salt
1 tsp cilantro (more if desired)
1 – 2 Tbls chopped tomato
1 – 2 Tbls chopped red/purple onion

Mash avocado; leaving some chunks. Add all other ingredients to taste and mix.

Mississippi Sin Dip

I found this recipe last week while looking at this blog. I made it yesterday for my 3 yr. olds birthday party and it was a hit! Next time I will double it because it was gone fast.

Mississippi Sin Dip

1 loaf french bread
8 ounces of roasted french onion dip
4 ounces can chopped green chiles , drained
1 jar Hormel Real Bacon Pieces
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

Cut out top of french bread and scoop out insides. Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl. Put the dip inside the loaf of french bread and put the top of bread back on. Wrap the whole thing in foil and bake 1 hour at 375. Serve with Fritos Scoops.

09-08-07 Editors note: I made this tonight for a football party. I put the mixture on indiviual slices of Italian Baguette. I baked it at 375 until mixture melted (see photo above). The only change I would make is to buy the bread slices already toasted or toast prior to putting mixture on the bread because I think you need that "crunch" of the bread for all the flavors to work together.