Cream Cheese Apple Dip

Apples, apples, everywhere! Autumn has arrived in full swing at our house!

This is a wonderful dip that goes perfectly with fresh, sliced apples. It's great as a dessert or a snack. It's so super quick and easy to throw together. This is one of our family favorites and I think you will enjoy it too!

Cream Cheese Apple Dip
(recipe from Tammy's Recipes)

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fresh, sliced apples for serving (about 6 apples)

Combine all the ingredients (except for the apples) in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix until no lumps remain and is smooth. Serve with sliced apples and enjoy!
(Dip may be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to two days)

Tortellini Pasta Salad

Summer is quickly fading to fall here in New England. I love the fall. I love the colors, the cool air, watching football games, but most of all, I love fall cooking and baking....

BUT, it's not quite fall yet, so I have one last summer recipe to share. I have made lots of different styles of pasta salads in my lifetime. Some are great, some are just so-so, but this recipe I came across is really good. The ingredients of the salad itself are very simple, but the dressing that goes on it is what makes it so great. This got big thumbs up in my house, even from my picky husband!

Tortellini Pasta Salad
(recipe adapted from Our Best Bites)

20-24oz fresh or frozen mixed cheese tortellini
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium sized cucumber, sliced into half moons
1 cup whole, pitted black olives, halved
1 cup Ground Mustard and Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

First, make the Ground Mustard and Garlic Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2 green onions, firm white parts only (remove hairy ends)
4-5 medium sized cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1-2 tsp honey (I used more because I like it sweeter--can also use sugar)
1-2 T coarse grain mustard, to your taste (or dijon, but the coarse grain mustard tastes better)
1 cup canola oil

Using a blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients except for the oil. Blend on high until thoroughly mixed and then, while the blender is running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream.
I suggest allowing the dressing to refrigerate for an hour or so before adding it to the salad. (the dressing is also great on leafy green salads)

For the salad:

Prepare tortellini as directed on package. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine the onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and pasta in a large bowl. Add the prepared dressing and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving and then add more dressing if desired. Enjoy!

Pecan Brownie Muffins

For my birthday recently, a good friend of mine gave me a brownie cookbook for a gift. The book has a ton of great, new and intriguing brownie recipes.
Among all of the recipes, I felt the need to make the Pecan Brownie Muffins first. Although I was a little skeptical of the ingredient measurements and didn't have high hopes of a great finished product, the muffins came out awesome! They have a light chocolate brownie flavor and the pecans give it a slightly nutty taste and texture. The recipe said it makes 12 muffins, but I actually got 16 instead. I loved these and recommend that you make them soon!

Pecan Brownie Muffins
(recipe adapted from the brownies-easy and delicious cookbook)

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup pecans
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar (generous)
1/4 tsp salt
1 T baking powder
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, broken (or a full 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, which is what I used)
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Coarsely chop the pecans and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and make a well in the center.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring frequently.

Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture and stir to mix evenly.

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and a when a toothpick inserted into the middle, comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack and then enjoy!

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

My husband grew up in Clarksville, TN, where he spent a lot of time visiting with his Grandparents that lived close by. His Granny used to make him these special cookies all the time and they are still, today, his favorite.

I love making these cookies for my family, especially during the summer. They don't require baking so they are the perfect treats to make on a hot day.

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies
(recipe from Granny Devers)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy can be used)
3 cups quick-cooking oats


In a small saucepan, bring the butter, sugar, cocoa and milk to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
Boil for just over 1 minute and then remove from the heat.
Stir in the vanilla and peanut butter, until the peanut butter is melted.
Pour chocolate mixture over the oats in a large bowl. Mix well.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto wax paper. Let sit until cookies are set and hardened. I usually make my cookies a little on the large size so I get about 24.
Enjoy!

Jen's Fresh Tomato Salsa

My husband, my oldest son, and I love fresh salsa. A lot of salsas are made with canned or cooked tomatoes, but we love it made fresh from the garden.
I like to make this salsa the day before I'm going to serve it so the flavor has time to set up, but it can be served the same day. It will stay fresh for a few days in the refrigerator if kept in an air tight container.

Here's my simple and delicious recipe:

Jen's Fresh Tomato Salsa

3 medium to large sized fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 of a red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced (can use more, if desired)
2 whole canned green chilies, chopped
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Mix together all of the salsa ingredients in a large bowl. Add the salt and pepper according to your preference. I like to start with about 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper and go from there. (if you are not into "chunky" style salsa, you can puree this in a food processor for a minute or so to get a smooth, thin consistency).

Serve with your favorite chips, on top of burgers and hot dogs, with tacos, on top of grilled steak....the possibilities are endless! Enjoy!

Grilled Jalapeno and Bacon Burgers

I decided to grow jalapenos in my garden this year, so I planted ONE plant and got over 12 jalapenos! Thankfully, my husband and I really like spicy food so using up all the jalapenos wasn't going to be a problem.

This burger is a favorite of ours and is sooo good. You can control the amount of heat according to your preference. I like to use one jalapeno (with minimal seeds) per one pound of hamburger (to make four 1/4 pound patties). You can use less or more if you want.

Grilled Jalapeno and Bacon Burgers
(generously adapted from Rachael Ray)

Serves 4

1 lb lean ground beef
1 jalapeno pepper
8 slices of bacon, divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
4- Slices cheddar cheese
Avocado slices, optional
Onion slices, optional


Spray the grill with non-stick spray and then preheat to medium-high heat.

Cook bacon (not too crispy) and drain on a paper towel. Chop 4 slices of the bacon into small pieces. Reserve the remaining 4 slices.
Remove the seeds from the jalapeno and then finely chop.

Mix together the ground beef, chopped bacon, jalapeno, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Press the beef mixture into 4 equal sized patties.
Grill the patties for about 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the patties). Melt a slice of cheddar cheese on the top of each burger a couple of minutes before the burgers are done.

Serve burgers on toasted buns with one slice each of reserved bacon. I like to add slices of avocado and a few thinly sliced onions on top of mine as well. Enjoy!

Garlic-Lemon Marinated Grilled Chicken

Summer is almost over for us (our kids will be back to school in just over a week) so I decided to share with you a couple of our favorite, easy summer recipes.

My husband and I love grilled food, so we use our grill throughout the year, even when there is four feet of snow on the ground. Grilling in the summer is our favorite though because we can grill almost every night. My husband considers himself to be a master griller because he claims to be able to grill almost anything, and strives to achieve perfect grill marks every time. I'm not sure about the master griller part, but he does cook some of the nicest looking meat I've ever seen! :)

Here's one of my go-to marinated grilled chicken recipes. It's easy to throw together and has a really nice, subtle, but noticeable flavor. You can alter any of the ingredients to your liking or add more/different herbs to change the flavor a bit.

Garlic-Lemon Marinated Grilled Chicken

Marinade--
For every 4 boneless chicken breasts:

3 T extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves fresh, minced garlic (small to medium in size)
2 T water
1 1/2 T lemon juice (fresh is best)
1/4-1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper


Combine all of the marinade ingredients.
Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag or glass dish with a cover. Pour marinade over chicken, coating each piece well. I like to pierce the meat a few times with a knife so the marinade soaks up better.
Marinate in the refrigerator for a least an hour, but I think the best flavor is achieved after the chicken has been marinating for most of the day (6 hours or so).

When ready to cook, spray grill with non-stick grilling spray (if desired) and the preheat to medium-high heat.
Remove chicken from the fridge and place on paper towels. Gently dab off any excess marinade.
Grill chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes or so (6-8 minutes on each side).
Enjoy!