Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Crisps

This original recipe is found on SpendWithPennies.com

Fruit Salsa
1 pound strawberries, finely chopped
1/2 pound raspberries, whole
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely chopped
2 kiwis, finely chopped
1 lemon (for zest and juice)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. preserves (raspberry or strawberry)

1) Zest the lemon and set aside. (Not too much!)
2) Squeeze 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice over apples and mix well to combine.
3) Gently combine all ingredients. Raspberries will break apart a bit, but that's what you want.
4) Allow to sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving.
5) Serve with Stacy's Cinnamon Chips or Homemade Cinnamon Crisps (below).

Cinnamon Crisps
10 flour tortillas (10-in.)
Cooking spray
1/3 C. sugar
1 Tsp. cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Combine cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
3) Working with three tortillas at a time, spray both sides of the tortilla and sprinkle each side lightly with cinnamon sugar.
4) Stack three tortillas together and, using a pizza cutter, cut tortillas into 12 wedges.
5) Place on a baking sheet and bake 8-11 minutes or until crisp.

Cheri's Tomatillo Corn Salad

My friend Cheri brought this as a side dish for our piano recital last week. This weekend, my daughter OG wants to make it again for a bridal shower. Her husband asked for it again this weekend for Father's Day, as well. It really is yummy!

Ingredients
1-2 lbs cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered or more according to preference
6 ears fresh corn
1/2 pound tomatillos, diced (regular green tomatoes will work in a pinch)
1/2 C. red onion, diced or finely minced, according to preference
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and finely minced

Dressing
6 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. Emeril's Essence or similar spice mixture
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Procedure
1) Wash and de-stem cherry tomatoes. Remove papery husks from tomatillos––rinse and drain.

2) Blanch corn cobs in boiling water for about 3 minutes then immediately plunge it into ice water. When cool, remove corn from cob.

3) Place tomatoes, tomatillos, corn, onion, and jalapeno pepper into a salad bowl.

4) Combine dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix gently. Let stand a few hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.

NOTE: When buying tomatillos, open the end and make sure it's not rotten or soft inside. When you peel them, they'll be sticky. This is normal.

Alternative Dressing
1 medium avocado
1/4 C. water
2 medium limes, freshly squeezed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. mince chipotles in Adobo sauce (from about 1 medium chipotle)
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, smashed

Blend in blender until smooth (about 15 seconds).
NOTE: The original recipe that used this alternative dressing called for diced jicama in the salad, too.

Cheri's Roasted Green Salsa

Slice in half, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with SPG, and roast face down on a stone:
Tomatillos
Onion
Jalapeño or serrano pepper
Garlic cloves (Leave the cloves whole in the skins.)

After roasting, squeeze garlic out into blender, then add the rest of the ingredients (including the liquid on the stone). Blend together with some water, cilantro, fresh lime, and more salt, if needed.

Rise and Shine Baked Avocado

My husband sent me this recipe and asked me to post it here. I'm sure it was originally from a website, but I'm not sure which one. I found it posted here and here with a Google search, and who knows how many other places it's posted. Hope that's sufficient acknowledgement.

1 avocado, cut in half with pit removed

2 eggs
1/2 tsp Mexican seasoning (cumin, garlic, oregano, chili powder)
1/4 C. grated cheddar
crumbled bacon (optional)
diced green onion or chives (optional)
salsa
SPG, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place avocado halves into a baking dish and stabilize them with a little foil if needed.

3. Crack one egg into each empty pit of your avocado halves. You can scoop out a bit of the avocado if you need more room for the egg. (Pop the yolk if you don't desire to have it bake whole.)

4. Season with a bit of SPG. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. of Mexican seasoning on each egg-filled avocado.

5. Top each seasoned half with shredded cheese (and optional crumbled bacon, if using) and bake for 10-15minutes.

6. Remove from the oven, top with salsa (and optional green onions or chives, if using), and enjoy.

Stabilized Whipped Cream (Substitute for "Cool Whip" in Recipes)

This is a healthier homemade substitute for recipes that call for Cool Whip*. (And it makes the same amount as a standard 8-oz. Cool Whip* container.)

I originally found this recipe for stabilized whipped cream  on the Something Swanky food blog.

1/4 C. cold water
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 3/4 C. whipping cream
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Pour the water into a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.

2. Place the pan over medium-low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely. (Do not skip this step or your final product will be lumpy.)

3. Once the gelatin mixture has cooled, place 1 Tbsp. of the whipping cream and the cream of tartar in a small Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and shake it until the cream of tartar has dissolved completely and there are no lumps. If there are lumps, use your fingers to work them out. (This is a nuisance, but it really is the best way to get these blended together nicely.)

4. Pour the cream of tartar mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer, along with the rest of the whipping cream and the sugar.

5. Beat with the whisk attachment on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Once cream mixture begins to slightly thicken, slowly pour in the gelatin-water while continually mixing.

6. Add the vanilla and continue to mix until the cream is thick and smooth. Do not over-mix, though. You will not have stiff peaks. When it is just thick enough to spread, stop mixing. It will still look soft, but that's okay.

7. Store covered in the refrigerator, just like you would Cool Whip*.

An easier version?
In the comments on that original blog post, someone named Susie said, "While this works, it is unnecessarily difficult. You can use 1/2-3/4 tsp. cornstarch for each cup of heavy cream. Add it with the sugar and it will stabilize the cream quite easily and nicely. You can also buy packages of
Dr. Oetker's stabilizer for whipped cream, which is cornstarch and an anti-caking agent. I have used this for every recipe that calls for Cool Whip* for over twenty years, and never once did it fail me."

* NOTE: You can click on any one of these Cool Whip* links for some interesting, often humorous information about the product.

Aunt Kim's Pear Spinach Salad

I first ate this recipe at my sister Kim's house. Her version, modified from the original recipe on epicurious.com, appears below. (The picture that appears on the right is from epicurious as well.)

Dressing:
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. whole-grain mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine the above ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cover tightly and shake vigorously to blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside. This can made up to a day in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, remove at least two hours before serving salad.

Salad:
1 C. red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 C. sweetened dried cranberries
8 C. lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves, stemmed if needed
2 Bosc pears, firm but ripe (unpeeled, cored, and quartered)
2/3 C. hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (see NOTE below)

1. Place the onions in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand for 30 minutes. (This crisps the onions and takes away the raw onion taste.) Drain well and pat dry on paper towels. (This can be done up to four hours in advance. Set aside at room temperature.)

2. In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing to soften them. Set aside for at least 20 minutes or until ready to serve the salad. (This can be done up to four hours in advance. Set aside at room temperature.)

3. To assemble the salad, place the spinach, onions, and pears in a large bowl. Give the remaining dressing a last-minute shake and pour over the salad. Toss to coat evenly.

4. Arrange the salad in a large serving bowl or divide it evenly among 8 salad plates.

5. Scatter the cranberries and hazelnuts over the top. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Try to buy shelled hazelnuts (also called filberts) with the brown, papery skins removed as well. To toast, spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and place in a preheated 375 degree oven. Toast for about 12 minutes until lightly browned.

If the nuts still have the skins on, transfer them while they're hot to a clean kitchen towel. (Use a clean towel that is old or that you don't mind washing with bleach, because the skins tend to discolor the fabric.) Rub the nuts to remove most of the skins--they never come completely off.

You can substitute unsalted cashews for the hazelnuts. Toast cashews, as directed above for the hazelnuts, for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.

Nuts can be toasted up to 1 day in advance. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Aunt Kim's Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing

1 lemon
3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. olive oil
1/4 C. fresh parmesan, grated fine

1. Juice lemon to measure 2 Tbsp. juice. Place in small bowl. Add next 4 ingredients. Whisk until blended.
2. Add mayonnaise. Whisk until smooth.
3. While continuously whisking, add oil to mayonnaise in a thin, steady stream. Continue whisking until blended.
4. Stir in parmesan cheese. Cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Can be stored, covered, in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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Alternate Caesar Dressing (Without Mayonnaise of Vinegars)

Yolks from 2 hardboiled eggs
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 C. lemon juice
6 cloves garlic
1/2 C. olive oil
4 anchovies (opt.)
SPG, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender. 

Aunt Kim's Caesar Salad

1 head romaine, torn
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 C. olive oil
1 C. croutons
4 shakes salt
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
4 anchovies, minced fine (optional)
1 Tbsp. wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. white or red wine
1 egg yolk
3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese
coarse black pepper

1. Clean and drain lettuce.

2. Combine oil and garlic and let stand 2-5 hours.

3. At serving time, add all ingredients to marinated oil.

4. Toss dressing into torn lettuce and top with croutons.

Aunt Kim's Apple Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce, broken into pieces
1 head red leaf lettuce, broken into pieces
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1 bag sea salt bagel chips, broken apart

Dressing:
3/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 C. oil
1/3 C. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 poppy seeds

1. Refrigerate dressing overnight.

2. Combine all ingredients just before serving.

Aunt Kim's Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Crumb Crust:
1 1/2 C. vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers, crushed)
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa
1/3 C. butter, melted

Cheesecake:
12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
24-oz. cream cheese, softened
14-oz. sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. To make crust, stir together ingredients in a medium bowl. Press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan and set aside.

3. Place chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowl and microwave at medium (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes. Stir. If necessary, microwave at medium in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until chips are melted when stirred.

4. Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add melted chips, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into prepared crust.

5. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan.

6. Cool completely. Remove side of springform pan.

7. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Garnish as desired.

8. Cover and refrigerate leftover cheesecake.