Cranberry Salsa

For our family Christmas get-together last Sunday I brought a the previous mentioned veggie tray but I also I wanted to share this amazing cranberry salsa that my friend, Molly, brought to a friends dinner a few weeks ago. Fortunately another friend, Marc, had got the recipe and posted it on his blog. So you can tell that this salsa was a hit!

When I brought it to the family event, I thought "Oh this is a lot. What will I do with all the leftovers?" I shouldn't have been concerned with that. It was all gone before the evening was over. So if you were there and want the recipe or you just want to try something new, here it is:

Cranberry Salsa with Cream Cheese

• 1 bag cranberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 green onion
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 of a bunch of cilantro
• 1 med. jalapeño - seeds and veins removed
• 1 lemon
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 blocks of cream cheese at room temperature

Remove soft and rotten cranberries from batch and wash. Chop cranberries, onion, cilantro and jalapeño to medium fine in food processor. Mix in sweetener, cumin salt and juice of the lemon. Cover and let macerate in fridge for 2 - 4 hours to let flavor build and the cranberries to soften. It will sweeten as it stands in the fridge.

Serve at room temperature poured over the top of the blocks of cream cheese with whole grain crackers.

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

A few weeks ago a friend from my ward had a bunch of us over for dinner. I didn't want to show up empty-handed so I asked what I could bring. She left the door open for whatever I wanted to bring. I got to thinking and remembered a great hot dip that my sister had brought to a few family gatherings. So I called her up for the recipe. Thanks, Tam! And now I'm going to post it here. Not only for you but also so that I will know where to find it when I need it next. ;)

Cheesy Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

• 1 12oz can of Quartered Artichoke Hearts (not marinated)
• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 cups Mozzarella & Parmesan Shredded Cheese (I used the Italian mix)
• 1 small can of Chopped Green Chilies

Directions
Preheat oven at 350 degree. Smash each artichoke heart. Mix the mayonnaise, cheese, and artichokes together. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with non-stick spray. put mixture in the pan. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Service with crackers. Yum!

Banana Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of bread
• 1 large banana
• 2 tablespoons Miracle Whip

Directions:

• Smooth Miracle Whip over one side of each piece of bread.
• Slice banana and place on Miracle Whip side of one of the pieces of bread.
• Place second piece of bread on top of the sliced banana (Miracle Whip side down.)

Yesterday I made myself one of these great sandwiches and I thought I should share my secret recipe once and for all. The tanginess of the Miracle Whip works great with the sweetness of the banana. Try it out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

I'm not entirely sure where this sandwich idea came from. I have heard of other people eating banana and peanut butter but never banana and Miracle Whip. My first memory of this great concoction comes from one of our family vacations to visit family in Virginia. We (6 kids and my parents) would all pile in the old brown station wagon and head out for the several days it would take to drive to the east coast. I remember my sisters in the back seat taking sandwich orders. I just remember ordering a banana and Miracle Whip sandwich. They obliged and I've been eating them ever since.

My First Fresh Fig

I was over at my parent's house last night following our weekly family eating out dinner. My mom had just purchased a load of fruit from Costco and she had a large tray of figs that she wanted to share. First she tried to get my brother to take one but since he didn't know where figs rate on the carbohydrates scale, he said he'd pass. Next she asked if I wanted one. I kind of turned my nose up because I had never had a fresh fig and wasn't anxious to try it. (Of course, I've had and enjoyed many a fig newton.) My brother (who wouldn't try one) then urged me on to try it. I caved in and tried one. The peeling was a lot more tender then I expected. I bit into it and chewed a bit. It reminded me a little bit of a kiwi because it was a similar color and seemed to have a bunch of small seeds in it. It was alright. I wasn't loving it but it was okay. I examined the center the fruit a little closer and thought it looked like a bunch of bugs in the middle. My mom reassured me that it was just really ripe. But then I showed her closer view what I thought to be a bug. She agreed that it was a bug and told me to put in the garbage. But then wanted me to try a different one. Since I had already eaten a bug, I thought it couldn't get worse. But this time I sliced it open rather than just taking a big bite. No bugs this time! The funny thing is when it was all over I actually liked the taste the one with bugs more. Should I be concerned? :)