Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Here's a great recipe for any New Year's Eve celebrations.

I can eat this stuff by the bucket. I use it to top lots of different things, but of course it is good with chips or by itself if you are a real purist.

I made some recently to take to a party, but I threw together a cheeseball at the last second so I could keep this home.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa


1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, cut fine
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/3 bottle of Fat Free Italian Dressing (about 2/3 cup)


Mix all ingredients in bowl and serve with chips. (This is also better when you make it ahead and let all the flavors "marry")

Christmas Cornflake Wreaths

Do you have a Christmas treat that we used to make growing up that you just love? I only remember making these once, but they sure stuck with me. And they stuck TO me while making them; butter your hands.

CHRISTMAS CORNFLAKE WREATHS
1/3 cup butter
1 10 oz pack large marshmallows or 4 cups of mini
1 tsp green food coloring
6 cups corn flakes
red cinnamon candies


1. in a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
2. add marshmallows and stir until completely melted
3. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring
4. add corn flakes, stir until coated
5. using 1/4 cup dry measuring cup coated with cooking spray, evenly  portion warm mix
6. QUICKLY shape into wreaths and dot with cinnamon candies

Oreo Truffles

These were decorated by my children.

I am certainly not the first to make these, but I thought they should make it into this blog recipe file. They are easy and delicious.

1 package of Oreos

1 8 oz package of cream cheese (I used fat free and it was still good)

dipping chocolate

sprinkles

Blend the oreos to fine crumbs in a food processor. Mix together with softened cream cheese until its a greasy  pasty mess. (I have found this is easiest to do with your hands)

Make it into a bunch of little balls and put them in the freezer for a while so they will be easier to dip.

Melt chocolate and dip the oreo balls in. Decorate with sprinkles.

I really want to try this with mint Oreos. Sounds delicious to me.

Quick Chocolate Softies

I needed to make some cookies to send to Scott's office on his birthday. I had some holiday swirl white chocolate chips to use up and wanted to find a quick soft chocolate cookie to bake them in. When I found this recipe right away in a book called Baking Secrets I felt I had been led there. :) 


We gave these cookies two thumbs up. They stayed very soft and were loved by all.




Quick Chocolate Softies (from Baking Secrets)


1 package devil's food cake mix
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 cup white chocolate baking chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.  Combine cake mix, water, butter and egg in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at low speed until moistened.  Increase speed to medium and beat 1 minute. (I had to set my hand mixer on high. This dough is THICK.) Stir in chips and nuts; mix until well blended.  Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.


Bake 10-12 minutes or until set.  Let cookies stand on cookie sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.


The recipe said it makes about 4 dozen. Thats pretty optimistic. I got about 2 1/2 dozen.

Pumpkin Roll

I got this recipe about 6 years ago from my friend Jodi who made this for a Christmas party. Though I was dubious, she told me that it was super-easy and anyone could make it. She was right!

 It just took me this long to finally buy the right size pan (10x15) to make it. I should have done it a long time ago.

I am going to post Jodi's recipe which was more spicy and has lemon juice (yum), but with some of the instructions from Libby's pumpkin which were a little more detailed.

Pumpkin Roll

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

sprinkle of salt

3 eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. canned pumpkin

1 tsp. lemon juice

Filling:

1 c. powdered sugar

4 Tbsp soft butter (soft)

8 oz cream cheese (soft)

1/2 tsp vanilla

For Cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease (REALLY WELL) 15X10 inch jelly roll pan; line with wax paper (I didn't do that) Grease and flour paper (I didn't do that either, I just sprayed the pan with Baker's Joy) Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel (like a tea towel) with powdered sugar.

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs with mixer for 5 minutes while gradually adding sugar and until thick. Beat in pumpkin and lemon juice. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Bake: 13-15 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched.  Immediately loosen the edges and turn it onto the prepared towel. Roll up cake and towel together starting at narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

For Filling: Beat all the filling ingredients together until smooth. Carefully unroll the COMPLETELY cooled cake, remove towel. Spread the filling over the cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving if desired. Slice and serve. 

Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast

This is from our pre-Thanksgiving dinner with Mom and Dad last week. I am a person with Turkey phobias, but I love my slow cooker. (I made a dessert in it last night that I will post about soon.)

I found simple instructions on a blog where the author used her slow-cooker every day for a year. Awesome! Here is the link to her post for pictures and her instructions. The only changes I made was that I used apple juice instead of white wine, I added two stalks of sliced celery because I like that in broth, and I sprinkled the breast with poultry seasoning.

We thought it was very moist and had a good seasoned flavor. I'll use this recipe again for sure.

Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker

4-6 lb Turkey Breast

2 cups apple juice (or broth)

1 stick butter

1 onion

Salt and Pepper

Poultry Seasoning

Unwrap thawed turkey breast, pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Place in crock pot, breast side down. (I used my 6 quart oval) Coarsely cut up the onion and place some into the cavity and some around the turkey. (Do the same with celery if you want) Place the stick of butter in the cavity. Pour the apple juice over it. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or high 4-6. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. (170 degrees) Remove from crockpot to serve.

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

Mom and Dad gave me a few quarts of their homemade apple pie filling and I have been looking for good reasons to use it. When they came to visit I considered that a good reason.

So obviously for this recipe I just used a quart of pie filling which greatly simplified things, but I think the yumminess of this pie is in the crunchy topping with caramel. The other change I made was that I used walnuts instead of pecans and sprinkled them on before I baked them and they developed a great roasted flavor that way.

I got this off the Good Morning America website. It was the winner of the 2001 Apple Pie Contest.

Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie

For Pie:

pastry for single crust pie

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples

Crumb Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup butter (room temp)

Final Topping:

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1. Prepare pie dough as directed. Place in pie plate & crimp edge

2. In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, & salt

3. Add apple slices & gently toss until they are coated well

4. Transfer mixture to pie crust

5. For Crumb Topping; stir together brown sugar, flour, and oats

6. Cut in butter until the topping resembles coarse crumbs

7. Sprinkle over pie

8. Cover edges with foil

9. Bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, remove foil, bake an additional 25-30 minutes

10. Remove from oven, sprinkle with nuts & drizzle with caramel

11. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.