Spiced Pecans

Here's a recipe for a quick and easy but tasty holiday treat that my mom used to make and I just recently made for the first time.  As long as you are going to the (little to no) trouble of making it, you might as well double the recipe!

Ingredients

• 3 cups pecan halves
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• In large bowl, combine egg whites with water
• Toss with pecans
• In separate smaller bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix very well
• Pour dry ingredients onto the pecans and stir well enough to evenly coat all pecans
• Lay aluminium foil onto a cookie sheet and spread spiced pecans evenly onto it

• Bake 30 minutes, stirring and turning pecans every 10 minutes
• Remove from oven and allow to cool
• Break up pecans from each other and enjoy!

Note: I would assume that this recipe would work with other nuts such as almonds and walnuts

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It may seem simple enough.  Why post a recipe about how to do the simplest thing ever?  But the truth is, most people don't roast pumpkin seeds to my standards.  Salt is not enough, people!  When the pumpkin has been carved, try this mix of spices instead this year.

The amounts below are to be used per 1 cup of rinsed pumpkin seeds.  Increase amounts as necessary.

Ingredients

• Rinsed seeds from pumpkin
• 1 tbsp light cooking oil
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Place dried seeds in a small mixing bowl
• Mix with oil and spices
• Spread seeds evenly over a baking sheet
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until crisp and very lightly browned, tossing occasionally.  May have to increase for a larger amount of seeds

Tom-esto-san

Today I knew I would be hungry before our late dinner was ready so I threw together some ingredients I had for an experimental appetizer.  Side Note: food title also experimental!

Ingredients

• Tomatoes
• Pesto sauce
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Slice the tomatoes in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp
• Fill the tomato halves with a dollop of pesto sauce
• Place stuffed tomatoes in a baking dish
• Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top (I'm sure shredded would be better than grated!)
• Bake for 13-15 minutes

Simple yet delicious

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Midwest to Southwest loves guest bloggers! This one comes from Amy down in Florida, thanks Amy!

You will need:

• Equal parts for the sauce of 1/2 honey mustard, 1/2 honey
• Bacon
• Shrimp

Cover shrimp in sauce, wrap 1/3 slice of bacon and secure with tooth pick.

Prep

Grill for about 3 minutes on each side.

Amy with finished product!

Tortilla Chips from Your Own Oven!

It was Friday afternoon, at about 4:30.  Dinner wasn't for a while but I had some good salsa in the fridge and wanted some chips.  A trip to the cabinet revealed that the chips had been finished (and not placed on the shopping list!).  Not wanting to fight the Friday evening traffic, things seemed hopeless.

But wait.

I had tortillas.  I had oil.  I had a couple spices.  I had an oven!  How hard could this be?

Ingredients

• 4 tortillas - for this attempt, I used flour because its what I had.  I'm sure corn would be terrific
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• Taco Seasoning - see previous post for recipe for a low-sodium taco seasoning you can make at home!  Also in that same post is a recipe for some pico de gallo that would be great with these chips!

 Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Cut tortillas into chip-sized peaces and spread on lightly greased baking sheet
• Mix oil and lime juice into small bowl
• Brush oil mix lightly onto chips
• Sprinkle desired amount of taco seasoning onto chips
• Bake 10-11 minutes

Oven-ready!

Mouth-ready!

Verdict: More please!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

One of my favorite appetizers to order when dinning out is Spinach and Artichoke Dip. This recipe comes from my mom's kitchen and is always a crowd pleaser...

You will need:

• 8 oz. pkg softened cream cheese
• 1/3 cup finely shredded romano cheese
• 1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 tbsp mayo or miracle whip
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp minced garlic (use more to taste)
• 10 oz pkg chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
• 12 to 14 oz can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped small)
• Your favorite bread or chips (I used whole wheat bread that I find next to the fresh bread in the local store)

I put everything (except the bread or chips!) in a crock pot on low for at least two hours and stir a few times. This is fantastic!!

Ranch Veggie dip

Ranch Veggie Dip:

A great dip that is healthy and that taste good is a hard find. However you have come to the right location to find one.

It's simple, put a large container of Cottage Cheese in a blender and blend till smooth. (Please note you will need to take your rubber scrapper to mix a few times so you don't leave any large clumps.

Once smooth and put into a bowl. Add one package of ranch dressing mix (pounder). Stir and enjoy!

This is great for a veggie tray, or chips.

I happened to have about half a a pack of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix with me so I thought I would mix it up and add it and cut back on the Ranch for a bit of an extra kick! I just kinda tasted till I liked. (It can get salty quickly so start with half a pack of ranch and add small amounts till it is yummy in the tummy!)

(The picture makes it look like it has clumps in it was smooth, it's all in the blending!)

Chile con Queso

No party is complete without a good dip!  There are a million and one good dips out there.  After trying this recipe, you'll only have a million to go :)

Ingredients

• Half a large white onion or a small one, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 roma tomato or half a large tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped spicy pepper of your choice (I used green chiles, of course)
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 lb American cheese, cubed

Directions

• Saute the onions and garlic in the butter until soft
• Add the tomato, peppers, oregano and salt and cook over low heat until heated through

• Stir in cheese and cook until it melts

Variation 1: For a heartier dip, add 1/2 lb of browned ground beef to the dip

Variation 2: For a slightly healthier dip, substitute room temperature nonfat cream cheese for half the American cheese

Serve with chips, over fries, or however else think may taste great!