Fruit Salsa & Baked Cinnamon Chips

My family has made this recipe for as long as I can remember. It's an impressive snack to serve at a party and easy to customize to your taste. The "recipe" is just a guideline, so feel free to use fruit that's in season or whatever sounds good to you:) I'd recommend making the Cinnamon Chips a few hours ahead of time so they get nice and crisp.  

Baked Cinnamon Chips:

Flour tortillas (I think thick, store-bought tortillas work best)

softened butter or butter spread

cinnamon & sugar, mixed

Line 2 baking sheets with tin foil and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread each tortilla with butter using a rubber spatula and sprinkle generously with cinnamon & sugar. Cut into 2 inch strips using a pizza cutter. I cut either end into a long strip, then cut each strip in half. Then, I cut the remaining piece into strips and then into thirds (SEE PHOTO BELOW). 

Arrange on prepared baking sheet in single layer and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Here's the slightly TRICKY part: These are best when they are crisp, but they are not good when they burn! Keep a close eye on them so they don't get too brown. 

While one pan of tortilla strips is baking, get the next pan ready to go.

When baked, remove tortilla strips from the oven and cool on the pan or remove to a baking sheet. As I mentioned, these are great if they sit out for a few hours before serving so they get a little crisp. 

Fruit Salsa:

strawberries, hulled and chopped

blackberries, coarsely chopped

apples, diced (I use a combination of green and red apples and I leave the skin on)

fresh oranges, peeled, sectioned and coarsely chopped

kiwi, peeled and diced

pineapple (fresh: peeled and chopped) or (canned: tidbits, well-drained)

mango, peeled and chopped

Drain fruit well and combine. I usually add a little brown sugar or powdered sugar. Serve as soon as possible or refrigerate until serving.

Skinny Baked Zucchini Sticks

This is a yummy snack or appetizer that we can't get enough of! These zucchini sticks are baked instead of fried and they are a fun way to eat your vegetables. Recipe from skinnytaste.com

3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks
1 large egg white
1/3 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
cooking spray
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt
fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping.

Servings: 3 • Size: 1 zucchini (sauce extra) • Points+: 3 pts • Calories: 121.9 • Fat: 2.4 • Carbs: 21.0 g • Fiber: 6.0 • Protein: 6.7 g

Christmas & holiday recipe roundup!

Christmas season is in full swing and we wanted to highlight a few of our favorite holiday recipes. Christmas for me is about Christ, family and friends, giving and generosity and... food! Food always seems to play a part in creating memories, traditions and comfort. So, enjoy baking and giving away yummy treats, making memories over delicious meals, celebrating with friends at a party or giving your children something to get nostalgic about when they think back about Christmases of their childhood.

Happy holidays from all of us at Boy Cheese Sandwich!!!

• For Christmas morning:

Sausage Breakfast Casserole
German Pancakes
Apple Puff Pancakes
Amish Breakfast Casserole
Chile Casserole
Kathy's Coffee Cake
French Toast Casserole

• Christmas cookies and home-baked gifts:

Nana's Caramels
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods
Hot Fudge Sauce
Mom's Sugar Cookies
Waffle Brownies
Earthquake Cookies
Mint Brownies
Meltaways
Sand Art Brownies
Peanut Butter Bars
Easy Pretzel Turtles
Thin Mint Crackers

• Non-food gift:

Christmas Potpourri

• Christmas appetizers:

Cranberry Salsa
Wassail
Artichoke Dip

• Christmas salads:

Christmas Salad
Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
Pear Salad

• Christmas desserts:

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies
Mom's French Pear Pie
Eggnog Cupcakes
Cranberry Bundt Cake with Warm Butter Sauce
Apple Torte with Lemon Sauce

• Meals for Christmas day, after presents -or- for Christmas Eve:)  Most are make-ahead, so you can just warm it up or bake it when family is around and hungry!

Three-Bean Christmas Chili
Classic Cheese Fondue
Chocolate Fondue (pictured below)
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ski Country Pasta
Mom's Minestrone Soup
Cranberry Chicken
Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder with Ham
Mom's Lasagna

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I LOVE Halloween! I love the chill in the air, pumpkins, spooky decorations and the idea of Fall (I say that because we don't really have Fall here in California!) I also everything pumpkin, including the seeds. My 5 year old came home from Kindergarten last week to tell me that she tried pumpkin seeds at school and that she loves them. It was the perfect excuse to pull out a recipe my sister gave me over 10 years ago. If you carve some pumpkins this Halloween, give these yummy seeds a try. Recipe from Andrea Fredrick...

HaPpY HalLoWeEn!!!

2 cups fresh, raw pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and set aside. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Clean seeds of all pumpkin pulp. (I put mine in a large colander and rinse until all the pulp is gone) Boil  seeds in salty water (water + 1 teaspoon salt) for 10 minutes, then drain. In a bowl, mix melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt and Worcestershire. Spread seeds on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 2 hours, or until slightly browned, stirring occasionally during baking. Cool completely. Store seeds in an airtight container. 

Homemade Kettle Corn

During the holidays, there are plenty of opportunities to cuddle up and watch a movie, or football or play games with family and friends. One of my favorite comfort foods is hot popcorn and this recipe for Kettle Corn is a new favorite at our home! Recipe from allrecipes, but I've adapted the directions a little, based on my experiences.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
Salt, to taste

Add 3 popcorn kernels and vegetable oil to a large pot (about 10 inches across). Add the lid to the pot and heat over medium heat until the 3 kernels pop. Remove from the burner. Add the sugar and quickly stir with a wooden spoon. Immediately add the 1/2 cup popcorn kernels and replace the lid. Put back on the burner and heat until corn begins to pop. Put on oven mitts and hold the lid in place while you shake the pot for 3 seconds, place on the heat for 3 seconds, then shake for 3 seconds. Continue, alternately shaking the pot and heating until pops slow. Remove from the heat and let the last few kernels continue to pop before you remove the lid. Sprinkle with salt and carefully pour into a large serving bowl. Makes 5 servings (2 cups each).

NOTES: We also tried this with brown sugar and none of us liked it as well as with white sugar as directed:)

Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls

These are so simple and are great for lunch or along side a soup or salad.

1 package crescent rolls

ham slices

cheese (we like swiss)

separate crescent rolls. place desired amount of ham and cheese on crescent dough. Roll up and cook according to package instructions. 

TIP: Make these fun for your kids and let them fill their own. Add veggies, honey mustard, or sprinkle with poppy seeds. The possibilities are endless. 

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am loving Fall this year! The cooler temperatures, the soccer games, the cute pumpkins everywhere we go, and the amazing colors of the leaves as they change. With all the Fall spirit in the air, I have been craving a good pumpkin chocolate chip something or other. I found this recipe and was thrilled! You only need three ingredients (that I had in my house all ready), 25 minutes to cook, and they taste just as good as they smell. Happy Fall baking!

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1- 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 small bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 muffin tins with paper liners. Combine cake mix and pumpkin in a medium bowl and mix for about 30 seconds on low speed and then for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in chocolate chips (these can be omitted if you are looking for a healthier alternative). Using a large cookie scoop, fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full and smooth out the batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and then enjoy!

** This recipe makes about 24 muffins but can easily be doubled. These muffins will freeze well and would make a great snack to pull out of the freezer and pop into a school lunch. They would be thawed and delicious by lunch time!

Andrea's Gooey Caramel Popcorn

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large bowl popcorn- with the un-popped kernels removed

In a medium saucepan combine butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. If you have a candy thermometer, heat caramel to softball stage. Otherwise, just allow the caramel to boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat.

This popcorn is best warm, but saves well and is a favorite treat for family night, parties, and for our family trip to the beach every year!

Corn Pop Scrabble

2 cubes butter

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 Tbs. water

1 cup nuts (Your choice either mixed nuts or all one kind) (I like Raw Almonds)

Combine in a sauce pan and cook together until the mixture starts to turn light brown.

Pour over:

1 Super size pkg. Western Family Corn Pop

Stir well.

Serve.

Makes enough for a large crowd.

Pizza Pancakes

I know they sound strange, but these pizza "pancakes" are so good! This is a recipe from Taste of Home magazine (August, 2003) and I used to make these for lunch fairly often. I hadn't made them for years, so we had them for dinner this week when I had to make something fast. These are surprisingly filling. They are quick to make and my kids love them! 

2 cups biscuit & baking mix (such as Bisquick)

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup chopped pepperoni (I use ham)

1/2 cup chopped plum tomatoes

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped (I use 1/2 cup)

1 jar (8 oz.) pizza sauce, warmed

1. In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix and Italian seasoning. Combine the eggs and milk; stir into the dry ingredients, just until moistened. Fold in the cheese, pepperoni (or ham), tomatoes and green pepper. 
2. Pour by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Spread with a spoon, if needed (batter will be thick). Flip when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown.*** Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Makes 14 pancakes. Serves 7, with 2 pancakes each.

***NOTE: I have a hard time getting these to cook through completely in the middle. I stack them on a plate and microwave them for about 30-60 seconds before serving and they are prefect!

Homemade Trail Mix

This healthy and delicious snack is originally from Cooking Light, March 2010, but I got the recipe from my friend Ali Taylor. My kids love it sprinkled over yogurt! It would also be a great snack for lunches or hikes!

1/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seed kernels (pepitas)*

1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seed kernels*

   * I substitute 1/2 cup almonds, coarsely diced for pumpkin and sunflower kernels

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

2 cups old-fashioned oats -OR- rolled barley flakes

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ 

1/3 cup dried blueberries

1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Place pumpkin and sunflower seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil.  Bake for 5 minutes in preheated oven. Cool for 5 minutes. *If kernels are already toasted, skip roasting and go to step #2.
2. Combine syrup, canola oil, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl. Stir in toasted pumpkin and sunflower kernels (or diced almonds), oats (or barley) and toasted wheat germ.
3. Spread mixture in a single layer on a parchment paper or tin foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 325° F, stirring every 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and cool granola in a pan on a wire rack. Stir in blueberries and cranberries. Store in an airtight container. Serve over yogurt, as granola cereal or as a snack. Makes 4 cups (serving size= 1/3 cup)

Nutrition per serving: CALORIES 181 ; FAT 6.5g (sat 0.7g,mono 2.3g,poly 2.8g); CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 13mg; CARBOHYDRATE 27.4g; SODIUM 59mg; PROTEIN 4.5g; FIBER 3.7g; IRON 1.4mg