Apple Brickle Dip

1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 8 ounce package toffee baking bits
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced

Beat together cream cheese, brown and white sugars, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Stir in toffee bits. Pour lime and lemon juice over sliced apples to prevent browning. Serve dip with apples on the side.
 

Fish Tacos with Strawberry Salsa

Cooking spray
1 pound white fish fillets (tilapia, halibut, cod)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
8 small (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 pints strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 small green jalapeño chile, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups chopped napa cabbage or shredded lettuce


Heat oven to 450°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place fish on baking sheet, smooth side down (if fillets); coat with cooking spray; season with cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stack tortillas, sprinkle with a few drops of water, and wrap tightly in foil. Cook fish and tortillas until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork but is still moist, and tortillas are hot, 10 to 15 minutes. In a bowl, combine strawberries, jalapeño, chives, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper; stir. Flake fish into big pieces; unwrap tortillas. Divide fish, strawberry salsa and cabbage evenly among tortillas. Fold and serve.

I am not a fan of jalapeno peppers so I substituted green peppers, or just omit the peppers all together.

Recipe from epicurious

Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
1 pound peaches (3 or 4 small), halved and pitted
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups baby arugula (10-ounce package)


Heat grill on high; set grill rack 4 to 6 inches above heat source. Season chicken with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray. Grill chicken, turning once, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, 5 to 8 minutes each side. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Coat peaches with cooking spray; spread skin side up on grill grates; grill, turning once, until juicy but not mushy, 3 to 5 minutes per side. In a salad bowl, whisk mustard, vinegar, oil and 1 tablespoon water. Toss with arugula. Divide arugula among 4 plates. Slice chicken and peaches; distribute evenly among plates. 

 I love the vinegar taste on arugula so I put vinegar on the table to add a few splashes if anyone wants them!

This recipe is from SELF magazine August 2011

Fresh Cranberry Compote

2 12oz bags of fresh cranberries
2 oranges, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup white sugar
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp fresh shaved nutmeg

Place cranberries,oranges and apple in a food processor (in batches if needed). Pulse 8 to 10 times or until mixture is coarsely chopped. Once pulsed transfer to a large bowl and add the orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well to incorporate, cover with plastic, refrigerate for at least 6 hours or, ideally overnight. This will allow the fruit to macerate and break down into a sauce.. After 6 hours taste and adjust sweetness with additional sugar if desired. Refrigerate and store up to 2 weeks. Remove cinnamon sticks before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.


Serve left over compote on buttered bread, with pound cake, over ice cream or on leftover turkey sandwiches.

This recipe was by Tyler Florence found in the Better Homes and Garden magazine November 2010 issue

Fruit and Basil

I was introduced to the wonderful combination of fruit and basil by my chef brother Jake. We had this awesome mango sorbet with basil leaves for dessert one time at his restaurant. He told us to make sure we had a taste of basil with every bite. This began my love of the combination of basil and fruit. I recently stumbled upon an article in Real Simple magazine with five new things to do with basil. I tried this Watermelon with feta and basil salad. What a great combination.

Watermelon with Feta and Basil
Watermelon cut into chunks
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh basil leaves, snipped or chopped

Sprinkle watermelon chunks with olive oil until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Top with feta cheese and basil toss and serve.

So fresh and simple!

This could work with any kind of fruit. Strawberries and fresh basil are one of my favorites.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

For pot luck gatherings I like to make this. It is a twist on a fruit side dish or salad. The Cinnamon chips make it that much better. I am a big fan of cinnamon and sugar things!  I am bringing it to our 4th of July festivities this weekend. The best thing with this recipe is you can use any combination of fruit you want or have on hand.

This needs to be chilled for 6-24 hours before serving so plan ahead.
Fruit Salsa
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
1 Medium orange, peeled and finely chopped
3 kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or one 8 ounce an crushed pineapple (juice drained)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (about two green onions)
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow or green sweet pepper
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
Combine in bowl cover and chill for 6-24 hours. (If you plan to chill longer than 6 hours add the strawberries just before serving. they get soggy.) Serve with Cinnamon Chips

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon in shallow bowl. Brush 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine over twelve 7 or 8 inch flour tortillas. Cut each tortillas into 8 wedges (I use a pizza cutter) then sprinkle or dip the wedges in the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating both sides. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 min or until dry and crisp. Cool and serve. Store in an airtight container.