Tasty Tuesday -- Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Thanksgiving is just 2 days away! I am THANKFUL its not at my house this year! Yeah! If you are looking for a crowd pleasing, light and refreshing snack or fruit dish, I suggest this Tasty Tuesday dish:

Fruit Salsa
Found on Allrecipes.com

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced

8 ounces raspberries

1 pound strawberries, diced

2 Tbls white sugar

1 Tbls brown sugar

3 Tbls fruit preserves, any flavor
 
Cinnamon Chips
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray 2 Tbls cinnamon sugar

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. 
In a large bowl,  mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes. 

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray. 

Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

I am still mastering the art of crispy chips, so if you've found the trick, please fill me in!
 
Serve this alongside the other appetizers or side dishes on the Thanksgiving table! Heck, make it all year round--its super easy and always a hit!

For a printable version of the recipe, please click here.

 

Crazy Ingredient Challenge--Tomato & Coconut

Today I am so happy to share with you a recipe that I made for a monthly challenge I participated in that my pal Jutta from Hungry Little Girl put together. If you know me, you know that I am a VERY picky eater. You also know that I am not an adventerous eater/cook. I stick to things I know. So, when the Crazy Ingredients were announced, I freaked out. How in the world I am going to put these together to make something tasty? I dug into some cookbooks and searched a little online. Come to find out, these aren't that crazy of ingredients afterall, in some cultures, anyways. Here is my take on the challenge. At the end, you will find other bloggers that took part in this challenge and a link to their creation. I encourage you to check it out!

Tomato & Cocount Rice
adapted from DivineTaste Recipe
6 servings

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups Basmati Rice
1 can  Coconut milk
1 can Tomato Puree
6 cloves
1 “ piece cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt or to taste

Directions:
Wash and rinse the rice in a colander under water for about a minute or until the water runs clear. Next soak the rice for 30 minutes, with enough water to cover the rice.

In a medium sized pot with heavy fitting lid, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the spices release their flavors into the oil. (remove cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon before adding rice) Change the heat to medium-low, strain the rice and add into the spiced oil. Stir for a few minutes. Pour in the tomato puree and coconut milk, add the salt, cover the lid and cook on low heat for 25 minutes. When the rice is cooked, remove lid, allow the steam to escape for about 2 to 3 minutes, fluff with a fork and serve hot.

So, I ended up taking this to a family gathering to celebrate my husband's grandpa's 89th birthday. I figured I would get "real" responses on the dish. Well...EVERYONE brought side dishes galore!! My rice dish was barely touched. Was it bad? No. Was it amazingly delicious? No. Would I make it again? Probably, with a few tweeks. I think it needs the chile pepper that the original recipe calls for but the grocery store I visited didn't have them. I couldn't taste the coconut in the rice. It was like a "sweet, spiced" tomato rice. The cloves were more apparent then the coconut. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Now, go check out the rest of these dishes:

If you have problems with the linky above, you can try this one:

Tasty Tuesday -- Pasta Salad

Remember a few weeks ago I participated in a Recipe Swap with Candy Girl? Candy Girl swapped and shared this on my blog. Today I'm sharing what I swapped over on her blog. This is a fresh and light pasta salad. It's a perfect side dish any summertime gatherings you might be attending! This salad is perfect for Spring and Summer, when asparagus is at its prime (and when you need to worry about the salad sitting out for a long time)! I made this for our Mother's Day cookout and it was a hit! Hope you enjoy it!

 

Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Basil Vinaigrette

Adapted from Cook’s Country

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 box pasta (any type is fine)

1 lb fresh asparagus

¼ c. pine nuts, toasted

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c – ½ c shredded Parmesan cheese

Dressing

6 Tbls. Olive Oil

½ c chopped fresh basil

3 Tbls. Lemon juice

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp salt and pepper (each)

 

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl (large enough for the pasta salad).

Steam asparagus until tender. I used the Steam Bags, but use your preferred method. When tender, run under cold water. Pat dry. Cut into chunks. Place in bowl with dressing.

Prepare pasta as directed on box. Drain. Toss in bowl with dressing and asparagus.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until chilled. Just before serving, add in pine nuts, tomatoes and Parmesan. Stir to combine. If you make the salad a day in advance, freshen up with a spoonful of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

This would go perfectly next to hamburgers, grilled chicken or pork chops! So fresh and tasty!

 

Tasty Tuesday--Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Cheese & Bacon

I've got a delicious surprise to share with you today. They are easy and delicious and one of our family favorites! I've shortened the method a bit by using Market Day's Baby Baked Potatoes, but you can easily steam or pre-bake the potatoes (I'll share that method with you, too!).

These pair up perfectly with grilled BBQ Ribs. I'll share that recipe with you next week!

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Cheese & Bacon
(adapted from Kraft Magazine)

1/2 bag of Baby Baked Potatoes (Market Day) or 1.5 lbs small red potatoes
Salt & Pepper to taste
Italian Seasoning to taste
3 Tbls Shredded Cheese
1 Tbls Bacon Bits
Cooking Spray

Follow the instructions on the bag for preparing the Baby Baked Potatoes via the microwave. If you have the small red potatoes, pierce and microwave until soft, turning often, about 10-15 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool slightly on a lightly sprayed cooking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the bottom of a glass and press down on the potatoes to lightly smash, but still keeping the form. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle seasonings over potatoes. Place in oven for 10-12 minutes, turn over and cook for about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon and place under broiler for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

We've made these with cheese and bacon and without, but the family prefers them with the extra goodies! Hurry up and try these--you'll be glad you did!