Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Fruit and Horseradish Cream Cheese Appetizer Spread Slow Cooker Recipe
Im not a foodie. I am perfectly happy with a can of EZ Cheese and a bag of Tostitos Scoops pretty much always.
But.
Some of my friends are slightly more sophisticated than this and would prefer to steer clear from cheese in a can (I know, I know, theyre missing out...)
so.
Save the canned cheese for another occasion and instead wow your friends with a terribly easy yet pretty-darn-impressive spread that you made all by yourself in your very own slow cooker.
The Ingredients.
serves 8
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 tablespoon jarred horseradish
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup dried cranberries (the mini boxes are perfect!)
crackers or salted corn chips for serving
The Directions.
Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Unwrap the cream cheese and put it into your cooker. Top with the horseradish and preserves. Pour in the dried cranberries. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, or on high for 1-2. Serve with your favorite crackers (I used plain rice crackers, if youre gluten free, the Nut Thins by Blue Diamond are great, too) or corn chips. Pita chips (obviously not GF) would be good, too!
If you do not have a 2-quart slow cooker, thats okay! Put an oven safe dish directly into the stoneware insert--something like this or this or this. Then load your dip ingredients into it. Use oven mitts when removing the dish!
The Verdict.
These ingredients sound *so* wonky, but I promise they melt together into a really savory dip with a sweet kick from the cranberries and apricot jam. My kids ate kind of a lot more than I expected them to, and Adam and my grandma really enjoyed it.
Im off to BlogHer Food for the weekend. I dont expect to find many cans of EZ Cheese... :-)
more fun dips:
brie with candied pecans and cranberries
artichoke dip
taco dip
sundried tomato dip
mommy crack
crab dip
super duper garlic dip
Guess whats new at BlogHer? Today, were learning to decode your teens texting lingo and how to dissuade bullying, gossip, and all around bad phone etiquette. There are five discussions happening and every comment left equals a $0.50 donation to DoSomething.org. What are your thoughts on teen texting/cell phone use? Share your thoughts, feelings, and opinions!
I am helping to promote this program because BlogHer is paying me GREAT GOBS OF MONEY to do so, and I : 1) like BlogHer, 2) like money, and 3) DoSomething.org is a worthwhile organization that helps teens start or find a social cause and then go DO SOMETHING about it. win-win-win!!
I am helping to promote this program because BlogHer is paying me GREAT GOBS OF MONEY to do so, and I : 1) like BlogHer, 2) like money, and 3) DoSomething.org is a worthwhile organization that helps teens start or find a social cause and then go DO SOMETHING about it. win-win-win!!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Watermelon A Fruit Fit For A King
My love affair with watermelon goes way back. Yes, I was that little girl who methodically picked through the candy bin and removed each and every piece of watermelon Jolly Rancher until there were none left. On hot and humid summer evenings, Mom would send us kids out back with a giant bowl of watermelon slices to devour. Of course by the time I reached college, I was a watermelon connoisseur and preferred mine, um, spiked.
These days, I have a new-found appreciation for sweet, juicy watermelon when I discovered its packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature – vitamins A, C, and B6. And get this: watermelon contains more lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable, even tomatoes.
With more than 1,200 varieties, whats not to love! This is fruit fit for a king – in fact, watermelon seeds were recovered from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. When I was traveling in Egypt, cafes often paired the sweet taste of watermelon with the salty taste of feta cheese.
Heres a couple of ways Ive been enjoying this delectable thirst-quencher lately:
Watermelon Kiwi Cooler
(you may recall my love of the little hairy brown fruit)
3 cups seedless watermelon chunks
2 kiwi
3 strawberries
Juice of 1/2 lime
Blend ingredients together and serve chilled.
Watermelon Sorbet
Using a melon scoop, place several scoops of watermelon into a ceramic bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. Serve with chilled blueberries and a sprig of fresh mint as garnish.
These days, I have a new-found appreciation for sweet, juicy watermelon when I discovered its packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature – vitamins A, C, and B6. And get this: watermelon contains more lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable, even tomatoes.
With more than 1,200 varieties, whats not to love! This is fruit fit for a king – in fact, watermelon seeds were recovered from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. When I was traveling in Egypt, cafes often paired the sweet taste of watermelon with the salty taste of feta cheese.
Heres a couple of ways Ive been enjoying this delectable thirst-quencher lately:
Watermelon Kiwi Cooler (you may recall my love of the little hairy brown fruit)
3 cups seedless watermelon chunks
2 kiwi
3 strawberries
Juice of 1/2 lime
Blend ingredients together and serve chilled.
Watermelon Sorbet
Using a melon scoop, place several scoops of watermelon into a ceramic bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. Serve with chilled blueberries and a sprig of fresh mint as garnish.
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