Rosemary Roasted Cashews

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe.  I just love her!  She one of those people that I feel like we could be great friends if we ever met.  I mean after all we have so much in common.  We are fabulously rich, have a mansion in the Hampton's, adore our husbands, and love to cook.  OK, so we have two things in common, we adore our husbands and love to cook.  She has so many great recipes that I make and most of them are pretty simple.  I am starting to plan my Thanksgiving menu and this is going to be one of the appetizers I sit out. They are so good with the fresh rosemary and have such a special Holiday feel.  I am going to share my exact menu with you tomorrow and the recipes I have tested.  I will also suggest recipes I have previously tested that I know are great.  If you have any request for a recipe you'd like me to try please let me know.  I hope this helps you get ideas for your Thanksgiving meal!  Stay tuned!

Tips:

If you can't find unsalted cashews, you can use salted,  just omit the salt called for in the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound roasted cashews, unsalted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes or warmed through.

In a medium bowl combine butter, rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and salt.  Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are coated.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Honey- Cheese Spread

Wow, what a week and half!  We started off with us taking our 4 year old to the emergency last Sunday, then my son got sick, then it hit me!  What can I say, we like to spread the love in our home.  Hopefully we are all on our way to better health.  Now I just need to bleach my house down.  Sometimes, a good cleansing of the house and the soul makes everything new.  My in laws were also in town, so we have been very busy.  I'm glad to be back to sharing some recipes with y'all.  I served this recipe while they were here and it makes a great appetizer.  Perfect for entertaining.  Tangy goat cheese + salty sunflowers + sweet honey = Bliss.  It comes together in 10 minutes, so keep these ingredients on hand and you'll never get caught off guard with surprise guests!

Ingredients:

1 (10.5- oz.) goat cheese log (Found in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store)
1/2 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup honey
Assorted crackers

Directions:

Press or roll goat cheese log in roasted sunflower seeds, thoroughly coating cheese, including ends.  Arrange cheese on a serving platter with any remaining sunflower seeds.  Drizzle with honey.  Serve with crackers.

Enjoy!

Baked Zucchini Fries

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend!  I sure did. (Thanks Aunt Bev!) However, with that usually comes some indulgent food choices so I thought I better make some healthier recipes this week to reign myself back in.  I did love every bite though!

I am not the greatest of gardeners, matter of fact I am pretty bad at it.  I'm not so good with the whole weeding thing. This year I bought some zucchini plants.  My brother planted them for me in my Dad's garden and my Dad has done all the weeding for me.  I think it has worked out quite well.  I have never grown it before and I had no clue how big the plants get.  Wow!  And they produce alot of zucchini! Good thing I love it.  There are so many things you can do with it, this is just one of many. These are awesome! They are crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.  And there is no guilt with these!  These are perfect served with some marinara or ranch.  Bake some up tonight!

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, sliced into sticks
1 large egg white
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
cooking spray
salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut zucchini into thin sticks.
In a small bowl, beat the egg white and season with salt and pepper.
In a Ziplock bag, place the breadcrumbs and garlic powder; shake well to combine the mixture.
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.  Dip the zucchini sticks into the egg and then place into the bread crumb bag, a few at a time and shake to coat.  Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer on your prepared cookie sheet.  Repeat with all of the remaining zucchini sticks.  Spray more cooking spray on top of the zucchini sticks.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve with some marinara sauce for dipping.

 Enjoy!

Barbecue Deviled Eggs

These are my own original recipe for deviled eggs minus the BBQ.  Adding BBQ to deviled eggs is an old southern classic.  They go well with so many things!  Try them sometime without the BBQ.  They are the only deviled eggs my hubby will eat. =)


Ingredients:


12 large eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 heaping teaspoon horseradish mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
1/3 cup finely chopped barbecued pork
paprika and dill pickle for garnish, optional


Place eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan; add water about 2 inches above eggs. Bring to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes.
Drain and fill pan with cold water and ice. Tap each egg on the counter and roll back and forth. Peel under cold running water. 
Cut eggs in half lengthwise, and carefully remove yolks. They should pop right out. Beat egg yolks and next 5 ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Gently stir in pork.
Spoon yolk mixture into egg white halves.
Chill until ready to serve. Garnish, if desired.


Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Dip

I love caramel apples. Let's be honest, not to many people don't. But they are kind of hard to eat. Especially for kids. This dip taste just like a caramel apple. This recipe is so easy and absolutely delicious! It makes a great appetizer, snack, or dessert.  Great way to get everyone eating fruit!


Ingredients:


25 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped.
1/4 cup of water
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar


In a microwave safe bowl, melt caramels and water, slowly, stirring often. I did 40 second intervals.


In a medium size bowl cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in caramel mixture and beat until smooth. Serve with apple slices or whatever fruit you like! Can be refrigerated until ready to serve. Serves 8.


Enjoy!