Pumpkin Pie cream cheese

I love summer so much that I hate to wish it away, and I won't, but there's something warm and inviting about fall too. A cold day in the midwest has me craving all things pumpkin. Our fall cream cheese spread will do for now.

This is great on pretty much everything. Try bagels, toast, waffles, pancakes, apple slices (as dip), pretzel rods, graham crackers, pears, etc. I could go on and on.

Mix:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (30 seconds to 1 min in microwave)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin 
2T honey 
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
a little sploosh of vanilla

Place this in an airtight container - the smaller the better - and store in the fridge. 
For a little something extra, crush some graham crackers and sprinkle them over the top. Mmmm! 
My girls love to eat a pumpkin cream cheese sandwich with bananas. Sounds weird but it's pretty tasty. 


You might also like:
Pumpkin Butter      Pumpkin Nutmeg Rolls

Fresh Tomato Salsa

This is so great for a quick, raw salsa in a small batch. It has very fresh flavors but is extremely mild. Great for the kids.

3 tomatoes (1 lb.), chopped

1/4 cup  finely chopped red onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro- maybe less. You just need enough to brighten the salsa.

1   jalapeño pepper, finely chopped 

1T Italian Dressing juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon garlic salt Seed the tomatoes, chop them, and place them in a colendar to drain.

Cover the drippy tomatoes with a light layer of garlic salt and let it drain some more.

(unless you like salsa soup)

Chop, chop, chop, everything else.  I removed the ribs/seeds from the jalapeno, but kept them separately for temperature calibration. ;) Stir the drained tomatoes with your veggies.   Add dressing and lemon, stir.  At this point, taste it. If you want more heat, add some of the seeds/ribs from the jalapeno. 

Sissy Salsa

I do not like food that bites me back. I like a good spice but not heat, so here's a great balanced salsa recipe that Sam G. gave me. I changed a few things to our taste.

20 tomatoes
2 purple onions
8 seeded jalapenos
1/2 cup cilantro
5 cloves of garlic

4T sugar
1C white vinegar (or lemon/lime juice)

Prepare a small pot of boiling water and also an ice bath. 
Cut an X in the bottom of the tomatoes and put them in the boiling water for 5 seconds. 
Then plunge them into the ice bath.
Once cool, they should peel really easily. 
Chop them to the size you like.

In a food processor take your onions, jalapeno, and cilantro down to the desired size. 
Grate in your garlic or use a garlic press. 
Add tomatoes and your onion mixture to a large pot. 
Let simmer until bubbly. 
Add paprika, sugar and vinegar. 
Stir and let simmer about 20 more minutes. 
Store in pint size jars. 
Makes about 9 jars.
If you're canning, fill your very clean jars with the hot salsa and then flip them over to seal them (as they cool they'll seal the lid)

If you don't want to deal with the seasonings, sugar, and vinegar, you can also substitute 1C Italian dressing.  :)  Is that cheating? Maybe, but it works.

Peanut Sauce

1/2 C peanut butter
1″ piece ginger, grated
6 cloves garlic, grated
3 Tbsp cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar/splenda
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp water

Taste at this point and adjust vinegar or sugar, depending on your taste.

Great on chicken satay with some sesame seeds, etc. Use it as a sauce in a wrap with green onions, shredded carrot, cole slaw cabbage, and chicken.

Soy Ginger Marinade

I started off using this marinade on a flank steak. It was fantastic so I want to use it on more things! I'm thinking next it will marinade the meat for my beef and  broccoli and I will reserve half of the mixture for the sauce. All of these flavors together are amazing and bold but not over powering.

In a small bowl or zip top bag:
Grate2T Ginger
6 Garlic cloves (or less - I like garlic)
1/4 C soy sauce (low sodium is best or it gets a little salty)
1/4 C EVOO
3T lemon juice (about half of a fresh lemon - fresh is mmmm good! and it cleans the garlic smell off your hands)
salt to taste

Mix and add to meat. This recipe is for about 2lbs of meat. It'll keep in the fridge for about a week. It does not freeze well.

Taco Seasoning

I cannot believe I didn't do this sooner. I'm going to make a mega batch of taco seasoning. I'll bet I buy the packets at least once a month because we love our Mexican. Now I won't have to!

1T chili powder
2tsp onion powder
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp paprica
1tsp ground oregano
1tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
This makes about a packet worth of seasoning.

For making bigger batches.... (about 3)
3T chili powder
2T onion powder
1T ground cumin
1T garlic powder
1T paprica
1T ground oregano
1T sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt

Plain tomato sauce

1 onion, chopped Or a couple of bunches of green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (24 ounce) can whole tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste


In a skillet over medium heat, cook onion and garlic.
Add basil, oregano, brown sugar, salt, tomatoes and tomato paste.
Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Throw in a blender, use an immersion blender, or mash with a potato masher until you get the desired consistency.

You can add 1lb of ground beef, sausage, turkey, etc to this recipe if you like.
Since I freeze it, I like to leave it plain and combine with protein as needed.

Creamy Tomato Sauce

This recipe is my version of Weight Watchers Creamy Tomato Sauce

POINTS® Value: 1Servings: 8Preparation Time: 14 minCooking Time: 11 minLevel of Difficulty: Easy

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
6 oz fat-free evaporated milk
2 tbsp basil, fresh, finely chopped
1/8 tsp table salt, or more to taste

Instructions
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook until soft, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add oregano; cook 45 seconds. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer; partially cover pan and simmer 3 to 5 minutes.
Puree sauce in pan using an immersion blender. Or working in batches, transfer tomato mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (careful not to splatter hot liquid); return pureed tomato mixture to pan.
Set pan over low heat and add milk; simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove pan from heat and stir in basil. Season to taste with salt. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.