Strawberry and Mango Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

I made this for my kids' after swimming snack and they LOVED it! They literally ate every bite. My daughter who was convinced that she didn't like mango suddenly loved mango. YEAH! It took very little time to make and tasted really delicious. Thanks to Barbara Bakes for the great recipe.

Strawberry and Mango Salsa with Cinnamon Chips:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by Barbara Bakes

• 1 mango, peeled and diced finely
• 7-8 strawberries, diced finely
• Juice and zest from half a lime
• 2 tsp of sugar (more if the fruit isn't sweet)
• 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 small flour tortillas
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil for easier clean up.

Dice the mango and strawberries then place them into a bowl. Add the juice and zest from half of a lime, the sugar, and the parsley to the bowl. Mix to combine. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Chill in the refrigerator until needed.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Spread a bit of butter over each tortilla then sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar. Slice the tortillas into wedges using a pizza cutter or knife. Place into the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.

Serve the salsa with the cinnamon chips. Enjoy!

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Three Olive Tapenade

I was going to buy some tapenade at the store for my Grilled Tomatoes Tapenade recipe but after seeing the price for a small container I decided to make it at home. I used a few leftover black olives, some green olives with pimentos, and kalamata olives. I chopped them all up and tossed them with a bit of garlic, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. This tapenade works perfectly with the above tomato recipe as well as a bruschetta topping.

Three Olive Tapenade:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by Allrecipes

• 1/2 cup of kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup of green olives with pimentos
• 1/4 cup of black olives
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Finely chop the olives together with a sharp knife then place into a small bowl. Add the minced garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to the olives then mix until evenly combined. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours prior to using.

Side Note: I like my tapenade a bit chunkier but you can also make it smooth and creamy if you use a food processor.

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Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream

This dip is quick and simple to make and it brightens up the flavors in most Mexican dishes. I love this sour cream on tacos, tostadas, tamales, and enchiladas. It also makes a fantastic dip for taquitos, flautas, and chips.

Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced finely
• Juice from 1/2 a lime (more if desired)
• Sea salt to taste

Combine the sour cream, cilantro, onion, lime juice, and sea salt to taste. Mix until well combined then place into the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy.

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Toffee Crunch Dip with Apple Slices

This recipe is from my sister Dana. She makes this dip for holidays, birthdays, and tailgating for the BSU Bronco football games. It's always a huge hit when she makes it and never lasts long. The dip itself is sweet, creamy, and crunchy and it pairs perfectly with the crispy and tart apple slices. It's extremely quick and easy to make and will make all of your guests very happy. Thanks for the great recipe Dana.

Toffee Crunch Dip with Apple Slices:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by my sister Dana

• 8 oz cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 oz Heath toffee bits
• Red apples, sliced
• Green apples, sliced

Combine the cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla together until mixed thoroughly. Add most of the toffee bits and stir. Sprinkle the top with the remaining toffee bits. Serve immediately with sliced apples. Enjoy.

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Charred Vegetable Salsa

This is one of the Mary Sue Milliken recipes my kids made at the Kids' (good-for-you) Cooking Academy that we all really loved. Charring the vegetables gives the salsa a deep rich flavor and the tomatillos give it a nice tang. Sue's recipe calls for 3 Roma tomatoes but I used what I had on hand and it turned out great. It's super simple to make and tastes so much better than store bought salsa.

Charred Vegetable Salsa:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by Mary Sue Milliken from Border Grill

• 1 vine ripened tomato
• 11 small campari tomatoes
• 3 small tomatillos
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 punch of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion slices on a baking sheet lined with tin foil (easier clean up).

Place under the broiler, turning occasionally for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic clove to the baking sheet and broil with the rest of the vegetables for another 5-6 minutes or until nicely charred.

Remove from the oven and when cool enough to touch, remove the stems and seeds from the jalapeño.

Combine the charred vegetables (and the juices from the baking sheet) with cilantro, lime juice, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Taste and re-season if necessary. Serve with chips or on with any of your favorite Mexican foods. Enjoy.

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Creamy Low Fat Buttermilk Basil Dressing

We loved the buttermilk dill dressing so much I decided to try making it with fresh basil and parsley this time. I also decided to add a bit of lemon because I love basil and lemon together. It turned out fantastic and we all enjoyed it. Making homemade dressing is so quick, easy, and affordable.

Creamy Low Fat Buttermilk Basil Dressing:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking

• 1/2 cup of low fat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup of light mayonnaise
• 2-3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Serve as a dressing for a tossed salad or a dip for chips and vegetables. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Pineapple Salsa

I really like adding the sweetness of fruit to savory dishes. I picked up a fresh pineapple at the store and decided to make a salsa with it. It's extremely easy to make and tastes so good. I used this on top of tacos but it would also be wonderful served on top of chicken, fish, or pork as well.

Pineapple Salsa:

Recipe and Photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1 small pineapple, cored and diced (see instructions here)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp red onion, diced finely
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced finely
• 1 green onion, chopped finely
• Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
• Dash of sugar
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Dice the pineapple and vegetables. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Set aside on the counter for an hour or so to let the flavors combine. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Avocado and Corn Salsa

My generous neighbor Jack gave me a bunch of fresh corn and tomatoes from his garden. I was making a Mexican meal for dinner and decided to incorporate the fresh veggies into a salsa. I've been seeing a lot of avocado and corn salsas on other food blogs and decided to give it a try. I adapted this recipe from one I found on Epicurious. It was really easy to make and so delicious. All of us loved the fresh flavors and textures of this salsa - I am sure having freshly picked tomatoes and corn made it extra delicious. Thanks Jack!!

Avocado and Corn Salsa:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking

Original recipe adapted from Epicurious

• 2 ears of sweet corn
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 2 ripe avocados, diced
• 1 red jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• Juice of 1-2 lime
• 2-3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Shuck the corn and slice the (uncooked) kernels off the cob. Dice tomato, red onions, avocado, and jalapeno. Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl along with lime juice and cilantro. Season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Enjoy.

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Creamy Clam Dip

We had friends over for dinner a few days ago and instead of having a sit down meal we decided to make a bunch of appetizers. It was a simple, casual and tasty dinner. Everyone enjoyed grazing throughout the evening - especially the kids. I adapted this recipe from my newest library find, "Gourmet Every Day". I really like this cookbook, it has fun and family friendly recipes that are a bit gourmet. This clam dip was creamy and delicious even though I used fat free sour cream and light cream cheese. The big chunks of clam were chewy and flavorful while the red pepper and shallot gave it a nice crunch. I really, really liked this dip -which isn't a good thing because it's very addictive and I ate too much. I served it with little rye crisps and pita chips. The kids and adults enjoyed this creamy clam dip.

Creamy Clam Dip:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking
Adapted from Gourmet Every Day

• 8 oz of light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 2 6.5 oz cans chopped clams, reserving 3 tbsp of juice
• 2 small baby bell peppers, finely chopped
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (not pictured)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/8 tsp cayenne

Combine the sour cream and cream cheese in a small bowl then whisk together until creamy and smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste and season with salt if needed. Serve with pita chips and rye crisps. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Razor Clams

Time to vent. I found out today (thank you so much for your help Kathy) that my blog has been the victim of many blog scrapers. Not only are they taking my entire posts, recipes and photos but they are not giving me credit or a link back to my site. They are using my recipes as their own to make money. It's not just a couple of recipes but at least four different sites have nearly EVERY single recipe and photo that I have ever posted. It's discouraging, frustrating and hurtful that they would try to get credit for my recipes and photos. I love this food blog very much and I work hard to maintain it. It's upsetting to me that people would do this just to make money. Does anyone know what I can do to prevent this from happening? Now, on with the recipe...

One of my very favorite meals is fried razor clams. I don't eat them often because they aren't very healthy but when I do eat them, I savor every last bite. Our dear friend Jake recently went clamming on the Oregon coast and he surprised me with a bag full of these tasty morsels. I was so excited to fry them up! I thought I would be really good and just cook them in olive oil, but halfway through cooking I realized it just wouldn't do, so I added a bit of butter and I am so glad I did. They turned out crispy and delicious. My entire family, including my two kids, LOVED them. I made two sauces for dipping that turned out delicious. My sister, Dana makes an incredibly delicious cocktail sauce that's really easy to make because it only has two ingredients - ketchup and wasabi. I also made homemade tarter sauce with fresh dill and lemon. I served this dinner with rice and Green Beans with Feta and Dill. It was a wonderful meal that satisfied all of us. Thank you for sharing your delicious razor clams Jake - we loved them!

Razor Clams:

• 10 razor clams, removed from shell and rinsed
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Panko crumbs
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Olive oil
• Butter (not pictured)

Place the flour in a bowl and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Place the eggs in a bowl and beat. Place the panko crumbs in a bowl. Dip each razor clam in the seasoned flour, then egg, then panko, making sure to coat evenly. Set aside on a plate. Repeat process until all clams are coated. Place the plate of clams in the refrigerator for 20 minutes then remove from the refrigerator and let them rest on the counter for 10 minutes. This will help keep the breading on the clams when you cook. I made both sauces (recipes below) during this time.

Dana's Cocktail Sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1-2 tsp wasabi, to taste

Add a bit of wasabi to the ketchup at a time and taste until it's as spicy as you desire. Place in the refrigerator so flavors mingle.

Tarter Sauce with Lemon and Dill:

• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise (I used light)
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1-2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon, more if desired
• 1 tbsp dill pickle, diced
• 1 tbsp sweet yellow onion, diced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and re-season if necessary. Place in the refrigerator for flavors to mingle.

Back to the clams...

Heat a bit of olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is HOT, add the clams, cooking a few at a time. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown, don't over cook or they will be tough. You will need to add more oil and butter when you add the additional clams to the pan. Drain on a paper towel then serve with fresh lemon, cocktail sauce and tarter sauce. Enjoy.

Note: I am leaving the amount of butter and oil up to you. I didn't measure, I just did it by eye. I tried not to use too much because I didn't want them to be greasy but enough to give them a beautiful golden color.


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Cranberry Jelly with Orange Zest

I grew up eating cranberry sauce from the can and gobbled it up every Thanksgiving. When I first married my husband, his father and step mother came for Thanksgiving dinner. I made my first batch of homemade cranberry sauce and fell in love. It's so easy to make and it tastes fantastic. I can't even look at canned cranberry sauce anymore. I love this sauce with my turkey dinner and with leftover turkey sandwiches. You can make it two ways, whole cranberry sauce or jellied sauce and they are both excellent. My daughter really wanted no chunks this year, so we made the jelly. I also throw in some orange zest and a bit of fresh orange juice to add a little extra flavor. It's a delicious accompaniment to our turkey dinner.

• 1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1-2 tsp orange zest, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp juice from an orange

Heat water and sugar in a saucepan until boiling. Add the cranberries, orange zest and juice then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time.

For jellied sauce, prepare like above but put the sauce through a strainer over a mixing bowl. Mash the cranberries with the back of a spoon until there is little pulp left. Make sure to scrape the outside of the strainer to get the sauce off. Stir, cover and let cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Enjoy.

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Daring Baker's September Challenge - Lavish Crackers and a Vegan Dip

For my third Daring Baker's Challenge we were to make Lavish crackers and a vegan dip. I was excited to try making the crackers but nervous too. I rarely make recipes that include kneading dough because, it intimidates me. I love these challenges because they make me try things I would normally never try. I decided I wanted simple crackers only topped with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. They were crisp and absolutely delicious. I could have eaten them plain they were so good. I can't believe how easy it is to make homemade crackers... I don't know if I will ever buy store bought again.

The vegan dip was easier for me. I have been wanting to make hummus for a long time and this was the perfect excuse to do it. I recently saw a recipe for caramelized onion hummus made by Jeena's Kitchen, and since I am a HUGE lover of caramelized onions, I wanted them in my hummus. Normally, hummus contains tahini but since I didn't have any, I decided to make it without. The hummus was really tasty. I loved the garlic/caramelized onion flavor . The lemon juice really added a nice tang and completed the hummus perfectly.

I was really happy with the end result of my crackers and hummus. They were extremely delicious and very fun to make.

This challenge was hosted by Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and co-host Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl.

Crackers:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp water, at room temperature

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, sugar, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see here for a description of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment or spray with olive oil cooking spray. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water or olive oil cooking spray and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to pre-cut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (I checked them after 10 minutes), or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Caramelized Onion Hummus

• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced finely
• 1 - 2 lemons, juiced
• 2 tbsp of olive oil + 1 tsp (divided)
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 20-30 minutes stirring frequently. Once the onions are golden brown and caramelized add the garlic and a bit of salt, stir continually for 60 seconds then remove from heat.

In a food processor (or blender) add the chickpeas, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of the garlic/onion mixture, sea salt and pepper to taste. Turn the mixer on and slowly drizzle the olive oil in. Taste and re-season if needed. Once it's creamy and smooth, add the remainder of garlic/onion mixture and stir. Serve with homemade crackers and enjoy!

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Mom's Salsa

My mom made the best salsa when I was a kid. I would look forward to coming home from school to eat that delicious salsa with chips. It had a bit of a kick and was loaded with flavor. I have a great recipe for roasted salsa that I make quite often but I haven't made my Mom's salsa in years. My generous neighbor Jack just loaded me up with freshly picked tomatoes and jalapenos from his garden and I thought they would make the perfect salsa. It's so easy to make and it tastes fantastic. My children absolutely love it and can't get enough. Thanks for the great recipe Mom!

• 10 fresh tomatoes
• 2-3 green onions
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Handful of cilantro
• 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and deveined (unless you want it spicy)
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Clean tomatoes, remove stem, then gently cut an X on the bottom of the tomatoes. Heat a large pot of water until boiling. Add the tomatoes and boil for 10-15 seconds. Remove from water and put into an ice bath. Once the tomatoes have cooled, gently peel off the skin.

Place tomatoes, garlic, green onions, cilantro, jalapenos, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper in a food processor or blender. Puree until thoroughly mixed. Taste and re-season if necessary. Letting it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours lets the flavors combine and makes the salsa taste even better. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net