From the category archives:

Dips and Sauces

Cape Cod Barbecue Sauce

by Joi on July 30, 2010

The recipe below calls for an ingredient that many people only think of once a year – Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce. I honestly buy cranberry sauce year round. I serve a great deal of chicken and cranberry sauce is an excellent side dish for poultry.

Not only is it convenient and delicious, it’s VERY healthy, so I want to feed it to my family as often as possible. It’s also a great accompaniment to summer sandwiches and winter paninis. As a matter of fact, I often put jellied cranberry sauce smack dab on my sandwiches. Ham, turkey, chicken… outrageously delicious!

Naturally, I buy it by the cartloads when Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter roll around. Cranberry sauce is as big a tradition as dressing, ham, and green bean casserole.

It also makes a fast, easy, and healthy snack for watching ballgames, movies, or The Biggest Loser. Just slice it onto a platter, throw on some of your favorite nuts (pecans are my favorite nuts to pair with cranberry sauce) and grapes and have at it! The tart deliciousness of the cranberry sauce mixes beautifully with the nuts and grapes.

It plays very well with others.

Cape Cod Barbecue Sauce Recipe

1 14-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk vigorously and frequently. Reduce heat to a low boil. Simmer 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cool to room temperature or chill until needed. Use as a barbecue sauce for poultry, pork or beef.

Makes 2 cups.

Fruit Dip That’ll Have Them Begging for More Fruit

by Joi on May 27, 2010

We all know that fruit is wonderfully healthy for us and we try to put it in front of our families as often as possible.  Sometimes it’s a hit, sometimes not so much.

I love fruit so much that it’s like dessert for me, but not every member of my family feels the same way.  I encourage my husband to eat more fruit with Cottage Cheese and vanilla yogurt (usually with added nuts or granola).  My oldest daughter, Emily, is a huge fan of breakfast food, so I can easily serve her raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries in oatmeal, in pancakes, or alongside French Toast.  Both of them also like fruit salads and cereal with fruit.

Our youngest daughters, Brittany and Stephany, have always been a little bit of a challenge – especially Brittany.  The following Fruit Dip recipe (along with caramel sauce for apples and pears) is one sure-fire way I can get fruit into ALL of my family members.

Delicious Creamy Fruit Dip Recipe

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of your favorite syrup (not butter-flavored or light, though)
Fresh Fruit (or you’ve defeated your purpose!)

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, sugars, and syrup. Beat until smooth and creamy. Chill until ready to serve.

This fruit dip is excellent with strawberries, apples (stir in a little caramel sauce in place of the syrup for an extra treat with apples), pears, peaches (have mercy!), grapes, blackberries, your fingers…. did I type that out loud??

Another Idea: If you’ve made a killer fruit salad, this dip is delicious and beautiful when drizzled over the whole shebang.

Yield: 2 delicious cups

Click the following link to find out which fruits made the Top 20 list of Superfoods according to South Beach Diet.

Roast Beef Dippers With French Onion Soup

by Joi on May 25, 2010

I made these delicious Roast Beef Dippers for supper last night and they quickly disappeared.  I served them with a great tossed salad and fried apples.

Roast Beef Dippers With French Onion Soup

1 can condensed Campbell’s French Onion Soup
package of sliced quality roast beef
6 French rolls – about 3 to 4 inches long, each
6 Slices Provolone Cheese (I use Sargento)

Combine the soup and 1 can of water in a saucepan. Heat the soup until warm.  Add the slices of Roast Beef.  I bought deli roast beef because it simply tastes better than most of the varieties you find in the lunch meat aisle. However, there are some very good roast beef slices available – just be choosy and don’t pinch Penny too hard!  Roast beef slices are one of those things in the grocery store that you most definitely get what you pay for.

Heat the beef in the soup for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until heated through.

Cut the rolls in half.  Using a slotted spoon, put the roast beef slices on the bottom halves of the rolls.  Put a few onions from the soup on top of the beef and top with the provolone cheese.  I folded the cheese in half and placed 1 piece of cheese on each slider – and, trust me, provolone is the cheese you’ll want to use in this instance.  Provolone is a Heavenly cheese and never more so than when it’s paired with roast beef.

Top each with the top halves of the rolls.

Divide the soup amongst 6 small bowls or custard cups.  Serve the sandwiches with the warm soup for dipping.

This is a very delicious, satisfying, and quick-as-a-wink recipe. These dippers can be served with a tossed salad, pasta salad, jell-o, or even a bag of Frito’s.  They’re as perfect for supper as they are for lunch.

Nigella Lawson’s Roquamole Recipe from Nigella Express: In a Word, Divine!

by Joi on February 10, 2010

Nigella Express

It’s been well-documented that Nigella Express is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks… and if there’s something I know inside/out it’s cookbooks. A collection numbering in the hundreds earns you the title expert.

A recipe I return to often is Nigella’s Roquamole. Like Nigella, I’m completely obsessed with avocados, so I thoroughly appreciate new and creative things to do with them. This recipe makes a throroughly modern Millie type of recipe that I know you’ll love.

Nigella Lawson’s Roquamole Recipe

Yield: 4-6 Servings
1 cup crumbled Roquefort or Saint Agur blue cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 ripe avocados
1/4 cup sliced pickled green jalapenos from a jar
2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
1/4 tsp paprika
large bag of blue corn tortilla chips (the blue corn ones make a huge difference, I recommend them with this recipe)

  1. Crumble or mash the blue cheese with the sour cream in a bowl
  2. Mash in the avocados.  If they are ripe, a fork should be all you need.
  3. Roughly chop the jalapenos and stir them into the mixture along with the finely sliced scallions.
  4. Arrange in the center of a plate or dish, dust with paprika, and surround with tortilla chips.  Dive in.

Original Super Bowl Recipes Courtesy of the Amazing Avocado!

by Joi on January 31, 2010

I can’t even tell you how much I love avocados.  I’ve tried before and felt that I came up short, so I figure why even try?  Suffice to say, I could eat two every single day for the rest of my life and want more.  I use them in guacamole (of course), on paninis, in tossed salads, in pasta salads, on pizza, in tacos, in fajitas, and I’ve even put them into scrambled eggs before.

I also love to slice them, remove the pit, and sprinkle a little fresh lemon juice inside.  Then I toss a little finely chopped tomato with a little olive oil and salt and glob the tomato mixture onto the avocado.  If I have fresh cilantro on hand, I sprinkle some on top.  Then I have a party in my mouth.  Naturally, I also simply slice them and eat them quite often as well.

A year or so ago, while reading a favorite cookbook, Nigella Express, I came across this quote from the beautiful author:  “I eat an enormous amount of avocados…. (I remember reading) when I was really quite young, just in my teens, that the dogs that lived in avocado orchards always had shiny, glossy coats because of all the windfall fruit they snaffled up daily.  That image has stuck with me, and it is such an appealing one.  I always have it in mind as I prepare myself an avocado, which is often.”

Ever since reading that quote, I picture Nigella’s gorgeous hair when I cut open an avocado!

Below you’ll find a wealth of Avocado information – how to pick an avocado, how to cut an avocado, how to prepare an avocado, the nutritional values of avocados, a guacamole recipe, and a Chicken and Avocado Pizza recipe.  Have mercy!   The avocado recipes below (as well as the ones linked to at the end of this Mega Avocado Post) can give you the power to have the best Superbowl Snacks on the block when the Colts and the Saints fight it out for the big one.  This has nothing to do with avocados or even cooking, but for the first time EVER, I honestly don’t care which team wins this year – I like them about the same.  Peyton Manning is a class act and the Colts are a classy organization -what’s not to like about them?  At the same time, the Saints are a lot of fun to watch and they’ve really built their program up to a position of dominance.  It’d be great to see them rewarded for all their hard work.

I guess I’ll just sit back and enjoy the game, almost as much as the snacks!

Guacamole Monster Dip Recipe

1 fully ripened Avocado from Mexico – halved, pitted and diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon wasabi
1 cup plain thick Greek-style yogurt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

  1. In bowl, combine avocado, yogurt, ginger, salt, wasabi, garlic, and lime juice; stir until well mixed.
  2. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
  3. Garnish with chopped chives, if desired.
  4. Serve as a dip with chips or vegetables or topping for iceberg lettuce wedges or romaine hearts.

Preparation time is about 5 minutes. Yields about 1-1/2 cups.

Chicken and Avocado Pizza Recipe

California-style pizza, ready to enjoy in less than 15 minutes | Serves 2-4

1 12-inch Boboli ready-made pizza crust
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/4 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 fully ripened Avocado from Mexico, halved pitted, peeled and sliced

-Heat oven to 425°F. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet; bake crust 7 minutes.
-In small bowl, combine pizza sauce and Tabasco.
-Spread pizza with sauce; top with chicken, Avocado and cheese.
-Bake until crust is crisp on the bottom, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Yields 8 slices.

Nutritional Information for Avocados:

  • One-fifth of a medium avocado (3 slices), or about one ounce, has only 50 calories.
  • Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 8% folate, 4% fiber, 2% iron, 4% potassium, with 81 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene.
  • Avocados contribute good fats to one’s diet, providing 3 grams monounsaturated fat and 0.5 polyunsaturated grams fat per 1 oz. serving.
  • Avocados have a favorable unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio of 3.5 grams to 0.5 grams, making them a great substitute for foods rich in saturated fats.
  • Avocados can help consumers meet the dietary guidelines of the American Heart Association (AHA), which are to eat a diet that is low to moderate in fat. According to the AHA, mono and polyunsaturated fats, when consumed in moderation and eaten in place of saturated or trans fats, can help reduce blood cholesterol levels and decrease risk for heart disease.
  • Avocados are cholesterol- and sodium-free, and more than 50 percent of the fruit’s fat content comes from monounsaturated fats. The avocado is virtually the only fruit that has monounsaturated fat.
  • Avocados act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
  • Avocados contain 76 milligrams beta-sitosterol in a 3-oz serving of avocado. Beta-sitosterol is a natural plant sterol which may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
  • Avocados contain 81 micrograms of the carotenoid lutein in a 1 oz. serving, which some studies suggest may help maintain healthy eyes.

How to Choose the Perfect Avocado from Mexico

(Or, How to recognize your Hass!)

  • Avocados from Mexico are available year round. You can spot a ripe Hass Avocado from Mexico by its green-black pebbly textured skin.
  • Look for the “Avocados from Mexico” sticker
  • It appears on only the finest Avocados imported from Mexico.
  • Hass has heft
  • When you hold the Avocado, it should feel heavy for its size and have no mushy spots.

Get it ripe
Avocados mature on the tree, but they soften and develop their fullest flavor after picking. You can count on a firm green Avocado to ripen within three to four days. If the skin is a mottled color – green with black patches – it will be ready for use in a shorter time, two to three days.

Need your Avocado now?
If you need Avocados to use right away, look for fruit whose skin has turned dark green or black. The Avocado should yield to gentle pressure from a thumb.

Avocado Ripening and Storage Information

How to tell if your Avocado is ripe
To determine if your Avocado from Mexico is ripe, gently press on the bottom with your finger; ripe Avocados will feel slightly soft. And when shopping for and storing Avocados, use this guide:

Storing ripe Avocados
Avocados at stages 2 – 4 can be stored at room temperature in an area with good circulation to continue their ripening. For speedier ripening, keep Avocados in a closed paper bag. To slow down ripening, refrigerate them until a few days before use.
Avocados at stages 4 – 5 can be stored in your refrigerator (36º to 40º F) for up to one week. When saving part of an Avocado for later use, cover the exposed flesh with plastic wrap to slow oxidation.

How to Cut and Prepare an Avocado

Cut
Using a sharp knife, cut into the Avocado straight down, longitudinally (from top to bottom) until you hit the pit.
Twist
Take the Avocado and twist it until it separates into two halves, one of which will contain the pit.
Hit
Carefully strike the pit with your knife. Using a twisting motion, use the knife’s leverage to loosen and dislodge the pit.
Spoon
With a spoon, gently scoop away the Avocado’s flesh from the outer skin.
Enjoy
Your Avocado is now ready to make your appetizer or entrée a work of culinary art.

Ways to Serve Avocados

Avocados are most commonly used to make guacamole, but they are so versatile and can be incorporated into many other dishes like main entrees,, salads, dips, desserts, and sandwiches.

Avocados substituted as a spread in place of many other popular foods may help reduce dietary intake of calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol.

Images, recipes, and information are courtesy of  www.theamazingavocado.com.  Visit their site  for hundreds of recipes.  I just found one for Fish Tacos that I’ll be trying this week (I’d make it tonight  if I didn’t already have a huge pot of Great Northern beans, potatoes, and ham cooking!).   Another favorite is the Portabella Burgers with Avocado Spread.  I’ve linked you to the page containing these recipes – be sure to browse around for more.  That’s where I’m headed!

Jamie Oliver Leads an American Revolution

by Joi on January 22, 2010

It’s certainly no secret that American eating habits have gotten out of hand.  What’s worse, these habits are becoming increasingly unhealthy as more and more  Americans rely too much on processed and fast food.

People are losing touch with the concept of  integrating a balanced diet into their everyday routine, and this has become more evident as obesity, heart disease and diabetes threaten to create the first generation of children with shorter life expectancies than their parents.  If you want to get a real sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, re-read that last sentence.

I was reading a few articles on one of my favorite websites this morning (Health.com).  One article in particular stuck in my mind.  Keep reading, but don’t expect that sick feeling to get any better.

From Health.com:

One in five teens in the U.S.—and more than 40% of obese teens—have abnormal cholesterol, whether it’s low HDL (good cholesterol); high LDL (bad cholesterol); or high levels of triglycerides, another type of blood fat, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Read the entire article….

None of us want our young people to have serious health problems that could have been prevented.  What’s more, we want to make their life expectancies greater than ours, not less!     We HAVE to start setting better examples, cooking healthier meals, and do everything within our power to heal and mend the wounds that have been inflicted by poor choices.

Someone else feels this way and I believe you’ve heard of him.  This fall, one of the most entertaining Food Network stars ever, British chef Jaime Oliver, began a campaign for an American Food Revolution in which he aims to change how Americans eat — by helping them learn to cook healthier meals and make better choices. Over the years, Jamie says that he’s “consistently observed the most radical, inspiring and completely emotional changes, simply through showing people how to cook a handful of meals.”

To spread the word and gain momentum, Jamie has created a petition, promoting healthy food for children, that he will present to the White House. I know you’ll want to lend your support, as I certainly will mine.  You can find the petition here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition.

I love the fact that Jamie Oliver cares enough about the health and fitness of young people enough to take action.  And what action – to the White House no less!   You have to appreciate the irony as well – this time around, the American Revolution is being led by a British chef to help save young American lives.  God willing, the British will win this time.

Jamie Oliver’s initiative is all about creating easy, fresh meals at home.   In that vein, below are a few basic “Jam Jar” salad dressings which help make eating more salad and veggies a pleasure (for people of all ages).

French Dressing

Peel and finely chop ¼ of a clove of garlic • Put the garlic, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar, and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Put the lid on the jar and shake well

Yogurt Dressing

Put 1/3 cup of natural yogurt, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Put the lid on the jar and shake well

Balsamic Dressing

Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Put the lid on the jar and shake well

Credit: Recipes from Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals (Hyperion; October 2009)

Now, go sign that petition!

Delicious Pace Recipes For Superbowl Snacks: From Wings to Spinach Dip

by Joi on January 11, 2010

As a nation, we love our food, don’t we?! So much so that in a study they conducted, Pace found that the Super Bowl has become as much about the food as it is about football. Especially if, like me, your team never seems to make it to the big game. But enough about my Broncos.

The study revealed that Super Bowl Sunday has become the top at-home party day of the year (surpassing even New Year’s Eve!) and is second only to Thanksgiving as the biggest eating day of the year. The study even found that more people remember what they ate on Super Bowl Sunday than who won the game.

I can attest to that… Who did win last year?

In preparation for Super Bowl XLIV (taking place Feb. 7 in Miami), here are four of Pace Kitchens’ favorite recipes for Super Bowl Sunday, to help make your party more festive and more memorable.

Warm Spinach Dip with a Kick
Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Yield: 32 servings (2 tablespoons each)

Vegetable cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
4 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 1cup)
Tortilla chips or fresh vegetables

1. Spray a 2-quart saucepan with the cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook until it’s tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir the spinach and flour in the skillet. Gradually stir the milk in the skillet. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the picante sauce and cheese and cook until the cheese is melted. Serve with the tortilla chips for dipping.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings
Prep: 10 min. Bake: 35 min. Yield: 24 pieces

12 chicken wings or 24 chicken drumettes
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1. Cut off chicken wing tips and discard. Cut chicken wings in half at joint. Place chicken into foil-lined shallow baking pan.
2. Stir picante sauce, honey and ginger in large bowl. Toss chicken with 1/3 cup of picante mixture.
3. Bake at 500°F. on lowest oven rack 35 min. or until crispy and cooked through, turning chicken over once halfway through baking. Remove chicken and toss with remaining picante mixture.

Sweet & Spicy Barbecued Brisket
Prep: 10 minutes Marinate: 8 hours Bake: 4 hours 30 minutes Yield: 10 servings

1 trimmed beef brisket (about 5 pounds)
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 cups Pace® Picante Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
10 Pepperidge Farm® Classic Sandwich Buns with Sesame Seeds or Pepperidge
Farm® Farmhouse Premium White Rolls with Sesame Seeds

1. Season the beef with the black pepper and garlic powder and place into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Stir the picante sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire in a small bowl. Spread the picante sauce mixture over the beef. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.
2. Bake, covered, at 300°F. for 4 1/2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Slice or shred the beef. Divide the beef and sauce among the rolls.

Salsa Verde Meatballs
Prep: 15 min. Bake: 20 min. Yield: 16 meatballs

1 1/4 cups Pace® Salsa Verde
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 egg
3/4 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
4 green onions, minced

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Thoroughly mix 3/4 cup salsa, beef, egg, tortilla chips and green onions in large bowl. Shape mixture firmly into 16 meatballs.
3. Place meatballs into 3-qt. shallow baking dish. Top each with 1 tsp. salsa.
4. Bake 20 min. or until meatballs are cooked through. Serve with remaining salsa. Mini Meatballs: Prepare beef mixture as directed above. Shape mixture firmly into 48 mini meatballs. Place meatballs into 4-qt. shallow baking dish. Bake at 350°F. 10 min. or until meatballs are cooked through. Serve with remaining salsa.

Adorable Yummy Mummy Cheese Spread

by Joi on October 6, 2009

Yummy Mummy Cheese Spread

Ingredients

2 port wine cheese logs (12 ounces each)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
2 whole peppercorns
1 pimiento strip

Directions

Cut cheese logs into pieces for mummy’s head, body, arms and legs; arrange on a serving plate.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese and milk. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert basket weave tip #47. Pipe rows across the mummy, creating bandages. Add peppercorns for eyes and pimiento strip for mouth. Chill until serving.

Yield: 1 cheese log.

Credit: Taste of Home

*** Check out the great tutorial on carving pumpkins!

Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Cheese Fondue

by Joi on January 19, 2009

In honor of National Cheese Day (tomorrow), below are a few more wonderfully cheesy recipes. They both sound amazing- I love the idea of using raisin bread in the grilled cheese sandwiches. So healthy! And the fondue? Sounds like something I need to have right away.

Wisconsin Cheese

ULTIMATE WISCONSIN GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH WITH JACK & SMOKED GOUDA

Ingredients:
8 slices raisin bread
4 ounces (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/4 cup honey mustard
8 bread-sized slices Wisconsin Jack cheese
8 slices applewood-smoked bacon, fried crisp
1 large Granny Smith Apple, cored, quartered and each cut in six slices (24
slices in all)
4 bread-sized slices Wisconsin Smoked Gouda cheese

Cooking Directions:
Spread each slice of the bread on one side with soft butter. Turn over and generously spread with 1 tablespoon honey mustard. Place a slice of Wisconsin Jack (mustard side up) on each bread slice.

Top half the slices (mustard/Jack side up) with 2 slices of bacon. Shingle 6 apple slices over the bacon. Top remaining 4 slices (mustard/Jack side up) with a slice of Smoked Gouda.

Assemble the sandwiches, pressing together and leaving buttered side of bread exposed.

Heat a large heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Grill the sandwiches in batches, cooking until golden brown on one side, then flipping the sandwich over and browning. Repeat process with all sandwiches. Cut sandwich in half or quarters on bias. Serve immediately.

WISCONSIN CHEESE FONDUE

By Chef Gregg Wangard

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white wine
3 1/2 ounces Wisconsin aged Gruyère cheese, shredded
3 1/2 ounces Wisconsin Fontina cheese, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons water
1/2 loaf ciabatta bread, sliced
1 apple, sliced
1 pear, sliced

Cooking Directions:
In medium heavy-bottom sauce pan, heat wine to a slow boil. Gradually stir in cheese. Cook over low heat until cheese is bubbly. In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Stir into cheese mixture.

Simmer over low heat 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture is smooth and cheese is completely incorporated. If
thinner mixture is desired, stir in additional wine, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Serve with bread, apple and pear.

* This is really cool:  Click HERE for a great cheese guide from Eat Wisconsin Cheese.com (they’re the ones who passed these recipes along to us).  This guide contains cheese descriptions, cheese storage guidelines, buying tips, handling and cooking guidelines and tips for serving.  Grab yours… I’m grabbing one now!

Global Gardens Gifts Make Santa’s Job Easier and His Food Better!

by Joi on November 4, 2008

Strawberry Champagne Vinegar from Global Gardents I have a deliciously beautiful and beautifully delicious online store to tell you about. And, with the holidays practically on our doorstep, the timing couldn’t be better.

Global Gardens Gifts has the most beautifully bottled and wrapped vinegars, mustards, oils, and gift baskets (plus a lot more) that you’ve ever seen.

I’ve personally tried the Strawberry Champagne Vinegar and the Blood Orange Vinegar, and if they are any indication of the other products.. quite frankly, I MUST try them all!

The Blood Orange Vinegar makes an unforgettable guacamole. I was a little skeptical at first, because I LOVE guacamole and didn’t want the flavor I adore so much to be screwed around with. (Besides, with the price of avocados, I didn’t want to regret it in the end!) But when I poured a drop or two of the vinegar on a piece of bagel and tasted it…. I knew it meant my guacamole no harm. Strawberry Champagne Vinegar from Global Gardents

The. Guacamole. Was. Delicious. I can’t even tell you how fast it disappeared. Below is the recipe – it’s from the Global Gardens Gifts website, and it’s a total winner. Total!

Blood Orange Guacamole

1 Clove Garlic
3 Tbsp Global Gardens Blood Orange Vinegar
2 Avocados
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Peppercorn

Mince Garlic and add Avocados and Global Gardens Blood Orange Vinegar and Sea Salt and Fresh Peppercorn to taste. Enjoy!

And enjoy you will – this is absolutely remarkable. It’d make a very impressive holiday snack. You know the ones you nibble away on while playing games, with one eye on the snacks and one eye on the family member who makes up her own rules. Every game my mom ever played came with two sets of instructions – the manufacturer’s and her’s. She seldom ever lost. She would have loved this guacamole!

I used the Strawberry Champagne vinegar with the recipe that follows.

Fruit Vinegar Reduction Glaze

Put the Global Gardens Fruit Champagne Vinegar into a heavy saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low boil for 20 minutes, stirring frequently and being careful not to let it burn or carmelize! Ratio of reduction will be about one half to one third of original measurement.

Use reduction glazes over meats, seafood, cheeses, fruits, cheese cakes…anywhere you want to add a little sour to your sweet. It’s easy to use all Global Gardens Champagne Vinegars this way…try them all!

I actually poured mine over sugar cookies. OMG – delicious!!!! I’m going to try it tonight over cheesecake and fish. I know it’s going to blend with the cheesecake in such a way that I’ll go a little bit delirious.

To see their other recipes, click HERE. The Savory Grecian Delight and the Pomegranate Appetizer Spread would also be perfect holiday snacks – for games, watching football, decorating the tree, wrapping presents, etc. The images on their recipe page aren’t showing up for some reason, but don’t let that slow you down – the recipes are the stars of the show anyway!

The Mediterranean Almonds would make great gifts. People LOVE things you prepare in your own kitchen.

Speaking of gifts, be sure to check out the following pages:
Gift Baskets

Mustards (These look amazing – I’m going to try them out asap.)

Gift Sets

Take a look around Global Gardens Gifts.com – you’ll love what you see. Also, rest assured that if you have gifts mailed to people on your list, they’ll arrive in a very impressive box, wrapped extremely well and read to impress.

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