I saw this recipe posted by Daphne Oz of The Chew and it looked so easy and delicious. I thought it would make for a perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving. Very simple using canned pumpkin, canned corn, with a few spices and some self rising flour and Voila! Fritters!!

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can Pumpkin Puree
1 7-ounce can Whole Kernel Corn (drained)
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Vegetable Oil for frying

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, corn and eggs and whisk to combine. Add the flour, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and season with salt and pepper. When the oil is to temperature carefully drop in heaping tablespoons of batter, making sure not to over crowd the pan. Gently flip when the bottom is crispy and allow to cook on the second side.
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My fig tree seem to produce about 10 ripe figs every few days so this is perfect for my blogging needs LOL.  Most recipes call for 8-12 figs and you have to use them within a day or so or they will go bad so this has been working well for me.  This recipe for fruit leather I have always wanted to try and it was soooo super easy and really delicious.  My kids ate it all in a matter of minutes.  One batch really didn't yield very much so next time I will have to double or triple the recipe so I have more to store for a few days.  Also next time I will dry the fruit leather on parchment paper so I can cut it up including the paper and roll it up so it won't stick on itself when it's stored.   I can't wait to try other fruit versions of this, so great and no added sugar (honestly with the figs I didn't even really need the honey at all).  You can find the original recipe at Mama.Papa.Bubba

 

Ingredients:

10 ripe figs, washed and halved
2 apples, cored and peeled
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:

Preheat oven to the lowest setting.  Mine oven only goes down to 170 degrees F but 125 degrees F would be better.   Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (paper should cover all edges of the pan) or you could cover the entire pan including edges with foil an then place a silpat liner on top of the foil. 

Place figs, apples and water in a covered pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer fruit, covered for about 30 minutes, or until very soft and water is absorbed.  Pour everything into a food processor or good blender and purée until smooth.  Pour fruit mixture out onto parchment-lined baking sheet and use the back of a spatula to spread the fruit purée out so it covers the entire base of the pan. Shake the pan make the purée as even as possible.  The edges tend to be much thinner and will dry out fast than the middle if you don't get it spread out evenly to the edges.
Put pan in the oven for approximately 8 hours if on 125 degrees F.  I set mine for 7 hours and check since my oven temp is higher and it only actually took 6 hours at 170 degrees F so definitely check yours around 5 1/2 hours. 

You want to remove the fruit leather from the oven when it’s still sticky to the touch, but not at all wet.  You may find that part of your fruit leather will be done earlier than the rest.  In this case,  you’ll need to remove the fruit leather from the oven, cut off the finished part, and return the still wet to the touch part to the oven for another hour or two.  It's done when the leather will peel easily off of the liner and the bottom side will be shiny.

When finished, simply remove the large sheet of fruit leather from the baking sheet, cut of the excess parchment paper around the edges, and cut directly through both the remaining parchment and fruit leather to create strips.  Roll strips and store in an air-tight container.
Enjoy!

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I absolutely love fig jam and preserves served with cheese, so delicious.   So when I picked a few more figs this morning this was the first thing I wanted to make.  Not sure if this technically classifies as jam or preserves because there is no pectin in this recipe but it's sweet and thick and perfect to spread on toast so in my book it's close enough :)  It definitely won't have the shelf life of the preserves that you buy in the store so make it just a day or so ahead of the time you want to use it.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup fresh figs, diced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

 

Preparation:

 

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients.  Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Use an immersion blender directly in hot pan to puree the fig mixture into a smoother (but not completely smooth) consistency.  Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until completely cool. 

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I was so excited to discover a gorgeous fig tree in my backyard this year that I didn't even know I had.  A friend of mine pointed it out to me one day at the end of the summer and to my surprise at closer inspection the tree was covered with about a hundred figs which in a few weeks would be ready to pick.  Ever since that moment I have been slightly obsessed with this tree and going out daily to inspect it and impatiently waiting for one of those hard little green figs to ripen to a big, juicy purple fruit.  Well the other day I was so thrilled to find about a dozen beautiful ripe figs ready to be picked.   So now over the next few weeks I will be testing as many fig recipes as I can find!!  The first of which is this delicious super moist Fig Banana Bread!! YUM YUM YUM!

My fig tree!

 

Figs before they start to ripen

 

Figs starting to ripen

 

 

Nice ripe figs ready to be picked!!

 

Perfect

 

The most deliciously moist Fig Banana Bread straight from the oven.....it smells amazing!

 

Ingredients:

 

4 small very ripe bananas

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 ripe figs, quartered

6 ripe figs, diced

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour)

 

Preparation:

 

In a large bowl beat together coconut oil, brown sugar, bananas and vanilla until combined well.  Add to the mixture 6 figs which have been quartered and beat into the mixture until they are broken down and part of the batter.  Next, beat in eggs until combined.  Sprinkle in baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix.  Add flour one cup at a time until batter is smooth.  Lastly to add more fig flavor and texture mix in the final 6 figs that you have diced.  Mix these in with a spoon to avoid breaking them up completely.  Pour batter into a loaf pan that has been greased with non-stick cooking spray ( I use coconut oil spray).  Bake at 350 degrees F until bread is set in the middle, about 50 minutes.  Allow to cool before slicing.

 

 

 

 

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I think the combination of peanut butter and toffee is so delicious so I wanted to incorporate both of the flavors somehow.  The obvious thing would be to put them into cookies but I wanted to do something a little different.  I've been wanting to make homemade coffee cake for awhile so I thought that it would be a perfect combination and I was really right!  This cake is fantastic.  The cake is super moist with the perfect flavor combination of peanut butter and toffee.  The crumb topping is is thick and super crunchy and crumbly with the same flavor combo of peanut butter and toffee.   This cake is seriously dangerous and I have to get it out of my house before I gain 5 lbs just from looking at it.   This cake would make a great addition to breakfast or brunch menu or it's a delicious after school snack for the kids.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup milk

1egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup toffee bits, divided (1/2 cup - 1/2 cup)
 

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a round cake pan or a 9x13 inch pan.  Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar and butter; mix on low speed with an electric mixer until crumbly. Remove 1/2 cup of crumb mixture and set aside to be used for topping.  To one half of the crubm mixtures add milk, baking powder, vanilla, egg, and peanut butter; beat at low speed until well mixed.  Add in 1/2 cup of toffee bits and beat until combined. Spread batter evenly in pan.  To make the topping: In a small bowl, mix peanut butter chips, 1/2 cup toffee bits, and reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter in pan.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until it tests done. Cool cake completely in pan on rack. 

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As one of our New Year's treats for the kids we made homemade caramel popcorn.  It definitely takes a little extra effort and time but it's worth it.  It came out super delicious.  It reminds me more of toffee popcorn rather than caramel.  After you make the caramel and toss it with the popcorn you need to take the extra step of baking it in a low temperature oven in order to get the caramel to harden and get crispy once it cools.  So worth it, you end up with a not sticky easy to handle buttery toffee caramel corn.  A must try!  I think this would be amazing if you mix in peanuts into the caramel coated corn before you place it in the oven or even better if you sprinkle toffee pieces onto of the corn right after it comes out of the oven before the caramel sets.  The variations are endless!

Ingredients:

2 cup popscorn kernels, unpopped or 3 bags of microwave popcorn
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
½ cup light corn syrup
2 cups packed light brown sugar
½ tsp. fleur de sel (or salt) - I used coarse kosher salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation:

Pop the kernels by following the directions on the bag. Place the popped corn in to large bowls (leave room for tossing).  Preheat the oven to 250° F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter then mix-in the corn syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to incorporate all ingredients. Then let boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. Be careful because the caramel mixture will bubble up and become frothy.
Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn in the bowl(s) and toss to coat thoroughly. The caramel is very hot so use tossing tools like long spoons or salad tossers!  Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and bake for 40 minutes (remove from the oven to stir every 10 minutes, rotate the baking sheets). After 40 minutes, the popcorn should be completely crispy when cooled. If not return to oven for another 10 minutes.  Let the popcorn cool completely before breaking apart.  Once cooled you can store in an air tight container for at least a week if it lasts that long.

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A super quick appetizer that is colorful and flavorful and will just take minutes to prepare before your guests arrive.  You only need a few ingredients to throw this together.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 quart grape tomatoes, halved

12 bocconcini (mini fresh mozzarella cheese balls), cut into 3rds

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (roll them up and cut thinly)

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

 

Skewer 1 tomato half, 1 piece of cheese and another tomato half onto each toothpick.  Place all skewered tomoatoes and cheese into a shallow dish.  In a small bowl whisk together the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and drizzle over skewers.  Lastly, sprinkle the tops with basil and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediatately or refrigerate up to an hour (I don't like cold tomatoes so I like to serve this immediately after I make it).

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It's rare that someone mentions a type of food or a particular dish and I have never heard of it.   This happened to me recently when I was out with a few girlfriends.  Someone mentioned Caponata and I had no idea what they were talking about.  So the next day I did a litte research and I found a "million" recipes/versions of the Sicilian dish/appetizer Caponata.  I couldn't wait to make it and try it for myself.  I decided on this particular recipe from No Recipes because the combination of ingredients appealed to me the most out of all the recipes that I read.  I really loved the combination of sweet eggplant, smokey roasted peppers, salty capers and tangy balsalmic vinegar.  I brought this to the beach for an appetizer last weekend and everyone loved it.  I will defintely be making this again.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 medium eggplant peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 Tbs kosher salt (less if you’re using table salt)
1 red bell pepper quartered, seeds removed
1/4 C olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs drained capers
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 C leaf parsley, stems removed and chopped

Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with 1 Tbs kosher salt. Toss to coat and leave it over a colander for an hour.

Grill red pepper directly on your BBQ or over a flame on your gas stove top until the skin is charred then wrap in foil or put into a brown paper bag and seal.  Leave the pepper until cool. Trapping the steam like this makes it much easier to remove the skins. When cool, peel the pepper and remove any excessively charred bits. Slice into thin short strips.

When the eggplant is done salting, rinse in a bowl of cold water to remove excess salt. Squeeze the eggplant with your hands to wring out as much moisture as you can.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onions until until they are translucent and just start turning brown around the edges. Add the eggplant, bell peppers and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste stirring until the eggplant is very soft and starts to loose its shape.

Add the balsamic vinegar and capers and stir until there is no liquid left. Take off the heat and add the garlic and parsley. You can serve this immediately with some crusty bread, but it tastes even better the next day.

 

 

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It's is so super easy to make your own tortilla chips and they are so much healthier than store bought because they are baked in the oven, not fried.  If you're like me you buy flour tortillas at the store for a recipe and then always have more than half the pack leftover that just sit in the refrigerator until you throw them out.  I really hate wasting food so lately I've been taking my leftover flour and corn tortillas and making chips out of them.  They are so delicious and I think taste much better than the store bought kind.

Ingredients:

Flour or Corn Tortillas

Non-stick cooking spray

Coarse salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray or use a silpat liner so some other non-stick liner.  Cut your tortillas into long 2 inch wide strips.  Then take each long strip and cut into triangles.  You can make sqauares to if you prefer, they taste the same :)  Lay cut tortillas in a single layer on the lined cookie sheet and then spray the tops of the cut tortillas with non-stick cooking spray. 

Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and bakc in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the tortillas are light to golden brown.  Let cool on sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a large bowl to cool completely.  Continue in small batches until you use up all your tortillas.  Serve with any dip you like!

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This year for the jewish holidays I wanted to come up with a new starter instead of the traditional gefilte fish which not everyone in our family likes. One of my favorite new kosher cooking websites is joyofkoshercooking.com. I found this really creative twist on gefilte fish that is sort of like a crab cake and it was a huge hit. It was very easy and I will be adding it to my holiday menus in the future!

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen gefilte fish defrosted (22 0z)

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1 small red onion diced

2 celery stalks diced

1 1/2 C mayo divided

4 T chopped dill

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

1 C coarsely crushed matzo (I used matzo farfel)

1 C canola oil

1 lemon juiced

4 T prepared horseradish

Preparation:

In large bol combine fish, peppers,onion, celery, dill, 1/2 C mayo, salt, pepper, egg, and matzo, and stir well to combine. With wet hands scoop 1/4 C and form into patties. Place on sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes before frying.  Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Fry patties in batches 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown.  In small bowl combine remaining 1 C mayo, lemon juice, and horseradish and stir.

To serve, plate 2 cakes on a small plate and garnish with 1 T sauce.

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I have been dying to make my own granola ever since watching Ina Garten do it on the Food Network. The beauty of making homemade granola is that you can use whatever ingredients you have on hand. It was a snap to make and its a great healthy snack to have around the house. 
*Side note: The house smells amazing during baking.

Ingedients:
1 1/2 C. old fashioned oats
1 C. chopped hazelnuts
1 C. sliced almonds
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
1/2 C. dried cranberries
3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. honey
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine all ingredients and mix thouroughly. Pour out onto a silpat or foil lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until nicely browned. Turn and stir halfway through baking.

Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

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Guest Blogger of the Week
Jack

My 12 year old son Jack is taking a Home and Careers class this semester. Over the past few weeks the teacher has been focusing on cooking. Jack has been really into learning and replicating the recipes at home. I love that he is so into it. His assignment this week was to take his chosen ingredient...Garlic....and highlight it in a recipe. So, what's better than garlic knots to show off this spice. This recipe is quick and easy and fool proof. It was a big hit at school with all of his classmates!!

Garlic Knots



Ingredients:

2 packages of refrigerator pizza dough (we used thin crust)
olive oil
garlic powder
oregano
salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stretch out pizza dough slightly and lay flat on a cutting board. It will be a rectangle shape. Cut dough in half horizontally. Then cut the dough into 2 inch strips lengthwise. Knot each strip and tuck ends under. Brush knots with olive oil and sprinkle generously with garlic powder and oregano. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
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Who's ready for Game Day!!!  If you're tired of the traditional Spicy Buffalo wings here is a great alternative.  I love these because the wings are baked not fried and then they are tossed in this delicious sticky, sweet, tangy sauce right before serving so the wings stay crispy, hot and delicious.  If you are the more traditional type of wing eater here is a link to a super simple and delicious wing buffalo wing recipe........Baked Buffalo Wings

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken wingettes and drumettes

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degree F.  Place chicken, skin on on a lined greased baking sheet.  Bake wings for 45 min - 1 hr until they are light brown and very crispy.  Meanwhile in a large bowl mix together ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, salt and pepper.  Once chicken is done, remove from baking sheet and add directly into the large bowl with sauce.  Toss until coated well and serve immediately.

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I made these for dinner when I was on the search for finding something new to make using ground beef.  I can only eat meatloaf, chili and meatballs so many times.  While browsing on Pinterest I saw a picture of taquitos that looked so delicious.  I found this recipe which is super easy and really yummy.  Everyone in my family enjoyed it so I will be making this one again.  I'm also going to make these using mini tortillas and serve them as an appetizer at my next get together.  To make them healthier you can definitely use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef as well as using low fat cheese.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing on the taquitos

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 pound lean ground beef

1 cup salsa, plus more for dipping

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack

Sour cream

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 400º. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook them for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the beef and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to break it up while it cooks, until it is no longer red, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa, the chili powder, and the salt and pepper. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Place the tortillas on a plate and cover them with damp paper towels. Microwave them until warm and pliable, about 45 seconds. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the beef mixture, spreading it to an inch from the edges. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the beef.

Roll up the tortillas and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet with the seam sides down. Brush the taquitos lightly with vegetable oil, then bake them until the filling is heated through and the tortillas are lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve them hot with sour cream and/or salsa. Serves 4 to 6.

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Every year for Thanksgiving I always make a spiced nut mix to serve with drinks. Everyone always gobbles them up. No matter how much I make there are never any left! I am not sure why I only make them for Thanksgiving so when we were making our menu for Chanukah this year, Ellen asked if we could have them again. They are so easy to make I volunteered to make them again. I actually found this version in The Food Network magazine from Ina Garten who is one of my favorite Food Network stars.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

3 Cups whole roasted unsalted cashews (14 oz.)

2 Cups whole walnut halves (7 oz.)

2 Cups whole pecan halves (7 oz.)

1/2 Cup whole almonds (3 oz.)

1/3 Cup pure maple syrup

1/4 Cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 T freshly squeezed orange juic

2 tsp. ground chipotle powder

4 T minced fresh rosemary leaves

kosher salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a sheet pan generously with vegetable oil. Combine the cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, 2 T of the the vegetable oil, the maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice and chipotle powder on the sheet pan; toss to coat. Add 2 T of the rosemary and 2 tsp of salt and toss again.

Spread the nuts in one layer. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring twice with a large metal spatula, until the nuts are glazed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 more tsp of salt and the remaining 2 T of rosemary. Toss well and set aside at room temperature stirring occasionally to prevent sticking as they cool. Taste for seasoning. Serve warm or cool completely and store in airtight containers at room temperature for up to one week.

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This is a very simple and quick appetizer idea for any occaision.  We served these as one of the appetizers before Thanksgiving dinner. 

Ingredients:

20 dates, pitted

20 whole almonds

1/3 cup of chestnuts, roasted and cut into small chunks

1/3 cup of blue cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

Split dates donw the center and carefully remove the pit.  Do not cut date in half.  Stuff 1 or 2 pieces of roasted chestnuts down into the bottom of date, next stuff to the top with blue cheese crumbles.  Lastly, top each date with a whole almond.  Place dates on a lined baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree F. oven for about 7 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.  Let cool slightly before serving so your guests do not burn their mouths on the hot cheese.

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We had some friends over for Sunday football a few weeks ago and my husband requested wings.  I was trying to watch what I was eating and wanted to come up with a way to make chicken wings that still tasted great but that weren't fried and didn't need butter.  This was so super simple and other than the chicken skin were very healthy.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of chicken wingettes and drumettes

1 cup of Franks wing sauce, buffalo flavor (no fat, no calories)

salt and pepper to taste

3 stalks of celery cut into small sticks

2 carrots cut into small sticks

1 container of fat free sour cream

1 packet of ranch dressing powder mix

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Place chicken wingettes and drumettes on a cookie sheet sprayed generously with non-stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle chicken with a little salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for 45 min - 1 hr until chicken is golden brown and the skin is very crispy.  While the chicken is cooking make the ranch dipping sauce by combining the FF sour cream and the ranch dressing packet and mixing until completely combined.  Pour one cup of the Frank's wing sauce into a very large bowl.  Remove chicken from oven and place directly into the large bowl with the wing sauce.  Using tongs quickly toss the wings in the sauce until all pieces are coated well.  Serve hot wings with the dipping sauce and some cut up celery and carrots.

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This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.  We've made quite a few changes and additions so if you are interested in the original recipe please go here.  Nanci and I made this soup of our last catering event and we served it in small 3 oz espesso coffee cups with a piece of Rosemary Biscotti with Dried Cranberries.  The soup is amazing on it's own and I love serving it in a cup for my guests to make drinking soup so much easier and portable.  Our sister, Susan usually makes this soup for Thanksgiving (minus the cream because she's kosher) and it's always a huge hit!  Last year we served it with Karen's mini cranberry muffins but this year we are serving the biscotti.

**NOTE -  We do not suggest that you serve the biscotti in the soup as pictured above.  The hot soup softens the biscotti very quickly and the cookie ends up breaking off in the bottom of the soup cup which makes it very difficult to drink if you don't have a spoon! 

It does make for a pretty picture though.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon mild curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 large butternut squash

2 tablespoons honey

2 large sweet apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 - 3 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Split butternut squash in half, scoop out seeds.  Drizzle olive oil over the inside of the butternut squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper and then drizzle with honey.  Place face down (skin side up) on a lined  baking sheet and roast in oven for about 35-40 minutes.  In a large stock pot add olive oil and butter, heat until melted and add in onions, curry powder and cumin.  Cook over low heat stirring often about 15-20 minutes until onions become soft.  Remove butternut squash from oven and carefully scoop out flesh and add to the stock pot with the onions.  Next add apples and 2 cups of chicken stock, stir and bring to a boil. Cover and let cook over medium/low heat for about 30-40 minutes.  Uncover and puree using an immersion blender.  Add an additional 1/2 cup - 1 cup of chicken stock and stir to combine.  Lastly add heavy cream, stir to combine.  Serve hot.

Linked to Seasonal Inspiration by Crumbs and Chaos
Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Linked To Holiday Sweet Swap

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The perfect little bite! 

Why make potato pancakes and dip them in applesauce or in sour cream when you can just make a mini one with both.  You get the savory crispy potato pancake with a sweet apple topping and then a nice creamy contrast with the sour cream.  This was another appetizer that Nanci and I served at our last catering event and it was a HUGE hit.  We hope you try them too.

Ingredients:

for potato pancakes:
3 russet potatoes, grated
3 russet potatoes, processed in the food processor
1 onion, processed in food processor
1 cup pancake mix
2 teaspoons salt

for carmelized apples:
2 firm, tart apples such as Gala, Granny Smith, julienned (into thin matchsticks)
3 tablepsoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

For the potato pancakes, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease mini muffin tins generously with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine prepared potatoes and onions with pancake mix and salt.  Spoon mixture into mini muffin tins until about 2/3 - 3/4 full.   Bake in oven about 25 minutes or until the sides and bottoms of potatoes are golden brown.  Remove from oven and carefully remove each potato muffn and place bottom side up on a flat clean surface.  Using a few paper towels press down potato "muffin" lightly to form a little pancake.  Flip back over so the lighter side is face up and place back on a baking sheet.  Put back in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes to brown other side of pancake.

For caramelized apple topping, melt butter in a saucepan on stove over medium heat.  Add brown sugar and stir to combine.  Next add apples and cinnamon.  Stir apples in brown sugar mixture and boil over med/hi heat for about 7 minutes until apples are coated and the brown sugar mixture thickens into a caramel.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble, top each potato pancake with about a teaspoon of the apple mixture.  Place a small dollop of sour cream on top of the apples and sprinkle with chopped scallions to garnish if desired.
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These little chicken nuggets are packed with flavor and texture.  The combination of using crushed honey mustard pretzels and chopped pecans make a nice crunchy coating while the mustard marinade adds extra flavor while keeping the chicken nice and moist.  These are a great pass around appetizer for any cocktail party.

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken breasts cut into nuggets (about 2 inch pieces)

6-8 oz pecans chopped finely

2 cups of Snyder's honey mustard pretzel pieces crushed in food processor

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup whole grain mustard

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a bowl mix together chopped pecans and ground pretzels, set aside.  In a food processer add oil, mustards, honey, water and vinegar and pulse until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and place into a Ziploc bag. Pour 1/2 of mustard mixture over chicken and seal bag. (reserve other half of sauce for dipping later) Toss all the chicken pieces with mustard mixture. Place ground pretzels and pecans into a bowl. Take chicken pieces one by one and coat in pretzel mixture. Place in signle layer on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, turning over after 10 min.  Serve on skewers for easy dipping!
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