Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Forget the ham or the mac and cheese or the mashed potatoes. This Christmas, all anyone cared about was this amazing dip. It's savory and refreshing and delicious. Both my mom and mother-in-law insisted on taking some home and my husband made me go out and buy some more crackers so he could finish off our leftovers. If only cranberries were available year round, I would make this dip throughout the year.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
dash of salt
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)

Crackers for serving. We used butter crackers, but my mother-in-law also ate the dip with tortilla chips.

Directions:
Finely dice cranberries. You can do this in your food processor (which is what I did) or dice them by hand. In a large bowl, combine diced cranberries, green onion, cilantro, pepper, sugar, cumin, lemon juice, and salt. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours (and let mine sit over night). This allows the sugar to dissolve and be absorbed by the cranberries.

Before serving, spread the cream cheese evenly on your serving plate. Pour on cranberry mixture over the cream cheese. Serve with crackers.

Cream Cheese

Cranberry dip, molasses chews, cinnamon sugar chips, ginger truffles

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Appetizer Recipes:
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Jalapeno Popper Wontons 
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Spinach Balls with a Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce  
Parmesan Veggie Crisps 
Cheese Puffs for Cheese Lovers!
Cheesy Twisty Straws

Molasses Chews

Normally I have a huge Christmas baking list that I have to whittle down to something manageable. This year, I'm feeling a little burnt out, I think. This is the only new recipe I tried this year (and it's a keeper!). I mostly made cookies and candies I've done before, and not that many (see my Christmas baking list at bottom of post). I have to admit, it was kind of nice enjoying my favorite treats again.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup whole milk
1 cup unsulphured molasses
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candy thermometer

Directions:
Line an 8x8-inch glass baking dish with wax paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine butter, chocolate, milk, molasses, and sugar over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Insert candy thermometer in the pan.

When the temperature reaches 248 on the thermometer, remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.

Carefully pour the molasses caramels into the prepared pan. Allow to cool and set for at least two hours. Remove the molasses chews from the dish and cut into bite-size squares. If you find the caramel sticking to the knife, spray the knife with cooking spray. Wrap the individual chews in wax paper.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Christmas Baking List 2014:
Kiss Cookies
Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookies 
Spiced Rum Brown Butter Cookies
Homemade Marshmallows
Pumpkin Caramels!
Gingerbread Hot Chocolate

Easy Every Day Rolls

I'm in love with these rolls for so many reasons. They are so simple yet so good. Chewy and light and everything a roll should be. I made them for Thanksgiving and will probably make them again for Christmas, but I could easily make them for dinner any night of the week.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
2- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (1 package)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons butter, melted and divided

Directions:
Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, salt, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and water in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix well with the paddle attachment until mixture is smooth. Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough is tacky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Change to the hook attachment and kneed until smooth, about 4 to 6 minutes. (You could also knead by hand).

Grease a bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down dough and divide into 12 balls. Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and place the dough balls into the dish. Cover once more with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size again. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the roll for 15 minutes or until the tops turn golden. Remove from oven and brush with remaining tablespoon of butter.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Bread Recipes:
Basic Pizza Dough Recipe
Homemade Bread Sticks 
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Homemade Pita Bread
Parmesan Onion Rolls 
Soft and Chewy French Bread 
Sour Cream Dinner Rolls  

Homemade Dried Cranberries

Homemade craisins (dried cranberries) are so incredibly easy to make--they just occupy your oven for a day. I go a little cranberry crazy in the winter and I've already used them to make a cranberry brie grilled cheese sandwich (seriously, sooo good!) and Cranberry Bliss Bars. I chased Eric away from them before he devoured them all, and I'm contemplating making a chicken breast stuffed with ricotta, spinach and cranberries.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:
Wash cranberries then place them in a sauce pot. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil in a second pot then pour boiling water over cranberries. Let the cranberries soak for about 10 minutes. They will pop (split open) during this time.

Drain the cranberries and gentle dry them. Check to make sure all the cranberries popped. If any of them did not, pierce them with a paring knife.

In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to boil until sugar is dissolved to make a simple syrup. Add cranberries to the simple syrup and stir until all the cranberries are well coated (you can skip this step, but your craisins will be very, very tart).

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread the cranberries out on the cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the oven.

Bake cranberries for 6 to 8 hours. Since cranberries come in different sizes, the smaller one will dry out quicker than the larger ones so at about 5 or 6 hours, I start checking on the cranberries every hour and removing the ones that are shrivelled but are still somewhat soft.

Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Cranberry Recipes:
Cranberry Sauce Three Ways: Traditional, Orange Zest, and Brandied 
Spiced Cranberry Juice
Michigan Cranberry Brownies 
Sugared Cranberries
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries
Dark Chocolate-Covered Cranberries 

Pumpkin Mug Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

The great thing about mug cakes is that are a generous single serving which means two things: you can't over indulge and you don't have to share. And this pumpkin mug cake is the most moist mug cake I have ever made. It really hits the spot on a chilly autumn day.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Cake
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Frosting

1 ounce cream cheese, softened

1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:
Cake
Spray the inside of a mug with cooking spray. Add all the ingredients in the mug and mix until well combined. Microwave for 50 to 60 seconds or until the cake is set in the middle. Each microwave works a little different so start at 50 seconds and slowly increase from there.

While cake cools, make the frosting.

Frosting
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and powder sugar. Place on top of pumpkin mug cake.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Mug Recipes:
3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Mug Cake
Brownie in a Mug
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread in a Mug
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake
Chocolate-Hazelnut Mug Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Fluffernutter Mug Cake
French Toast in a Mug
Quiche in a Mug

Spiced Cinnamon Tea

I am cold all the time. It can be 30 degrees out or 70--I've got a sweater on either way. For me, the best way to keep warm is by the inside out. Since I don't do coffee, I've always drunk hot chocolate to keep warm, but that's a bit hard on the waistline so I started experimenting with teas. In truth, the only one I found that I really liked was cinnamon tea. And it's more like love than like. Of course, I've a cinnamon fiend--cinnamon in my oatmeal, my hot chocolate, pancakes . . . pretty much everything. I drink the generic Meijer brand but I believe Celestial Seasoning also makes a cinnamon tea. Normally I add a scant teaspoon of sugar to my tea, but since it's autumn, I decided to spice the tea with mulling spices. So-so-so good and autumnly.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cinnamon tea bag
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon mulling spices (I used Aspen Cider Spices)

Directions:
Boil water. I just put my mug in the mircowave for 2 minutes. Stir in sugar and spices. Place tea bag in mug and steep for about 4 minutes.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Beverage Recipes:
Butterbeer from Harry Potter
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mixes
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa
Spiced Cranberry Juice 

Apple Peel Crisps

I will admit, these aren't as pretty as apple chips, but they are just as tasty. I've been peeling a lot of apples lately to make apple pie salsa and apple muffins and it seemed like a waste to throw away the peels. I did a quick google search to see what I could turn them into and Martha Stewart informed me that they could be baked just like apple chips.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
Apple Peels
Cinnamon-sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Toss apple peels with cinnamon-sugar. Place the apple peels on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 2 hours or until the peels curl and crisp. Flip peels half way through baking.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Autumn Recipes:
Baked Apple Chips
Savory Apples Stuffed with Sage and Sausage
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes 
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce 

Cinnamon Glazed Apple Muffins

This was the third year in a row we missed out on picking apples. The first year it was a bad crop and no one had apples. Last year our favorite orchard closed the weekend before we planned on going at the end of October. This year, we went in early October so not to miss out again. Well, we did. There was a rush of people the weekend before we planned on going and they picked the orchard clean. But they did have some pre-picked apples we could buy. So I've been going apple crazy. Some were sucesses like these muffins and my apple pie salsa. The apple and sausage mac and cheese, not so much.

Next time, I'm going to give these muffins a crumb topping and drizzle them with a cinnamon glaze. A muffin just isn't a muffin without a crumb topping.

Recipe adapted from here.
Makes approximately 2 dozen muffins.

Ingredients:
Muffins
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups diced apples, peeled and cored (about 3 apples--I used Mutsu)

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffan pan with paper cups.

In a large bowl, cream sguar, eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. In a second bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ones and mix until well combined. Fold in diced apples.

Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes or until muffins are set in the middle. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Glaze
In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until well combined. Dip the tops of the muffins in the glaze.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Breakfast Recipes:
Basic Homemade Bagels  
Blueberry Muffins
French Toast in a Mug  
Homemade Hash Browns 
 Individual Bacon and Cheese Quiches
Monkey Bread Muffins  
Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls 
Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes  
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Quiche in a Mug
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

Pumpkin and French toast, a match made in heaven! Not to mention perfect for a crisp, fall morning. This bake doesn't require maple syrup, but I will admit, a small drizzling of syrup does add a nice finishing touch to this dish. Besides, can you really have French toast without syrup?

Oh, and this pumpkin bake is amazing (dare I say, even a little better) as leftovers!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin French Toast
6 slices of sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes

Directions:
With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese filling ingredients on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy--about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, egg, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.

Lightly grease an 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange a layer of bread cubes in the dish. Pour half of the pumpkin mixure evenly over the bread. Then spread cream cheese mixture on top of that. Create another layer of bread cubes and pour the remaining pumpkin mixture of the bread.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for a least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add cold butter and toss together. Use your finger to work the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly ontop of the French toast bake.

Bake for 35  to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pumpkin Recipes:
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage 
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin Caramels!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Fudge
Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Parmesan Sauce
Pumpkin Hot Cocoa 
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries
Pumpkin Penne Casserole
Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats  
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Roasted Pumpkin Chickpeas
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Cinnamon-Sugar Chips

I made these chips to go with my apple pie salsa, a sweet chip to go with a sweet dip. But I can easily see myself making these chips again (and again and again) to eat alone. They are just so delicious and kind of addicting.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
5 6-inch tortillas (store bought or homemade)
cooking spray (or 2 tablespoon butter, melted)
1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Cut tortillas into wedges. Spray both sides of the chips with cooking spray (or brush with butter. I used cooking spray to make them slightly healthier). Coat both sides of the chips with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange of the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, flipping the chips halfway through the baking.

Place on a wire rack and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chip Recipes:
Baked Apple Chips
Banana Chips
Carrot Chips
Cucumber Chips
Homemade Pita Chips
Homemade Tortilla Chips
Kale Chips 
Parmesan Veggie Crisps 
Parsnip Chips
Pepperoni Chips
Potato Chips in the Microwave
Snowflake Tortilla Chips
Yellow Squash Chips 
Zucchini Chips 2.0

Apple Pie Salsa with Cinnamon-Sugar Chips

Have a hankering for homemade apple pie, but don't feel like going through the work of making one? Then this apple pie salsa is for you. The salsa is just apple pie filling made on the stovetop. And instead of making pie crust by hand, transform tortillas into cinnamon-sugar chips in just 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Apple Pie Salsa
2 cups finely diced apple, peeled and cored (I used 1 very large Mutsu apple)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cornstarch disolved in 1 teaspoon water

Cinnamon-Sugar Chips
5 6-inch tortillas (store bought or homemade)
cooking spray (or 2 tablespoon butter, melted)
1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar

Directions:
Cinnamon-Sugar Chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Cut tortillas into wedges. Spray both sides of the chips with cooking spray (or brush with butter. I used cooking spray to make them slightly healthier). Coat both sides of the chips with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange of the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, flipping the chips halfway through the baking.

Place on a wire rack and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Apple Pie Salsa
Combine the diced apple, lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the extracted juice from the apples begins to boil. Add cornstarch water and stir. Continue to boil until liquid has thickened.

Serve with cinnamon-sugar chips.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Apple Recipes:
Baked Apple Chips
Savory Apples Stuffed with Sage and Sausage
Apple Cider Cookies with Spiced Rum Glaze
Apple Cider Cupcakes with Caramel Filling and Spiced Rum Frosting
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Delicious Apple Pie 
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin-Black Bean Stew with Spicy Sausage  

Basic Homemade Bagels

Good bagels are soft and yeasty and basically heavenly. Bad bagels are small and tough and bland. There really is no in between. After finally giving up on the bad bagels from the frozen section of the grocery store and spending too much on the good bagels from the bakery, I finally decided to make my own. I'm not going to lie, these took a little practice. You have to get the dough really stiff, and I'm still working on making them look pretty, but the taste is spot on. I go to bed every night looking forward to having one of these bagels for breakfast the next morning.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4-ounce package, active dry yeast 
1 1/2 cups warm water
Cooking spray

Toppings such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or cheeses, optional

Directions:
In the bowl of a standing mixer, add 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Slowly add water and mix with your paddle attachment for 2 minutes at medium speed, scrapping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Switch to your hook attachment. Add 1/2 cup flour, mixing on high for two minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups flour. Dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be stiff. Add remaining 1/2 cup of flour if needed.

On medium speed, let the hook attachment knead the dough for about 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in an ungreased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Punch down the dough and divide into 12 small balls. Poke a hole through the center of each ball with your finger. Hole should be about 1/2 inch in diameter.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, arrange bagel on it, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place for another 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large, shallow pan, boil at least 2-inches of water. Turn heat to low and add a couple of bagels to the water at a time. Simmer bagels for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once.

Remove bagels from water and place back on greased baking sheet. Spray the tops of the bagels with cooking spray. If desired, sprinkle with toppings.

Bake for 30 minutes

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Bread Recipes:
Grandma Betty's Banana Bread
Homemade Bread Sticks 
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Homemade Pita Bread
Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls 
Parmesan Onion Rolls 
Pull Apart Pizza Bread  

Snickerdoodles for Cinnamon Lovers

I don't know if there is a bigger cinnamon lover out there than me. I drink cinnamon tea. I heap a ton of cinnamon into my oatmeal every morning. I even put it in my hot chocolate. You would think that snickerdoodles would be my favorite cookies. While I like them, I never really think about them and hadn't made them before. Well, a couple of weeks ago my husband and I had some snickerdoodles from a bakery and were highly disappointed. They were dry and bland. Eric commented that snickerdoodles are always rather bland. I was about to argue with him, but then I realized he was right. Right then and there I decided I would make a snickerdoodle that was amped up and couldn't ever be considered bland.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar
 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Cream butter, shortening, and white sugar in a large bowl. Mix in eggs.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Shape dough into balls, approximately  with a 1 1/4-inch diameter. Mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and cayenne in small bowl. Roll balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixtures and place on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies set.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool. 

Now, the cayenne pepper might seem a little weird or scary, but it really adds depth to these cookies. And it was Eric's favorite thing about them.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Cookie Recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug!
Cinnamon Meringue Cookies
Easy Rum Balls
Edye's Molassess Krinkles
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthified Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Smores Cookies!