Soy and Sesame Edamame

• 1 1/2 cups edamame in pods
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil edamame for five minutes. Drain in cold water and dry with paper towel.
2. In a pan over high heat, add sesame oil. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add edamame pods and fry for about 3-4 minutes, until the pods are sightly charred.
3. Add soy sauce and stir until the sauce has evaporated.
4. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.
5. This healthy snack can be served immediately or refrigerated. Delicious hot or cold!

How To! Pumpkin Puree

I'm starting a "How To" label - these aren't recipes exactly - more like guidelines/instructions I've found helpful while stocking my kitchen!

Use as many pumpkins as you want. (I washed and scrubbed mine on the outside)

1. Set your oven to preheat at 350.
2. Scoop out the insides of the pumpkin (the seeds and stringiness).
3. Cut into manageable sizes and lay on a baking tray.
4. Season with salt and pepper (optional).
5. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the oven until it is fork tender (should slide right off of a fork stuck into it.)
6. When finished baking, peel the skin (it should come right off)
7. Put the pumpkin into a food processor and blend until it's smooth.
8. Store in your fridge in a container until needed, or, if you're not going to use it for now (like, this week) you can store the pumpkin puree into plastic zip bags and place them in the freezer laid flat.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2 c. artichoke hearts, chopped
2 c. spinach, sauteed & chopped
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 c. monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. sour cream
Garlic Powder
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

     Combine all ingredients thoroughly and bake in a greased dish at 350 degrees F until golden and heated through.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can Rotel, drained
1/2 c. corn
1/4 c. red onion
1/4 c. minced cilantro
1 T. lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin

     Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

3 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil
10 Roma tomatoes
3 jalapenos
1 medium yellow onion, halved & peeled
3 T. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. lime juice

     Coat the garlic cloves with olive oil and wrap them in a foil packet. Place 8 tomatoes, jalapenos, one half of the onion, and foil packet on a medium-high grill. Grill 6 minutes, or until tomatoes and peppers are blackened and blistered, turning all ingredients once. Remove; let cool.
     In a blender, combine all grilled vegetables. Blend until nearly smooth.
     Chop remaining vegetables and place in a bowl. Add blended ingredients and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss to combine. Season to taste with lime juice and salt.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

1/4 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
 (1/4 c. parsley)

      Melt butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add cream. Whisking occasionally, let simmer/bubble for 5 minutes. Whisk in parmesan and garlic the remove from heat. Serve over pasta and top with parsley.

Pork Chop Marinade

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. honey
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. ketchup
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2-4 pork chops

     Combine all ingredients and pour over pork chops in a large ziploc bag. Refrigerate 4-8 hours. Grill pork chops about 10 minutes per side.

Homemade Snickers

This recipe looks complicated, but it's fairly simple! You can make them as "pretty" as you want, but they taste the same - picture perfect or rough and uneven!

1 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. butterscotch chips
1/4 c. peanut butter
      Heat in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth and melted. Pour into a waxed paper-lined pan (can also use plastic wrap). Stick pan in fridge or freezer to set.

4 T. butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c. marshmallow fluff
     Combine butter, sugar and milk in a small pot. Heat on low until mixture melts, mixes, and starts to bubble. Stir as necessary. Remove from heat and add vanilla, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. Stir all ingredients together until melted and smoothly combined, then let it cool slightly. Pour evenly on top of chocolate later and  place back in freezer to set.

1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 T. butter
1 lb. chewy caramels
1 1/2 c. peanuts, coarsely chopped
     Combine milk, butter and caramels in a small pot. Heat on low until caramels have melted into milk and butter. Add peanuts and pour over nougat layer and place back in the freezer.

1 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. butterscotch chips
1/4 c. peanut butter
     Melt and pour over caramel layer. Chill.

When bars are set, invert pan onto a cutting board. Trim edges and cut into even sized bars. If desired, dip edges of bars into another batch of chocolate mixture and cool.

Guacamole

3 avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed
1 lime
1 tsp. salt
2 roma tomatoes
1/4 c. onion, finely chopped
2 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
Pinch of cayenne pepper

      Mash together the avocados, juice from the lime and the salt. Mix in tomatoes, onion, cilantro and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve with tortilla chips.

Crab Rangoon

1 block cream cheese
1/2 package imitation crabmeat
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
Pinch salt, pepper, and lemon pepper
Wonton wrappers

Heat oil in deep fryer.
Blend cream cheese, crabmeat and spices in a mixing bowl. Place a small spoonful of the mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Brush water on the corners of the wonton wrappers, fold and pinch corners to the center. Place in hot oil; remove when golden brown.

Cappuccino Mix

1 c. instant coffee creamer (hazelnut is a favorite)
1 c. hot chocolate mix
2/3 c. instant coffe crystals
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

     Combine all ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container. Mix 2 T. of mix with 6 oz. hot water.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 c. washed and dried pumpkin seeds
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
1/2-1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Season Salt

     Remove seed from pumpkin. Wash in water, sorting seed from pulp. Place on paper towels to dry. In a large mixing bowl, mix melted butter and Worcestershire sauce. Add pumpkin seeds, and stir until well-coated. Spread seeds on a shallow pan. Sprinkle with salt. Bake seed at 250 degrees for about two hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Seeds are done when they are crisp and light brown.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

1 c. plus 3 T. sugar
1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels
1 (20 oz.) tub whipped topping
1 (6 oz.) strawberry gelatin
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen strawberries
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

     Cream 3 T. sugar and margarine. Add pretzels. Mix and press into buttered 9 x 13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. Combine cream cheese and 1 c. sugar and beat at high speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over pretzel crust. Dissolve gelatin in 2 c. boiling water. Stir in frozen strawberries and chill until partially set. Pour over top of whipped topping mixture in pan. Chill until set.