Creamy Dill Sauce

I found this recipe online, and made it to serve with Salmon Cakes. It makes about 1/2 a cup.

What you need:

1/4 cup reduced-fat Mayo (I used light Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 scallions, thinkly sliced
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried Dill (or 1 Tbsp. minced fresh Dill)
freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Sweet n' Spicy Sauce

This sauce is absolutely perfect for party meatballs, and is also really good brushed over grilled chicken.

What You Need:

1/2 cup molasses (I like Grandmas)

1 cup ketchup (I like organic because it doesn't have corn syrup)

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar (or apple cider)

1/4 cup spicy mustard (or dijon)

2 Tbsp. worchestershire sauce (say that fast 3 times!)

1 minced garlic clove (I use a garlic press)

1/4 tsp. group black pepper

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Texas Pete (or Tabasco)

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam (I use Polaner)

Mix it all together and brush on chicken.

OR

Mix it all in a pot or crockpot and keep on low, toss in your meatballs, stir every once in a while (with a wooden spoon of course!).

Enjoy!

Chipotle n' Roasted Garlic Salsa

I was so badly wanting some salsa last night and I didn't have fresh jalapenos, but I had a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce and I started to concoct this salsa in my head. I did some searching on the web for ideas and then threw in things I knew I would like in there.

This is what I came up with. The taste is fantastic, smoky, fiery and full flavored. Go easy on the peppers, they are HOT and if you put too much in, you will be miserable! Add a little try it a few times, add a little more, until it's just right for you!

Ingredients

3 med-large firm tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 Tbsp. mashed Roasted Garlic

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice

1-2 Tbsp. finely chopped, seeded, canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/3 cup finely chopped roasted red bell pepper (the bottled type is fine)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped sweet vidalia onion

1 tsp. sugar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and with an immersion blender, pulse just a few times. If you don't have an immersion blender, process half of the salsa in your food processor and stir it all together.

This is also good mixed with a few Tbsp. of cream cheese for a thicker creamy salsa!

NOTE: Using Chipotle Chilis in Adobo Sauce - this is found with the Mexican foods at your grocery. Remove the chilis from the can and place them on a cutting board. Slice them down one side and scrape away the seeds and pith (too hot for me!). Mince the chili meat well and store it with the adobo sauce in a freezer zip bag. Take out the amount you need, no need to defrost.

Grab a bag of chips and enjoy!

Easy Homemade Applesauce

This recipe will make about 5 cups of Applesauce. Deciding to peel or not to peel is totally up to each person. I use my Pampered Chef Apple-Corer-Peeler-Slicer and it makes like a LOT easier for me! :) I don't like trying to push the skins through a sieve. However, you can do this without peeling, but I don't recommend it.

10 cups peeled, coarsley chopped apples (use a variety of apples for best flavor)
1 cup apple cider or apple juice

Combine apples and juice in a large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until apples are tender. Stir occassionally.

For slightly chunky sauce, mash with a potato masher.
For perfectly smooth sauce, press cooked apple mixture through a fine sieve into a large heatproof bowl.
If desired, you can add cinnamon to taste. This can be water-canned, frozen or stored in the fridge. Mmmmm!

Get peelin' and make some sauce!

Quick and Easy Light Alfredo Sauce

This is so simple, why buy when you can make it and you know exactly what's going into it?

Printable Recipe

1 Tbsp. Butter
1 1/4 cups half and half
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried parsley
3/4 cup (3 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

In a sauce pan, heat butter and garlic over medium heat until butter is melted. Add remaining ingredients and stir constantly until cheese is melted (2-3 minutes). You're done! See how easy this was? Now toss in some hot cooked pasta and serve under grilled chicken and dinner's ready.

Try this in this fantastic recipe...Chicken-Caesar-Lasagna. If you do, you'll want to double it. Since this sauce is hot and the recipe calls for refrigerated, it cut down on cooking time. I followed the directions making these changes:

1. Add a little of the cheese to all the layers, put the top layer of cheese on before you bake.
2. Increase heat to 400.
3. Bake only 30 minutes, uncover and bake 5 more minutes.

It worked for me and hubby loved it! :)