Cranberry Salsa

I don't know how, but this happens to me every year - Christmas sneaks up on me!

I love this time of year but I do wish it wasn't so busy.  In the desire to see our loved ones and celebrate the holiday (as well as December birthdays!), it can get a little hectic and stressful.

This holiday season has luckily been pretty low-stress for me so far... our decorations are up, my cards are mailed, I have my shopping done, and this week I've even been able to fit in some baking.

If I can just finish my wrapping, I'll be in good shape!

But that leaves little time for blogging.  When I'm not working, it seems I'm either busy around the house, or watching the movie Frozen for the umpteenth time with the Mini.  (I know we're a little late on the bandwagon, but she only turned 2 in October - so this is the first time she's had enough of an attention span to watch even part of a movie.  Be careful what you wish for, by the way.  Saturday we watched it 3 times in a row!)

So anyway, I actually made this yummy salsa for Thanksgiving... but 'tis still the season for cranberries!  This comes together quickly, and would be a festive addition to your holiday appetizer table.

Feel free to experiment with the amount of sugar and jalapeno in the recipe.  I would start out with less and add more if necessary, to suit your taste. If you like spicy, you might consider more than the two jalapenos.

More importantly - I wish you and your families a wonderful holiday and a happy, healthy 2015!

Cranberry Salsa

• 1 12-oz. pkg. fresh cranberries
• 1/3 C. sugar (or, to taste)
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1/2 C. packed cilantro leaves
• 2 fresh jalapenos, stemmed & seeded
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 t. kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped. For best results, refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours before serving.

Slightly Adapted from Recipe of Unknown Source

Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Salsa

Mr. Vittles and I have grown our own veggies almost every year since we met.

Some years have definitely been more successful than others.  Before we owned a home, we would plant everything in containers on our deck, but last summer was our first time having a "real" garden space.

Interestingly enough, it was our worst crop to date.

Thankfully, this year we redeemed ourselves, and I think next year will be even better now that we've had two growing seasons in our home to learn from our mistakes.

One thing I learned this summer was to let Mr. Vittles do all the harvesting.  He got rather prickly when I picked a bell pepper before it was apparently 'ready.'  Jeez... do NOT mess with a man and his peppers.  Just sayin'.

Anyway, our jalapeno and tomato plants were going crazy toward the end of summer, and I could not keep up.  I love a good caprese salad, but we were getting tired of that, and there is only so much one can do with fresh tomatoes!  And I was really at a loss with the jalapenos, because even if I would use a sprinkling here & there in various dishes, there was always a bunch still left.

So I made this slightly time-consuming salsa, and it killed two birds with one stone... used up our veggies, and tasted amazing.  Totally worth the extra time and effort of roasting.

In fact, I'm not gonna lie - I basically had a dinner of chips and salsa a couple nights after I made it.

And even the Mini enjoyed it!  My dad & stepmom were over a little while after it was finished, and we were all hanging out on our deck.  I put the salsa out with some chips, and my dad (her Poppa) was breaking off chips for her - naturally, she wanted to dunk them in the salsa, too.  He was a little skeptical that it would be too hot, but I knew she likes other spicy things, so I figured we should let her try it.  Lo and behold, she loved it.

The next day, just Mini and I were sitting on the deck in the very same place.  She got a far-off look in her eye and said "Poppa.  Chips.  Hot."

Dreaming of food - that's mommy's girl.

And that's how memorable the salsa was!

Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Salsa

• 1 1/2 lb. ripe whole tomatoes (about 10 medium), preferably plum
• 2-3 fresh jalapeño peppers, stemmed (amount depends on your preference for spicy & also size of the peppers)
• Half of a small white onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
• 1 t. salt
• 1 1/2 t. cider vinegar

Preheat the broiler on high. Lay the whole tomatoes and jalapeños out on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the pan 4 inches below the flame and broil for about 6 minutes, until darkly roasted on one side.  The tomatoes may split and lose some juices. Using a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatoes and chiles and roast the other side for approximately 6 more minutes. The tomatoes may get charred on the outside, but the idea is to cook them through. Set aside to cool.

Turn off broiler, and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place onion rings & garlic on another baking sheet, and roast in the oven, stirring every couple minutes, until the onions are browned and wilted and the garlic is soft and browned in spots (approximately 15 minutes). Cool to room temperature.

Peel the cooled tomatoes with your fingers and cut out the cores, working over your baking sheet to keep all the juices. Place whole jalapenos with the onion and garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed. Place jalapeno mixture into a large bowl.  Without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatoes & excess juice from baking sheet.  Then add them to the bowl with cilantro, and stir to combine.  If needed, stir in some water to achieve a spoonable consistency.  Add salt & vinegar to taste, using ingredient amounts as guidelines.  Can be eaten immediately, or covered & refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Recipe Slightly Adapted from Rick Bayless with JeanMarie Brownson and Deann Groen Bayless, as found on Epicurious

Cilantro and Sesame Thai Chicken Marinade

So the Mini is officially on the move (as of the Saturday after the Fourth of July) and let me tell you - she is one curious little monkey.  No walking yet, but she's quite the speedy crawler.  We have finally been forced to adopt a more minimalist decor, and switch out our awesome driftwood coffee table for a soft storage ottoman.  

But I'm not complaining; in fact, I am loving this age.  The Mini has so much personality, and it's fun to see the world through the eyes of a 9-month-old.  

She is also a lot more portable.  In mid-July, we visited my mother & father-in-law's river cottage in Canada and the Mini really impressed us.  She went on her first boat ride, and her first float in the water.  

I won't lie, the 7 some-odd hour ride back home was a little rough, but otherwise it was a great trip.

On the home front, I have actually been cooking more on weeknights, though it is mostly my tried & true recipes that don't require as much concentration (it's a little tougher when you have to keep one eye on the food and the other on a mobile munchkin).  

These days I am also making more food for her, as she is transitioning from baby food to table food.  But since you probably don't need a recipe for steaming broccoli or boiling whole-wheat farfalle, I will instead share with you this chicken marinade.  

I had loads of cilantro left over from the quinoa salad, and our jalapeno plants are doing well, so this seemed like a smart use of ingredients.  I like it because the sesame oil and rice vinegar give it a nice flavor, and it has a little heat to it without being too spicy.

Cilantro and Sesame Thai Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 C. fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
• 1 T. canola oil
• 1 T. sesame oil
• 1 T. rice wine vinegar
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 jalapeno pepper, ribs & seeds removed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 T. + 1 t. soy sauce
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lbs. thin-sliced or pounded chicken breasts

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, pulse all marinade ingredients until pureed.  

Place chicken in a shallow dish and coat evenly with cilantro puree.  Let sit one hour, then grill or broil chicken until cooked through.

Recipe Adapted from Food and Wine

Slow-Cooker Summer Chicken Chili

I know I've been kinda MIA lately, but we made it through Hurricane Irene safe & sound!

The worst that happened was that we lost power until Tuesday night, and also had some flooding in our basement. 

Thankfully nothing got ruined except for a few things I unfortunately forgot to take off the floor, and a lot of empty cardboard boxes we were storing for our next move. 

But there was a decent bit of cleanup and a decent bit of me being in a really bad mood over the whole thing.

And... a decent bit of Mr. Vittles being in a bad mood because I was in a bad mood.

So I decided that yesterday I needed to make something nice. 

I haven't made hardly anything in about 2 weeks, let alone any new recipes, but I saw this recipe for Slow Cooker Summer Chicken Chili on Friday evening and knew I had to try it.

Especially before summer is OVER! Can you believe it's Labor Day already?  I have no idea where August went. 

Maybe it got washed away in the storm?

 McLoone's, Asbury Park Boardwalk 8/28/11 - © 2011 Reuters

(This picture was taken right up the street from my house!  As I'm sure you can tell, waves are not supposed to be crashing onto the boardwalk.)

In any case, since the summer to fall transition is nearly upon us, this was actually a dual-season meal - I made a really fun & different fall-flavored cornbread to go with that I think you guys are going to like.  But more on that soon!

Until then - enjoy these final days of summer and have a safe & happy Labor Day!

Slow-Cooker Summer Chicken Chili

• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 C. frozen corn
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced
• 1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes, diced
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 T. cumin
• 2 T. oregano
• 1 t. brown sugar
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 C. white wine
• 1/2 C. water
• 2 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb. total)
• optional : shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro for serving

Combine all ingredients except for the chicken breasts in the basin of a large slow cooker.  Place chicken breasts on top, and cover slow cooker.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10.  Remove chicken 30 minutes before serving, and shred using two forks.  Return to chili and stir well.  Adjust seasonings if necessary, then continue cooking.  Serve chili with sour cream, cheese, and/or chopped cilantro if desired.

Recipe Adapted from Back to Her Roots

Jalapeno Honey Chicken Tenders

I think I mentioned a while ago that we went to a wedding on Mr. Vittles' 30th birthday.  The wedding was in Cape May NJ (an adorable shore town) and had a beach theme, and they gave out the cutest favors - small jars of Old Bay seasoning accompanied by a recipe for crab cakes.

However, as most of you know, I do not enjoy seafood in the least - so I was not about to be making any crab cakes.  I knew that you could put it on a number of other things (I've seen Old Bay seasoned potato chips) but I don't know exactly what foods the flavors go best with.

So to the Old Bay website I went, where I was able to find some good non-seafood recipe suggestions.

This one reminded me of my childhood when one of my favorite foods was chicken tenders dipped in honey.  The jalapeno and Old Bay give it a nice twist.  Mr. V and I both thought it was pretty tasty!

Jalapeno Honey Chicken Tenders

• 2 T. honey
• 1 egg
• 1 t. finely minced jalapeno
• 1/4 C. flour
• 3/4 C. unseasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 3 t. old bay seasoning
• 1 T. dried parsley flakes
• 1 lb. chicken tenders (or breasts, cut into strips)
• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 t. salt

Preheat oven 425.

Mix jalapeno, honey, and egg in shallow dish.  In separate shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, flour, old bay, salt, and parsley.

Dip each chicken tender in honey mixture, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture and place on a dish.

Heat the canola oil on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.  Turn sheet to coat surface evenly with oil.

Immediately place chicken tenders on sheet and bake 7 minutes.  Flip and bake another 7-8 minutes until cooked through & no longer pink.  Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Recipe slightly adapted from Old Bay.com