Black Bean and Corn Salsa

This delicious black bean and corn salsa is the perfect complement to any southwest or mexican dish.  We had it with these baked taquitos - so yummy together!  It's also great to serve at a party instead of traditional chips and salsa.  Enjoy!!

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw - or substitute one can corn)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 c chopped red onions
2 chopped roma tomatoes (about 1 cup)
1/3 c italian dressing
juice of one lime
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
 
In large bowl, combine beans and vegetables.  Stir in dressing and lime juice.  Add cumin and salt and pepper.  Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Avocado Egg Rolls

My hubby and I were lucky enough to go on a date recently.  Just the two of us.  Where did we go?  Cheesecake Factory, of course!  I absolutely love that place.  We've never had an appetizer there before (have to save room for dessert!) but since we had a gift card, we thought we'd splurge.

Well, I haven't been able to stop thinking about those DELICIOUS avocado egg rolls we ate that night.  So I began a quest to find a knock-off recipe...

Can't wait to try this recipe from Sweet Basil... thanks for "feeding" my obsession!!!  ha ha - I know, bad pun :)

New Years Games & Food

Or So She Says... has some great ideas for New Years Games and food.  I've actually played all of these games and they're really fun (used to play "in the manner of the adverb" with a group of college friends... won't tell you some of the adverbs we used... this is a family-friendly site).  I've also made the stuffed mushrooms - they're superb and will definitely impress.  Get the details for these ideas and plenty more HERE.

Baked Brie

forgive my poor photography skills, it was dark outside and I was running late... this picture does not do justice

Last weekend I was asked to bring an appetizer to a dinner party.  Appetizers are definitely not my forte, so I looked through some of favorite cookbooks to see if anything caught my eye.  I came across a recipe for Baked Brie that I thought sounded delicious, so I gave it a go.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.  It is quick and easy, delicious to boot, and looks beautiful.  It was such a hit last weekend that I took it to a baby shower this week, where it also received great reviews.  Yummy!!

Baked Brie

Ingredients: 

• 19.6 oz. wheel of Brie cheese (this is the size that they sell at Costco- I know there are 8 oz. wheels at the grocery store, that I'm sure work just great you just might have to trim down the pastry slightly)
• 1 Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheet (thawed for 40 minutes at room temperature)
• 1 egg, separated
• brown sugar

Cut wheel of Brie in half horizontally.

Sprinkle on brown sugar and replace top of the Brie.  Place Brie on the pastry sheet.  Beat the egg white with a fork and brush onto cheese and pastry.

Wrap the pastry up around the sides and the top of the Brie.  Pinch the edges to enclose the cheese completely (pinch really hard or it will come apart- learned from experience).  Beat the egg yolk with a fork and brush over the top and sides of the pastry.  Bake on a baking sheet at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  I LOVE cheese with fruit so I served my Baked Brie with green apple slices (BTW- so delicious).  It would also be yummy served with grapes or whole-grain crackers.  It's also good the next day heated in the microwave for a few seconds.

Spiderweb 7 Layer Dip

I will be making this for our Halloween dinner/party at my mom's.  How cool is that?  And it looks so yummy!!  Check out the recipe and how-to here.

Spinach & Artichoke Cups

I have a little confession:  I've never made Spinach & Artichoke dip.  Yes, I've served it at many parties, but I cheat and buy the Spinach/Parmesan dip from Costco.  Heat that sucker up under the broiler and your friends will think you've been slaving away.  I've been wanting to get more ambitious and make my own dip, and I finally found a great recipe HERE from Mindika Moments.  Even if you're not ambitious enough to make your own dip, isn't this a great idea to serve it in these little wonton cups?  Can't wait to make this one!!