Cream Cheese Muffins with Lemon and Blueberries
These muffins are made with fresh blueberries, lemon and cream cheese with a sprinkle of sugar on top that crusts up when you bake them. Yum!
Tag: recipes
Coconut Curry Soup with Shrimp and Scallops
This flavorful shrimp & scallop coconut curry soup is full of veggies and a little bit of heat. Perfection!
Goat Cheese Balls with Pecans and Dried Cherries
This is a pretty quick and easy appetizer that you can start a day ahead of time. Goat cheese and cream cheese are blended together with crushed pecans and minced dried cherries and then rolled in the same for a delicious mix that’s great on crackers or bread.
Goat Cheese & Cream Cheese Balls with Pecans and Dried Cherries Appetizer Recipe
- 8 oz. goat cheese, softened at room temperature
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 6 oz. dried Montmorency cherries, finely chopped
- 1 1/ cup finely-chopped pecans
Directions
Makes about 40 balls, depending on size
- In a medium-size bowl, cream together the goat cheese and cream cheese with a fork until well blended
- Add HALF of the chopped cherries
- Add HALF of the chopped pecans
- Blend together well
- For easiest handling, refrigerate for about 30 minutes
- Mix remaining cherries and pecans together on a plate
- Using a teaspoon as a guide, roll the cheese mixture into small balls
- Coat the balls with the cherry and pecan mixture, pressing gently
- Serve
If you want to make these ahead of time, I recommend making just the balls and refrigerating them, rolling them in the remaining pecans and cherries just before serving. This helps the pecan coating keep some of its crunch.
You can easily cut this recipe in half if you want to make a smaller batch.
This is a fun appetizer to play around with; you can switch up the dried berries and/or switch up the nuts. I really like the dried cherries with these because of their sweet and tart nature but cranberries will also work or, try dried blueberries if you’d like. I’ve not tried these with pistachios yet but I think they’d be perfect. Hazelnuts, walnuts, or almonds are other easy swaps.
You can never have too many easy appetizer recipes, can you? Enjoy!
Garlicky Marinated Mushrooms and Red Peppers
This is an easy appetizer for a crowd. These garlicky marinated mushrooms are best when made ahead of time (hallelujah) and delicious with an array of cured meats and cheeses.
Almond Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
These beautiful little cookies look like jewels nestled in snow, don’t they? These are perfect for the holidays or any special occasion. Best yet, you can freeze before finishing & serving.
Potato, Leek and Broccoli Soup
This soup is luscious, there’s just no better way to describe it. I love a great bowl of soup and this one has layers of flavor that come together pretty easily but should not be rushed. I had one final bunch of leeks from my garden that I needed to use and it’s been so unseasonably cold here that a warm bowl of soup was calling my name
Potato, Leek and Broccoli Soup Recipe (Dairy Free)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 large leeks, whites and tender greens only, chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, sliced or chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional; adjust to taste)
- 4 cups vegetable stock (if using canned, use low-sodium)
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 small head of broccoli, cut into large florets, tender stems chopped
Directions
- In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat
- Add leeks, garlic, celery, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir well
- Cook, stirring occasionally until veggies are slightly softened, about 5 minutes
- Add stock, water, thyme, and bay leaf and stir
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes
- Stir in potatoes and cook 20 minutes more
- Stir in broccoli and cook – the soup should be pretty packed at this point but as long as there’s still broth surrounding everything, you’re good; if not, add a little water just to cover the veggie mix.
- Cook for about 30 minutes, until broccoli is fully cooked through and softened (scoop out a few florets for serving, if desired) and remove from heat
- Let cool 15 minutes and puree, either with an immersion blender, blender, or food processor until smooth
I make this soup without any dairy but if you’d like, you can add a bit of milk, cream or half and half to it. Another option is to swirl a little sour cream in right before serving.
If you like heat, you can also swap out the red pepper flakes for a hot pepper.
Finally, this soup is vegetarian but if you’d like to make a heartier version, you can certainly add some cubed ham or cooked, shredded chicken or pork to it.
A creamy, dreamy soup without dairy? You bet! Be sure to serve this with some crusty French or Italian Bread and enjoy!
Chicken Thighs in Mushroom & White Wine Sauce
This rustic chicken dish is packed full of flavor with garlic, shallots, white wine, and portobello mushrooms. I love this served with buttery noodles.