Holiday Party Tray

with Guest Sandra Leesmith

How are your holiday preparations coming along?  Have you been invited to a holiday party or potluck? We have already been to a couple pickleball potlucks. Pickleball players love to party about as much as they love to play. Smile

Here is what I like to make. It is festive and healthy.

This is pretty obvious so I’m not really going to show photos nor write directions of how to do this.  You do need fresh veggies and a holiday tray. I use an aluminum tray if I don’t want to have to worry about taking it home.

Since there wasn’t much to photograph in preparation, I’m sharing some holiday decorations found here in the desert.

 Just because we don’t have snow and the traditional pine trees, we do make up for it with lights.

We also put up artificial trees which look lovely all lit up at night.

We went to my friend’s house the other night and she not only had an artificial tree in her entryway, but she had decorated her cacti in the front yard.  Notice the lights are chili peppers? 

Another favorite thing to do is wrap lights up the trunks of palm trees. Now don’t laugh. I’m sure there were palm trees in the desert where Jesus was born and surely they were alight from the glow of the angels flying around.

This one is for Ruthy.

Every year my hubby’s family all get together on the 26^th. It is so much fun to see all the cousins and their children and grandchildren. We have a potluck so I will be bringing the veggie tray above and also a Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie. My financial advisor, Jim Dew, sends out a newsletter every month and besides being a great financial advisor, he is a gourmet cook. He always includes a recipe in the newsletter. This Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie looked really delicious.  And it is.

Here is the recipe copied with permission from JimDew’s  November newsletter.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

·       ·  30 small gingersnap cookies, (about 7 1/2 ounces)

·       ·  2 tablespoons raisins

·       ·  1 tablespoon canola oil

Filling

·       ·  1 cup canned pumpkin puree

·       ·  1/3 cup packed brown sugar

·       ·  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       ·  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

·       ·  1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

·       ·  2 pints (4 cups) frozen low-fat vanilla ice cream, softened

1 Preparation

1.     Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray.

2.     To prepare crust: Combine gingersnaps and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil and pulse

until blended. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.

3.     Bake the crust until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare filling: Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well. Add ice cream and stir until blended. Spoon the mixture into the cooled pie crust. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Let the pie soften slightly in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Happy Holidays everyone. 

Sandra

The Delights of Baking in the Fall

with guest Sandra Leesmith

This fall we went to New Hampshire to visit our brother and his lovely wife. We have beautiful fall leaves in Arizona. These high country aspen turn gold and glitter when they flutter in the breeze.

But the leaves back in the New England states are spectacular. The pinks and purples just amazed me.

While there in New Hampshire, we went to an apple orchard and picked apples to make apple pie.  This particular orchard has several varieties of apples. You can walk through the orchard and select what type you want to buy.

So I was inspired to bake an apple pie for Yankee Belle, but looking in the archives, you gals have apples covered.

So we also saw lots of pumpkin patches with fresh pumpkins to pick.

But you have many yummy pumpkin recipes already in your archives.

So I decided to use another popular fruit we have in the fall and show you the easiest dessert that I take to potlucks and it is extremely popular. In fact, I’ve learned to make copies of the recipe to hand out because everyone always asks for it. This is so easy and so yummy.

First you need about 3 to 4 pounds of seedless grapes. Wash them and pull out the stems.  If they are big grapes, cut them in half. I select smaller grapes and leave them whole. This is much easier.

Gather your other ingredients and mix them together.

8 oz package of cream cheese

8 oz of sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sugar  (I only use 1/4 cup)

Put the clean grapes in a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish. I use aluminum pans so I can toss them or leave them and not have to worry about the dish.

Blend in the cream cheese mixture.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup raw sugar on the top. Then sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans. It is ready to serve. This is so refreshing and light after a big meal. You store it in the refrigerator and the nice thing is, you can make it the day before and it will be ready for your event.

Fun with Friends!

By Sandra Leesmith

As most of you know, my husband and I play pickleball every day.

The game is fast, fun and very social. Playing pickleball improved the health of both my husband and myself.  After retirement, hubby had quickly become a couch potato watching way too much television. When he fell in love with pickleball, our life changed. 

We are out every day getting exercise and socializing with friends. Since we are in our seventies, both of these factors have been proven to increase the quality of the aging process. And we can attest to that. Pickleball reversed my osteoporosis. Now that is a miracle in itself. 

Because we pretty much live in our RV, most of our playing is in RV Resorts. In the winter the resorts are usually Senior (over 55) Resorts. Because we are in resorts, pickleball players get together in the evenings. This is part of our socializing fun. The nice thing about pickleball happy hours is that we all get up to play in the morning so the parties are early and don’t last long. 

Another thing about being in the RV is that we are not close to a grocery store most of the time and we want things that are quick and easy. So I keep certain things on hand that are easy to pack. Don’t take up much room. And most important—are delicious.

Hot Wing Chicken Dip is a favorite:

Btw if you are vegetarian you can leave out the chicken and this is still YUMMY
Also: If you are on a high protein diet, this is perfect if you leave out the crackers.

Here is the recipe:

Hot Wing Chicken Dip

1   8 oz package cream cheese ( I use fat free cream cheese)
1 13 oz can chicken breast  (drained and shredded)
¼ cup Franks Hot Sauce
½ cup   Blue Cheese dressing  

Note:  You can sprinkle a layer of shredded cheddar cheese on top

Mix together and put in 8x8 inch cake pan. (I use an aluminum pan so can toss when party is over.)
Heat in 350 degree oven for twenty minutes

Spread this lovely dip on crackers (Triscuits are my favorite), celery sticks and/or cucumber sliced in rounds so they are like a cracker. 

Thanks for sharing this winner.  Speaking of winners. In the following photo, hubby and I had just won a gold medal in a tournament in Tucson, Arizona.

And Seeker friend Marianne Barkman and her mother came to watch me in a tournament in El Mirage, Arizona last spring. What a treat. (We didn’t win the game but seeing friends was a winner event in itself. Yay!!!)

Hot Dog Quesadillas

HOT DOG QUESADILLAS 

Guest Blogger Sandra Leesmith          

Do you want something quick and easy?

Hot Dog Quesadillas are one of my favorite quick meals.

I always keep packages of Hebrew National Fat Free hot dogs in the refrigerator. I always have corn tortillas in the freezer. So this is a stand-by for a quick snack or a meal when I’ve forgotten to take meat out of the freezer.

Today I used a package of blended shredded cheese called Mexican Blend. But you can use any shredded cheese.  Golly,  the cheese doesn’t even have to be shredded. You can place a slice on each tortilla also. And I always have on hand my favorite salsa.

First lay out the tortillas on a microwavable plate. You can use flour tortillas also.

Spread your favorite salsa on the tortillas.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on the tortillas.

Plop a hot dog on each tortilla. (I use Hebrew National Fat Free because I love them. You can use any brand of hot dog. It doesn’t matter. But if they aren’t pre-cooked, you will need to cook them first)

Pop the plate in the microwave oven. I allow 30 seconds for each corn tortilla quesadilla. (Adjust time if you are using flour tortillas).

Roll up and enjoy.

For those of you on the DUKAN plan (or any protein plan), I slice the hot dog down the middle and plop a fat free cheese stick on it. Then I spread my favorite salsa. I heat those for 30 seconds each also. You don’t really need the tortilla.

Makes a delicious snack or meal. And only takes minutes to fix.

French Galettes with Guest Sandra Leesmith

Sandra Leesmith here with a recipe I obtained from the most recent diet I tried and the first one to actually work FOR ME.  Notice I said FOR ME, because everyone has different body types so I don’t think all diets work for everyone.  Anyway that has been my experience.  I’ve tried all the famous and not so famous diets and this one finally worked.

It is called the Dukan Diet and is used a lot in Europe.  It is basically a high protein diet.  If you want to check it out, you can get a used book on Amazon.

While eating high protein, they recommend eating two tablespoons of oat bran every day. One of my favorite ways to do this is to make what Dr. Dukan calls French galettes.

They are easy to make and you can make a bunch ahead of time as they last several days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1 egg (beaten)

2 tablespoons oat bran

1 1/2 tablespoons fat free cottage cheese

Here’s how I make them: 

Mix ingredients and pour three small globs onto a griddle to make three galettes.

Because I want to be sure I get the two tablespoons of oat bran, I just make one recipe at a time.  When I cook the galettes, I divide the bunch to make three small pancakes just because they are easier to flip than one big one.

I eat mine with ground meat and salsa on top. Hubby eats his with stevia and cinnamon. You can be creative and eat them with any number of toppings.

Bio: 

Sandra began writing in the eighties and was multi-published in category romance, contemporary fiction and teenage self-help books. After a life changing experience, she returned to finish her teaching career. Retired from teaching, she is pursuing a career in writing.  

The writing styles changed over the years so Sandra had to relearn the craft and start from square one.  She adores a good romantic tale and strives to tell them as well. She is now republishing her novels from the eighties. 

Sandra loves to play pickleball, hike, read, bicycle and write. She lives in Arizona with her husband. 

During the hot summers she and her husband travel throughout the United States in their motorhome. Her favorite travel experiences are to see and enjoy God's beautiful creation. She loves the national parks and monuments where nature is preserved for all to see and enjoy. 

You can find Sandra's books on Amazon. (click here)

Vegetarian Dish!

Missy, here. And last week, I promised Kav a vegetarian dish. :)

First, let me say this is a modified recipe from Sandra LeeSmith. She posted her Eggplant Casserole  for Speedbo last year. I LOVED that recipe! I've made it at least twice.


But for Thanksgiving, my sister was coming. And she's a vegetarian. So I decided to come up with a veggie version.

Here's Sandra's list of ingredients, updated for my purposes:

1 cup brown rice (3 cups cooked)

1 large eggplant pealed and cubed

1 onion chopped

1 package veggie or soy crumbles

½ cup dry sherry or dry wine

1 ¾ cup canned tomatoes, drained (14 oz can)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I also used shredded Italian cheese on top)

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

First the prep:
Cook the rice. Yes, I use Boil-in-bag! :)

Put cubed eggplant in boiling salted water and boil for five minutes.

Brown onion in a little oil and add in the veggie crumbles. I really like the Morning Star Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles. I just used them frozen.

Add tomatoes and sherry: bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.

Add drained eggplant, cooked rice and all remaining ingredients.

Transfer to a 3 quart buttered casserole dish.
NOTE from Missy: I always put in 2 dishes and freeze the smaller one so I can have it later for lunches.

Though it has cheese in it, I always sprinkle some (A LOT!) on top. Isn't everything better with cheese???

Sorry I didn't rotate the photo! Ran out of time.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (Or just heat in microwave).

I actually put it in the oven while it was still pretty hot from cooking on the stove. I just baked about 30 minutes, long enough for the cheese to melt and the casserole to bubble.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dump Cake

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving yesterday and got to spend time with friends and family! I know you may be sick of turkey, but I wanted to offer one last pumpkin recipe this week. I can never get enough pumpkin!

Sandra LeeSmith shared this with me. She said she made several to give away. Thank you, Sandra, for sharing this recipe!

Oops. I asked Sandra to share a photo of one of her cakes. But apparently after she mentioned the cake in Seekerville post comments on Monday, this was all that was left! We must've had some hungry Seekervillians!

Pumpkin Dump Cake

From Sandra LeeSmith

Ingredients:

Pecans 

1 large (29 oz) can pumpkin

1 yellow cake mix  (use dry out of box about 1/2 of it for topping)

1 stick real butter (4 oz)

3 eggs

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 1/4 cups sugar  (can use 1 cup if want less sweet)

Preheat oven to 425

Mix pumpkin, eggs, milk and sugar and pour in 9 x 13 inch cake pan

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.Then lower one to 350 and bake 40 minutes.

Cool at least 30 minutes

Crumble on top 1/2 box of dry yellow cake mix.

Cut up butter stick in small pieces and put on top of cake mix

Sprinkle pecans on top

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes to melt topping   (you can put on broil for 2-3 minutes if want brown top)

Enjoy warm with whip cream or cool whip.  

This is yummy,  attractive and easy.

Hugs,

Sandra

P.S. from Missy:
Don't forget about Sandra's new book from Montlake Publishing! Current of Love will be out in December and is available for pre-order now!

Sandra Lee Smith's Speedbo Eggplant for Simply Saturday!

Good morning and thanks for having me here at my favorite restaurant run by two of my favorite people. 

Well speedbo is coming up and I have a recipe for some brain food. Did you know that eggplant is considered healthy for the brain? And not only is this recipe good brain food, but it can be prepared early and stored for one of those writing days you don't want to stop and fix a meal for the family. Because it has carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables in it, you have a whole meal in one pot.

Way to go for Speedbo!

Eggplant Casserole (modified from recipe found in Cooking With Gourmet Grains by Charlene Martinsen)

1 cup brown rice (3 cups cooked)

1 large eggplant pealed and cubed

1 onion chopped

1 lb ground beef (or ground chicken or turkey)

½ cup dry sherry or dry wine

1 ¾ cup canned tomatoes, drained (14 oz can)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp MSG or Accent (optional)



Put cubed eggplant in boiling salted water and boil for five minutes.

Brown onion and ground beef.

Add tomatoes and sherry: bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.

Add drained eggplant, cooked rice and all remaining ingredients.

Transfer to a 3 quart buttered casserole dish

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (Or I just heat in microwave)

This can be frozen and heated when you need a prepared meal. (Like during speedbo) In my family there are only the two of us so when I fix this recipe we eat half of it for dinner and then I freeze the other half for a quickie meal later on.

This can be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator for company coming and you don't want to be in the kitchen.

This is a great recipe for lent or if you have friends who are vegetarians. Simply leave out the meat. The parmesan is what gives it such wonderful flavor. If your friends are vegan, leave out the parmesan, but I would advise you to add some herbs of choice when you saute the onions to give the casserole some delightful flavor.

Well folks, ramp up your brain power and enjoy your eggplant.