Baked Brie en Croûte with Apple Compote

For Christmas Eve we had appetizers and a sandwich bar. I've made this recipe from Williams-Sonoma a few times before, but it was the big hit of the night.

Best Brownies

Check out Kitchen Addiction for my favorite brownie recipe. I will never make brownies from a box again.

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Try this dish! My friend Caroline passed it along to me from the NPR web site. It is super easy, but looks fantastic on the table. Like the title says, you just stuff it and bake it. The recipe says it serves two very generous portions. I served it as a side dish and I would say it serves 4.

Salsa

The first person to ever teach me to make salsa was Xochi's Granny. I love her and Grampy. I couldn't figure out why in the world they wanted to stay in a hotel when they came to visit instead of at Melville Manor with us. I love how on Sunday they said, "It's so cute how every one walks to church carrying their little satchels." Granny gave really good hugs. Soft hugs that made you just want to stay there for a while. I'm honored that I got to spend time in the kitchen with her. Even if it was the M2 kitchen with really really really dirty floors.

Since then, I've turned into a bit of a salsa snob. Once I figured out how easy it is to make delicious salsa, I couldn't bring myself to snack on the store brands any more. So here's all you need to know about salsa: it contains 6 ingredients: tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, salt, and some type of pepper. Once you start making salsa, you can adjust it how you like. Here's a recipe to start from:

Ingredients
1/4 of a red onion, chopped
2 T cilantro, chopped
1 t salt
1-2 limes
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes

Instructions
Pulse the first 5 ingredients in a small food processor (or just blend in a blender, or if you like salsa chunky, you can just chop all of the ingredients). Add tomatoes and pulse until salsa reaches the desired consistency.

I usually use a chipotle pepper (you can find them canned in the grocery store, packed in adobo sauce) in place of a jalapeno pepper. I also sometimes use one minced garlic clove in the salsa.

If you want to make pico de gallo, you use the same recipe, but use fresh chopped tomatoes instead.

Pineapple Salsa Chicken

Ward cookbooks. I love 'em. Unfortunately, when you live in a ward like mine, chances are you don't know who the heck half of the people in the book are because they've moved. So thank you Valeria Saunders, wherever you are. And thank you Teri, for tipping me off. I just recently started making this, but it's already passed the "make it twice" rule I have about posting a recipe on here.

This is a crock pot pot recipe (slightly modified) that makes a great burrito filling. But I'll be honest with you. I usually just bust out a bag of chips and the whole family goes at it. Go ahead, judge me.

Ingredients
3 to 4 chicken breasts
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple (undrained)
2 cans black beans, drained
1 (24 oz) jar salsa

Instructions
Place the chicken in the crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Shred chicken and mix back in with the rest of the ingredients.

Marinara Sauce

I want to be a gardener. I really really do. And one day I will be, but today is not that day my friends. Luckily, until that day comes, I have my friend Kirsten, who lets us pretend we are helping when we show up to her garden, and who blesses me with beautiful ripe tomatoes that I use for salsa, BLTs, panini, salads, and now this. Kirsten's mom's recipe for fresh marinara sauce. If you've never had fresh marinara sauce, I'm telling you, this is the time to try it out. Of course it's delicious on pasta, but I think I most like it on roasted garlic bread. A warning though, once you start, it's hard to stop.

6 or 7 lbs of tomatoes

1 1/2 lb chopped onions

1 bulb of garlic

2 12 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 cup cooking oil

1/4 cup Kosher salt

1/4 c sugar

3 T brown sugar

1 t oregano

1 t basil

1 t parsley

Blanch and peel the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes and set aside.

Saute onions and garlic in a large pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, turn down heat and let simmer for 2-3 hours.

Puree half the mixture in a blender and then add back into original pot.

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

You're going to want to try these. I've made them three different times and they're always a big hit. I found them at Kayotic Kitchen. I think she uses frozen raspberries, but I use fresh and I love how they turn out.