Faux Caramel Dip

Faux Caramel Dip

Fall is for apples and this dip is for apples. Of course, you can eat this dip on anything -- it's especially yummy with graham cracker sticks -- but it's the absolute perfect complement to crisp and crunchy fall apples. Or apples any time of the year. Beware, though: It's also pretty darn good by itself, and that can be dangerous ... for your hips.

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Sweet-n-Salty Pumpkin Seeds

Sweet-n-Salty Pumpkin Seeds

For years and years and years ... and years ... I made roasted pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins the family carved for Halloween the same ol' basic way: rinse, spread on a cookies sheet, salt, bake at 350 degrees til crispy. Then I found this recipe in the recipe-focused newspaper insert, Relish. I'll never go back to plain pumpkin seeds again. The best part: picking through the bowl of seeds to find the ones with the biggest glops of crunchy, salty sweetness to pop into your mouth before someone else nabs them. Here's my slightly altered version:

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Blueberry-Pomegranate Trio

Blueberry-Pomegranate Trio

The wonderful folks at POM Wonderful sent me a free case of their popular Pomegranate Blueberry Juice to do with as I pleased. Well, actually, they encouraged me to try out a few cocktails with the stuff. Which I did — but the recipe I used for blueberry-pomegranate martinis tasted, as one friend put it, like I'd gotten the recipe from a frat house. Way too strong and way not what I'd like to share with you all. What I would like to share is what I did with the rest of the freebie from POM — this trio of refreshing Blueberry-Pomegranate goodies:

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Mom's Macaroni Salad

Mom's Macaroni Salad

There's really nothing special about this macaroni salad but for some reason, my family, friends, relatives, anyone who tries it really likes it. (Jim says it's because it's made with love. Awww...) I consider this the basic recipe but I change it up depending on what I have to work with, what I feel like eating. At different times I've added diced raw zucchini, diced tomatoes, switched out the pickles for cucumbers, used mozzarella instead of cheddar, tried bleu cheese dressing instead of ranch, added various herbs and spices. Oh, and I've used penne pasta just about as often as I've used elbow macaroni. Try the basic or tweak it to your taste -- and be sure to let me know how it worked for you.

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Fajita Pasta Salad

Fajita Pasta Salad

For years and years and years I made the same macaroni salad. Parties, picnics, summer dinners, it was always "Mom's Macaroni Salad." This is not that macaroni salad. This Fajita Pasta Salad is a recent addition to my repertoire, a more grown-up macaroni salad recipe, one I altered from its original hot-dish form. It's spicy and filled with chunks o' yum. For a complete meal, add cooled grilled chicken tenders and serve with rolls. Enjoy!

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