Daring Bakers Challenge- September

So…I had this challenge in the bag.  I had done a beautiful photo shoot with my beautiful food. The pictures were perfection.  I was so excited to post them for you all to see.  You would have wanted to eat the computer screen!  And than…last night I was attempting to upload the pictures from my beautiful, expensive camera on to my computer.  I was going to have the post all ready to appear at midnight.  And as I was sitting there very frustrated in front of my computer waiting very patiently for the photo’s to upload…they wouldn’t.  Yup, something is wrong with my camera.  I had to take it back to the store today to figure out what was wrong with it and I got the very bad news that they have to send my camera back to the manufacture to get it fixed.  I will now be without my most prized possession for 3-4 weeks.  Yah, I’m pretty distraught at the moment.  Bummed.  Devastated. And although I could go out and buy something to get the pictures off the card that was in my camera, the pictures that I took with great care, I really can’t spend the money right now.  So I had to come home and use my old point and shoot and re-do the pictures.  They are not good at all, and I apologize.  They do not give my food justice.  But, it is what it is and I can’t do anything about it right now.  So please bear with me for the next 3-4 weeks, as I will be using my old camera for my photo shoots.  I’m sure you will notice when I get my beautiful camera back.  Now onto the challenge!
This month’s Daring Bakers Challenge comes to us from Natalie from Gluten A Go Go and Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl.  And for a special addition, we have gone vegan!  It was a lot of fun trying something new, and it turned out to be absolutely delicious.  The recipe was for Lavish Crackers, a snappy Armenian style cracker, with a Vegan dip/relish/salsa of your choice. I chose to make my Lavish Crackers covered in cinnamon and sugar.  And for my dip, I made a fruit salsa. This was such a sweet treat, but since I’m a fan of sweet, if worked out perfectly for me.  The salsa gets better everyday, because it marinades in all the sweetness and the flavor becomes something out of this world.  The crackers were very simple to make in my opinion, and worth the time it took for them to rise (3 hours).  The recipe stated it would take 90 minutes, but for some reason in my house it always takes twice the amount of time that it is supposed to.  And that is even placing it my warm laundry room with the dryer running.  But the dough came out beautiful.  The trick is to roll it out paper thin, and than the crackers turn out perfectly crispy. For the Lavish Cracker recipe go here. Be sure to check out the other Daring Baker’s crackers here. My recipe for Fruit Salsa is below. Have a great weekend everyone!

Fruit Salsa
recipe
by Stephanie

2 small kiwis, diced

2 small apples, diced

1 medium peach, diced

1 cup strawberries, diced

1/4 cup raspberry preserves

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

dash of ground cinnamon

fresh mint, if desired

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit for at least 1 hour before serving.

Baked on September 27, 2008 | Recipe Card: appetizers, daring bakers challenge, desserts | 18 Bites 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Happy Sunday!  I have been meaning to post since Thursday, but somehow the time just slips by without me even noticing.  I swear I blinked and 4 days came and went.  And now, here it is, Sunday.  My hubby woke up with the flu early this morning, so there will not be much cooking or baking here for a couple of days.  Just lots of chicken noodle soup and saltine crackers.  I did manage to make this delicious dip yesterday.  This is my absolute favorite dip in the world.  It is so addicting, I could eat the whole bowl.  It’s filled with artichoke hearts, spinach, onions and lots of yummy cheese.   Seriously, what could be better?  I here a bell ringing, so I better go take care of the poor little bunny.  Watch that video that I linked, you will laugh off your chair!  Have a great week!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 10 ounce box of frozen chopped spinach
1 8 ounce jar artichoke hearts, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. In a small skillet, cook onions in butter until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Cook spinach in the microwave, covered for about 5 minutes.  Place in a cloth and squeeze out excess liquid.  Place in a medium bowl.  Add onions, artichoke hearts, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.  Mix until well combined.
3. Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve with crackers.

Baked on September 21, 2008 | Recipe Card: appetizers, side dishes | 13 Bites 

Cowboy Salsa

I’m not really a salsa kind of girl…unfortunately my mouth does now allow spicy things to enter it. I just wasn’t born with the tolerance. I wish I was, I really do try, but no matter what I just can’t stand the burn! I’ve never understood how people can stand the pain of spicy food.  It stings my tongue and it is so far from enjoyable, I can’t even get past it to see if the rest of the flavor is good.  I assume it is not.  So when they served this salsa at a family party once, I instantly fell in love and had to have the recipe.  It is so tasty and fresh and delicious.  It’s not spicy at all, but don’t let that turn you off, if you have to have the heat, I’m sure it would be just fine adding in some fresh jalapenos. I fried up some corn tortillas to serve with this salsa and it is so perfect you can literally eat the whole bowl in a day.  Not kidding.  

Cowboy Salsa

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can white shoe peg corn
1 29 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
3-4 whites of green onions, chopped
1 pkg italian dressing mix

Mix all together and enjoy!

Baked on April 19, 2008 | Recipe Card: appetizers, salsa, side dishes | 10 Bites