Here's what the yummy tropical salad looks like:

Tropical Fusion Salad with Spicy Tortilla Ribbons

This is from the Taste of Home magazine.
Prep/total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
2 c. cubed, peeled papaya (I used clamshell mangos from Costco. I'm not a huge papaya fan).
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium ripe avocado
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1/2 c. golden raisins
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped (I only seeded one, and it really wasn't that hot.)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. orange juice
2 T. lime juice
1 T. cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced (I put them through a press)
2 tsp. ground ancho chili pepper, divided (I couldn't find this at Vons, but I did find New Mexican chili powder).
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 corn tortillas (6 in.) cut into 1/4 in strips

1. In a large bowl combine the papaya, beans, avocado, corn, raisins, peppers, cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 tsp. of chili pepper, sugar, and salt

2. Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining chili pepper. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 min or until crisp. Serve with salad

Notes: I added 8 oz. of the Costco rotisserie chicken shredded. Make sure you get your tortilla strips really crispy. I would aim for 1/8" strips as opposed to 1/4" ones. I think a little shallot or onion would really make the dressing sing. I'll be trying an orange lime vinaigrette the next time I make this.

Nutrition facts: 1 1/4 cups salad w/about 10 tortilla strips equals 321 cals, 8 g fat (1 g sat), 0 cholesterol, 380 mg sodium, 58 g carbs, 11 g fiber, 9 g protein.

Cinnamon Twists Reviewed

I had my eye on these bad boys from the very beginning...

Overall, making these was a harrowing experience! I think this was largely in part due to human error, and not the recipe itself. :/ I was rushing and didn't realize that there were some extra steps in making the dough that I hadn't taken into account yet. (Basically it's not a "dump it all in the bowl and mix it up" type of dough. But bread-making is rarely that quick n' easy... shame on me for not planning ahead.)

Then, at one point I had to bring the buttermilk to a boil. Shame on me AGAIN, I walked away from the pan and it boiled over. ALL OVER. So I had this to deal with:

I threw it out, washed the pan, and started to heat up a new batch on a different burner. Wouldn't ya know it, that #@!&!?@!!$!*! buttermilk boiled over a second time!!! Note to all who read this: buttermilk comes to a boil awfully fast. And I'm a dork in the kitchen. Enough said.

Another bit of grumpiness I encountered was that this recipe required a "Hot Roll Mix." This was a big batch of dry ingredients that you only need a small portion of for the actual recipe. Then you have to save the rest for another time, or another recipe from the same "Hot Roll Mix" family. I was bummed that I had soooooooo much leftover and wasn't sure when/if I could use it again. Maybe Jeri could post some more things on here to make using it? (I even cut the amounts in half and I STILL had a ton of Hot Roll Mix left.)

However!!!!!

All of my grumpiness was experienced BEFORE the cinnamon twists were done. Once I ate one (or was it 17? I lost count...) all complaints should be erased from the record books. They were HEAVEN. Very different from a regular cinnamon roll. I don't know how they do it, but this dough comes out very Krispy Kreme-ish, so light and melt-in-your-mouth just like cotton candy. Wowsers. I will have NO problem using up that leftover Hot Roll Mix. I will be making these again -- SOON.

Here's the total amount the recipe made, just so you can see. (But imagine 2 more twists in the picture. I ate them before I remembered to grab my camera! HA!)

Thank you Jeri - we are bringing these to hang out with friends tonight and they are going to be awesome!

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
1tsp dried parsley flakes
4Tb butter or margerine, divided
1/4 c sour cream
3 c shicken broth
4 c diced potatoes
1/4 c flour
16 oz processed American cheese (I use a 15 oz jar of velveeta)
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Just a tip here, I use a mandolin slicer tool for all these veggies; it makes things cut fast, cook fast, and are the right size for eating.

In a 3qt saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1Tbs butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-13 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cooka nd stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Ad to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

This is to die for with a loaf of fresh made bread, but I don't have a special recipe for that.

Tip-wise, I don't think my saucepan will hold this, but I'm also not sure how big my pan really is. I end up adding all ingredients together in my stockpot. I also tend to skip steps and I just brown the beef, then leave it in there to add the veggies, herbs and broth and let it all simmer together a little longer; I just taste-test it as I go.

This new favorite of mine comes from my mom who got it out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Be ready to share the recipe with anyone who tries it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 I actually got this from a Pampered Chef party--I didn't buy any products, but I've gotten many miles out of the recipe!

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (approx. 12 oz)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped or diced green chilies, undrained
tortilla chips
fresh cilantro, finely chopped
shredded cheddar cheese
thick slices fresh lime

Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat stockpot over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray or add a little olive oil. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add chopped onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place a handful of chips in a bowl. Ladle soup over chips and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Garnish each bowl with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup (one of my favorite parts!).

I often make this when I have planned another dish during the week that uses chips and cilantro. I hate wasting ingredients, but if I don't plan for these ones in other meals, they'll go bad.

Potato Soup

Evvvvveryone loves a good creamy potato soup, but I found a neat little trick to take most of the hard work out of it! Frozen potatoes!!! (You'll never peel and chop again.) And I might be a tad biased, but this recipe tastes a lot better than most others I've tried. Since I made it up, a lot of the measurements are up to you... but it's pretty hard to mess up. Just start out small and taste to decide how much of the spices you want. I also like that I can omit or add in different veggies to make it different. But here is the general list of stuff that works for me!

POTATO SOUP

3 cans cream of potato soup

1 bag frozen southern style hashbrowns (cubes)

Milk (to fill one empty soup can)

1 can corn - drained

1 cup fresh (or frozen) broccoli flowerets - I chop them up very small

Bacon bits

Garlic powder

Pepper

Diced yellow onion (or dehydrated onion flakes)

½ cup (or more) heavy cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bring soup and milk to a gentle boil, add potatoes and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, chop broccoli into tiny, tiny bits. Add that and the corn to your boiling mixture. Add bacon bits, onion, and other spices to your own liking. When potatoes are soft, add cream. Start with ½ cup, but you can add more as you wish. The more the richer and yummier! Serve with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.

Cheese Crunchers

My mom has made this as a holiday dessert for as long as I can remember, so that's when I typically make it. But you can totally use this whenever you want! (I know my hubby would be absolutely content if I decided to make this on a weekly basis!)

Crust/Topper
1 12 oz bag butterscotch chips
6 Tbs butter
2 C graham crackers, crumbled-big crumbs
2 C chopped nuts

Soften and mix chips and butter. Stir until smooth. Add in crumbs and nuts. Set aside 2 C of the mixture. Pat remainder in a 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 3-5 minutes.

Filling
2 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/2 C sugar
4 eggs
1/2 C flour
2 Tbs lemon juice

Combine all together. Beat until smooth. Pour over crust. Crumble remaining crust mixture over all. Bake at 350 for 25 min. Cool, cut, refrigerate or serve immediately. Refrigerate uneaten portion.