Sometimes I get in a cooking rut where I seem to make the same things every week for dinner.  Salmon, asparagus and brown rice, chicken fajitas, some type of soup.  Those seem to be the staples and I get sick of them and want something new after awhile.  This week so far, I have made a new recipe each night and much to my (and my husband’s) delight, they have been keepers!

Sunday night I made Falafel with tzatziki sauce.  I make tzatziki sauce somewhat often as a dip or a sauce for salmon, but I had never made homemade falafel.  Just in case these items are new to you, let me tell you a bit about them.

 Falafel and tzatziki sauce are mediterranean in origin.  Falafel is a mixture of ground chickpeas (garbanzo beans), onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and parsley that is formed into patties and pan-seared or fried.  Tzatziki sauce is made from Greek yogurt combined with cucumber, dill and garlic.  I love the combination of flavors that you get when you eat the two together.

I served my falafel over a bed of baby spinach and kale, topped with tzatziki and slopped up with Indian Naan bread.  For the men at my dinner table, I baked chicken breasts to go along side the falafel and smothered the chicken in tzatziki as well.  If you feel like you are in a mealtime rut and want to try something new, I encourage you to sample one of my favorite mediterranean dishes.

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My mom is like my own personal Martha Stewart.  She can set a table that is worthy of being the head table at a fancy wedding.  She can whip up appetizers for a party or make an incredibly flavorful and beautiful dinner at the drop of a hat.  We always had company when I was growing up and my mom was always great at throwing something together even if the guests were unexpected.  One of her go-to snacks that she makes is Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus.

It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe, but the results are so vibrant in color and flavor.  This hummus is great with chips or veggies, or even smeared on a tortilla and topped with cheese and veggies as a healthy wrap for lunch.  I made my sick husband some chicken noodle soup last weekend and I stirred a spoonful of this hummus into my bowl to liven up the flavor of the soup.  You could even serve this in place of or in addition to guacamole with a Mexican spread.

combine all ingredients except olive oil in food processor and process

stream in olive oil and process until smooth

serve

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Who doesn’t love pizza in any form?  Around Super Bowl time, I was seeing all kinds of pizza dips popping up as suggestions for game day fare.  Football is not a huge deal at our house and so I had to wait for another occasion to make a version of pizza dip.  Hosting book club last week happened to be the perfect reason to give it a try.

Many of the recipes that I have seen for pizza dips involve cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream as a base layer.  One of my favorite swaps for mayo and sour cream that makes dishes healthier is nonfat plain Greek yogurt.  It is tangy, thick and creamy without being heavily laden with calories and fat.  I also cut down on a few calories and grams of fat by using reduced-fat (part skim) mozzarella cheese.

This dip is plenty flavorful even with these healthier modifications.  Top the dip with a variety of vegetables and you’ll really have a popular dip that you can feel great about serving.

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Lightened up Pizza Dip

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake appetizer cream cheese vegetables

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Ingredients (1 8-inch serving dish)

• 1 8oz. package low-fat cream cheese
• 1 6oz. container of 0% (nonfat) plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 cup prepared pizza sauce
• 1 cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped vegetables and/or cooked meats
• Sliced bread, pita chips or tortilla chips for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, yogurt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning using an electric mixer.

Spread mixture into bottom of 8-inch glass pie plate or square glass baking dish.

Top the cream cheese mixture with pizza sauce and spread evenly to cover.

Sprinkle vegetables and/or meats over the shredded cheese.

Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve with bread or chips.

Dip can be made one day ahead and stored (before baking) wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

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combine cream cheese, yogurt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning

spread cream cheese mixture into pan

top with pizza sauce

sprinkle cheese over the sauce

top with chopped veggies (and meat, if using)

bake until cheese is melted and serve

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When Satisfy My Sweet Tooth came into existence this past summer, I had no idea where this adventure would take me.  What I started as something to share recipes with friends and family and hone my photography skills has slowly developed into a full-time obsession that I just can’t get enough of!  Experimenting, writing, taking photos and sharing all of it with you has been such a pleasure and I thank you sincerely for following along with my on my culinary adventures!

I thought I would sum up my first 6 months of blogging with some highlight of my favorite recipes and yours.

1.  Possibly my most popular recipe are these Coffee-Spiked Chocolate Caramel Bars.  Rich and buttery graham cracker crust topped with homemade caramel, chocolate ganache and sea salt.  Need I say more?

On another note, did you know that “espresso” is one of the most commonly mispronounced words?  I read a list of words in the newspaper this week.  People usually stick a “c” in there to make it “ek-spress-oh”.  Just thought you would want to know.

2.  I was surprised how gaga you all went for these sweet and salty beauties.  I mean don’t get me wrong, I drool over these Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Chocolate Chip Cookies, but I am so happy at how many of you lovelies have let me know that you have made and enjoyed these as well.

3.  Next are these Coconut, M&M Cookie Bars.  These bars combine two of my favorite ingredients:  chocolate and coconut.  The flavor of these cookies is almost like the Samoas Girl Scout cookies and they are just so chewy and addicting.

4.  One of my favorite savory recipes that I have shared with you is this pasta with Red and Green Pesto.  I can’t believe I have only made it once and I also just realized that this would be a very festive Christmas recipe!  I really should start making a list for next year’s holiday season already…..

5.  And of course, my all-time favorite pasta, Grandma Suzy’s Fettucini Freddi.  This sauce is so clean and simple, yet every time I eat it, I cannot stop oohing and aahing over it.  And especially now that I received the pasta maker attachment for my mixer, I cannot wait to make homemade noodles with this silky, delectable sauce!

6.  I was so thrilled when I stumbled upon this Crock Pot Apple Butter this fall!  Talk about an easy food gift to share with others.  This will be a staple that I make every fall when friends and family give me apples from their fall harvests.

7.  Nothing really satisfied my craving for crunch like these Heath and Macadamia Nut Blondies.  Chocolate, toffee and nuts are such a rich combination and all of the textures together makes these bars particularly drool-worthy.

8.  I took my first cooking class in 2011 with Emily.  The recipe that I have made the most often from that evening of learning is these Fresh Spring Rolls.  I love how diverse they are because of all of the possible fillings and the sauce is so perfect that I do not even want to order them out at restaurants anymore!  And they are a perfect healthy recipe to start off 2012 right.

9.  I never realized how starting my own blog would lead to an obsession with other blogs!  There is just so much inspiration to be found by browsing through other people’s creative ideas.  No ingredient was more prominent in the blog world during the fall than pumpkin.  I have a few pumpkin classics that I make each year and possibly my favorite is this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake.  It is so moist and incredible.

10.  Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.  These bars are a perfect example of how i see a recipe and then brainstorm about how I can change it to fit my preferences.  These are chewy, nutty, filling and healthy.  A breakfast treat or snack that you can really feel good about.

11.  And finally, one of my favorite combinations, chocolate and peanut butter combined in these soft and chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Cups and Sea Salt.  Cookies are my absolute favorite dessert!  I’ll take a perfect cookie over a rich chocolate tart or cake any day.  They are also very dangerous though because I can never eat just one!  This is a cookie that you could easily put your own spin on with several different ingredients.  Let your creativity shine!

I am not big on resolutions, but a new year does make me think about what improvements I would like to make in my life.  As always, I know that I want and need to exercise more.  I actually feel excited about it after lounging non-stop and eating way too many holiday delights.

I have an email folder, Pinterest board and cookbooks full of recipes that I cannot wait to try this year.  I hope that you will continue to join me on my adventures in the kitchen.  I do so appreciate your readership and support.  I always love hearing from you and please let me know if there is anything special you would like me to share with you in 2012.  Happy New Year sweet teeth!

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Do you suppose there is less crime in the month of December?  I mean with the general feeling of good will toward mankind I have to wonder if crimes against others are reduced.  Every year as I get older, I appreciate and notice the spirit of the season that Christmastime brings more deeply.  The feeling of warmth coming from somewhere deep inside.  A feeling of joy and generosity.  I get so excited to bake and decorate, but it is not a selfish excitement.  I get excited to make someone else’s day by bringing them cookies or giving them a present.

As we get into December and the mayhem that inevitably comes with the holidays will threaten to make us crazy, I encourage us all to stop and remember the reason for the season.  And that is Love.  Let us remember this good living mentality that seems to be most prominent at this time of year and to carry that desire to please others and make them happy through the entire year.  I’m just saying, wouldn’t it be great?  And after all, good living comes from the little things that we do for others that can make the biggest difference.  These things make us feel good and you really never know what an impact a simple act of kindness may be having on someone else’s life.

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Sweet and Salty Snack Mix

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake snack vegetarian chocolate Christmas

Ingredients

• 1 stick (8 oz.) butter
• 1 stick (8 oz.) margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 box (regular size) Crispix cereal
• 1/3 box wheat Chex cereal
• 1/3 box Honeycomb cereal
• 2 cups pretzel sticks
• 1/2 bag M&Ms candy

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Combine cereals and pretzels in a large bowls.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, margarine, sugar, garlic powder and worcestershire sauce and heat over medium heat to combine. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 1 minute.

Pour melted mixture over cereal combination and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into roasting pan or 2 cake pans.

Bake for 1 hour tossing every 20 minutes.

Cool before placing into airtight container to store. Can be frozen in airtight container.

Makes about 2 gallon ziploc bags full.

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combine cereals and pretzels in large bowls

in a medium saucepan, combine all other ingredients (EXCEPT M&Ms) and heat to a boil

pour melted butter  mixture over cereals, stir to combine and bake and add M&Ms after cooled

Do you notice the spirit of the season?

And to make your holidays more merry and bright don’t miss this chance to register to win a trip to Greece from Fage!

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway 

This post is linked at Tidy Mom I’m Lovin’ It Fridays

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