Cheddar Fondue

This is a very simple, and still delicious way I like to make fondue. I made this for a movie night with the girls, and KC and I enjoyed leftovers the next day. Fondue twice in a row. Not too good for the waistline.

1 c chicken broth
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 c sour cream
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T spicy brown mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t nutmeg salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. cheddar cheese

In a saucepan whisk together everything except the cheese. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and slowly stir in the cheese a little at a time waiting between installments making sure it melts before you add more. If it seems too thick when all the cheese is added, add more broth. Transfer to a fondue pot and dip whatever sounds good to you. We usually like lightly steamed broccoli or cauliflower, ham, or kielbasa, rustic bread (Here's a tip for the bread: cut it into cubes, and toast it in a deep skillet drizzled with a little olive oil, and s&p until the cubes are lightly browned. I'm TELLING you, when I ate it with the cheese, it's the best thing I'd had in a long time.), apples, etc. You can get gourmet with cut up, steamed asparagus, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, grilled zucchini, the options are endless. This Christmas Eve tradition in my family will continue on with me, that's for sure. I think I'll make it more often than that, though.

Mango Salsa

I'm a HUGE fan of chips and salsa. I eat way more than I'm supposed to. I guess this salsa is a pretty good for you since it's purely fruits and vegetables so maybe I shouldn't feel so guilty that I ate a good portion of it. But then there are all the chips I ate it with. Oh well, it was worth it.

This is a pretty basic recipe and I'm sure there are an millions other like it out there. In case you wanted my version, here it is:

3 ripe mangoes
2 avocadoes
1/2 c red onion
1 small red pepper
handful cilantro roughly chopped
juice or 2-3 limes
salt and pepper
garlic

Dice everything to the size of your liking. I used my food chopper for everything except the avocados, cilantro, and garlic and it worked like a charm. Toss everything together and refrigerate until ready to use. It's good to give it at least 30 minutes to get all the flavors to blend. A couple of my mangoes weren't as ripe as I would've liked, but still good. These are the red white and blue chips we ate it with on the 4th of July. Those Garden Salsa Sun Chips on the right are awesome. Check them out sometime.

Goat brie platter

I highly reccomend goat brie. It was so delicious. Especially with prosciutto, cinnamon bagels and sesame crackers. We had this with our carrot soup and it went perfectly.

Hors D'oeuvres

I love making bite sized treats but I don't make them very often. Here are a few that I have made.

Brie platter: This went with our carbonara meal. I love brie. Especially with fruit.
Turkey bacon wrapped chicken with a sweet and spicy glaze: These are pretty healthy with the turkey bacon. They do however have a brown sugar/chili powder glaze on them. Oh well.
Salmon salad in phyllo cups: I can't quite remember what I put in the salad, but the phyllo made a nice crunch.
Spinach artichoke tartlets: These are always a favorite. I also made this with the filling wrapped in puff pastry. That is always well received.