Holiday Appetizer Idea: Baked Brie in Sourdough Bread

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned products courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


This year we decided to jump on the Friendsgiving bandwagon. My bestie and I always try to schedule at least one date night a month, but once the holiday season hits, we're pretty bad about letting 2 months slip by before seeing each other again until the holiday madness has settled down. Friendsgiving sounded like the perfect excuse to carve out some time this month and celebrate the season a little early with those that we love and are thankful for, but usually don't see on Thanksgiving. I mentioned last week how appetizers are usually the bell of the ball around here, and since I'm steering away from the standard cheese and cracker or veggie tray this year to keep things a little classy, I've been digging through Golden Blossom Honey's recipe pages to hunt down fancy, but no-fuss crowd pleasers. Rounding out my appetizer list is this Baked Brie in Sourdough Bread. 

This is another simple recipe that you can spend little prep time with, but it still makes for a beautiful presentation on the holiday spread. Serve it up alongside veggies, bread cubes, or other crudités because who doesn't love dipping yummy eats into warm, melty cheese? 

Ingredients

Filling:
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed, Brie cut into pieces
12 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 large round sourdough bread
paprika
Crudities such as scallions, radishes, celery, carrots, red bell pepper sticks

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Have you ever participated in a Friendsgiving?

 

Sugar In The Raw® Always Sweetens Up The Holidays #InTheRaw

“The product, information, and gift card have been provided by the makers of In The Raw® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Sugar In The Raw®. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of the makers of In The Raw® sweeteners.” 


1 week y'all. The countdown is on and we're just 7 days away from Thanksgiving. Now is the time to get a head count and start finalizing the menu. I am actually hosting Friendsgiving on Saturday, so I have been doing a few test run recipes this week to make sure everything is perfect for this weekend. And, if the recipes are a hit, I'll be sure to duplicate them for our family gathering next week. 

As you all know, I am a huge fan of In The Raw® products, and this week I used Sugar In The Raw® in all of my test recipes. I love the hearty, golden crystals, which actually retains its rich flavor and color of natural molasses because it is never bleached. It is made from natural sugar cane grown in the tropics. Additionally, it is certified non-GMO, vegan and is naturally gluten-free.

Before I started playing with my own recipes, I took a look at what In The Raw® had to offer for a little inspiration and couldn't resist immediately pulling out ingredients to make these Mini Pecan Tarts. 

These little two-bite tarts are a perfect dessert for those who want a taste of the holidays without overindulging on a huge slab of pie. The recipe said to press the dough into mini muffin tins, but I didn't have one on hand and improvised by using mini muffin cups and that worked just fine. I didn't even have to spray the paper cups with oil before inserting the dough because it fell right out of the liner after baking. This recipe, as well as other yummy holiday recipes will be available on their website soon, but they are in the middle of a revamp, so I'll post it here for you now:

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine
3oz Organic Valley Cream Cheese
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 Organic Valley Egg
1/4 cup Sugar In The Raw®
4 tablespoons melted margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cream cheese and stick margarine until smooth and creamy. Slowly mix in flour until mostly combined. Use your hands to knead the dough a few times until the remainder of the flour is incorporated and dough is formed into a ball. Chill dough for 2-3 hours.

Chop nuts to a medium grind, leaving behind a few larger pieces, then set aside. Using a fork, mix together melted margarine, egg, Sugar In The Raw® and vanilla.

Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray (or use the paper muffin cups like I did). Break chilled dough into small pieces and press into muffin tin to create mini shells. Press nuts into the bottom of the shells, then top with wet filling. Do not over-fill as this can cause the filling to spill over sides of tarts when baking. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 250 degrees and bake 10 minutes longer. Allow to cool before serving. Makes 12 servings.

 Here's another great In The Raw® recipe for a Pumpkin Pie Frappe. Yum!

 Ingredients:

1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup Sugar In The Raw®
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 cup whole milk
4 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Blend all ingredients together. Serve in a frosted mug and garnish with a dash of nutmeg.

I love Cinnamon Toasted Sugar Almonds in the fall. Nothing beats walking the Chicago boardwalk and smelling the warm sugar nuts wafting through the crisp air. These can be quite expensive buying them from the outdoor vendors, but you can easily make them at home for a fraction of the cost. The Sugar In The Raw® coarse granules are perfect for getting that crispy, crunchy sugar coating that makes these almonds so tasty.

Yield: 2 cups Author: Theresa M

Cinnamon Sugar Toasted Almonds

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 egg white
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups unblanched whole almonds
• 5½ tablespoons Sugar In The Raw®
• 5½ tablespoons packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the almonds, giving them a good coating of the wet mixture.
2. Stir together the Sugar In The Raw® and brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Gently stir into the almond mixture to coat.
3. Grease a jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Evenly spread almond mixture onto pan and bake at 300 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Allow nuts to cool, then store in an airtight container.

Adapted from Taste of Home

https://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2018/11/sugar-in-raw-always-sweetens-up.html

Adapted from Taste of Home

If you like any of these recipes, be sure to Pin It on Pinterest!  

The Sugar In The Raw® jewel-like crystals are perfect to use as a finishing sugar on cupcakes and muffins, or adding a little shine and sparkle to your holiday cookies.

You can find Sugar In The Raw® at most major grocers nationwide in convenient packs, bulk, liquid, and old-fashioned cubes. Be sure to grab some for your holiday recipes, then share with us what you are creating on social media by using #InTheRaw.

What's your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?

Kitchen Essential: Power Quick Pot

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned products courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.



Two years ago I was introduced to pressure cooking and it rocked my world. I received a Power Pressure Cooker XL for review and dinner was never the same again. This whole new world of cooking had opened up for me, and not only was I making delicious meals, but they were done in half the time as traditional cooking and with little mess. So, when I heard TriStar had created a whole new cooker, the Power Quick Pot, I knew it was something I needed to get my hands on asap! 

I know these instant pot kind of appliances have really gained popularity over the past year or two, but I held off purchasing my own because my Power Pressure Cooker XL had a lot of the same functions as those other pots, and it didn't create the mess that I've read about others experiencing with theirs. So, what turned me onto absolutely needing the Power Quick Pot? In addition to being able to pressure cook, it has the ability for canning and yogurt making, plus it is the ONLY instant pot that has the ability to cook Sous Vide.

The 37 Smart Preset Programs are super easy to navigate and really help take the guesswork out of cooking. After initially washing the parts, I was already using the unit within 30 minutes of taking it out of the box. I usually have a bowl of steel cut oats in the morning, but as I was flipping through one of the 4 cookbooks that come with your Power Quick Pot, my curiosity was piqued by the Creamy Maple Banana Quinoa recipe I saw. 

Breakfast for 3 was done in 10 minutes and holy smokes was it ever good! Best of all, it was all made in one pot so cleanup was a breeze. Such a perfect recipe for busy mornings! Another thing that impressed me was learning that you could pop popcorn in it. Toss in a little butter, a little oil, and in about 5 minutes you have freshly popped popcorn. Sprinkle on some Truffle Salt for an indulgent treat.

I did a goof and bought the ingredients for ratatouille without reading the directions first. I realized that I didn't have a 6 inch spring form pan that the recipe called for, but dinner still needed to be made so I improvised and made my own Vegetable Soup recipe on the spot.  

I chopped and quartered 1 eggplant, 2 zucchini, 2 tomatoes, 1 small butternut squash, and 3 potatoes and tossed them into the stainless steel inner bowl. I poured in 1 32oz carton of vegetable broth and 1 can of tomato sauce, then stirred in 2 tablespoons of Vegeta seasoning (found in the European section of your supermarket).  I pressed the "Pressure button", customized the time to 25 minutes, then let it do its thing. Once it was finished, I let the pressure reduce on its own, but you could use the open/close valve to release the pressure quickly if you like. I topped each bowl with shredded Parmesan cheese and a handful of oyster crackers and dinner was done.

With the Power Quick Pot, you can have dinner on the table in no time. Pot Roast is done in 25 minutes, 3 whole chickens cook in 20 minutes, chili in 35 minutes, frozen wings are done in 10 minutes, and creamy cheesecake in just 25 minutes. The Power Quick Pot reaches temperature 50% faster than other instant pots and is the only one with a splash guard so you don't have nasty messes to deal with after use.

The Power Quick Pot is not only a time saver, but space saver too. It replaces your pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, popcorn maker, and bread machine, freeing up valuable cabinet and counter space. The stainless steel inner pot is chemical, PTFE AND PFOA free and can go right into the dishwasher for effortless cleaning. 

If you're wondering how the Power Quick Pot stands up to heavy use, I will say that I have used my Power Pressure Cooker XL about 3 times per week for the past 2.5 years and it's still functioning like new. I'm a firm believer that you cannot go wrong with any of the kitchen gadgets TriStar has introduced us over these past few years, and if you're in the market to upgrade your appliances or pans, or just need a gift for the chef in your family this holiday season, I highly recommend TriStar products. You can read my reviews here on:

Power Pressure Cooker XL
Copper Chef
Wonder Cooker
Power Smokeless Grill

TriStar knows their stuff when it comes to quality kitchen appliances and I think they have another winner with the Power Quick Pot. 

What function on the Power Quick Pot do you think you'd use the most?

Kids Wish For The Squish This Holiday Season! #WishForTheSquish

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned products courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Since my girls are no longer at the age of playing with toys, I've been kind of stumped as to what to buy my younger nieces and nephews for the holidays. I mean, I don't want to just wander the toy aisle and hope that I pick out something that may or may not be on the "cool list" this year. So, I did a little research (by that I mean I had my daughter ask her friends what's on their younger siblings holiday wish list) and it seems that Playfoam Pals is definitely on the "cool list" of toys to receive this year.

As a mom who lived through the slime faze (is that even still a thing?) I can totally get behind Playfoam Pals. The squishy squashy Playfoam is fun to shape and mold without making a mess or leaving behind any kind of sticky residue, and it never dries out so it can be played with again and again. Playfoam encourages creativity and self expression, and is great for tactile and sensory learning.

If the foam itself isn't enough, the adorable little pet hidden inside each Playfoam Pals container makes it that much better.

Just pop the top of the container and there's your cute little Playfoam Pals. Pull him out, then use the Playfoam to create fun little things that he may need, from furniture to food to attire. The possibilities are as endless as your child's imagination. 

There are many different Playfoam Pals for your child to collect. While it's meant to be a surprise what you find inside of your container, mine did state what the contents were on the bottom.

Playfoam Pals, from Educational Insights, will provide hours of creativity and entertainment. If you're stumped on what to get the kids in the age range of 5-10, you can't go wrong here. Playfoam Pals make a great stocking stuffer too!

WIN IT!

One lucky Theresa's Mixed Nuts reader is going to win a 12 Pack of Playfoam Pals! 

The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S., 13+ and will run through 11/25. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to the winning email before a new winner is selected. Please enter on the giveaway widget below.
 

Entry-Form

Spice Up The Holidays with Tuna & Red Pepper Appetizers

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned products courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


While the main course meal is good and all, one of my favorite things about the holidays is sitting in the kitchen, munching on the appetizers while dinner is still in the oven. The kitchen really is the heart of the home, where everyone comes together to graze on the goodies and pass around love and laughter. Some of my family good-heartedly complain about 'too many butts in the kitchen' while dinner is still heating through, but even with the tight squeeze, it's nice to have a room filled with love. I usually have a cheese and cracker tray set out before dinner, but this year I am trying for a more classy approach to the meal (did you check out those adorable cranberry acorn squash from last week?) and thought it would also be fun to set out these Tuna and Red Pepper Appetizers from Golden Blossom Honey.

These appetizers are not only great for Thanksgiving, but I think with the red and green, they would be really festive for Christmas too. Since it's a no-bake recipe, it frees up the oven for other dishes. All you need is a food processor and a knife and you can have these peppers stuffed and on the table fairly quickly. You could even halve baby peppers and stuff them with the filling for a fun football snack as well. 

Ingredients

1 can (6 1/2 ounces) water packed tuna, drained well
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM RAW HONEY
6 black olives, pitted and minced
1 tablespoon small capers, drained
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
1 small plum tomato, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 large red peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch wedges
fresh parsley, chopped

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

What's your favorite holiday appetizer?

 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Tower Bridge (London Bridge)

Just a few of my favorite snaps of Tower Bridge that we took on our trip to London....

We thought the bright colors looked really fun on the bridge, like what you would see at a carnival. Don't mind the faces here. The sun was shining right in their eyes.

The girls thought they'd be cheeky and pretend "London Bridge was falling down" lol.

That marks another landmark to check off the travel bucket list.

What's a landmark you'd like to check off of your travel bucket list?