Fresh Cherry Relish and Goat Cheese Crostini

Dear Cooking Fans,

This is by far Fabulous! It's truly a mouth orgasm! All seems right with the world after eating these!

Ok, enough talk! Let's get cooking!!

There are three parts to this recipe (taken from Fine Cooking Magazine)
1) the relish
2) the cheese spread
3) making the crostini

First, the list of ingredients:
1 cup fresh sweet cherries (about 5 1/2 oz) pitted and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely diced jicama
1 medium scallion (white and green parts), very thinly sliced
1 tsp. chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
Pinch of cayenne; more to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 oz. (1/3 cup) soft fresh goat cheese
2 1/2 oz. (1/3 cup) ricotta cheese
18 1/2-inch-thick baguette slices, toasted

Before we begin mixing or cutting, turn the oven on to 350 degrees. You want the oven good and hot to make the crostini.

First, let's make the relish:
In my small bowl, I put in my finely chopped up scallion


Then, I added in the finely chopped teaspoon of mint. You really do have to be careful and not add too much as mint has such a strong flavor.


Next for the Jicama! I have never tasted this before tonight. It doesn't have a real strong taste and alone, I could take it or leave it. In this? WOW. It has a very thick skin that I found easier to cut off with a knife rather than use a peeler.


Once it's peeled, chop it up in little pieces!


Add it to your bowl!

Pit and wash the cherries. Then, chop them up as fine as you can!


Add the cherries to the bowl.

Then, add the red wine vinegar, some salt and pepper and a touch of something hot. The recipe calls for cayenne, but I prefer to use Chile De Arbol. Just a pinch or two. You don't want it really spicy. Stir everything up.


Set the bowl aside. Now, let's make the crostini!

Cut your baguette into 1/2 or 1 inch pieces. I did inch pieces and found that the relish only lasted for the 12 pieces I made. Place them on a cooking sheet.


You will want to use some extra virgin olive oil to baste the pieces with to give them a super yummy taste with a lovely brown color. Pour some olive oil into a little dish and baste away!


Here is a picture after all the pieces have been given a dose of extra virgin olive oil.


Place in the oven for about 5 minutes. Then, rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. This ensures that all pieces are cooking evenly just in case your oven has hotter areas. And voila! Beautiful crisp Crostini!


While the crostini is baking, you can make the cheese spread!
Simply add the two cheese together and mush together with a spoon until it seems like it's been mushed up enough.


Once the Crostini has cooled enough to touch it, spread the cheese on. Because goat cheese has such a strong flavor, you don't need to go crazy on the spreading because it will overpower the relish. After cheese has been applied, use a spoon and place a good amount of relish on top!


I absolutely loved this recipe! I wouldn't change one thing about - this was perfection!

Enjoy lovely fans!

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Wedges

Hello Cooking Fans!!

I can't remember where I found this recipe, but it's just so simple and it made the cabbage so delicious!

I happen to love cabbage and in case you didn't know, it's loaded with nutrients!

Here are the basic ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 head green cabbage, quartered through the core
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
course salt and ground pepper

And now onto the pictures!

I cut the cabbage up in quarters, but I found it didn't really want to stay in quarters, so I went with it.


I cooked until they started to brown and then added in the liquids. I would advise browning more than I did. The browning really added some nice flavor to the cabbage.


Once it was nice and cooked, about 12 minutes later in the liquid, I served it up into a bowl and sprinkled with salt and pepper!


Now, you can also do this with brussel sprouts or maybe even broccoli!

For tonights dinner, I bought some brussel sprouts at the store because they were on sale.. and I'm going to use this same recipe and see how it turns out!

Unusual Uses for Cucumbers

Hello Cooking Fans!

I received this information in an email from my mother... Mom's always know best, don't they?

I love cucumbers, but I didn't realize actually how truly wonderful they are for you! So, here is the list..read and enjoy! Would love to hear of any other uses!

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache-free ... cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!