Mango Salsa

My sister shared this recipe with me years ago while having chicken tacos at her house. It was so yummy and refreshing on the tacos! I usually put it on my pork tacos but it is great straight with tortilla chips too. If you like mangos, you'll love this fresh salsa!

Mango Salsa

2-3 mangos, peeled and cubed
2 avocados cubed
1 cucumber, cubed
2-3 Tbs lime juice
1 green onion diced
chopped cilantro
½ jalapeno diced (*roasted or raw- if raw, remove seeds)

Stir together and serve fresh with chips or on pork,chicken,or shrimp tacos. would also be good on baked fish!

*Roasting a jalapeno... My sister also taught me how to roast a jalepeno to help release the flavor when making salsas. First you put the jalapeno(s) in a dry hot fry pan or grill. Turn it occasionally to get the grill marks all the way around. You will hear it pop and sizzle and it will soften up a bit. Then comes the magic... Pop the hot jalepeno(s) in a ziplock bag and seal it right up so that the jalepeno(s) can sweat. This releases the oils and adds flavor and cuts down on the heat. If you want to keep it mild, you can still remove the seeds. Once it has cooled, cut it up for your favorite salsa or dish.

Dilly Pretzles

I first had these a few years ago while doing a candle party and fell in love with them. The hostess was happy to share the recipe with me and I'm so glad she did. These are so yummy and easy to make!

Dilly Pretzles
12 oz Orville Redenbacher popcorn oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 TBSP dill weed
1 envelope Hidden Valley Original Salad Dressing Mix
2 - 15/16 oz bags mini pretzels

Directions
Whisk all ingredients except pretzels and pour over pretzels. Place them in a 2 gallon zip loc bag or another very large plastic bag and shake to coat the pretzles.
Toss/shake the pretzles every 15-20 minutes for a couple of hours or until oil is absorbed. Similar recipes say to bake in a 300*oven and stir every 10 min. But this recipe does not require that so I don't.

Mexican Veggie Dip

I friend of mine brought this to a Christmas dinner party and I fell in love with it! I have made it a number of times and am finally sharing it with you. It is so refreshing with the veggies and satisfying with the dip. This is a new family favorite! I almost forgot to take a picture so this is a picture of it half gone from the pan :)

Mexican Veggie Dip

Mix together:

2 blocks of cream cheese, softened

¾ cup mayo

2-4 tsp taco seasoning ( to taste)

Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan

In a large bowl, mix together:

1 can corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

sliced green onion

1 red bell pepper, chopped

Spread the veggie mixture over dip and serve with chips. So refreshing and yummy!

POPCORN!

Such a great time of year for popcorn! I have 3 GREAT ones to share - So Fun! EASY! YUMMY!

Chocolate Carmel Popcorn
14 ounces caramels
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
12 cups air popped popcorn - 2 cups un-popped
1 cup peanuts or other nut of choice
4 squares finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate or 1 cup chocolate chips, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 300°.
Microwave carmels, butter and water in a microwave safe bowl on high for 2-3 minutes or until carmels are completely melted. Stir after each minute of heating.
Combine popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl.
Drizzle the caramel mixture over the popcorn and peanuts.
Mix to coat.
Spread popcorn out on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips, spread over baked popcorn mixture and stir to combine.
Spread popcorn out on waxed paper to cool.
You may need to break some of the pieces into smaller clusters.
Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to one week.


Marshmallow/ Carmel Corn -- E A S Y
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 bag of marshmallows (big)

Melt together - start with butter
pour over 2-3 bags of popped microwave popcorn (take out kernels)


Peanut butter/ Carmel Corn - - by Marcia Clark (Our family favorite)
1 cup of Karo Syrup
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of peanut butter

Melt together - start with syrup
pour over 2-3 bags of popped microwave popcorn (take out kernels)