Cranberry Apple Strudel

	Just because Thanksgiving is over doesn't mean that we can't continue to enjoy cranberries! Some people seem to think that certain foods can only be eaten at certain holidays. Like turkey at Thanksgiving. I love turkey! Why can't I eat it all year round? Or peppermint. Maybe in June I really want a peppermint hot chocolate. What's wrong with that? Exactly, nothing. Nothing is wrong with these flavors all year round, in my opinion. I feel like cranberries get a bad wrap. We tend to associate it with the sauce that comes from a can that doesn't look appetizing. Me being one of those people. That is what my mother served during the holidays, and it always looked down right disgusting. Then I grew up and discovered recipes and uses of cranberries beyond the can. Some of my favorite ways to use cranberries are in these cranberry pecan muffins or orange cranberry turnovers. Seriously life changing, earthy moving recipes! So now that Thanksgiving is over and we are moving on to the next holiday, I wanted to make sure I shared this strudel with you. The first time I ever had a strudel was in Italy. My mother in-law made it for us while we were visiting. That was years ago, and it has taken me this long to make one for myself. Hers did not include cranberries, but it did include apples and nuts. Strudels are so versatile that you can basically put inside whatever fruit or berry you would like. Apple tends to be the most popular fruit, but you can use cherries, raisins, apricots and plums. Putting this together was super simple. All that I had to do was make my mixture. Cut the puff pastry; place the mixture down the center of the pastry. Fold the strips over and bake! It may seem complicated because of the way you need to cut the puff pastry and fold it over but it really isn't! I also allowed my dessert to cool completely before I cut into it because I knew the juices would run out and probably make a mess. This cranberry apple strudel can even be made the day before. ENJOY! Print Save Cranberry Apple Strudel Recipe Embed Ingredients 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed 1 cup cranberries, washed 3 yellow apples, peeled and sliced 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract egg wash Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Roll sheet into rectangle. Place on baking sheet. Cut slits 1 inch apart down each side. In bowl combine cranberries, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and vanilla. Spoon mixture down the center of the pastry. Starting at the top fold over the top of the pastry, then crisscross each strip to cover the mixture. Fold in the bottom in before finishing the last two strips. Brush with egg wash. Place in over and cook for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to completely cool. Cut and ENJOY! Recommended Demarle Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat Le Creuset Jelly Roll Pan 360 Bakeware Jelly Roll Pan Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2fCMcMw Food Fanatic

Chocolate Banana Oat Bars

	I very firmly believe that adding oats to things makes them morning appropriate. Same with bananas. Chunky Monkey Banana Donuts and White Chocolate Blueberry Oat Cookies are evidence of my firm belief in these breakfast principles. And also, these chocolate banana oat bars. After years of writing for Food Fanatic and maintaining a friendship with my managing editor, we finally were able to meet in person this past October. It was a couple of days of totally intense work, but also a realization that I actually like her EVEN MORE in person (and nooooo, I am not just writing that because she is going to edit this once I turn it in). Which was great because sitting side by side at a table with someone for 3 days could get awkward really fast if you find out they are not fun at all. So, while we were working, we got to talking about the articles that I submit here on Food Fanatic. And how sometimes I get stuck on just what exactly I should be sharing. Because on my own site, Sugar Dish Me, I blather on about finding pretzels in between couch cushions and how the carpool line puts me right at the brink of complete and total lunacy twice a day. And Amber [that's my managing editor] is like, "yes! You should definitely write for Food Fanatic the way your write for your regular readers." And I was like, "ummmmm, are you sure? Because I tell my regular readers stories about guys marching around Walmart at 4 pm in pajama pants. Guys that are VERY LOUDLY telling their girlfriends about how 'the pallets are stacked so badly' and 'you can tell that a lazy person did this'. Guys that do not understand the irony of wearing pajamas in public and then calling fully clothed people lazy." And she was like, "yes, Food Fanatic readers will love that." So in a few weeks when I'm back and I am telling you how to make the perfect scrambled eggs, while also telling you about the dogs eating a whole pan of cookie bars that the cat threw on the floor, you know who to thank. Also -- you should totally make these Chocolate Banana Oat Bars because there's cream cheese frosting and it's AMAZING.  Print Save Chocolate Banana Oat Bars Recipe Embed Ingredients For the Bars: 1 cup old fashioned oats 1 cup boiling water 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups mashed banana, about 3 medium bananas 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons oil, neutral flavor - vegetable, canola, etc. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt For the Frosting: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1/3 fat neufatchel also works well 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 3 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 tablespoons milk, or cream Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13 X 9 baking pan. Add the oats to a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the oats, stir and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, bananas, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Dump in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and kosher salt. Mix until JUST combined. Stir in the oats and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bars cool before frosting. To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until it's nice and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and milk or cream, and beat until fluffy. Frost the cooled chocolate banana oat bars.  Recommended Silpat Entremet Baking Pan Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls Cuisinart Stand Mixer Le Creuset Revolution Spatula via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2gF0V6O Food Fanatic

Nacho Chicken Dip

	This creamy dip is going to be a favorite with you, your family and your guests. You really can't go wrong with a warm, cheesy dip like this one. The recipe is adapted from a casserole recipe that is really good to serve over rice (we love rice at my house), but the last time I made the casserole, I ended up using chips for spoons. So, I made a few changes, and here you have this comfort food dip that'll be the star of your appetizer menu. Comfort foods like this really hit the spot after a long, hard day. Somehow when you dip into a dish like this, the day doesn't seem as bad. At least until the dip is gone! Do you have a favorite comfort food that makes everything almost better? I encourage you to try this very same recipe with ground beef or perhaps steak to make a slight change. You'll love it! With the timing of this recipe, you can work on the main dish while this dip bakes in the oven if you don't already have something cooking in the crock pot. It's also the perfect dish to make in a counter-top oven, if there are plenty of other goodies in the big one. I like serving this with big Fritos scoops, but toasty bagel chips would be awesome too. Or celery and carrots, if you're into that healthy sort of thing. I guess. This really isn't a dip for you if you're watching calories, so I say go full-on with the chips. If you have willing helpers, you can encourage everyone to dive in and lend a hand so you can sit with everyone else once the dip is ready to eat. I hope you love this recipe! Be sure to check out the other awesome appetizer recipes here on Food Fanatic. Print Save Nacho Chicken Dip Recipe Embed Ingredients oil, for sauteeing 1 1/2 pounds chicken, cubed salt and pepper 1/2 medium onion, diced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 4 ounce can green chiles 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips, plus more for dipping 2 cups shredded cheese fresh tomatoes and green onions, for garnish Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a large pan and preheat on medium heat. Cook the chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Cook onion, chili powder and cumin until the onions are tender. Stir in green chiles, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup and diced tomatoes. Mix in cooked chicken and 1 cup shredded cheese Top with 1 1/2 cups of crushed chips. Bake for 25 minutes, until it's bubbly. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese and bake until melted. Recommended Le Creuset Skillet Lodge Cast Iron Skillet Dreamfarm Supoon via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2gBBenM Food Fanatic

Cranberry Breakfast Bread

	I hadn't made bread in a while. I wasn't quite sure why, but got away from it when we started the moving process. Making bread isn't complicated, but you do have to commit to the process, and for months I wasn't ready to commit. Overnight that seemed to change, and I needed the therapy of kneading dough. Kneading dough is something you can lose yourself in, which probably also explains why cats insist on squishing our bellies over and over again. It's a comforting action, moving your hands across the dough and back again. Making bread again perfectly coincided with Thanksgiving, and so this sweet cranberry breakfast bread was born. It was inspired by a Swedish tea ring I made years ago, but I wanted a filling that used up the last bits of the cranberry sauce. I'm the only one in the family who eats cranberry sauce, so we always have leftovers. Rather than keep it regulated to its savory application or making this favorite cranberry pecan streusel coffee cake, I turned to this bread and mixed the sauce with butter, almonds, sugar, and flour for a filling that was dolloped onto rolled-out dough. The dough is then rolled and cut down the length so the filling is exposed, and twisted together to make a lovely shape. This is a great way to present any filled bread, and works with loaf breads as well as round loaves. After baking, a drizzle of glaze firmly puts this into the realm of a sweet bread. This tender, buttery bread is excellent for breakfast all on its own, or served as part of a larger spread alongside eggs and roasted breakfast potatoes. It's a centerpiece to be sure, and deceptively easy.  Make this cranberry breakfast bread for brunch, and take your time during the kneading process. The dough is the one in charge here, and we could all use the opportunity to take a moment. Print Save Cranberry Breakfast Bread Recipe Embed Ingredients For the Bread: 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup water 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons butter, softened 2 eggs For the Filling: 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1/4 cup cranberry sauce 1/4 cup slivered almonds 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar For the Topping: 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon pure almond extract Directions Combine milk and water and heat to about 90°F. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl. Stir in yeast, sugar, 1 cup flour, and salt. Stir in butter and eggs. Mix in 1 cup flour and then add more, a little bit at a time, until a shaggy dough forms. Flour a work surface and turn out dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour to prevent sticking, about 8-10 minutes. The dough should be soft and supple. Grease a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, cover, and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour to 90 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together butter, cranberry sauce, almonds, flour, and granulated sugar for the filling. When the dough has risen, turn it out onto floured work surface. Roll dough to a rectangle about 8x16 inches. Scatter or spread filling on top of dough, then roll up the dough lengthwise. Cut the dough down the middle lengthwise, then turn the cut edges up. Twist the two pieces together, keeping the cut edges up, then form into a circle, tucking in the ends. Carefully transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise again for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the bread for 25 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Mix together powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth, then drizzle over warm bread.  Recommended Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls Cuisinart Stand Mixer KitchenAid Stand Mixer via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2gyYIdn Food Fanatic

Gingerbread Fudge

	Thanksgiving is over, which means, BRING ON ALL THE HOLIDAY TREATS. Am I right? Let's start with this Gingerbread Fudge. You guys, I went over several ideas on how to adapt my favorite fudge recipes to achieve the delicious molasses and ginger flavor in this fudge. I even thought about tossing in some chopped up gingersnaps... but my very first attempt at this fudge resulted in the exact flavor I was hoping to create! I don't know about you, but I'm not a huge fan of Gingerbread cookies. I love gingersnaps (FROZEN), but cutting out gingerbread cookies has never been my niche. I would much rather bake up my favorite cream cheese sugar cookie cutouts... and add serious amounts of frosting to them! As for Gingerbread houses? I buy the kits. I know. Lame, right? But c'mon, I'm busy baking food we are actually going to eat... I don't have time to bake for crafts too! Today's fudge recipe is perfect. You can make it a week or two in advance, and it will stay fresh. My recommendation would be to line your baking dish with parchment paper. After you refrigerate the fudge, and it firms up nicely, take the whole solid piece of fudge and slide it into a gallon sized ziploc bag. Without cutting it into pieces. Fudge will stay fresher if it's NOT cut. When you go to a fudge shop, you'll notice they always cut it off the block. This is one of the reasons why! I love making up big plates of fudge for family and friends. Create several flavors (I have so many to choose from here), and buy some of those cute holiday plates. As you have guests over, or if you are invited somewhere, cut up some of your fudge and bring it along! Everyone makes cookies this time of year... do something different! Check out some of my other favorite truffle and candy recipes! Print Save Gingerbread Fudge Recipe Embed Ingredients 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup molasses 3/4 cup heavy cream 7 ounces marshmallow cream 1 11 ounce package white chocolate chips 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup white chocolate, melted, for garnish gingerbread sprinkles, optional Directions Prepare a 9-inch square baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside. Add marshmallow cream, white chocolate morsels, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to a large mixing bowl. Set aside. In a large, heavy saucepan, add butter, sugars, molasses, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Once boiling, continue to boil (rolling boil) for a full 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and pour over ingredients in mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend for about one minutes, until morsels are melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into prepared baking dish. Immediately drizzle with melted white chocolate and swirl into warm fudge. Add sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate for at least two hours (or overnight). Once set, cut into bite sized pieces and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best results. via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2gwIBNk Food Fanatic

Avocado Cheesecake Truffles

	I scream, you scream, we all scream for… REALLY MINI FOOD. And you thought I was going to say "ice cream." TRICK'D YA! Pretty sure you'll get over the possible "I've-been-tricked" anger that is swirling around in your cheesecake-loving noggins in about 3 seconds. Because they teeny-tiny little bites of creamy-dreamy, superfresh mint cheesecake that are gettin' a crispy-crunchy rich chocolate HUG are the KEY to getting ANYONE to forget any possible wrong-doings that you even done to them in their lives. Liiiiike, ever. Big claims for such tiny little bites of Christmas-time food heaven. BUT, they OWN THEM. I feel like you and I are on the same page about a LOT of things that we put in our mouths. One of the major points that we agree on is the <3 <3 <3 of mini food. Mostly because we really like eating and mini foods = MORE FOOD FOR YOU. But, also because mini food is, uhhh, SO CUTE RIGHT NOW. B-b-butttt what about REALLY mini food? These aren't pint-sized in the sense of those mini pumpkin cheesecakes. These are BITE SIZED. Like, one in your hungry mouth. All at O-N-C-E. Pro tip: I do recommend chewing. Just sayin'. Now I can take no blame for any general bad things that happen if you think that "really mini" means "no-need-to-chew" and you try to inhale 6 bites back to back, NO STOPPING. Real life talk: I would NOT BLAME YOU. Just felt a warning was in order. On the topic (that we accidently got off-topic from) of things that we super agree on right now: desserts that are both protein packed AND provide a super-stealthy ninja pop of heart-healthiness. This is why you're going to be RLY RLY excited when your eyeballs peep the mega dose of the lean-mean-muscle-building machine that is Greek yogurt and the nutritious powerhouse that is avocado in the ingredient list. Can we also just take a moment to image Greek yogurt and avocado together? It's like CREAMY x 2 plus EXTRA SUPER CREAMY = crushin' so hard on the ridiculously velvety smooth texture that is oozing out of these bites. P.s the avocado also makes the bites (naturally) green. Have you ever opened a container of mint chocolate chip ice-cream, only to discover it was WHITE? Exactly. You don't trust it. You may actually remember this cheesecake from last year's mint gluten free cheesecake with avocado brownie bottom. This is like that. Without the brownie. And COVERED in chocolate. Because dunking things in chocolate >>>>>>> just putting a little bit on the bottom. Also, because I recently learned how to make chocolate covered cheesecake bites, and considering mint and chocolate is basically the most magical combination of Christmas food to ever happen to this planet we call earth, well….I WENT THERE. Like 10 times. As in I have A LOT of cheesecake bliss-balls rolling around in my fridge right now for whenever the craving hits. P.s can we rename them cheesecake bliss balls? And, because I am a real, hungry person who exists in the real world, that happens A LOT. I'm strongly urging you to do what I say AND what I do and follow suit by doubling (read: quadrupling) your batch of smooth-n'-creamy bites of yum this Christmas season. Aaaand, don't plan on givin' A-N-Y away. You know that saying "it's better to give than to receive" That doesn't apply here. Print Save Avocado Cheesecake Truffles Recipe Embed Ingredients 8 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup avocado, mashed (115 g) 1/3 cup organic raw cane sugar 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla greek yogurt 1 large egg 1 large egg white 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract 2 tablespoons chopped dark chocolate For Dipping: 10 ounces dark chocolate, good quality Directions Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, avocado and sugar just until combined. Add in the Greek yogurt, egg, egg white and peppermint extract and beat just until blended, scraping down the sides as necessary. You don't want to overbeat a cheesecake, as this causes it to crack. Gently stir in the minced chocolate. Pour the cheesecake into an 8-inch spring form pan and bake until the top is almost all set, but a small circle in the center is still a little bit jiggly, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let come down to room temperature. Then, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to overnight. Once chilled, remove the sides of the spring form pan and scoop the cheesecake into 1 1/2 tablespoon balls, placing the balls on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. Your cheesecake will probably be quite soft, and difficult to perfectly shape, so you may not be able to get perfect circles quite yet. Damp hands helps a lot! Place the balls into the freezer to lightly set, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the freezer and roll into perfect circles. Place back into the freezer and chill until the balls are totally hard and solid, at least 2 hours. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe Tupperware container using half power and 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Remove half of the balls out of the freezer, keeping the rest chilled until ready to dip. Drop one ball into the melted chocolate, gently swirling around to cover. Use a fork to lift the ball out of the chocolate and tap your hand gently (not the fork) so that all the excess chocolate drips off. You'll need to work quickly so the ball doesn't harden to the fork! Use a toothpick to gently slide the ball onto another parchment lined cookie sheet and repeat until all the truffles are done. Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled. DEVOUR. Notes You will have some chocolate left over, but it's easier to dip the balls if you have excess. I think this video is really helpful to show you how to dip the truffles! 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