Honey Butter

Ok, so I was gone for a while:) A long while. I am just OVERLOADED with awesome recipes to share! Including this gem. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. She introduced it to us a few years ago at Christmas and we’ve all been dreaming about it ever since. I’ve tried a lot of different kinds of honey butter, but his one is BY FAR the best. It’s so creamy and delicious. The best part is that it stays soft in the fridge. There’s nothing worse than trying to spread hard butter on a warm roll.

This year for Christmas I bottled up some homemade strawberry jam (here) and honey butter with homemade rolls (here) for all of my neighbors and friends. I think it must be a new tradition! Not to mention less work than making hundreds of treats that people are already getting. It’s nice to get something different. Impress your neighbors with this amazing recipe.

Honey Butter

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
1 pound (4 sticks) salted sweet cream butter
1 tsp vanilla

Bring whipping cream, honey and sugar to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Put cold butter in a blender. Pour boiling mixture and vanilla over butter and blend until smooth. Pour into containers and refrigerate overnight before eating. Store in the fridge.

Southwest Salad Dressing

This salad is the best. EVER. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Alyssa. She changed my life with it when I visited a few months back. It’s the dressing that makes it super-duper good. It’s a southwest dressing with a little bit of a kick. It’s like nothing I’ve had before and I’m completely addicted. 

And besides the dressing being AMAZING, you can make the salad what you want! Put whatever the heck you want in there. I usually always do fresh corn and black beans, but I’ve put quinoa in there, blue cheese, sliced almonds, crushed up tortilla chips, avocado, red peppers, you name it – I’ve done it. That’s what I like about it! My favorite thing to do right now is marinate some shrimp in the dressing itself and then grill them for a great salad topper. YUMMMM. The key to the salad is the dressing. Get creative!!
I've made this for 2 parties so far and have been asked countless times for the recipe. It's SOOO good!!!

Southwest Dressing:
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2t chipotle chili powder
2T honey
1/2t sea salt
1 cup cilantro
3/4 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour on your favorite salad or use as a marinade.

For the Salad:
1-2 heads romaine lettuce
1 bag baby spinach
2-3 ears fresh corn, cooked
1/2 c black beans
1/4 cup cotija cheese (or any kind of mexican cheese)
1-2 avocado, diced
tortilla chips, crushed (I like to use Tostitos Roasted Garlic and Black Bean chips…or you can use southwest tortilla strips)

Toss your creation into a large salad bowl and top with the Southwest Dressing.

Auntie’s Spaghetti Sauce

I’ve been making this for years and years and years. It’s my Auntie Christene’s recipe. I’ve made it so many times I just assume EVERYONE knows it and uses it. It’s the greatest because it make a huge pot of sauce and then can be frozen for later use. I always have some in the freezer for a last minute meal. By having it simmer most of the day, it becomes naturally thick and rich. Eat it by the spoonful good. It’s definitely a staple that should be in everyone’s rotation.

2 lb. ground beef (I’ve used ground turkey and it’s just as delicious)

12 (8oz) cans tomato sauce (I use one huge one from Costco)

2 t. garlic salt

1/2 t pepper

2 T Italian Seasoning

2 T dry minced onion

2 T dry parsley

At the bottom of a large heavy bottom pot, brown meat and add all crushed herbs and seasonings. Stir meat a lot to make meat fine. Simmer 5-7 minutes; drain off fat. Add tomato sauce and lower heat. Simmer at least 2 hours to reduce liquid and sauce becomes thickened. I usually simmer the sauce most of the day. Use what you need for dinner and then freeze the leftovers. I usually freeze it in gallon sized Ziploc bags to save space in my freezer – that way you can stack them flat.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Make this. Love this. Don't feel bad about it!! This is my go-to recipe for Alfredo sauce. I will NEVER use another!!

2 cups low fat milk (not skim)
1/3 cup (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan

Put milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender and blend until creamy. Saute butter and garlic in saucepan until tender, about 30 seconds. Add mixture from the blender. Stir constantly until thick, about 3-4 minutes. When it's nice and thick, remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir until creamy. Then die cause you've made the best sauce EVER!!

*From Our Best Bites

Buttermilk Syrup

3 /4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 cube real butter
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a LARGE pot. Like one you'd make soup in. Yes, you'll have way more pot than ingredients, but this will boil all over your newly-cleaned stove if you put it in a smaller saucepan. Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low (as long as it's still bubbling, you're okay). Cook, stirring very frequently, for 9 minutes. You're basically making candy here and candy-making requires constant vigilance.
At nine minutes, it should take on this luscious golden-brown color. Remove from heat and add vanilla. There will be foam on top. It tastes just as good, but it's not super pretty. If you're into aesthetics, you can skim it off; otherwise, just give it a good stir.

*This almost can't be considered syrup! It's pretty much carmel. We had waffles with strawberries and ice cream and this syrup. Most people just topped it off with the syrup because it's pretty much candy! It was SOOO good with vanilla ice cream! You HAVE to try this!! I'm also thinking it would be AWESOME on popcorn!

*Recipe and picture from Our Best Bites.