Hot Cheesy-Salsa Dip

This has become an Open House staple. It wouldn't be Christmas Open House at the Friesen's without the Hot Cheesy-Salsa dip. People have asked, and although they seem to believe me when I say, "Cheez Whiz plus enough salsa to make it just a little runny", I thought it might be time to do some measuring and make it official.


2 cups Cheez Whiz (or store brand jar of processed cheese spread)
1/2- 2/3 cup Salsa (home made or your favourite store brand)

I melt them together in a small slow cooker, on low heat. It takes about half an hour to an hour to have the dip melted together. You can also make the dip in the microwave; use microwave safe dish and microwave at 50% power for 1 minute at a time until ingredients are blended and hot.

Makes 2 1/2- almost 3 cups of hot dip.

If this is for a party or family event, you may need to turn the slow cooker off for short periods of time, because the slow cooker, even on low heat, will make the cheese quite hot. Over time, with evaporation, the cheese mixture will thicken; just add a little more salsa to thin it out as needed.

White Butter Icing

for an 8" cake

2 Tablespoons (1/8 cup) margarine

1 cup icing sugar

1 Tablespoons boiling water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

for a 9" cake

3 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) margarine

1 1/4 cup icing sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons boiling water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix margarine and icing sugar together. Add boiling water gradually, until mixture is of spreading consistency. Add vanilla.

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

With a light, summery salad, you need a light, refreshing dressing. This is one. The original (from the Complete Canadian Diabetic Cookbook) called for sour cream and orange juice. I've altered it just a bit. It's light, lovely and very quick to whip up.


1 small- medium orange
3 Tablespoons light mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons fat-free, no sugar added yogurt (I used Yoplait Source Melon Trio)
1 Tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

With a citrus zester, zest the orange into a small bowl. (about 1 teaspoon orange zest).

Cut the zested orange in half, and squeeze out the juice to make 1/4 cup. Add it to the orange zest in the bowl.

Whisk together the orange zest and juice, mayonnaise, yogurt, honey, and poppy seeds.

Makes about 3/4 cup. Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator.

No Sugar Added Raspberry Syrup

I've been a fan of Bernardin's "No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin" for a couple of years now. If you like a little spread on your toast, you need to try this stuff. It's very easy to use, and with a little imagination the possibilities are endless! My favourite from last year was "apricot-mango jam"...

Another exciting thing I've tried with this pectin is syrup making. General rule of thumb: double the fruit and sweetener amounts with one box of pectin to make a syrupy fruit topping. Apricot was very successful, and today's raspberry seems to have worked. (the trial amount on my pancakes this morning would indicate complete success...)

Give it a try! It's really not as much work as you might think- and if you don't have sugar issues yourself, but have a diabetic friend or relative, there's nothing that would make a more thoughtful or well appreciated Christmas or birthday gift than a basket of homemade "no sugar added" jams, jellies and syrups!


7 cups raspberry juice*
1 box Bernardin No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin Crystals
2 1/2 cups Splenda artificial sweetener

7 - 8 1 cup (250 ml) canning jars with lids (jars with tin snap lids are recommended; they will need to be processed in hot water bath/ canner)

First, wash and rinse the jars and lids. Set oven to 225*F and set clean jars on rack in oven. They need to be there for 10 minutes to sterilize. (it will take at least that long to make the syrup, so you should be good.) Place the tin snap lids (not the rings) in a small pot; fill the pot about half full of water and set over high heat. Bring to a boil and keep simmering while you cook the syrup.

Follow the directions in the pectin box for "light jelly".

Basically: Measure Splenda into a bowl/ container and set aside- where you can reach it while you're stirring the juice.

Whisk pectin crystals into juice in your largest pot. A tall stock pot is wonderful, as jams/ jellies/ syrups tend to "spit" when they're boiling.

Bring juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. When juice is boiling, add Splenda. Stir/ whisk in and boil for 1 full minute.

Remove from heat, and skim foam off into a bowl (for the kids to eat on bread... ) Now, instead of "ladling into jars", I poured the syrup into my 8 cup Pyrex bowl- the one with the handle and the pouring spout... and then I filled the jars.

Remove jars, one at a time, with tongs or oven mit, then pour syrup into jars, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top of the jar. Using a magnetic canning tool, or tongs or a fork, lift a tin snap lid from the hot water and place it on the jar, securing it in place with the ring.

When all the jars are filled, place them in a canner, cover the jars with water, and boil the jars in the canner for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the jars, and without tightening the lids, set them on a towel to cool, upright and undisturbed for 24 hours. (well... that's what the instructions say... I can't promise I always leave them "undisturbed" that long...)

The tin lids should snap down, feeling a little curved under. They shouldn't "pop" up and down at all. If popping occurs the jar isn't sealed, and you must store it in the fridge.

Yield: 7 - 8 cups syrup.

*You could try using pure, unsweetened commercial juice, but I used juice obtained from fresh fruit: I put the raspberries in my largest pot and added water to almost cover the berries. You need water to keep the berries from burning on the bottom, but you don't want them swimming in it or the juice will be watery. I brought the fruit and water to a boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes or so, then turned the stove off, removed the pot from the heat and let the cooked berries stand until they were completely cooled. I then ladled the fruit into a jelly bag (a pillow case that I could do without was cut in half for this purpose several years ago) With a strong string, I tie the bag closed and hang it from an upper cupboard doorknob over a very large bowl. My jelly bag has 2 corners, so I catch one of the corners in the middle when I'm tying it up so the other corner is aiming down into the bowl. (this helps the juice drip to that point, and prevents a big mess all over the counter)

Cream Cheese Icing

1/4 cup (50 ml) margarine or butteer
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
2 cups icing sugar
1 Tablespoon milk or water (if needed)

Cream together margarine and cream cheese. Add vanilla. Mix in icing sugar. Add water or milk if needed to make a smooth, creamy, spreadable frosting.

Should be enough for a 9" cake.

Bake Sale Butter Icing

Do you have a ton of cupcakes to frost? Several cakes to decorate? Say no more! This mega-batch of icing easily decorated 8 dozen cupcakes, with a bit to spare. It stores well in the fridge for a couple of weeks, or you could freeze the leftovers (thaw in the fridge) for next time.

1 cup hard margarine, softened
1 bag (kg) confectioner's (icing) sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Store in an airtight container.

Orange- Poppy Seed Dressing

I found the basis for this one in the "Complete Canadian Diabetes Cookbook". A wonderful salad dressing. Give it a try.


zest from a medium sized orange
juice from the orange (1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons each light mayonnaise and fat free sour cream
1 tablespoon liquid honey
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Whisk all ingredients together. Serve over tossed green salad. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Store in the refrigerator.

*The nutritional analysis is for the original recipe, which called for "light" sour cream. Fat and calorie count should be a little lower with the fat free variety.
Per Tablespoon:
28 Calories, 3 g. Carbohydrates, no fibre or protein, 2 g. total fat, 22 mg. Sodium, 2 mg Cholesterol.

Monday Night Spagetti Sauce

This was a "make- it- up- as- we- go- along" recipe. I'll try to remember what went in it, because it was a really nice tomato sauce. We had it over Penne and whole wheat spagettini. Quick, easy and very tasty.


1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (680 ml) tomato sauce
1 can (156 ml) tomato paste
1 tomato paste can of water
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
generous 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sweet basil
2 sachets Oxo beef bouillon (or 1 1/2- 2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder, or 1 beef bouillon cube)

In medium sized saucepan, scramble fry ground beef. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is clear and beef is browned through. Drain.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently on low heat until pasta is cooked.

Serve with a tossed green salad and a crisp baguette for a lovely, quick dinner.

Easy Fruit Dip

This is an old standby that has been around for a long time. So easy a child can do it! Turns cut up fruit pieces into something special.

Simply mix together equal amounts of Cool Whip whipped topping (or dairy whipping cream whipped) and fruit yogurt.

Serve with cut up, fresh fruit- banana, pineapple, apples, strawberries, peaches and pears are especially good. Leave smaller fruit and berries whole, and cut larger fruit into bite sized pieces.

To keep it good and good for you, use Cool Whip Lite or 95% fat free, or a sugar-free variety if you can find it, and low fat or no-sugar-added yogurt.

Our favourite is with strawberry yogurt.

Maple-Flavoured Syrup

I grew up with homemade maple syrup, and this recipe, (taken from "Cooking With Cents" copyright 1983, by Cooking With Cents Publishing Company Ltd., by Norma Bannerman and Donna-Joy Halliday) is the best. It's quick, and honestly tastes better than any pancake syrup you can buy.


2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon (approximately) maple flavouring

Simmer sugar, water and corn syrup together in covered saucepan for 10 minutes.

Add maple flavouring to taste. (1/2 teaspoon has always seemed enough to me)

Yield: Approximately 3 cups

Pizza Bun Mix

An excellent mixture to have on hand in the freezer. Turns day old buns into a real treat.

1 large onion, finely chopped
2- 340 g. (12 oz) cans luncheon meat such as Klik or Prem, grated separately
1- 300 g package cheddar cheese, grated (about 3  1/2 cups)
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. garlic
1- 10 oz can condensed tomato soup

Grate one can of luncheon meat into a large skillet or frying pan, and fry it together with the onion, until meat is crisp and onion is clear. Drain well.

Add second can of grated luncheon meat, cheddar cheese, spices and tomato soup. Simmer and stir together to melt cheese.

Refrigerate up to a week, or store in the freezer. Freeze in 1 cup containers, and thaw in the fridge- or microwave until the mixture is spreadable.

To make pizza buns: Spread halved buns with Pizza Bun Mix, and place (Mix side up!) on a baking sheet. Bake at 350* F, until buns are toasted and Pizza Bun Mix is bubbly; 5-10 minutes. For less crisp Pizza Buns, place prepared buns on baking sheet under the broiler for 3 - 5 minutes, until tops are bubbly and edges of buns are crisp.

Hot Water Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

Here's a favourite, (of at least half the family!). Easy to make; old fashioned comfort food.

Gingerbread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1//2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt.

In second bowl, beat egg, brown sugar, molasses and boiling water. Stir molasses mixture and melted butter into flour mixture til well blended. Pour into non-stick or lightly greased 8 " square pan. Bake at 350* F. for about 35 minutes.

Serve with Lemon Sauce.

2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 egg, beaten

In small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and lemon peel. Stir in water and lemon juice; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly til thickened slightly. Carefully stir 1/4 of hot mixture into beaten egg to prevent egg from coagulating; return to hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 4 minutes or til thickened. Cover and refrigerate.

Salsa

8 cups tomatoes, drained (4- 796 mL diced should do it)*
4 cups green peppers (4 - 5 large), seeded and chopped
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup sweet red pepper (1 - 2 large), seeded and chopped
1 cup seeded, chopped jalopino peppers
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups vinegar
2 or 3 tins tomato paste (156 mL size)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp pickling salt
2 tsp. paprika

Bring all ingredients to a boil, in a large pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or til vegetables are cooked and liquid is reduced to desired thickness.

Sterilize jars and lids**. Fill hot jars with hot liquid; seal and process in hot water bath 20 minutes, for pint jars, 30 minutes for quart jars.

Makes 4 - 5 litres.

* if you strain tomatoes through a fine wire mesh strainer, you can heat the juice and fill hot sterilized jars. Process with the salsa to preserve the tomato juice for drinking or soups.

** Wash jars and lids. Sterilize jars in a 225* F. oven for 10 minutes, then keep warm until you fill them. In small pot, cover lids with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Keep warm til you use them.

Aunt Helen's Sweet And Sour Sauce

For Hillary. When I asked my Mother-in-law for her so-good sweet & sour sauce recipe she said it was her Aunt-in-law's, and agreed that it was a most excellent one. The bonus? It's easy and versatile too. I've used it for S & S pork, chicken and meatballs. Try it. You'll like it.

1/2 cup each white sugar, packed brown sugar and white vinegar.
1 Tablespoon each cornstarch and soya sauce
3/4 cup water

Blend the sugars and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Stir in vinegar, soya sauce and water. Bring to a boil, over medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer together til sauce thickens and turns clear.*

Add leftover meat (chicken, pork or beef) and serve with rice, or as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers.

*If you're planning Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pork or Meatballs in the Slow Cooker, mix the sugars, vinegar, soy sauce and water together well, and pour over browned meat in Slow Cooker. Leave it, on Low setting, for 8- 10 hours. Meatballs should be pre-browned and well drained, to eliminate most of the grease. Lean chicken or pork can be placed uncooked in the Slow Cooker and covered with sauce. 15- 20 minutes before serving (while the rice is cooking) mix cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon water together, and stir into sauce in Slow Cooker. Stir often, until thickened.

Sugar Reduced Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

A family favourite with a little more fibre and much less sugar.

Hot Water Gingerbread

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup artificial sweetener such as Splenda
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted margarine

In large bowl combine flours, sweetener, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In second bowl, beat egg, molasses and boiling water. Stir molasses mixture and vegetable oil into flour mixture til well blended. Pour into non-stick or lightly greased 8 " square pan. Bake at 350* F., for about 35 minutes.

Serve with Lemon Sauce:

1/3 cup artificial sweetener, such as Splenda
2 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp grated lemon peel
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 egg, beaten

In small saucepan, combine sweetener, sugar, cornstarch and lemon peel. Stir in water and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly til thickened slightly. Carefully stir 1/4 of hot mixture into beaten egg to prevent egg from coagulating; return to hot mixture, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 4 minutes, or til thickened. Cover and refrigerate.