Going Ape For Grapes

I know this recipe will never win an award for Beauty Queen, but I promise you it is delicious! I saw this recipe for Sweet Grape Salad on Cassie Craves in late May and I've made it a handful of times since then. It makes a great potluck dish since it can be made ahead of time, a light side dish and even a dessert. Everyone who has ever tasted this, raves over it and tries to hoard it (no joke). And that's why I think you should make it too!

Are grapes a seasonal fruit? If so, then get them before they leave your grocery store! This bowl of goodness starts off with a combination of cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar. Then you fold in the red grapes and top it with a sprinkling of brown sugar and chopped toasted pecans. The end result is like eating a fruit dip with grapes, but you get the added crunch from the nuts. The textures and flavors in this salad are something I never would have thought of, but it really works.

I have another Summery recipe coming your way, then I promise I'll start adding some Fall flavors to this blog. I just don't want to get burnt out on eating pumpkin so early in the game, know what I mean? Although I did make some killer pumpkin pancakes yesterday :-)

I also wanted to thank you all for the supportive and encouraging comments regarding my first recipe video. I'm glad you all liked it and with every comment I read, I become a little more confident and a little less nervous and critical of myself. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sweet Grape Salad from Food.com via Cassie Craves

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• 2 lbs. red seedless grapes
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1 8-ounce carton sour cream
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pecans (I like to double this amount and I like them toasted)

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Gently fold in grapes.

Sprinkle with brown sugar, then pecan pieces.

Cover and refrigerate overnight or until well chilled. Serve very cold.

NOTE: This recipe is easily halved or doubled.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, you have a couple more days to enter!

Savory, Sweet, Crispy, Chewy, Gooey & Delicious

Looks like this week is turning into Honey Week! On Monday, I posted a recipe for Cinnamon Honey Butter, today it's this wonderful Rosemary Flatbread with honey and coming later in the week another honey recipe, so stay tuned!

I found this recipe in Food & Wine Magazine two or three months ago and I was immediately intrigued by it's components. I set out to make it and it was so good. I ate half of it by myself in one night, and the rest of the a day or so later, reheated in the toaster oven. My husband did not like this at all. He walked into the kitchen and said "It smells like funky cheese" then left. He tasted it, but that was enough for him, so I ended up making him a sandwich for dinner. His loss.

I have to tell you, the rosemary flatbread was AMAZING! It had the perfect texture, crisp on the edges, slightly chewy, substantial, but not heavy. It would make a wonderful pizza crust on it's own with a simple tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and Italian sausage. I will definitely be making the flatbread again and again. I think my husband would like it with different toppings. I happened to like the tang of the cheese, the sweetness of the honey and the burst of the grapes, with the perfuminess of the rosemary in the background. Seriously, bookmark this recipe and make it SOON! You won't be disappointed.

Rosemary Flatbread w/ Blue Cheese, Grapes and Honey from Food & Wine

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound red grapes (1 1/2 cups)
• Coarse sea salt
• 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives, optional

In a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar with 1/4 cup of the flour. Stir in 1/4 cup of the warm water and let stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary, fine salt, pepper and the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of water; stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a draft-free spot until billowy and doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°. Place a pizza stone in the bottom of the oven, and preheat for at least 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press and stretch the dough into a 13-inch round, then transfer to a lightly floured pizza peel. Press the grapes into the dough and sprinkle with sea salt.

Slide the flatbread onto the hot stone and bake for about 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the grapes have begun to release some of their juices. Sprinkle the blue cheese on top and bake for about 2 minutes longer, until the cheese melts. Slide the flatbread onto a work surface and drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with the chives. Cut into wedges and serve.

NOTE: You need a pizza stone to make this, so plan ahead. Also I used Gorgonzola because I think it's less pungent than some other blues. I did this for my husband's sake but it didn't seem to make any difference to him. He still didn't like it.