Summer Party Menu - 2012 Edition

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Wow, I haven't posted in a whole month. Shocker! But not reeeeeally. Happy birthday to America today - I'm at home, alone, gearing up for our annual summer party. Cleaning, prepping, shopping and making cold spinach dip for our potluck at work tomorrow. Here's a quick run through of what we're providing said party. A friend of ours has a lot of still-frozen hot dogs and hamburgers from a recent cookout, so they're providing those and picking up the buns for us, too. Such sweethearts. 

Baked Vidalia onion dip
7 layer taco dip
Dijon-bacon dip for pretzels
Ham-pickle-cream cheese rollups
Jalapeno thingies
Cheese ball
Assorted veggies/crackers/bread/chips to accompany all appetizers
Grilled sausages
Steamed blue crabs
Lemon bars

Everyone who comes is welcome to bring a dish but doesn't necessary have to, so we'll have an assortment of other goodies as well. I'll be first to acknowledge the unhealthiness of this menu, however I've tried to go the high road. Lots of veggies. Fruit salads. And you know what? No one wants to eat it and it gets thrown away the next morning during clean up. People apparently want to indulge at our party, so instead of throwing money down the drain yet again, I'll simply provide what they want. And now to get off this couch and clean several bathrooms. Let the fun begin!

It's Almost Party Time

The birthday mascot, with a shot o' Tuaca, the only jalapeno bacon thingie that didn't get bacon, and his beads. Oh yeah, and the rubber chicken (one of my gifts) in the background.

One of the tamer pictures, taken when things were just kickin' off.

I'll be off to the grocery store soon, and the produce market as well. It's time to get all things last minute for my annual birthday party tomorrow night. I've been doing a little cleaning (still have to vacuum the living room --- sad face), but not too much left other than to prep food. Ah, my favorite thing. Happy face. Here's the game plan:

Ham-pickle-cream cheese rollups (stellar!)

Relish tray (I love me some olives, and we have some marinated mushrooms that need to be shared. Buppy and I think they're alright, but to have party-goers help us eat the jar will be a blessing. Shhhh, don't tell them that!)

Pepper jam and cream cheese dip with crackers (something we tried at the Smucker's store in OH, which I didn't think I'd like but did)

Smokey bacon cheese ball with crackers

Pizza meatballs in roasted garlic sauce (never made these before, but an ex-roomie did and said everyone loved 'em; they have mozzi cheese stuffed inside 'em!)

Fresh fruit tray with dip (I thought about doing skewers, but there could potentially be a lot of waste if everyone doesn't like a wide variety of fruit)

Crudites with cold spinach dip

Buffalo chicken dip (a.k.a. crack!), being brought by one of the party-goers

I also really wanna make either hot olive and artichoke dip or chile con queso, revved up. I simply can't decide. They're both Pioneer Woman recipes, which means they'll both be outstanding. I just called Buppy to poll him, but he didn't answer. *nibbles fingernails* I just don't know!

That chicken made the rounds that night.

Customized Nachos

Can we talk about my love for nachos for just a sec? I love-love-love 'em, and pretty much'll top 'em with anything I have on hand that sounds good at the time. Usually my homemade ones win out over the ones I try when out at restaurants, so I don't usually order them anymore. Why pay to be let down, I ask myself.

Well, the other night Buppy and I didn't eat dinner with the kids. I think it was late lunches on both our parts to blame, and after the kids went to bed, Buppy decided to make some nachos. He decided on cheese and some BBQ pork. Baked for a bit to melt the cheese and viola! Tasty, crunchy goodness. Unfortunely, I wasn't hungry when he made his batch, but after one bite of his (ok, maybe it was more like 2 or 3), I had to get my butt off the couch and make some for myself. They're so darn easy, how to could I say no to myself?

We had some bacon in the fridge, so I baked some of that. Yup, baked. First time baking bacon, and I have mixed feelings about it. I used a small broiler pan, and while the grease dripped away like I expected, the pan was kind of a pain to wash. I did the same thing for the rest of the bacon a few days later using a bigger broiling pan, and had the same issue. Hmmmm, is there a way to avoid a hard-to-clean pan? Prolly not. Bummer.

Ok, back from my tangent now --- I layered the bacon on some tortilla chips with black olives (that were so colossal I felt back cutting them up!), green olives and shredded cheese. Baked mine for a few minutes to melt my cheese and viola! My own steamy pan of goodness. I slathered on a little sour cream and was ready to get back to my movie watching. Lazy days and comfort foods are a stellar match.

Superbowl Roundup

Sunday is the Superbowl, and while I don't care much for football, I love making snacky foods and catching the commercials. Here's a list of things that would be great at any Superbowl party. Hope you enjoy 1 or 2 . . . or 5 or 6!

Slow Cooker Italian Beef (or Pork!)

Crazy Tasty Pretzels

Ham Cream Cheese Dip

Clam Dip

Bacon and Cheddar Dip

Jazzed Up Shrimp Appetizer

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Chicken Enchilada Dip Roll Ups

Ranch Oyster Crackers

Cold Spinach Dip

Super Easy Oreo Truffles

Fantastic Olive Cheese Bread

Open-Faced Chicken Sammys

Beer Cheese Dip

Snicker’s Salad

Jalapeno Thingies

Chesapeake Chex Mix

Chocolate Brittle Surprise

Raspberry Coconut Bars

A Quickie Nacho Creation

I'll admit that sometimes I'm not the most creative cook. I use recipes more often than not, but everyone has their own style. Sometimes though, especially when Buppy's not home for dinner, I'll just look around, assess the ingredients I can possibly use, and toss 'em all together. This was one of my favorites. I wanted more after it was gone, which is really sayin' something 'cause it made quite a bit!I tossed some Cool Ranch Doritos into a baking dish, topped 'em with some leftover slow cooker Italian beef, shredded cheese, chopped green olives & diced onions. I heated it in the oven until the cheese melted [probably at 350F or so, but I don't actually remember], then topped it with chopped lettuce and tomato. It was a fabulous low-maintenance meal, which is often the best kind!

Chesapeake Chex Mix

Had I heard of this prior to my move to the East Coast, I'd have wondered what the heck they meant by "Chesapeake". Now I know and am familiar with the taste that's usually associated with any and all things "Chesapeake" --- Old Bay seafood seasoning and crab meat. Well, since I can't very well add crab meat to Chex mix [holy nasty thought!], how 'bout we throw in some Old Bay?

Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix

Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2010, p. 117

6 c. crisp corn or rice cereal, such as Crispix or Chex

3 c. thin pretzel sticks

3 c. oyster crackers

2 c. roasted, salted peanuts

1/2 c. [1 stick] butter, melted

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Preheat oven to 250F. In a roasting pan, combine cereal, pretzels, crackers & peanuts. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice & hot pepper sauce. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir until ingredients are completely coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer to 2 rimmed baking sheets to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week. Yield: 12 c.This was a good change-of-pace recipe, but I still like the original better. There are quite a few new variations to the standard recipe that I'd like to try this Fall/Winter [when I seem to really get into a Chex mix snacking mood], so we'll see what else comes my way soon enough. Buppy thought it would've been better using the small pretzel shapes instead of sticks, but he never likes sticks in anything, so I'm not sure I can trust his opinion. Either kind would, I'm sure, be equally tasty. Enjoy!

Greystone Grill - Restaurant Review

Photo courtesy of Greystone Grill's website.

Last night was a very enjoyable excursion to a restaurant in the Columbia/Ellicott City area with a good friend of mine who happened to be in town for work. I couldn’t let an opportunity to see him slip away since he finally made it to the Bmore area, so we met at his hotel and walked across the parking lot to check out the Greystone Grill. Besides, being the foodie that I am, I welcomed the excuse to try out a new restaurant!

We started with a blue crab & artichoke fondue described in the menu as ‘a melting pot of cheeses with crisp crostini.’ People, that’s fancy talk for dip. It didn’t come out in a fondue pot, and no dipping skewers were provided. I was a little let down at the sight, but their crostinis more than made up for it! I’m not usually one to love bread by itself, but this was a definite exception to my rule. I’m not actually sure if it was scratch-made in the restaurant or if they jazzed up some store-bought goods, but the light sprinkling of Old Bay really made them shine. Dipped in the “fondue”, it was a flavorful way to start the meal. It definitely could have stood more artichokes in my opinion, but I’m not gonna knock cheesy-crabby goodness with really snazzy bread!

For the main event, my friend completely stole my idea after I told him what I was vibing on just prior to ordering. He was all set to order the shrimp & champagne pasta [which sounded divine!], but at the last minute went with the pan-seared ahi tuna, Greystone salad & side of the day, which happened to be green beans sautéed with garlic.

Even though there were plenty of yummy-sounding entrees to choose from, I chose to order an hors d’oeuvre and a side instead. I went with the ahi tuna appetizer --- “pan seared rare and sesame crusted, served with a wasabi vinaigrette.” It was, surprisingly, the first time I’ve ever ordered tuna in a restaurant. My side of choice? Sautéed mushrooms seasoned with garlic and thyme. Very glad I chose to go with a smaller portion; it was actually just the right amount. The tuna was very smooth, with a nice mellow flavor. I usually love sesame anything, but it seemed to get lost once I dipped the tuna in the wasabi vinaigrette; eh, the vinaigrette was really good as well, so I can’t complain.

Overall, I’d rate the experience as a 4 out of 5. The company was wonderful, the food was tasty, and the 3 hours flew by! Hopefully Buppy and I will be able to visit this restaurant, too. I think I saw on their website that they offer discounted gift certificates. Now who doesn’t love that?

Beer. Cheese. Dip. 'Nuff said.

There’s beer. And cheese. In a dip. Need I say more? Well, I s’pose so, in case you want to know how to make this delicious concoction. Super simple. Four ingredients. Rock on.

This used to make appearances everywhere at parties and potlucks and shindigs [oh my!] when I was living in Wisco. Not surprising, since that state sure loves it’s cheese and beer. Since moving to MD, I haven’t seen, heard talk of or tasted this. Not to say MD people don’t make and devour this, it’s just not something I’ve come across here. Maybe I just don’t run in the right circles.

I made this last weekend for a housewarming party we were attending on Saturday afternoon. I’m not even sure what brought it to mind to make, as I’d originally planned to make a cold spinach dip. Who cares where the idea came from! Pretty much everyone [who tried it], myself included, loved it!!

Beer Cheese Dip
Adapted from allrecipes.com

2 pkg. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, at room temp.
1 packet dry Ranch powder
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ - 2/3 c. beer [I used Ultra Amber since that’s what we happened to have in the fridge]

Beat cream cheese and Ranch powder together until smooth and creamy. Stir in the shredded cheese and beer. Chill overnight. Serve with crackers, pretzels, potato chips or in a bread bowl with accompanying bread. Yum!

Just a warning: this will seem thin when you first make it, but after you refrigerate it overnight, it magically thickens up, to the point where I was tempted to add more beer before heading to the party. I didn’t because I didn’t want it to get bitter if I added too much beer [some reviews said this happened to them], and it was perfect the way it was. Since it sat out on the counter at the housewarming party, it softened up a bit and became the perfect consistency. Enjoy!
Note: I'm linking this up to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday for 1/27/11. For more great recipes/ideas, check it out!

Jalapeno Thingies

This recipe is borrowed from The Pioneer Woman, whose recipes and photos I adore and admire. That woman can cook! I first made it for my birthday celebration this year in March, then decided to make them for dinner on Monday night. They're not really "dinner" material and are definitely more hors d'oeuvre-ish, but hey, I'm an adult and can make whatever I want for dinner. That's part of the fun! Plus, we wanted to give them a whirl with our part-of-the-pig-we-bought-from-Buppy's-coworker bacon, which is quite salty and very, very smokey. Good in things, like chopped up in eggs or in a BLT sandwich, but a little too flavorful to eat by itself as a side for breakfast.

The recipe is pretty easy; you need bacon, cream cheese and jalapenos. I used 10 jalapenos, not quite a full block [8 oz.] of cream cheese and about 1/2 lb. of our bacon. This seems to be half the original recipe, but 10 halves for Buppy and I each was just the right amount.

Buppy seeded the jalapenos this time around, whereas on my birthday that was part of my job. I think I was a little more diligent than he was; my first 2 halves this time around were hot. Make-my-eyes-water hot. Makes-you-wanna-give-up-and-stop-eating hot. I persevered though, and after taking a short break to let my mouth cool off, I continued on with the rest of my halves. I'm glad I did as those first 2 seemed to be the only super hot ones in the batch. All I can say is make sure you clean out the seeds and the membranes to lessen the heat as much as possible. Obviously if you like things hotter, keep those suckers in there! Buppy didn't realize that the membranes add to the heat too, not just the seeds, which is why I think we hit some hot spots.

All in all, it was a nice meal to end our Monday. I want to try these with turkey bacon to see how they are, especially because then they wouldn't really be bad for a person at all since I already use 1/3-less-fat cream cheese [sorry folks, I just can't do fat-free, but by all means use that if you can stomach it!] Wait, I'm not sure how fat-free melts, so use at your own risk. Stop by The Pioneer Woman [link takes you directly to this recipe] and check our her fabulous photos and the original recipes I worked from. These things are just as awesome as she claims they are, I promise! Enjoy!

White Bean Tuna Salad

Most of the more recent recipes I've been trying out have been from my Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 2005 cookbook. I can say I've been pleased with the majority and will continue to test new ones. The following recipe is one that I'm still on the fence about.

It's good, but I think the red wine vinegar is overwhelming. It has a strong flavor to me, similar to balsamic vinegar, and it easily takes over the dish. All in all I like the flavor combo as well as the textures, but next time I'll add less of the red wine vinegar. I halved the recipe as I wasn't sure how we'd like it, plus we had other meals going on, so I didn't want too much leftover in the fridge. Turns out I made it prior to leaving for Gettysburg on Saturday and haven't even eaten any for a meal yet. What follows is the full recipe, not the halved version I used.

White Bean Tuna Salad
Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 005
Kathleen Law, Post Falls, ID

1/4 c. red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced [I used jarred & it worked fine]
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 can [15 oz. each] white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
2 cans [6 oz. each] light water-packed tuna, drained & flaked
3/4 c. sliced ripe olives
1/2 c. chopped red onion [I used white because it's what I had on hand and it worked just fine]

In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients; gradually whisk in oil. In a large bowl, combine the beans, tuna, olives and onion; add dressing and toss gently. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 serving [3/4 c.] equals 247 calories, 7 g fat [1 saturated fat], 17 mg cholesterol, 754 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 20 g protein.
Diabetic exchange: 3 lean meat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable.

Obviously I don't normally have all of the nutritional info that comes with recipes or things I happen to make up, but since it's listed in the cookbook, I thought I'd share in case anyone is interested.

I'm thinking this might be my dinner tonight. Buppy and I were both kind of stumped as to how to eat this as it's not really 'salad-y' enough to eat on it's own [in our opinions], so I might pile it on top of some romaine and add some tomatoes. The dressing in this recipe can then act as the dressing for the entire salad. Buppy said he was going to try to eat it with Triscuits, so I guess it'd be more like a dip for him. I'll have to ask how that works out for him. If anyone tries it and finds a new way to eat this, feel free to let me know. Enjoy!

Fun-Do Fondue

I love fondue, but I don't love paying $90+ for dinner for 2 at restaurants like The Melting Pot. Their full meal [cheese fondue, salad, entree fondue, dessert fondue] is exceptional, but wow, why couldn't I make it at home for a lot less? I'm cheap, what can I say? Oh wait, no, I'm frugal. Eh, call it what you wanna call it, but I figured I could do just as well at home making my fondue from scratch. Besides, I have a brand new electric fondue pot I got for Christmas that needs to be broken in --- yay!

While this was definitely less expensive than going out for dinner, it still wasn't a 'frugal' meal by any stretch of the imagination. Granted we now have one of the key ingredients [kirsch] that alone cost $14.99, so at least we won't have to shell out for that one again for a long, long time. It's a standard sized bottle of cherry flavored brandy and the recipe called for 2 tsp. I better learn to love this stuff. Or plan to make a lot more fondue. Or fuel a space ship.

The cheese itself is pretty costly too, at $16+ for 1 lb. of good quality Swiss. For those of you who keep high quality Swiss on hand, this wouldn't be too costly at all. I, however, am not one of those people. The cheese and kirsch were the 2 big expenses; everything else I pretty much had on hand [not that it required a whole lot more.]

I pulled this recipe out of a monthly handout from a local grocery store [Superfresh? Giant?] and since it was called 'classic cheese fondue', I thought it a good place to start on my fondue journey.

Classic Cheese Fondue
Grocery store magazine tear-out

1 garlic clove, halved
1 c. dry white wine
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
½ lb. Emmenthaler cheese, coarsely grated [2 c.]
½ lb. Gruyere, coarsely grated [2 c.]
2 tsp. kirsch
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rub the inside of a fondue pot or heavy saucepan with cut side of garlic, and discard. Add wine and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss cheeses with cornstarch. Gradually add cheese to pot, stirring constantly until just melted and creamy [do not let boil]. Bring fondue to a simmer, add kirsch and season to taste with pepper. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 5-8 minutes.

Serve with bread and other accompaniments for dipping.

Buppy and I dipped toasted Italian bread chunks and warmed Lil' Smokies, both of which were really great with the fondue. The original recipe called for salt [to taste] along with the pepper, but the cheeses [in my opinion] made this plenty salty. Almost a little too salty, and I love salt. Which is funny, because I never salted anything when I was younger. I digress. Overall, this was a great recipe to start with. I plan to try out a few more recipes for cheese fondues and see what works best for Buppy and I. I'm really looking forward to trying out a beer-cheese fondue one of these days, but I think I'll have to wait for my next commission check so I can afford some more cheese. [Joking.] And I plan to try out a chocolate one soon too, perhaps for our monthly dinner with our good friends in April. I'll volunteer to make dessert since they're planning on making the full meal for us in our home. Yes, we have awesome friends.
Give this a try and enjoy! And if you happen to have any recipes that'll help me use up mass quantities of kirsch, gimme a holla!

Once upon a time . . .

There was an olive bread appetizer recipe on The Pioneer Woman's fantastic blog. Being the olive lover that I am, this begged to be made for my birthday extravaganza last night. Why? Because I only turned 28 once, and I fully intended to spoil myself for making it. The combination of black and green olives, the slight hint of onion, the creamy texture contrasted by the crunch of the crusty bread ---- definitely a party in my mouth. So now I'm inviting you to make a party for your mouth; you won't be disappointed!

While I modified the recipe slightly, I think next time I'll follow hers more closely. I cut back on some of the butter and cheese, just because in her pictures the bread looked almost too full of the spread [I've now realized that being "too full" of this spread isn't possible.] It turned out to be not quite enough for the whole loaf of bread last night, which made us sad. But it's ok; there's always another day to olive bread it up! The recipe below is hers since the changes I made yesterday were relatively insignificant.Olive Bread
From The Pioneer Woman

1 loaf French bread
6 oz. pimento-stuffed green olives [I didn't actually measure how many I used yesterday as they came out of a 10 oz. jar.]
6 oz. black olives
2 stalks green onions [I used white with great results and just made sure to finely chop them.]
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 c. mayonnaise
3/4 lb. Monterey Jack cheese [I actually used a double cheddar; I think pretty much any cheese would work here.]

Roughly chop the olives and slice up the green onions into small pieces. Combine all ingredients except bread and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread this mixture onto French bread that's been sliced in half lengthwise. Bake at 325F 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning. [I flipped it onto low broil for 2-3 minutes right at the end to brown the cheese nicely.]

The mixture can also be made up to 2 days prior to using, which is really convenient. The Pioneer Woman has some awesome photos on her page and also a tip about how to flash-freeze the bread --- how handy! So thanks to The Pioneer Woman for this amazing recipe; it'll definitely be made around our house again!

Menu Plan Monday - March 1, 2010

This week will allow me plenty of wiggle room as I'm home alone 3 nights, one night is my birthday/appetizer party at home and another night we're going out for my birthday and I have no idea if we'll eat at home first or catch dinner out. This is gonna be one fun weekend! But first, the menu plan:

Monday: [Bugaboo home alone, Buppy at work] Natural casing weiners that were sent to me for Christmas by the 'rents. I can't find them here, so they ship 'em from Wisco. I freeze most and pull out a few when I get the urge. Not healthy but oh-so-tasty. I'll try to throw in some raw veggies for good measure; I think we have carrots in the fridge.

Tuesday: [Bugaboo home alone, Buppy at work] Breakfast for dinner, a sandwich, tuna --- I've found that it doesn't really pay for me to try to nail down what I'll have for dinner when I'm home alone. We have so many options and I know I won't go out to eat alone, so I just eat whatever I feel like that night. Hard to predict what I'ma want!

Wednesday: Baked chicken & cheese casserole, steamed broccoli [I really want to try roasting it as I've found several tasty-sounding recipes lately, but I don't think you can roast frozen broccoli, can you?]

Thursday: Grilled steaks [since we have lots in the freezer from the 1/4 cow we purchased a few months ago], savory rice blend [Light & Tasty recipe; if it's good, I'll blog about it]

Friday: [my birfday!] Appetizer party at my house! Here are some possible contenders:
Buffalo chicken dip
Chicken enchilada dip rollups
Cold spinach dip
Bacon & cheddar dip
Shrimp cocktail dip-thingy
Crazy tasty pretzels
Clam dip
Taco [7 layer as some might call it] dip
Ham-pickle-cream cheese rollups [these are like CRACK!]
Some type of fruit dip
Ring-tum-ditty [Buppy's recipe, which is pretty darn tasty]
Hot spinach-artichoke dip
Warm pizza dip
Pico de gallo

I know two of our friends are bringing Swedish meatballs and a bourbon grilled salmon [hmmm, I think they're grilling it at our house, but note to self: find out for sure]. Anyone else have any suggestions to toss my way? I'm always on the lookout for new appetizer recipes.

Saturday: I know we're going out for some fun in Bmore, but we're still not sure how many people will be in our posse, which means we're not sure if we'll eat at home first or have dinner at a restaurant. If it's dinner at home, I'm thinking some grilled up marinated pork loin chops. Mmmmm.

Sunday: [my day of recovery home alone since Buppy will go into work mid-day] Something easy, like I usually do when I'm home alone. Sammy, eggs, soup --- or some meat lovers PH pizza if I'm really hung over!

Once again, there we have it. Man I love food!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Have you ever had buffalo chicken dip? I hadn't until I met Buppy. It's one of the yummy foods he's introduced me to, and I really appreciate that. It's not a complicated dip by any means and is pretty quick to come together. This would be an awesome addition to any Superbowl spread, trust me. If you like chicken wings, you're gonna love this dip. Buppy often eats it with flat bread, but I also discovered that it's crazy-tasty with celery sticks. Makes sense, right? You usually get celery sticks when you order buffalo chicken wings at restaurants, so it just seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, this helps me feel just a scoach more healthy. Yeah right.

Since I just recently blogged about how I'm trying to cook bone-in chicken in the crockpot to shred for use at a later time, this would be the type of recipe where I'd use the chicken. Because seriously, canned chicken just isn't quite right.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
No idea where Buppy picked up this recipe, but I'm sure there are a zillion different places it can be found.

8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 lbs. of chopped or shredded chicken
3/4 c. Frank's Red Hot Original Hot Sauce
1 c. light/reduced fat ranch or Bleu cheese dressing

Heat cream cheese, hot sauce and dressing in a saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth, creamy and a somewhat orange-y color (doesn't that just sound healthy --- "an orange-y color"?) Add chicken and continue to heat until heated through. I added chopped pickles on top as garnish and to add a little bit of crunch; I must say they were a nice addition. Serve with Tostitos, flat bread, veggies, crackers or whatever else you can think of to dip.

I'm really surprised by some of the things Buppy has introduced me to that I'd never heard of/tasted previously. Was I living under a rock? Whatever the case, my recipe repertoire just keeps on growin'! Enjoy!This is being linked up to this week's Ultimate Recipe Swap for favorite holiday foods. Buppy & I are excited to introduce this to the rest of my family next week when we head to Wisconsin for Christmas. My brother is pretty psyched for this, and Buppy's excited to be able to devour more of it, too! Check out Life as Mom’s blog for more great holiday dish ideas!

Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups

Update: Thanks to Gooseberry Patch for letting me know that the recipe originally came from Jeannine English of Wylie, TX.

I polled my friends on FB prior to committing to an hors d'oeuvre for the chili cookoff, and chicken enchilada dip rollups won by a landslide! Ok, maybe a few votes, but I had to make it sound big, didn't I? If I'd said "a few votes" to begin with, would you have been as impressed and ready to jump all over this? No. Didn't think so.

They were well received at the party, I can tell you that much. I tried a few of the ends as I whacked them off, but didn't actually eat any of the pretty pinwheels once they were displayed on my lovely plate. I did try the filling as I was rolling them up and I have to say, I think it'd be phenomenal wrapped up in a rollup as it was here, but instead of cutting into pinwheels, I want to place the rolls in a baking pan, cover with salsa and a little shredded cheese and bake until heated through. I'm positive they'll be super tasty this way too!
Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups
Adapted from a recipe in the Gooseberry Patch "Come on Over" cookbook, submitted by Jeannine English of Wylie, TX

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 heaping tsp. minced garlic (I use the pre-minced stuff in the jar)
1 1/2 Tbps. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled with a salt-free 17-seasoning blend, shredded 1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 (10 oz.) can Ro*tel tomatoes with chiles (the original kind)
1 pkg. (6 tortillas) sun-dried tomato & basil tortillas

I blended the spices and cream cheese first (with a hand mixer) and made sure they were well combined. Then I added in the remainder of the ingredients, except the tortillas, and mixed well (with a wooden spoon). Evenly spread the mixture onto each of the 6 tortillas, then roll each one up and place in a large, resealable plastic bag. I could only fit 3 in each of my plastic bags. Chill the rolls for at least 1 hour so they firm up. Remove and slice into pinwheels however large you'd like. Enjoy!

Update: I'm linking up to Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap for this week, 4/8/10. I realize that I'm a day late, but better late than never. The topic this week is herbs & spices, so stop on over if you wanna check out more great ideas!

Update #2: I'm also linking this up to Ultimate Recipe Swap today, 9/2/10, because it's an appropriate crowd-feeder.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

Buppy doesn't like these. Maybe I'm on a role thinking about foods I make that he doesn't really care for. Odd.

These little tidbits of goodness are something I've been snacking on since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. My grandma always made them around the holidays; not sure that they're really a time-specific appetizer/snack, but for some unknown reason, that's the only time I remember her making them. I think they're fantastic for snacking year round, but perhaps that's the modern woman in me. I don't like to conform; I color outside the lines and gosh darn it, if I wanna eat these in July, I will! Ok, enough of that.

The recipe is relatively simple as far as the spices go, nothing too complicated or that most of us don't have in our spice cabinet already. Minimal effort required here folks, which is always a plus. And guess what? This is another recipe that would be great to have on hand for snacking on Superbowl Sunday! Bring on the par-tay!

Ranch Oyster Crackers

1 (1 oz.) pkg. ranch-style dressing mix
½ tsp. dried dill weed
¼ c. vegetable oil
¼ tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
¼ tsp. garlic powder
5 c. oyster crackers

Preheat oven to 250F. In a large bowl, combine ranch seasoning, dill weed, oil, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Add crackers and toss to coat. Spread evenly onto baking sheet. Bake 15-20 min., stirring gently after 10 min. Remove and allow to cool. Makes 5 cups.

Enjoy!

Update: This is another recipe I'm linking to Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap for today, 2/4/10. These little cracker bites would be great for the Superbowl! Stop on over to her site for more fantastic ideas!

Superbowl Party-Perfect Dip

It always amazes me when I come across a recipe that's simple, easy and so yummy, that I've made several times in the past, but have yet to blog about. Ah, so is the life of the girl who loves to cook and eat! I guess I just can't keep track sometimes.

I checked in at Life as Mom’s blog today to see what upcoming URS (ultimate recipe swap) topic is scheduled for this Thursday. It happens to be pantry inspiration. I happen to have a recipe for a cold spinach dip that just happens to fit that title. It was meant to be. Be warned, fellow dip lovers, this stuff is addicting. Seriously. Even for people like Buppy, who whine about spinach in every other recipe; he still devours this stuff. There's no going back after you've sampled this stuff. This is definitely made with items I keep on hand in the pantry/fridge/freezer. And guess what? This would be perfect to serve at a Superbowl par-tay!

Cold Spinach Dip
Sorry, no idea where I picked this one up!

1 c. reduced fat or fat free mayo
1 (16 oz.) container reduced fat or fat free sour cream
1 (1.8 oz.) pkg. dry veggie soup mix (I use Knorr brand)
1 (4 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

This is just me being anal, but I always chop the spinach before mixing it with other ingredients, even if the package already says 'chopped'. It's better to have bite-sized spinach than to have it hanging off every dipper your working with here. Anyway, in a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. Chill for 6 hours or overnight. Serve with veggies, crackers or bread dippers. 24 servings.

I know it's not the healthiest of all things to eat, but that's ok. I'm thinking that, especially since I just picked up some Chobani plain Greek yogurt for free with coupon at Giant, I'll use it next time to replace the sour cream. As for the mayo? Hmmmm. I could probably decrease that to 1/2 c. and add more of the Greek yogurt if I wanted to be all healthified. Since that might help me squeak in another year of life, I just might give it a shot. Yes, decreasing the mayo by 1/2 c. will grant me an additional year of life. You heard it here first folks.

Buppy and I really like this with roasted garlic Triscut crackers, even though overall I'm usually not a big Triscut fan. It's really good with celery and carrots as well, and when we had Buppy's family in for Thanksgiving, we found out (by his dad just deciding to try it) that it makes an exceptional sandwich spread. Next thing ya know we'll be toppin' ice cream with this stuff!

Enjoy!

Check out Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap for more great 'pantry inspiration' meals!

Mini-Vacation is Coming Up (and a dip recipe!)

Buppy and I get to have our 2nd mini-vacay soon, on Monday. The week of the 19th, he went to Ocean City for a work conference and I met him there Wed. night after work; we got to spend Wed. night, Thurs. and part of Friday soaking up OC. It's off season now mind you, but it was still fun to see the sights and the ocean. It'd been too long since I'd seen the ocean!Come Monday, we'll be driving up to NYC for the Iron Skillet competition. Buppy does some part time teaching work for a friend of his and that organization's biggest fund raiser is Monday night. They pit well known NYC restaurant chefs against NYC firehouse chefs and my favorite restaurant (Carmine's) is competing. Plus they thow in some booze, and since it's high dolla, we all get pretty for the night. Now if only I can find a dress . . . tomorrow! Nothing like waiting until the last minute to hunt one down. I searched today, but everything I found screamed 'prom' or 'homecoming', and that's not exactly the message I'm looking to convey. I need something classy, something elegant; unfortunately it's not the time of year where stores have a lot in stock. Well, wish me luck!

On another (and completely unrelated) note, I came across a recipe today for a dip that I've made several times that is stellar. Not healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but really good. I took it to my holiday Christmas party at work last year and had several people come up to me to tell me how much their entire table enjoyed it. I promised I'd email out the recipe, but forgot. It happens, whatever. Yeah, about 3 weeks later I was asked again if I could email it out. I guess when something is that tasty, you don't forget it. This time, I delivered.

From what I can tell, this recipe appears to be a spin off of a Hidden Valley one. I can't remember where I found it, as I was in that "who cares where you get a recipe, why bother to write it down" phase. Sorry! But it's simple, quick and great with crackers and/or veggies.

Bacon & Cheddar Dip

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
½ c. milk
½ c. mayo or Miracle Whip
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. bacon bits

Combine first 5 ingredients and fold in the bacon. Refrigerate at least 2 hrs. before serving; best if let set over night to develop flavors.

Hope you enjoy it as much as Buppy, my coworkers and I have!

*Update: I'm linking up to Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap for this week, Feb. 4th, 2010, and the theme is "Superbowl or Other Party Food." I can't wait to see what others contribute; I love party foods! Stop on over to check it out!

Grandma's Shrimp Appetizer, Jazzed Up

I realize that my last 2 posts have been about shrimp dishes, but I just created this appetizer today, took pics and decided that this too needed to be blogged about. It was that good.I talked in a previous post about a simple appetizer my grandma used to make with shrimp, cream cheese and cocktail sauce. I also had a dish similar to this at a wine tasting party a few months ago. Today I got a craving and decided to create my own.

I already had cream cheese in the fridge and usually make my own cocktail sauce. I knew we had almost all the other ingredients I wanted to use except for a can of tiny shrimp, so we picked that up this morning while out running errands.

This is what I threw together (as usual for the girl who never remembers to measure, all these measurements are approximate!!):

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened in the microwave
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8-1/4 tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. Old Bay
2 Tbsp. finely minced raw onion
1 tsp. lemon juice

I mixed all of this with a hand mixer until smooth, creamy and well blended; spread this onto any type of plate you choose. Pick something fun that makes you feel good!

Homemade cocktail sauce is easy:

Mix together as much ketchup and horseradish as you'd like, making sure the heat matches your tastes. I added about 1 tsp. lemon juice to mine as well this time and it was a nice addition.This cocktail sauce was then spread out over the cream cheese mixture on the plate. I topped the entire thing with one can of tiny shrimp, drained. I used chopped green onion as a garnish, but lemon wedges or fresh parsley would work well too. Enjoy!

Scramble (or what the rest of the world knows as Chex Mix)

My family has been making what we call Scramble for as long as I can remember. We're talking way before you could buy pre-made Chex Mix in the stores. My grandma used to make it, my mom used to make it and now I make it. While I like the store bought stuff on occasion, I also like to control what goes in it at home. Do I feel like mixed nuts or strictly peanuts today? Since I don't care for wheat Chex, I can leave 'em out if I'm making it for myself. I can cut the batch in half if I don't want so much. You get the idea? Also, the homemade version makes a good addition to holiday gift bags and baskets as something salty to go with all the sweet! So here's the Chex brand recipe, tried and true.

Scramble, a.k.a. Chex Mix
Recipe can also be found here, with microwave instructions

6 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp. seasoned salt
¾ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
3 c. (each) Corn, Rice and Wheat Chex
1 c. mixed nuts
1 c. pretzels
1 c. garlic bagel chips

Heat oven to 250F. Melt butter and stir in seasonings. Place all other ingredients in a large roaster; pour butter and seasoning over and stir to coat. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Makes 12 cups.

I often leave out the bagel chips, simply because it wasn't made with them when I was little. The best part about making this stuff at home is the option of omitting and adding what suites your tastes on that particular occasion. By the way, butter flavored pretzels in here are great. Enjoy!