My Latest Addiction

I hate watching the news before bed at night. It's so depressing and scary! You would think that there is nothing good in the world going on. The last thing I want to hear about before I fall asleep is who was murdered and who is getting laid off. So what do I watch before bed? The Food Network. Specifically Alton Brown's Good Eats and if I'm not tired Unwrapped. I used to think Alton Brown was just plain weird. I thought his show was stupid and didn't want to hear all of his "useless" factoids. Somewhere along the line though he grew on me and I now love tuning into him and his interesting facts at night.

Last week on the episode Sandwich-craft he made an simple, but delicious sounding Roasted Vegetable Spread. Roasted Veggies, Cream Cheese, EVOO and S&P and you got yourself an awesome dip. When I made this, I altered up the recipe a tiny bit by adding some extra vegetables. It almost reminds me of Panera's Veggie Cream Cheese, but much, much better. The roasted vegetables give the cream cheese a great flavor, especially the sweet roasted garlic flavor. I'm so glad I found this recipe. I'm starting to get bored with hummus and laughing cow cheese, this is a great way to change up my lunches and snacks. I served this with pita wedges, home made pita crisps, and veggies. Besides starring in my lunch this will also make an appearance at my next get together. It's simple to throw together, but the flavor is sure to impress company.

Roasted Vegetable Spread
Source: Alton Brown Good Eats



Ingredients
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings I used 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 handful broccoli florets
1 handful of baby carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces cream cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (I added quite a bit of pepper)
Challah, foccacia, pita bread, or veggies

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the bell pepper, onion, garlic, zucchini, broccoli, carrots and olive oil in a medium mixing bowl and toss until the vegetables are coated. Spread the vegetables evenly on sheet pan lined with foil and place to the oven. Roast, tossing occasionally, until they are soft and are beginning to turn brown around the edges, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.


Place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the cream cheese and process until well combined and spreadable; do not process until completely smooth.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on soft bread, such as challah, foccacia, pita bread, or serve with vegetables. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Homemade Salsa

I haven't been doing much cooking or baking lately. School is back in full swing and super busy. I have a 5 week class going on right now that is particularly time consuming. I love the fact it's only 5 weeks, but writing research reports every week and then a 20-30pg paper due the last night isn't much fun. The meals I have been making are very simple; things like chilli and tacos.

I was looking through my google reader (which BTW, I am so behind on... I have almost 600 unread posts... yikes!) and saw this recipe for Salsa on Annie's Eats. I've been looking for a good homemade salsa recipe and this my friends, is it. Matt and I love to snack on chips and salsa. In the summer we have nights that we just sit on the deck, drink some Corona and snack on chips and salsa. The Salsa is very flavorful and spicy and super simple to make. (A great excuse to use my food processor and my new juicer!) This will probably be at any get together I have at my house.

Salsa
Source: Annie's Eats



Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 (28 0z.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa, I went with not drained)
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Simple Hummus

I love Hummus. 95% of the time my lunch consists with half a pita with either hummus or laughing cow cheese stuffed with fresh spinach, carrots, peppers, and zucchini. The only thing I don't like about that lunch is I buy prepared Hummus. I've been dying to make some homemade Hummus for a long time, but the stores have had an evil conspiracy against me and Tahini. I swear I can never ever find it.

The other night we were at Matt's cousins house when I spied Tahini in the fridge. I asked Jill where she found it and she told me it was in the spot I've search a zillion times at the Hyvee. Well the next day we went to Hyvee, I looked, and sure enough there it was. It was hidden behind a beam though, so that I'm sure that's why I never saw it. (riiighhttttt...)

Anyhow, I finally got a chance to make Hummus tonight and it was so good! Much better than the store bought stuff. I plan on making this on a regular basis rather than buying it. Next time I may spice it up with some roasted red pepper.

Hummus
Adapted From: Allrecipes Hummus III



2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained (reserve bean liquid incase thinning is necessary)
2 tbsp tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 tsp paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley (I used dried)


1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth adding bean liquid if the mixture needs to be thinned. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.

2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley. Serve with warm pita wedges or fresh veggies.

I'm not sure on the exact amount this made. In the picture, the hummus is in a Pyrex ramekin. It was a little less than half of the entire mixture.

White Bean Dip

This has been a really long week. I woke up Sunday morning and my head was pounding and the room was almost spinning. Saturday night we went to a fabulous wedding (this guy was even staying at the hotel, that pic was snapped during dinner) and all the fun from the night before caught up to me. We had ourselves a nice greasy breakfast at I-Hop. (Who cares if they scored an F and are one of America's worst restaurants, it makes for great hangover food)

I slept for half the trip back to KC and felt somewhat human but had a bad craving for pasta. I decided to make a huge bowl of pasta salad to munch on all week. (I used this recipe, but added a ton more veggies. It was excellent!!)

Tonight the hubs pulled out some pasta we froze a few weeks ago for dinner. I told him no way, after having pasta salad everyday for the last 5 days, I needed a break from pasta. We decided to grill some burgers and after seeing Jules post about this dip, I remembered I had all the ingredients for it. I first saw it on Good Thymes&Good Food and have wanted to make it since.

Pita's weren't sounding good (ranked right up there with the pasta) so I decided to just serve this with some raw veggies (red and green peppers, carrots, zucchini, and celery). It was really good, especially with the red and green pepper. I definitely want to try this with the pita's sometime, just not when I've been on carb overload all week. :)

Giada's White Bean Dip




1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 pitas
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color. Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

They say it's your birthday...

So my birthday was on the June 3rd and we decided to have a small, low-key shindig the weekend before to celebrate. One of my bestest friends since high school, Jamie came into town and surprised me! (Her and the hubster planned it.. tricky, tricky.) She brought lots of goodies from her store and helped stage my table with all of my mismatched dishes... Pyrex can make some pretty serving dishes. :P The fabulous Jules brought over some Caramel Birthday Brownies that were soooo good.

My life is so busy right now (hence not posting since the 22nd of May). It was the husbanator's idea for this shindig, so he did lots of the prep for it. Besides the cleaning he did....

Here he is making the jello shots. (I wanted to pretend I was back in college for the evening)



Here he is chopping the green pepper for Corn and Black Bean Salsa. I make this frequently and always forget to take a picture. It's always so pretty too!



He made beer dip (and forgot to add the ranch until he was done... doh! It still turned out delicious though), we also had veggies and various dips, and my friend Erin made my favorite artichoke dip.

At the last minute I decide to make a Bruschetta recipe my aunt made at Christmas. It is so, so good. I wish I would have thought about it earlier, because it only got to sit in the fridge for about 3 hours before our friends arrived. It's best to make it the night before or the morning of. The flavors really combine and are just excellent. These can be served on crostinis, bagel chips, or pita chips. I didn't take my pictures until the next day and I only had Triscuits left - still delicious!

Basil and Tomato Feta Bruschetta
Recipe: my aunt (not sure where it's originally from)




For Bruschetta:

6-8 Roma Tomatoes - chopped
1 red onion - chopped
Fresh Basil to taste - use lots, it's yummy!
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
4 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

For Cheese:

2/3 Package of Cream Cheese
1 Package (4oz) Basil & Tomato Feta
Fresh Basil to taste
Olives to taste (I omitted this)

1) Combine chopped tomato and onion, basil, lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2) Mix Cream Cheese and Feta, add fresh basil and olives to taste.

I served the Bruschetta and Cheese separate and let our guests build their own little tasty appetizer.

Chicken Enchilada Dip

Last night M and I went to a birthday party for a friend. It seems like I always make the same old appetizers for parties so I decided to switch it up and bring Julie's Chicken Enchilada Dip. This stuff is delicious and super addicting!

Chicken Enchilada Dip

2 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
2 8oz packages of light cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, chopped
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped cilantro (dried is OK)
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika

In a non-reactive bowl, combine all ingredients. (I used a food processor so the chicken pieces are really small, making it easier to dip. Or you can just shred with forks if you like the chicken pieces bigger.) Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips - Julie suggests the lime flavored ones. I just served them with regular Tostitos.

New Meal for the New Year

The other day I decided that today I would make soft tacos. They're easy and we had all the ingredients. Yesterday was a super slow day at work so I spent a good chunk of time looking at food blogs. I found this recipe on Julia's blog. I knew I had pretty much everything in my kitchen so I thought it would be a delicious meal to start the New Year.


Black Bean Enchiladas
(is there such a thing as a good picture of enchiladas!?)



This filling for these Enchiladas is actually a Tex Mex Black Bean Dip from allrecipes. Click here for a picture.

For the bean filling: (my modifications in italics):
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. oil
1 cup chopped onion (I also added 1/2 cup of chopped red peppers and 1/2 cup chopped green peppers)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup corn kernels
1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes (I used a can of Rotel - drained)
1 cup salsa
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. lime juice (I didn't have any lime juice so I used 1.5 tbsp of lemon juice)

For the enchiladas:
3 cups black bean filling (above)
8-10 medium flour tortillas
Shredded Mexican cheese (about 2 cups) ( I used the Monterey Jack Cheese)
1 can enchilada sauce (I used green)

Directions:
To make the black bean filling, place the black beans in a medium sized mixing bowl. Partially mash the beans. In a medium sized skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes. Mix beans, corn, tomato, salsa, cumin, and chili powder into the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in cheese, cilantro and lime juice. Stir until cheese is melted.

Grease a 9x13” baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°. To make the enchiladas, spoon some of the black bean mixture down the center of a tortilla. Top with some cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and bake 2-3 minutes more or until cheese is melted.


These were so good. The dip makes a fabulous filling. I'll definitely be making them again.

It's Hip To Be Square

A few weeks ago I received an email from my husband's uncle. It was an invite for Thanksgiving with the extended family. It had a request from everyone to bring a certain dish. Us "kids" were in charge of an appetizer. I knew right away what I would make. My friend Amanda made these in July for a tailgate at the Royals game. I've wanted to make them ever since.


Spinach Artichoke Squares

1 (8 oz.) can refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used the pre-shredded kind in the bag)
8 oz. room temperature cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
10 oz. thawed, frozen chopped spinach, squeezed until dry
14 oz. artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll the crescent dough and place on the bottom of a 13x9" cake pan. Gently press the dough evenly into the pan and 1/2" up the sides to form a crust, paying special attention to seal the roll perforations.

Sprinkle the dough with 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan Cheese and bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven.

While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, sour cream, and remaining Parmesan Cheese - mix until smooth. Fold in the spinach and artichoke hearts and spread the mixture evenly over the crust.

Bake an additional 13-15 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown and the filling is set.

Can be served hot or cold.

Forgetful Jones I

I totally forgot to take pictures and blog about all the dips I made this past weekend! We had the ever so popular rotel, beer dip, buffalo chicken dip, and this delicious homemade salsa! So the next 2 posts are dedicated to the Salsa and Buffalo Dip.

Homemade Salsa
I'm so mad I didn't take a picture. It was so pretty!
Originally from my friend Darcy, I adapted it a bit. My adaptations are in bold italics.

1 can of rotel (don't drain)
1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can of white shoepeg corn (rinsed and drained)
1 red onion - chopped ( I used a white onion)
2 hot green chiles - chopped
1 green pepper - chopped
1 red pepper - chopped
3ish tablespoons of red wine vinegar
Shakes of pepper to taste
Shakes of dried cilantro to taste

Stir it all together, and it's done. It tastes better when it sits in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for a few hours).

I made this 24 hours ahead of time. A few times before the party started I tasted it and added more cilantro and red wine vinegar.

This is absolutely delicious. It is so fresh! Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Forgetful Jones II

I totally forgot to blog about this too...

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I first had this 2 years ago and loved it! I've been making it ever since.

2 cooked chicken breasts - shredded
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch Dressing
1 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce*
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese*


Combine cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch dressing, chicken, and 1/2 of the cheese in sauce pan until well blended.

Pour into crock pot, sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Enjoy with Tostitos and a nice, cold beer!


*I usually use about 14 oz of the 16 oz bottle of red sauce. I always add more shredded cheese too

These are a few of my favorite things

Beer + Dip! I would die happy if I could drink beer and eat dip the rest of my life. The first time I've ever had this particular dip I was an 18 year old freshman in college. Drinking was a big part of my life. I was eating eating the dip with celery and thought hmm... I swear this has beer in it. My cousin (who made the dip) tried to convince me it didn't but I knew better! I've never met a person who didn't like this dip. I get lots of requests to make it! Also, I'm trying to improve my picture taking. I live in an apartment and don't have any windows in the kitchen. So I had to take my food to the living room to get the pictures, I don't prepare food on the carpet! Just take pictures of it there!

Beer Cheese Dip



2 8oz packages of cream cheese
1 pack of dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup of beer
Shredded Cheese to taste
Serve with: pretzels, tortilla chips, carrots, celery....

Combine soft cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and beer. The consistency will be weird, but just keep stirring. When the consistency becomes thick and smooth add cheese. Continue to stir
Top with cheese to taste.

A few notes on the recipe...

+Don't use 2 packages of fat free cream cheese, the consistency of the dip just won't turn out right. If you want to cut calories try a package of light and a package of full fat.
+I use whatever beer I have on hand to make this. Usually that is Bud Light. I know people who've made it with Honeyweiss and Miller Light.
+Keep stirring the mixture until the consistency gets smooth. It will look a little funky at first, but it will smooth out.
+I think the best this to eat with this dip is pretzels.

Here are a few pictures of the process....