Cookie Dough Dip

This was the one and only dessert dip at cooking club this month, I had never made it before but it was simple and very delicious!  We ate most of it at cooking club and Tyler polished it off when I got home.  I served it with mini vanilla wafers and chocolate teddy grahams.  Yum!  Just make sure you let it sit out for awhile as it hardens while in the fridge.

(don’t the bears look like they are in the BEST HOT TUB EVER?!)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (from Brown Eyed Baker)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)

2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.

3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar for 1 minute.

4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.

7. Garnish with additional chips, if you choose.

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Cooking Club: Dips

Oh man, what a fabulous idea!  Nothing is better than a great dip, and this month we sampled a bunch of them (plus some pretty great wine!)  Ashley hosted (and showed off her beautiful house to all of us nosy folks) and we had a great time.  Check out some of the dips we enjoyed (at least the ones I got good pictures of!)

spinach artichoke dip

beer dip

baked brie

Reuben Dip

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Birthday Crab Cakes

Happy 26th birthday Tyler!  To celebrate I made Tyler a tasty dinner of crab cakes, pecan crusted salmon, asparagus, and couscous.  No dessert however, we are both completely burned out on sweets and still have lots of Christmas candy floating around if we need a fix!  I’ve been wanting to make crabcakes forever, but finding quality lump crab meat in Kansas that isn’t ridiculously expensive is quite a challenge.  So I bought a package of these babies at Costco for about $16.

and I whipped up a nice sauce to go with them!

Lemon Aioli Sauce (adapted from The Neelys at Food Network)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped chives (I used parsley)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

I also added about a tablespoon of dijon mustard and a pinch of sugar

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together.

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Red Pepper Pesto

Ok sorry for the less than amazing photo but 1) sunlight is fading fast in the evenings and 2) this stuff was so good I almost didn’t even stop to photograph it at all, I was all “get in my belly!”  Oh man this pesto is good!  It’s good on pasta, it’s good on sandwiches, it’s good on bruschetta, it’s good straight out of a spoon.  We got a great deal on red peppers at Costco last weekend and Tyler promised he’d find a way to use them.  He found this Rachael Ray recipe on the food network site and whipped it up last night.  It made a ton, and it was a great alternative to regular pesto since basil is just too scarce and too expensive these days!  Excuse me while I go eat another spoonfull before bed   You need to make this pesto, and soon!

Red Pepper Pesto Sauce (from Rachael Ray)

• 1 cup drained, packed roasted red peppers
• 2 small cloves garlic
• 1 (3-ounce) jar pignoli/pine nuts
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it

Combine roasted peppers, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, salt and pepper and cheese in a food processor. Turn the processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil to form a thick, pasty sauce forms. Adjust seasoning and transfer sauce to a large bowl.

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Zucchini Fries

When the July issue of Cooking Light arrived last week I flipped through it while I was laying out by the pool. The recipes for zucchini caught my eye since I know they are in season right now. My father in law made these amazing zucchini boats last summer that I want to try to recreate sometime, but today I decided to use the zucchinis I got at the farmers market to make zucchini fries. These were not that difficult to make, although they do take a bit of time to bread and the you have to mix up the sauce as well (which involves roasting red peppers.) The end result was delicious and Tyler and I devoured them for dinner (they were pretty much our entire meal, what can I say I am still not over my cooking slump!) Tyler rated them an 8 out of 10. I kind of wish the breading had a bit more flavor to it but the sauce made up for it. We have lots of leftover sauce which I’m going to use to make bruschetta later this week, YUM! Definitely give this recipe a whirl if you’ve got zucchinis you need to use up!

Parmesan Zucchini Sticks with Smoky Roasted Romesco Sauce (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

Sauce:
3 medium red bell peppers (I just used 2)
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup (1/2-inch) cubed French bread baguette, crusts removed
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked almonds (didn’t have so I used regular)
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (didn’t have so I used regular)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 large garlic clove

Zucchini:
3 large zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup egg substitute
Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler.

2. To prepare sauce, cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place bell pepper halves and tomatoes, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten bell peppers with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop, reserving any liquid.

3. Combine bell peppers, reserved liquid, tomatoes, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

4. Preheat oven to 400°.

5. To prepare zucchini, cut 1 zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges. Repeat procedure with remaining zucchini. Combine breadcrumbs, panko, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dip zucchini in egg substitute; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place zucchini on a wire rack coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat zucchini with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with sauce.

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Farmers Market Fresh

I made my first trip of the summer to the local farmers market this weekend and despite the disappointment of no dogs allowed (poor Toby had to wait outside the market) it was a great little trip.  I didn’t find the produce that much cheaper than what I could get at the grocery store, but I love supporting local farms and the produce just tastes so much better!  I came home with: beefsteak tomatoes, zucchinis and yellow squash, peaches, basil (this was actually my best deal at $1 a bunch), and green beans.  I decided to make some fresh salsa with the tomatoes and just kind of threw some things together and I think it turned out fantastically!  Next time I will try to buy all the ingredients for the salsa at the farmers market, I just kind of bought whatever looked good this time and planned some dishes around what I brought home.

Homemade Salsa

Ingredients:

3 beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet onion
2 jalapenos, seeded
2 handfuls of cilantro
2 garlic cloves
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in your food processor and chop to your desired consistency.  I had to do mine in 2 batches since I have a small food processor.

Serve with chips or your favorite Mexican dishes.  Yum!

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Beer in all its forms

I am not a big beer drinker (half a beer makes me flushed and sleepy), but I’ve found several recipes in which it is a great ingredient. I’ve used it in pot roast and stew, also cheddar fondue and now beer cheese dip. Yum! We usually use Blue Moon beer since that’s our favorite to drink. I had this dip at a get together recently and was craving it again so I made some for us to eat while we watch basketball games this weekend. It is delicious!

Beer Cheese Dip (from my friend Stacey over at Simply Tasty)

Ingredients:
2 8oz packages of cream cheese (I used one light and one regular)
1 pack of dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup of beer
shredded cheese to taste
Serve with: pretzels, tortilla chips, carrots, celery, etc.

Preparation:
Combine soft cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and beer (I did this in my KA mixer). The consistency will be weird, but just keep stirring. When the consistency becomes thick and smooth add cheese (I mixed in the cheese by hand). Transfer to serving dish and 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.
-Use whatever beer you have on hand.
-Keep stirring the mixture until the consistency gets smooth. It will look a little funky at first, but it will smooth out.
-I served this with wheat thins and fat free pretzels, the pretzels were fabulous with this dip!

And this is NOT a WW recipe, I did not bother to figure out the points so you’ll have to figure it out yourself, if you dare

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Dippin’ Time

Big football games call for great dip. It’s nice to have something yummy to munch on so you don’t bite your nails off worrying about whether or not your favorite team will win. I served this dip with a French baguette that I picked up from the store, but tortilla chips would also go well with it. Apparantly there is a “spinach shortage” right now and my local store won’t get fresh spinach in until February 1st. So frozen it was, and I thought it was still great!

Hot Spinach Dip (original recipe from Delish)

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup skim milk
8 ounces light cream cheese
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes Tabasco
3/4 – 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Saute onions and garlic, until softened and onions lightly browned. Add milk and heat. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and 1/2 cup mozzarella; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in paprika. Pour into a shallow baking dish; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

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Versatile black bean dip

So unemployment does not sit well with me, I have basically been glued to the couch all week (for the 4th week in a row now), occasionally getting up for a Dr. Pepper or to go to a job interview. Hopefully I will be hired soon and out of my funk! Funk=no cooking (except for sugary treats) so I really don’t know what we’ve done for dinner this week…chik fil a, frozen pizza, chicken salad. Tonight I finally snapped out of it and whipped up a real dinner, it felt good to be back in the kitchen chopping and stirring and making a mess (Tyler gets to clean up, hehe).

Tex Mex Black Bean Dip from allrecipes.com (can be eaten w/chips or used as enchilada filling)

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
• 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup mild picante sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

 

1. Place black beans in a medium size mixing bowl, partially mash beans — beans should remain a little chunky.
2. In a medium size frying pan, heat oil over a medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes.
3. Mix beans, corn, tomato, picante sauce, cumin, and chili powder into the frying pan; 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.

Black Bean Enchiladas

3 cups Tex Mex Black Bean Dip
5-8 large flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 can enchilada sauce

Spoon a rounded 1/2 cup of the black bean mixture down the center of each tortilla, top with some cheese. Fold sides over filling and roll up. Place in a 13×9 baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with enchilada sauce. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and cilantro (optional). Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

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