Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen

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

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.

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.