Taco Dip

It's that season again . . . the crisp hint of chill in the air, the tips of the leaves are just beginning to turn colors, you feel the need for that last-minute reach for an extra blanket at night.

Yep, it's football season!!! And that means tailgating. Here is a delicious dip that we enjoyed at our own tailgate this past weekend. It was the Georgia Bulldogs' first home game, and it was a great one! Enjoy the recipe and the season.

Taco Dip
from my Aunt Cathie

1 lb. ground beef
1 1.25-ounce package dry taco seasoning mix
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese
1/4 cup sliced black olives
Cilantro or green onion, chopped (optional)
Tortilla chips (I like Frito Scoops for this)

Brown ground beef and drain all grease. Add the taco seasoning mix and set aside.

Beat cream cheese with sour cream. Spread mixture in a pan. Cover with the meat. Top with chopped green pepper, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheddar jack cheese and black olives. Garnish with cilantro or green onions. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Tip: Add a layer of refried beans, black beans, and/or guacamole for a delicious seven-layer Mexican dip!

Beer Dip

As soon as I heard that there was such thing as a "beer dip," I knew I was interested. Two of my favorite things in life are undeniably beer and cheese. Most dishes that bring these two heavenly ingredients together make me an extremely happy camper. After perusing several recipes for this heavenly dish, I decided upon incorporating several of my favorite ingredients into one to-die-for dip.

Beer Dip

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 5-ounce jars of Old English Cheese (or 10 ounces Cheese Whiz)
1 1-ounce package dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup beer (go ahead, you can drink the rest)
1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
Pretzels, crackers, or chips for dipping

In your microwave, heat the cream cheese and Old English Cheese for about 40 seconds on high. This will make it easier to blend them together, using a whisk, with the ranch dressing. Add the beer gradually as you whisk the mixture together, until you reach your desired consistency for the dip. You may not use it all. If so, feel free to drink the remaining beer.

Pour into the serving bowl. Sprinkle your toasted pecans evenly over the surface of the dip. Chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days. Serve with pretzels, crackers, or chips!

Salsa de Tomatillo

These happy little tomatillos appeared in our CSA basket this week. I had no idea what to do with them, so I started searching around the internet and immediately came up with a bunch of great recipes for tomatillo salsa.

What a perfect way to get to know these little guys! Their slightly sweet and tangy flavor is perfectly displayed in this fresh and zesty salsa. Perfect as a snack with chips, or get more creative and use it as a sauce for grilled chicken or fish. Or make a meal of it with Green Chicken Chilaquiles!

Salsa de Tomatillo
from AllRecipes.com

10 tomatillos, husked and rinsed with cool water
1 small onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, chopped (seeds removed if you're wimpy like me)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Place tomatillos in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Simmer until tomatillos soften and begin to burst, about 10 minutes.

Drain tomatillos and allow to cool. Place in a food processor or blender with onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, salt and pepper. Blend to desired consistency.

Vidalia Victuals Finalist #8: Caramelized Vidalia Onion Dip

Vidalia Onion Dip
submitted by Kathy W.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 large Vidalia onions - peeled, halved and sliced
16 ounces of shredded swiss cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the shredded cheese and toss until it melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a small crock pot or a bowl and serve with crackers, pretzels, or veggies.

Vote using the poll in the right-hand column. Thanks!

Vidalia Victuals Finalist #2: Beer Battered Vidalia Onion Rings

Beer Battered Vidalia Onion Rings

Submitted by Elizabeth of Reality Distorted

3-4 Vidalia onions sliced and separated into rings
Oil for deep fryer
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
dash of pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon melted shortening
1 cup beer (or milk)

Place the eggs, flour, pepper, baking powder, and shortening into a blender or large bowl. Whip together, gradually adding in beer last. Refrigerate the batter while you heat the oil and slice the onions.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 370-380 degrees. You can test the oil by dropping in a small chunk of white bread. It should turn golden in about a minute.

Dip onion rings into batter, drip excess from rings and then drop them into the hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown. Be sure not to overcrowd the fryer because this cools the oil.

Cool slightly on a rack with paper towels or newspaper to catch any oil drip. Serve warm.

Vote using the poll in the right-hand column. Thanks!

Creamy-Tangy Fruit Dip

This fruit dip is absolutely addictive. My sister-in-law makes it for us on occasion, and it works great as either an appetizer, dessert, or summer afternoon snack. I was so excited that she agreed to let me blog it when she made it for Mother's Day this weekend! There was a good bit of impatience and teasing aimed in my general direction as I snapped these photos - the whole family loves this stuff - but I think you will agree, dear readers, that it was worth it.

You will not believe how tasty this dip is. Plus, you know me, friends, and you KNOW how I love an *unexpected ingredient* - check out what makes this recipe so special! Good ol' fashioned Tang!

Creamy-Tangy Fruit Dip

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 7-ounce jar of marshmallow cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Tang orange drink mix
Strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, whatever assortment of fruit you like

Blend the cream cheese, the marshmallow cream, and the tang until completely combined. Serve with fresh fruit and toothpicks!

Pizza with Goat Cheese, Chicken, Sundried Tomatoes & Spinach

"Vish ish awshoum!"

These are the words that came out of my husband's mouth tonight as he ate his slice of pizza.

Have I mentioned that my husband hates pizza?

Well, my husband - he hates pizza. He has been known to call pizza "the torture food." As in, "Honey, why don't we order pizza tonight?" - "Oh great, the torture food."

(For those keeping score, America's Next Top Model is known as "the torture show.")

After he swallowed, he declared, more clearly, "I eat my words." I have succeeded in rehabilitating my husband from his post-college pizza-hangover, to the point where he actually likes pizza.

(I wonder if I'll be able to get him to say the same thing about ANTM one day?)

I made this recipe tonight in an attempt to re-create a dish that I used to enjoy when I was a college student in Washington, DC. On lovely spring afternoons, like the ones we've been enjoying lately here in North Georgia, my friends and I would walk over to a little Italian restaurant in our neighborhood, and this pizza is the dish I would order almost every single time. It is a combination of five of my favorite foods: pizza, goat cheese, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.

Paolo's Pizza

1 lb. raw pizza dough
3/4 cup tomato pizza sauce
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (part skim makes it less greasy)
1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted in water for 10 minutes
2 ounces goat cheese (chevre), chilled
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I recommend rotisserie chicken)
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or a mixture of dried basil and oregano)
2 large handfuls of baby spinach, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large rectangular or round baking sheet or pizza pan. Roll out the pizza dough to desired thickness and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving the edges as a crust. Arrange the shredded mozzarella evenly over the sauce.

Next, sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes over the cheese. Then drop the goat cheese in tiny globs evenly across the pizza. Spread the chicken over the top, and sprinkle the italian seasoning evenly over the crust.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the spinach on top. Return to the oven for another 3-5 minutes. Slice and serve immediately.

Fresh Basil Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken

Just the smell of fresh basil makes me weak in the knees. Luckily, ti's not a treat reserved only for summertime in our house. For my birthday a couple years ago, my sweet hubby got my an AeroGarden. This thing is amazing - we grow enough basil to have pesto about every other week! I'm planning on doing a more detailed post about this nifty gadget, but for now, here is my pesto recipe.

Classic pesto is simply a blend of basil leaves, cheese, nuts, garlic, and olive oil. It goes well with creamy cheeses on toasted crostini or crackers. It also goes extremely well with fish and chicken dishes (think grilled chicken or smoked salmon).

Our favorite, though, is to toss some farfalle (bow-tie) noodles with the pesto, topped with chunks of smokey grilled chicken.

Fresh Basil Pesto
recipe from our dear family friends Judy and Joe

1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or walnuts
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Measure all your ingredients except for the olive oil into your food processor. I like to use my mini-processor for making pesto:

Pulse several times to chop the leaves and nuts into the other ingredients. Then slowly stream the olive oil in while you process the pesto on medium speed. Add just enough olive oil to reach your desired consistency (tip: make your pesto thicker for a spread, thinner for a sauce). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield about 1 cup of pesto. Serve as desired (with cheese and crackers, tossed with pasta, as a glaze for roasted veggies, etc.).

Refrigerate and use yourfresh pesto withon 2-3 days OR freeze individual portions in an ice cube tray to use at your leisure!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Here is a wonderful spin on the traditional hummus recipe I blogged recently. The roasted red peppers give hummus a tangy sweetness, and an extra zesty spice.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry with a paper towel
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Measure all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse several times to chop up the ingredients. Then process on high for 2-3 minutes, or until hummus is smooth and thick. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve with fresh pita bread or pita chips.

Take a Hike

The key to the perfect trail mix is to hit that ration of sweet-n-savory right on the nose. Here, the sweet tartness of dried fruits and chocolate compliments the salty pretzels, nuts, and goldfish. The combination of textures and flavors is so satisfying - perfect for an extra energy boost on the run.

Trail mix is delightful as an afternoon snack, as a fun party snack, or for its intended purpose - to take on the trail!

Sweet 'n' Savory Trail Mix

1 package goldfish
2 cups pretzel rods
1 package roasted peanuts, salted
1 package roasted cashew pieces
1 package chocolate covered raisins
1 package dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried pineapple chunks
1/2 cup dried cherries

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until evenly combined. Package in indivivdual servings, if desired. Enjoy!

Sausage-Stuffed Shroomers

Here is the final recipe from our wine tasting - an appetizer of sausage stuffed mushrooms - the perfect bite-sized taste to accompany our fruity and delicious Barriosa Sombrero Rojo Rioja wine. Our guests are still raving about these mushrooms over a week later - I call that a successful dish!

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

3 pints baby bella mushrooms, cleaned with the stems removed
1 lb. chicken or turkey sausage, sweet Italian is great, but almost any flavor would work (We used a red wine and cheese variety from Trader Joes here.)
2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup parmigiano regiano cheese, grated (plus extra for sprinkling)
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Preheat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, remove the casings from the sausages and put the meat in the skillet. Brown the sausage until cooked through, using a spatula to break apart any pieces. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Arrange the mushrooms cap-side-down on the sheet and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, onion, garlic, pepper, and parsley. Add the cooled sausage to the mixture and stir until combined. Fill each mushroom cap with about a tablespoonful of the sausage mixture, and don't worry if the filling piles up and overflows a bit. When all mushrooms are filled, sprinkle some extra grated cheese on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until filing is set and sizzling. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Carbonara Pizza

And yet another recipe from last week's wine tasting. This tasty little dish was a great appetizer and paired nicely with our Da Vinci Chianti Classico. The topping of this pizza is a re-creating of a carbonara pasta dish - complete with pancetta, eggs, and ricotta!

Pancetta is a wonderful Italian style bacon, with a great smoky-n-salty flavor. And the gorgeous cheesy mixture on top somehow manages to seem rich and light at the same time. This would be a fun weeknight meal or a tasty appetizer to get your guests going before an Italian meal.

Carbonara Pizza
from Rachel Ray

Cornmeal, for sprinkling
1 lb. pizza dough, at room temperature (recommended: Trader Joe's)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. pancetta, chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese (parmesan would also work well)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
Pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone cheese
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat your oven to 450°. Sprinkle a few pinches of cornmeal on a baking sheet. Place the pizza dough on the sheet and stretch it into a large round or rectangle. If stretching is difficult, use a rolling pin. Brush the dough with the olive oil and partially bake the crust until puffed and slightly golden, about 8 minutes.

Note: If you are pressed for time, you could start right >>here<< in the recipe with a pre-made crust like Mama Mary's or Boboli's. :-)

Warm up a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a bowl lined with paper towels and allow it to drain and cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, pecorino romano, egg yolks and garlic; next add the pancetta. Season the mixture with pepper, stirring to combine.

Spread the ricotta-pancetta mixture over the partially baked pizza dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges for a crust. Top the pizza with the provolone. Bake until the crust and topping are golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley, cut into wedges, and serve immediately!

May the Rain Fall Soft Upon Your Fields

Happy St. Patrick's Day, dear readers! As I may have mentioned before, I come from a very strong Irish bloodline, and March 17th is a day to celebrate. Tonight we celebrated our Irish heritage a few days early with wonderful friends and delicious food. I was in charge of the soda bread. I found a great recipe in a book I found recently at a book fair. It was a major crowd pleaser and an excellent accompaniment to our corned beef and cabbage!

Hearty, dense, and full of wheaty flavor, this bread is as close as you will come to the staple on Irish tables across the green countryside each and every day. It is a quick-bread, made without yeast. It has a delicate crumb with a wonderfully grainy texture. The whole wheat flour gives it a soft nutty flavor. I can't wait to toast a piece for breakfast tomorrow morning - with a tab of butter and a drizzle of honey, perhaps?

Irish Brown Soda Bread
from the Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten from Your Grandmother, by Jeff Smith

2 cups of flour
3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Measure all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, combining well and making sure that there are no lumps of brown sugar. Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon just until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about a minute until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half, and press down on the top of each half to flatten. Place the two loaves on a large ungreased baking sheet - preferably non-stick. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with a little bit of flour, and, using a sharp knife, mark the shape of a cross on the top of each loaf.

Allow the two loaves to rest for at least 10 minutes before baking. Bake on the middle-rack of the oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is toasty, brown, and crunchy.

Cool on racks and serve with Irish butter.

Hummus My Favorite Tune

Hummus is a favorite snack in our household, and I've been wanting to try making my own hummus for a while now. I've heard that not only is it cheaper to make it yourself, but it's also much more delicious to make it from scratch. I am one vintage lady who loves to make things from scratch on the cheap, so I was excited to try this out!

I got this basic hummus recipe from a fellow food blogger - Katie from Good Things Catered. You should definitely check out her blog for lots of fabulous recipes and tips.

Hummus
From Katie of Good Things Catered

1 12-ounce can of chick peas (also called garbanzo beans)
1-2 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons tahini (sesame paste)
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Drain chick peas, reserving their water/juice in a small bowl. In a food processor (or blender), mix together the chick peas with the rest of the ingredients, being careful to add second half of lemon juice and tahini slowly, stopping to taste. Slowly add some of the reserved liquid from beans and a bit of water for correct consistency. Process for about 1-2 minutes until a smooth paste is formed. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This changes the taste of the hummus by allowing the flavors to form.

To dress the hummus up for the table, the traditional way of serving is on a plate, with an extra drizzle of olive oil on top and a sprinkle of paprika and chopped parsley. Serve with warm pita bread or pita chips, and fresh veggies like sliced cucumber, baby carrots, or grape tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Creamy Salsa Dip

Here is an incredibly easy recipe for an incredibly luscious dip. You can adjust the amount of salsa to your taste. It also makes a great topping for burgers, nachos, or fries.

Creamy Salsa Dip

8 ounces of cream cheese

1/2 cup of your favorite salsa

In a microwave-safe dish, combine cream cheese and salsa. Cover and microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until completely melted and incorporated. Garnish with cilantro, if desired, and serve with tortilla chips.

Crock Pot Spinach Casserole

This spinach casserole has been one of my favorite dishes since childhood. The recipe came from the little booklet that came with my mom and dad's Crockpot that they got back in the early 70s. Over the years, we've upped the amount of spinach and also adapted it for a dutch oven, but it's still a family classic.

It's a great way to get kids to eat their spinach; it's a great way to get kids to love their spinach. It makes a delicious veggie side to go with dinner or it makes a great dip served hot with crackers. No matter how you serve it, you are going to love it!

Mom's Spinach Casserole
Adapted from Rival Crock Pot booklet from the early 70s

3 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups (about 8 oz.) american cheese, cubed (recommended: Velveeta)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

Apply cooking spray to the inside of your crock pot. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into prepared crock pot. Cook on high for 1 hour, then turn it down to low for 4-5 hours.

You may also use a dutch oven for this dish. Simply bake, covered, at 375 for 1 hour.

By the Roads of VInes and Olives . . .

Confession: I don't like olives. At all. Not even in a martini. I love a good olive oil, but I just can't get excited about the pungent flavor of an actual olive.

That said, this is one of the only dishes that I absolutely love, which features olives. These tasty, elegant canapés are absolutely delicious - crispy and rich with melted cheese, and the hint of curry powder gives it a subtle zing. Yeah, yeah, and the olives are good too, I guess!

This is from my sweet Auntie Gladys! What could be more delicious and sophisticated than a ripe olive canapé and a glass of wine? But beware - once you taste just one of these, you will be addicted for life!

Olive Canapés
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely-chopped onions
1 1/2 cups Kraft Old English Cheddar Cheese spread
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small tin ripe olives, drained and chopped
1 french baguette, sliced thin

Ingredient note: any small sliced bread will work - I like to use the small loaves of rye cocktail bread when I can find it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, combine all ingredients. Heat until cheese is melted and all ingredients are well-incorporated. Spread cheese mixture generously on each piece of bread, and place on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until cheese begins to puff and turn golden brown.

Note: The cheese mixture can be made ahead and frozen.

The Lavender-Scented Hills of Provence

Get ready because I am about to introduce you to the best chicken nuggets of your LIFE! Step aside, Chick-fil-A - these are freakin' awesome!

I made this recipe up on the fly with a new seasoning mixture that I had been wanting to try out - a new jar of Herbes de Provence - absolutely delicious, extremely aromatic, and a perfect compliment to chicken.

Crispy Provençal Chicken Nuggets

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into 1" pieces

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de provence

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour your oil into a large baking dish or 9x13" pan, mixing the oils together. Set aside.

Next, you want to set up three shallow bowls on your counter for a dipping-assembly-line. Set up your chunks of chicken at the beginning of the line. In the first bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, lightly beat your egg. In the third bowl, mix together your panko bread crumbs, the herbes de provence, and the second teaspoon of salt.

Next, just take each chunk of chicken, coat it in the flour mixture, then coat it in the egg, and then roll it around in the panko mixture and put it in your prepared baking dish! You should have just 1 layer of chicken on the bottom of your dish. If you have any panko mixture leftover, I would just pour it over the top for some extra crispiness.

Bake, ocvered, for 25 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your nuggets).

If you want, you can turn them over half way through, but I was too lazy - they still turned out nice and crispy on both sides!

Cheesy Bacon Onion Dip

Good morning, and Happy Groundhog Day to you, dear readers! Last night was the Super Bowl, and I'm excited to post some of the yummy treats I shared with my family while we watched the big game. Let's start with the sinfully indulgent dip that we enjoyed.

This recipe was inspired by a dip that my sweet mother-in-law made for us before a family dinner get-together last week. It was AMAZING - beware, very addictive. The tangy and stringy Swiss cheese, the creamy and luscious base, the flavorful sautéed onions, and the salty smoked bacon blend together to bring out the best in each flavor and texture.

Cheesy Bacon Onion Dip
adapted from my Mother-In-Law's recipe

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
8 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces OR 1/2 cup bacon bits (in original recipe)
1/4 cup onion, diced (not in original)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pie dish or other small oven-save dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl blend together cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo until creamy. Stir in 3/4 cup Swiss cheese (about half). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sautée your onions for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat using 1 tablespoon of olive oil or reserved bacon drippings. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Spread this mixture evenly in the bottom of your prepared baking dish.

Next, sprinkle the remaining Swiss cheese over the top of the creamed mixture. Finally, sprinkle the bacon evenly over the top. Season with a little bit of freshly ground pepper on top. At this point, you can cover it and put it in the fridge for up to 5 days or continue and bake it up!

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until dip is bubbly and cheese begins to turn golden brown. Serve with crackers or chips.