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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

This one is for Bonnie

I promised Bonnie I would post this over a month ago.... so sorry.  This was a wonderful holiday appetizer very similar to the pepper jelly on cream cheese.  By the way, I only made HALF of this recipe and we had plenty!

Cranberry-Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
12 oz fresh cranberries
4-5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
2 8 oz cream cheese, light or regular, softened
crackers for serving.


Pulse the cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.  Add the green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, sugar, cumin, lemon juice and salt.  Pulse until the ingredients are well combined and finely chopped.  Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl with cover and refrigerate for 4 hrs or up to overnight so the flavors have time to develop.

When serving spread the cream cheese in an even layer on a serving plate or 9" pie plate. Top with the cranberry mixture spreading evenly over the top of the cream cheese.  Refrigerate for up to an hour before serving.  Best with crackers or tortilla chips.

Gooey Cheesy Bread

We were invited to a pre- Christmas gathering with some friends.  I had zero time to prepare, and I had seen this bread recipe on Pinterest.  It turned out wonderful, I made it again for New Years Eve.  You really should give this one a whirl.

Artichoke Bread
1/3 cup butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 french bread loaf
salt and pepper
2 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350*.  Melt the butter in a skillet over medium/high head.  Add the garlic and cook until it smells yummy, less than a minute.  Add the artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and sour cream  Stir to blend. Remove from the heat and cool.  Slice the bread lengthwise and scoop out some of the center, not a  lot.  Spoon artichoke mixture evenly into the bread shell and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.  Place each half on a baking sheet and cover lightly with aluminum foil.  Bake for 25 minutes.  remove foil and bake another 5-8 minutes or till the cheese melts completely.  Cut into slices and eat!

Cocktail time!

Pomegranate Cosmopolitan
1 cup good vodka
1/2 cup orange liqueur
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail (like Ocean Spray)
1/2 cup bottled pomegranate juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
limes for garnish

Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, lime juice in a pitcher.  Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice, pour the cocktail mixture in and shake for a full 30 seconds.  Pour into martini glasses, garnish with a slice of lime.

You got your chocolate on my peanut butter....

I started following Pinterest about 6 months ago.  I've found some great ideas, and tried several recipes.  Unfortunately I have found that several have been disappointing.  Probably the best way is to search for something similar on a trusted website, and not worry about it.

Tonight I took crescent rolls from a pop n fresh can and covered them with peanut butter.  Next I sprinkled them with chocolate chips and rolled the triangle up like your supposed to.  Baked them at 375* for about 10 minutes and yum-yum.  A quick little treat.
For God
       so loved the world
            that He gave His
           onl
            begotten
           son so
               that whoever
          believes
              in Him shall
      have everlasting
                      life.
                                                John 3:16

How many ways can you cook a chicken?

Wings are one of my happy-est food thoughts. I like them hot, sweet, saucy, BBQ, any way at all. I'll admit they are messy, probably the worst idea at a party. But-in the privacy of my own home, I love nothing more than a good dark beer and a plate of wings with blue cheese dipping sauce.


This one is a recent discovery, my second time making it. Easy as all get out to prepare, maybe 10 minutes....and they get CriSpY!



BUFFALO WINGS
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
chicken wings 3-4 lbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Franks Hot Sauce




My, what lovely weather we're having.

The weather has been amazing.  January with only a day or two of light snow, quite unlike last year.  I don't know if I haven't been cooking as much, or cooking and not posting.  Probably the latter.  


Heather told me about this broccoli she roasted in the oven.  I made it and really enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if this was the exact recipe.  There are several of them out there.  We had it last night, and I was reminded of how  much I loved it.  

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

1 head of fresh broccoli, cut into florettes
2 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
olive oill
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425*.  Place broccoli on a sheet pan in a single layer.  Toss with garlic and olive oil.  sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 20-25 min.  It will be crisp-tender and the tips are starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and toss with another tablespoon of olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and Parmesan.  Serve right now!