Appetizers | Snacks | Smells Like Home

Cheesey Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Dip

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Where oh where do I begin with this dip? Maybe with the fact that it was originally made and posted as a tribute to football-loving men but that the first time I ate it was with a bunch of my best girlfriends. Yep, that’s about right. I should also say that in the 6 weeks since the first time this dip was consumed (errr…devoured), it has shown up, not so surprisingly, again in my house two more times. And each time, I swear people think this dip makes me a genius in the kitchen.

I’m certainly not feeling like a domestic kitchen goddess recently since I’ve come thisclose to royally screwing up two cheesecakes in the past two weeks but this cheesey chorizo and caramelized onion dip makes up for all of those mistakes. The dip, in and of itself, is one sent from the heavens. It’s base is a mixture of sweet caramelized onions, spicy chorizo sausage, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese and when baked, you’ll need to to exercise the utmost restraint. You’ll want to bathe in this dip. You’ll want to huddle in a dark corner with this dip and a bag of Fritos. You’ll not want to share. But if you want to spend the next 48 hours in the gym working this dip off your holiday hips, I suggest you pass the spoon.

Cheesey Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Dip
source: adapted from Foodie Crush

One of the best things about this dip is that it can be made and refrigerated a day or two in advance then baked off when you need it - just add about 10 minutes to the baking time if the dip is baked right from the fridge. To note, I can’t find fresh chorizo so I buy it pre-cooked. If you use fresh, extend the cooking time with the onions to 10 minutes and start cooking it just before the onions are finished so as to not burn the onions.

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion, sliced (about 2 cups)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried)
6 oz chorizo or linguicia sausage, casing removed and roughly chopped or crumbled
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
Kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Instructions:

Melt butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or saute pan over medium heat and add the onions and thyme. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the onions and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally until they are tender and reach a deep golden color, about 25 to 30 minutes. Add the chorizo to the pan and allow the chorizo to warm through with the onions, about 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer the onions and chorizo to a large bowl and with a rubber spatula, stir in the cream cheese, yogurt and mozzarella cheese until well-combined. Season with salt to taste. Scoop the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly and the top starts to brown a little. Garnish with scallions. Serve with Fritos, tortilla chips, or crusty bread.

Homemade Wheat Thins

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

About once a month I take stock of my to-make list. This usually means a pretty big overhaul is about to happen. This last time I crossed a few things off that I was kind of iffy on from the start and moved a few things to the summer to-make list for next year (major sadness that summer tomatoes are long gone). And since I’m putting together ideas for how I can top my Thanksgiving appetizers and desserts from last year (I’m not sure that I can), I had no reservations about putting these homemade wheat thins to the test.

At the very basic level, these are wheat crackers from a dough that you’ll roll out reeeeally thinly. And made with just 5 pantry ingredients, they are a pretty close match to what you’d buy boxed up. I get the convenience of boxed crackers but again it goes back to me thinking that if I can make it at home, then why not just do it? Why not cut out the ingredients I can’t pronounce and make something super fresh to enjoy? These crackers took maybe 40 minutes to make from start to finish – maybe – and with a little salt sprinkled on top and baked up crisp, we enjoyed some late afternoon cheese and crackers with my homemade wheat thins. How’s that for satisfying? I don’t want to give away what I’m thinking about bringing to my brother’s house for Thanksgiving but if my appetizer idea makes it there, these crackers will for sure be right there by its side.

Homemade Wheat Thins
source: adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking via Smitten Kitchen

To maximize the crispness of these crackers, you’re going to want to roll them out really thinly. Like, to the point where you think you’ve gone too far and the dough almost looks paper thin – yes, that thin. If your work surface is well-floured, you won’t have any issues transferring the cut out dough to the baking sheet – just use a bench scraper or spatula to help with the transfer. The dough is pretty sturdy so you shouldn’t face issues with it tearing.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp table salt, plus additional for topping
1/4 tsp paprika
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into small bits

Instructions:

Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse them until the butter is pretty evenly distributed throughout the mixture – it should remain fairly crumbly. Through the feeder hole with the processor running, slowly pour in 1/4 cup cold water. Let the processor run until the dough forms into a ball around the sides of the bowl.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and divide it in half, keeping one half under a lightly damp towel while you work with the other half. Roll the dough into a very thin sheet – the thinner the better – and cut out 1 1/2-inch squares with a pastry cutter, pizza cutter, or sharp knife. I [obsessively] found that my long kitchen ruler was exactly 1 1/2 inches wide and this made my cutting all the easier. At this point, you’ll want to dot the squares with the pointy end of a meat thermometer to let the air and moisture escape while baking but there’s no need to go crazy with 9 dots per square like I did if you don’t want to. Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Transfer the squares to the baking sheets, spacing them closely together (they won’t spread) and sprinkle each with a tiny bit of salt. Bake for 5-7 minutes (mine actually needed closer to 9 because I think my oven may be a little off), until the edges are slightly browned – they should look like a wheat thin at this point. Cool the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes then transfer the crackers to the racks to cool completely. The crackers will keep in an airtight container for at least a week and they can be reheated if they start to lose their crispness.

Yields: at least 3 dozen – I got closer to 5 dozen.

Sweet Corn Cakes with Tomato-Avocado Relish

Monday, August 27, 2012

We’re having a blast in the kitchen this summer, thanks to having such great luck in the garden so far. Our beefsteak tomato plants really surprised us in actually producing edible fruit as opposed to the rotted, blighted tomatoes we were expecting after the first couple that ripened went bad. So with these beefsteaks and the insane amount of cherry tomatoes we’ve picked so far, at least 75% of our meals over the last few weeks have included something from our garden.

And that goes for these corn cakes too. The tomato-avocado relish isn’t just a condiment here – it’s really part of a wholly fabulous (and quick!) meal. Inside of 30 minutes, we had these fresh sweet corn cakes topped with the refreshing relish on the table – my kind of meal for a weeknight! The corn toasts and sweetens even further when cooked making the light and fluffy cakes virtually irresistible. It’s kind of like the awesomeness that grilled corn is but there is frying involved (who’s complaining?). Then they’re piled high with the type of topping that’s good enough to eat with tortilla chips or as a Tex-Mex bruschetta on crunchy bread. In other words, this is an all-around winner of a meal and if I can get my hands on some more of that local sweet corn, we’ll be having it again soon!

Sweet Corn Cakes with Tomato-Avocado Relish

Yield: 10-12 corn cakes

To keep the finished corn cakes from getting cold while cooking the others, keep them on a wire rack in a 250° F oven. These corn cakes can almost be made a little ahead of time as an appetizer for company - just keep them warm in the oven and serve with the cold tomato-avocado relish. If you're making this dish in the winter, you can use frozen corn - just thaw it in a colander first.

Ingredients

For the tomato-avocado relish:

1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 scallion or a small handful of chives, minced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of half a lime
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced

For the corn cakes:

3 large ears of corn, shucked, and the corn cut off (this should yield about 3 cups of corn)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp buttermilk
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

For serving:

Ranch dressing (optional but strongly suggested)

Instructions

To make the relish: Mix all of the ingredients except the avocado together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Just before serving, stir in the avocado.
To make the corn cakes: Place the corn kernels in a large bowl. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels. Add the flour, cornmeal, onion, cilantro, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir with a fork just to combine - the batter will be lumpy and that's fine.
Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan and heat until sizzling hot. Scoop the batter into the skillet about a 1/3 cup (for main course corn cakes) or a heaping tablespoon (for appetizer-size) at a time, cooking the cakes in batches so that they are not touching while they cook. Fry 3-4 minutes per side (or 1-2 minutes per side for the smaller cakes), until golden brown. These cakes will cook a little like pancakes do so you'll know the insides are cooked through when the top of the cake is slightly firm (not hard or crisp) when gently pressed with your finger. Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire rack and keep them warm in the oven (see note above); repeat with the remaining batter. Serve hot topped with the relish and drizzled with ranch dressing, if desired.

Notes

source: adapted from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen via Ezra Pound Cake and Annie's Eats

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Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

As expected, our zucchini yield in our garden wasn’t as spectacular as it probably should have been this summer. I don’t know what it is, but we just don’t have a green thumb when it comes to growing zucchini. The first year we planted it, we got zero zucchini. How depressing. This year, our three seedling plants grew fabulously, flowered like it was there job (it was), and so far we’ve only gotten two zucchini (two more will be ready this week though). From three plants, I don’t consider that to be a success.

But nonetheless, one of the zucchini we picked got chopped up and made into these baked zucchini fries. And to be able to eat what we grew and picked from our own yard made for such a satisfying dinner – all of the dread of a low yield just melts away. These fries are freaking awesome! A quick run through a basic flour-egg-panko combination then into the oven for 20 or so minutes is all that separates you from zucchini heaven.

Because the fries aren’t actually fried, I feel like you are actually able to taste the zucchini and not just the grease (there is none of here anyway), which is certainly the goal with such fresh ingredients. They come out of the oven crispy on the outside and tender and not mushy on the inside…and not at all watery, which I was slightly worried about since zucchini is such a watery vegetable. While the zucchini fries were baking, I whipped up a batch of our favorite ranch dressing in the blender to dip them into – this should be a requirement when making these fries. I have a few other recipes planned for the rest of the zucchini that we pick but it’s certainly going to take a heckavalot of restraint not to make these fries again this summer!

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries
source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 lb zucchini, cut into 4-5-inch long sticks, about 1/2-inch wide

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12×18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the eggs together until bubbly in a shallow pie dish or bowl. In another shallow pie dish or bowl (glass baking dishes work great too), stir the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together until well-blended. Set both dishes aside.
Place the flour in a large zipper bag (gallon-size works best) and toss in all of the zucchini sticks. Seal the bag well and shake up the zucchini until all of the sticks are coated with flour.
Taking a few sticks at a time, roll them around in the beaten egg then coat them in the breadcrumbs, lightly patting the breadcrumbs onto the zucchini if needed. Try to not to handle the zucchini too much at this point or the breading with fall off. Carefully transfer the sticks to the baking sheet, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart. You’ll be able to fit the entire pound of zucchini on a 12×18-inch baking sheet, so push them close together if needed. Repeat with remaining zucchini sticks.
Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and delicious-looking. Serve with ranch dressing or marinara sauce.
If you have leftovers, they reheat ok in the microwave, albeit soft and fork-necessary. The best way would be to reheat them in a 375 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until they are heated through.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Every so often we come across a recipe that makes it into our rotation on a semi-regular basis. And even less often than that, it’s a meal that can be prepped in large batches and well ahead of time and then frozen. These baked creamy chicken taquitos will be your best friends. I first started making them well over a year ago and one of the things I love most about them is that they are the kind of meal that you can throw almost anything into. Black beans? Sure! Leftover roast or grilled chicken? Definitely! Avocado? Why not! A lonely unused half of a jalapeño or poblano pepper? Spice it up! Nubs of various leftover cheeses that have almost no use for anything else? Cheese is always welcome!

Served with a side of refried or black beans, these taquitos are are truly a favorite around here and I certainly can’t ask for a more versatile and quick meal, especially for a weeknight. And it’s even better when all I have to do is pull a few ready-made ones from the freezer to pop in the oven! Oh, and I also think they would make a spectacular appetizer or snack if you use smaller tortillas or even cut out rounds with a cookie or biscuit cutter from larger (burrito-size) tortillas. Game day anyone?

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 10-12 taquitos

I tend to make a double recipe when I make these taquitos and freeze whatever we don’t plan on eating for dinner that night. You’ll just freeze the uncooked taquitos on a parchment-lined baking sheet until completely frozen (don’t let them touch or they will freeze together) and then transfer them to a plastic zipper bag. When you’re ready to eat them, toss them directly into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until the filling starts to ooze out the ends.

Ingredients

3 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ – ½ cup salsa
1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp chili powder (we love using ancho chile powder in this recipe)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1-2 green onions or a handful of fresh chives, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked/diced chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc. would also be good)
10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425? F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, ¼ cup salsa, lime juice, spices, garlic, cilantro, green onions or chives, chicken, and shredded cheese. Mix everything together until well combined and the cream cheese is evenly distributed throughout the mixture. If the filling seems too dry, add a few extra tablespoons of salsa until it loosens up a little.
Sandwiched between two damp paper towels, briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-30 seconds. Place a warmed tortilla on a work surface, keeping the other tortillas covered by the paper towels to avoid drying out. Using a medium-size cookie scoop, line the middle of the tortilla with a heaping scoop (about 2-3 tablespoons) of the filling mixture. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling and place it seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet.
Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle a very small pinch of kosher salt onto each taquito – don’t skip this as the salt finishes off the taquitos. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Notes

source: adapted from Our Best Bites via Annie's Eats

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Smashed Avocado-Chile Tartines

Monday, July 9, 2012

I’ve got this thing about weekend lunches. Kyle’s got this other thing. I feel they should be quick and easy, not requiring thought or time. Kyle, it seems, grew up in Europe where lunches are often have more emphasis than dinner. (He didn’t, by the way.) For me, a sandwich and some fruit or chips or leftovers from during the week make the perfect weekend lunch. For Kyle, roast chicken with herbed potatoes and steamed vegetables are ideal. (Actually, it’s more like hot dogs or burgers on the grill with potato salad and beans.) And I realize that throwing a few dogs on the grill is not complicated by any standard but I grew up with the mindset that the kitchen is closed for lunch on the weekend – make yourself a sandwich or starve…and I’m ok with that.

But I made an exception on the 4th of July – it was a holiday, what can I say? These avocado-chile tartines were just as easy as making a sandwich…and let’s face it, tartines are the European version of sandwiches so I’m still moving with the same train of thought here. Basically, I steeped some garlic and chile flakes in olive oil, grilled some bread, and smashed up some avocado. That’s it. And now I can add an avocado tree to my list of must-grow fruit trees (do they even grow in the northeast?) because between guacamole and these tartines, I could seriously go broke on avocados. Rich, buttery, creamy smashed avocado with a hint of heat on crispy, crunchy grilled bread – the perfect light weekend/day-off lunch.

**Note** – When writing the original recipe, I forgot to include the lime juice; the recipe below has been adjusted to include this.

Smashed Avocado-Chile Tartines

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3-4 lunch servings

These tartines would make an excellent and quick weeknight dinner served with a side salad or fabulous appetizers for a party – just grill or toast up small rounds of French bread instead of ciabatta. For our tartines, I used sesame semolina (a crusty Italian bread) but if you can’t find it, ciabatta bread will work too. There will be some leftover chile-oil – it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of weeks and can be brought to room temperature to be used in other recipes (like brushing onto pizza dough before building a pizza).

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp red pepper chile flakes plus extra for sprinkling
2 cloves garlic, smashed (skins removed)
½ loaf ciabatta or other crusty Italian bread, sliced on the bias (diagonally to maximize surface area), about ½-inch thick
2 ripe avocado, pitted, removed from skin, and cubed
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat (about 400° F).
In a small saute pan, heat the oil, chile flakes, and garlic over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the chile flakes and garlic start sizzling. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes – do not let the garlic burn. Remove from the heat and pour the oil through a mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Discard the garlic and chile flakes and set the oil aside for 5 minutes.
Brush both sides of the bread slices lightly with the oil. Grill both sides of the bread until they are lightly browned and toasted around the edges – this takes about 3 minutes per side.
While the bread grills, in a medium bowl, smash the avocado with, lime juice, about ¼ tsp salt and a sprinkle of pepper with a fork, leaving some larger chunks, if desired. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the chile-oil.
Divide the smashed avocado between the grilled bread slices, drizzle with a little extra chile-oil and sprinkle the tops with extra chile flakes before serving. Serve the avocado at room temperature while the bread is still warm from the grill.

Notes

source: inspired by Bon Appetit Magazine, July 2012

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Queso Fundido with Chorizo

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Before seeing queso fundido posted here and there around the interwebs in the past few months, I don’t ever remember previously coming across it. Not on a restaurant menu or in a cookbook, in magazines, or on blogs. And even though the recipe was completely new to me, I knew I’d love it. I mean…it starts with queso and damn, I know that means cheese. I have no idea what fundido means but doesn’t it sound like a happy word?? (Actually, according to my Google search – go figure – it means molten or melted.)

And omgosh, this is a happy cheese dip. Smoky chorizo (thanks for the suggestion, Annie!) is mixed in with handfuls of cheese and more of the usual Tex-Mex suspects: onion, tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro. The chorizo actually cuts through all the cheese and adds a bit of needed “heft” to the dip. It’s a glorious combination of ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to pull together. And it was gone almost as quickly. Along with nearly an entire bag of chips. Salads really do pay off when dinner looks like this one. Our dip did turn out just a little runny and I’m pretty sure it’s because of the excess liquid from chorizo so make sure you drain it off before adding the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño. But honestly, this didn’t detract from the cheesy goodness at all. The recipe calls for “Mexican melting cheese” (see the recipe below) of which I could not find during my change-of-dinner-plans-on-whim grocery store trip, though I’m sure stores like Whole Foods or ethnic food marts definitely carry one of them. If you’re still planning out a menu for Cinco de Mayo on Saturday, add this one to it…otherwise, it works just as perfectly with a beer for dinner in front of the baseball game on a random weeknight.

Queso Fundido with Chorizo

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 chorizo links (about 6 oz total), ½-inch diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 large jalapeño or 2 large serranos, seeded and diced
3 tbsp tequila (optional – we forgot to add it)
8 oz Mexican melting cheese like Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero (or a combination of Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar)
½ cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Heat the oil in an 8- or 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes; drain off most of the liquid. Add the tomato, onion, and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften and brown, about 7 minutes. Add the tequila (if using) and cook, stirring, until reduced to a glaze.
Sprinkle in the cheese. Stir slowly and constantly until just melted then stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately in a warm dish with chips for dipping.

Notes

source: adapted from Rick Bayless in Fine Cooking and Fiesta at Rick’s via Annie’s Eats

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Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

116

I am a complete sucker for mall pretzels. And it’s a darn good thing that you’ll only find me at the mall once or twice a year because more trips would like equal more pretzels. And as much as I love them, I’ve only made them once before, admittedly to great success but since Kyle isn’t a huge fan (crazy boy), I haven’t made them again. But in all the years since I first made them, there’s been one recipe I’ve been saving and I finally decided to bust it out just in time to share it with you while you’re all getting crazy planning your Super Bowl (or maybe anti-Super Bowl?) party menus. For the record, we’ll both be watching movies this Sunday, as is our annual tradition, while the rest of the nation is either watching the Super Bowl or waiting for the commercials (rarely both).

So this recipe isn’t any big secret; in fact, it’s probably the most widely adored one out there but if you haven’t made it yet, you need to get.on.it. Like now! And don’t be intimidated by making homemade soft pretzels either because this recipe is practically fool-proof. I not only halved the recipe (something that isn’t always recommended with yeast recipes), but I also refrigerated the dough overnight after the rise (something that is usually done to yeast dough before the rise, if at all). I let the dough come back to room temperature for about 2 hours before using it and the pretzel bites turned out like a dream. Seriously awesome soft pretzels. And dipped in the homemade cheese sauce (no processed ingredients with this recipe!), I was floating through mall pretzel heaven. Josie made this recipe back in October and suggested brushing the pretzels both before and after baking them and I couldn’t agree more – buttery soft pretzels might just be the perfect snack food!

Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: about 10 dozen pretzel pieces

If one batch of pretzels is too much for your needs or you want to make them in advance for a party, these pretzel bites can be frozen after you cut them and before you boil them. Place the dough pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze then toss them in a zip-top bag. When you want them later, boil them directly from the freezer (add an extra 15 seconds to the boil time) and bake for the time instructed.

Ingredients

For the pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
2 tbsp butter, melted
Pretzel or Kosher salt

For the cheese sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (not package pre-shredded cheese - shred your own)
Kosher salt

Instructions

To make the pretzels: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed for 10 seconds. Switch to the dough hook and add the flour and butter. Mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer it to a well-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an wide 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Slice each rope into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Place a lightly damp towel over the pretzel pieces to prevent them from drying out while you roll and cut the other pieces.
Using a slotted spoon lower a handful of the pretzel pieces into the boiling water and boil them for 30 seconds, flipping them around in the water with the spoon a couple of times. Remove the pretzel pieces from the water using the spoon, drain as best you can, and place them on the baking sheets. Brush the top of each pretzel with the melted butter and sprinkle with the pretzel/Kosher salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 10 - 12 minutes. Brush with remaining melted butter before serving. Serve warm.
To make the cheese sauce: In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
Slowly whisk in the milk until no lumps of flour remain. Stirring constantly, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the shredded cheese until all of the cheese has melted. Add a pinch of salt, if needed. Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave on medium power at 30 second intervals.

Notes

source: pretzels adapted from Alton Brown; cheese sauce is a Smells Like Home original

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Restaurant Style Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Monday, January 30, 2012

If there’s one recipe that I’ve been meaning to share with you guys over the past 3 years, it’s this one. And for the most part, it’s because as many bloggers know, the problem with blogging certain recipes is that sometimes the dish needs to be served hot, before there’s any time to snap a few photos. Take into account the time needed to adjust camera settings, fiddle with the light source, ensure all props are in place (none of these things are ever right even after test shots are taken when the food is still cooking), and essentially the dish starts getting cold by the time the photos are finished…every one of us is all too familiar with eating luke warm dinners. But this doesn’t fly when you’ve got a room full of hungry people eying the steaming and bubbly spinach and artichoke dip that’s just emerged from the oven – we all know that.

So in honor of the Northeast dominated Super Bowl next weekend, I decided to make the sacrifice (ha!) to remake this dip and blog about it for you because you NEED this dip at your party. Now, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve actually watched the Superbowl (for the record, I just don’t get football), but I’m definitely all about understanding the snacks that go with it. This old-standby dip is kicked up a few notches with a secret ingredient: alfredo sauce. I almost couldn’t believe it the first time my friend Andrea brought this to a party and revealed her secret but it’s true! The alfredo sauce adds to the creaminess of the dip without having to use mayonnaise and with few other ingredients and minimal effort, I can assure you that this dip will be gone in less time than a Super Bowl commercial break.

Need more Super Bowl snack ideas? Check out the sidebar for a bunch of winning snack ideas!

Restaurant Style Spinach and Artichoke Dip
source: adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (14 oz or 15 oz ) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
12 oz (about 1 1/4 cups) jarred alfredo sauce (roasted garlic if you can find it; low fat works well too)
1 cup whole milk, part skim, or 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz (about 1 cup) plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In an medium bowl, stir all of the ingredients together until very well-combined and the spinach is well-distributed throughout the mixture. Spread the mixture out evenly in an 8″x8″ baking dish.
Cover with a greased sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm with crackers, tortilla chips, pita chips, or cut-up vegetables.

Baked Panko Chicken Fingers

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Since it’s January and I’m still in the early stages of my be-healthy goal this year, I’d like to introduce you all to this recipe. It looks super fattening doesn’t it? Au contraire! These baked panko chicken fingers are first dipped in beaten egg whites, lightly coated in toasted panko breadcrumbs (go for whole wheat if you can find them!) and then baked until the chicken is tender on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside. Dipped in low-fat homemade ranch dressing and served alongside some baked sweet potato fries and a steamed vegetable, you’ll stop second guessing how difficult healthy eating can be!

Baked Panko Chicken Fingers
source: adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook via Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp Dijon or whole-grain mustard
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. dried
Cooking spray
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch wide strips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil. Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate.
In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme.
Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet. Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step. Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Serve warm.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Monday, January 9, 2012

In the midst of holiday preparation craziness, there was this soup. Broccoli cheddar soup. A knock-off of the famed and beloved Panera version, this version is a lighter homemade version where you control the ingredients – I love soups like this one! I’ve made this recipe a handful of times over the past few years and I seem to make it a little differently each time, mostly just varying the milk ratio (i.e. sometimes adding a little cream in place of some of the skim milk), but it turns out fabulous each and every time. The consistency isn’t as thick as Panera’s version but like I said, it’s on the lighter side, so if you want to thicken it up, just increase the cream-milk ratio. The most recent time this soup appeared in our kitchen, I was in the middle of packaging up my Christmas treats over the course of a few days and because the recipe left us a fair amount of leftovers, it was so nice to be able to quickly heat up a bit for lunch. And aside from a regular weeknight meal, in the past I’ve also made a double batch of the soup, kept it warm in the crock pot, and served it in coffee mugs as a warm appetizer during fall and winter parties. This broccoli cheddar soup is always a big hit here and is definitely one of our favorites!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
source: very slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

6 tbsp butter, divided
¾ cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped or shredded
4 cups small broccoli florets
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
½ tsp onion salt (or onion powder if you can’t find onion salt)
½ tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk (any kind)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (do not use pre-shredded)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the broth, onion salt and garlic powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, add the broccoli, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden brown, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the cheese until completely melted. Slowly pour the cheese sauce into the soup pot and stir to combine the mixtures. Allow to simmer until warmed through and broccoli is tender. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. If desired, puree the soup with an immersion blender for a smoother texture.

Top 9 Favorites of 2011

Friday, December 30, 2011

Here’s to a fabulous 2011 and even better 2012! Thank you all of your love and support this year – it’s been a great one for me and as Kyle and I transition into our new home in the next few weeks, I’m looking forward to sharing all kinds of great recipes that I’ve been holding out on until I have more space to work with. Until then, enjoy a few of your favorites from this year…the Top 9 most popular posts, to be exact!

1. Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Frosting

2. DIY: Ranch Dressing

3. Baked Fontina

4. DIY: Taco Seasoning

5. Chunky Hubby Cupcakes

6. Take Out Fake Out: Orange Chicken

7. NY-Style Crumb Cake

8. Pizza Bites

9. Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

Baked Fontina

Monday, November 21, 2011

102

Brace yourselves for possibly the easiest appetizer you’ll ever come across. I’d say this recipe is even easier than putting together a cheese platter because there is no agonizing over what cheeses to buy – wait…am I the only on who agonizes over things like this? Anyway, for this baked fontina, you’ll cube some Italian fontina, chop some garlic and herbs, put everything in a cast iron pan, and pop it under the broiler for 6 minutes. That’s it! The result is a baked fondue of cheesy goodness that you can scoop up with hunks of bread, toasted sliced bread, or even crackers or Wheat Thins. The garlic and herbs permeate throughout the cheese when it bakes and every bite has a blast of herby flavor. It’s heaven…melted cheese heaven.

I made this for a Christmas Day appetizer last year, have made it a couple times since (a halved recipe in an 8″ cast iron pan), and I’ll be making it again for a Thanksgiving appetizer this year; it’s always a huge hit wherever I bring it. Whether you’re hosting turkey day and want to work this into your menu or you plan to bring this to someone’s house, cube the cheese and chop the garlic and herbs in advance and keep them in airtight containers until you’re ready to bake. Bring your cast iron pan with you (doesn’t everyone travel with kitchen equipment?) just in case your host doesn’t have one for you to use. Since the recipe only needs 6 minutes under the broiler, you can even take the turkey out of the oven for a few minutes (cover it tightly with foil) and slip the pan in to bake. Hot appetizers really don’t get any easier than this one and I can already anticipate how quickly this baked fontina will go on the appetizer table this year.

Baked Fontina

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Total Time: 11 minutes

Yield: 10-12 appetizer servings

Be sure you use Italian fontina in this recipe. Danish fontina will not melt properly. If you absolutely can't find Italian fontina, brie (with the rind removed) will also work great here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs Italian fontina, rind removed and cubed into 1-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Adjust top rack of the oven so that it sits about 5 inches under the broiler unit. Preheat broiler.
Spread cheese out in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron pan. Drizzle olive oil over the cheese. Mix together the garlic and herbs in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the cheese.
Bake for 6 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and melted through. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface - the pan will be hot! Serve immediately.

Notes

source: adapted from How Easy is That? by Ina Garten

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Maple Bacon Mini Quiche

Thursday, September 15, 2011

What seems like ages ago, I hosted a French-inspired maple-themed luxury dinner party. Each of the 5 courses included at least one dish that highlighted maple as the main ingredient and while this dinner was delightfully successful, time completely escaped me and I never had the chance to blog about all of the dishes I made. And now we find ourselves heading back into Fall where maple continues to be a star ingredient so I’m taking the opportunity these next few weeks to share the recipes with you. Are you excited or what?!

These maple bacon mini quiche started off my dinner party but made as a full-size quiche, it would be the perfect addition to any buffet or breakfast menu. A delicately sweet and boldly savory quiche, this is a great all-around recipe. To amp up the maple flavor, I used maple-cured bacon – use it if you can find it! A little bit of fresh thyme rounds out these quiche with an “herby” background flavor and I think it’s the thyme, not the bacon, that makes these mini quiche so addicting…or maybe it’s the buttery homemade crust…it’s really a tough choice! Either way, put these on your next party menu – you and your guests will appreciate it.

Maple Bacon Mini Quiche
source: adapted from Martha Stewart Living, February 2008

Ingredients:

1 recipe Pate Brisee
8 strips maple-cured bacon (about 6 ounces)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced (1 cup)
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp water
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

To make a full-size quiche (10-inch): On a lightly floured surface, roll pate brisee to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out a 14-inch round. (If you have dough leftover, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.) Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch springform pan, then fold sides of dough down to create a 2-inch-high border. Prick bottom several times with a fork. Freeze 30 minutes. Line dough with parchment cut to fit, and cover bottom with pie weights or dried beans. Keep dough chilled while the oven preheats.
To make mini quiche (yields 18-24): Lightly grease two 12-well or one 24-well mini muffin pans. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into approximately 1 1/2″ balls. Place one piece of dough in each well of the muffin pan. With a tart stamper or the blunt end of a wooden spoon that is dusted with flour, lightly press the dough into the wells, working the dough up the sides of the wells so that they form little dough cups.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. [For the full-size quiche] Bake until edges are just firm, about 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, return to oven, and bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack. [For the mini quiche] Bake until the edges are just firm and the dough has puffed up, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and with the tart stamper or wooden spoon, lightly push down the puffed-up down to form dough cups again. Continue baking for another 5-7 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Reduce oven to 375 degrees. Place bacon in a single layer in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, flipping once, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and let cool slightly. Break into small pieces. Pour off drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon in skillet.
Add oil to remaining 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet, and heat over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add maple syrup and water, and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of skillet, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly.
Whisk together eggs, cream, thyme, salt, and pepper. Whisk in onion mixture. Pour into cooled tart shell(s). Scatter half the bacon over top.
[For the full-size quiche] Bake quiche until edges of egg mixture are just set, about 15 minutes. Scatter remaining bacon over top, and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. [For the mini quiche] Bake quiche until edges of egg mixture are just set, about 8-10 minutes. If the eggs or crust begin to brown too quickly, spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and lay it lightly over the top of the mini-quiche. Scatter remaining bacon over top, and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes more, or until the end of a sharp knife releases cleanly when the eggs are tested. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Restaurant Style Queso Dip

Thursday, September 8, 2011

I’m sure I’m not the only person out there who is always looking for the ever elusive queso dip that we all love from our local Mexican restaurants. As far as the easy options go in order to make it at home, there are two typical options: the jarred stuff and the block stuff to mix with salsa or Rotel. But you know what? This homemade version isn’t any more difficult than making queso dip with block cheese and in my opinion (and not just my opinion), it’s 100x better than either the block cheese version or the quick and dirty jarred stuff. A quick sauté of some diced onions and fresh pepper, melt in some shredded cheese then add some cream, tomato, and cilantro and you’ve got homemade restaurant style queso dip!

The key to this recipe is the addition of deli-sliced American cheese (don’t judge!). I also threw in some pepper Jack and provolone partly because they both melt really well but mostly because I didn’t have enough American in the house when I made this on a whim last weekend – my modifications to the original recipe are below. Once heated through (and thoroughly stirred while it’s being heated), this recipe yields a nice, creamy queso dip. As you can see, it’s also the perfect topping for some chili nachos (game time, anyone??) and we also topped a couple of steamed hot dogs with the queso for dinner one night this week as well. And wouldn’t this queso be an awesome way to make homemade cheese fries as well? You bet! Overall, this is a definite winner and you certainly won’t find any other queso dip in my house from here on out.

Restaurant Style Queso Dip
source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1 medium fresh hot cherry pepper (what I used), seeds and stem removed; diced
6 oz white or yellow American cheese, shredded or broken into small pieces
4 oz Monterrey or pepper Jack cheese, shredded (don’t use pre-shredded)
4 oz provolone cheese, shredded (don’t use pre-shredded)
1/4 – 2/3 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
1 Roma or plum tomato, seeds removed and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tbsp chives, chopped

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low.
Add the shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream. Stir until mostly melted.
Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.
Serve hot with tortilla chips or as a topping for chili, nachos, hot dogs, French fries, etc.