The weather’s getting cooler and gathering indoors with your friends and family sounds pretty good right now. And believe it or not, holiday entertaining is just around the corner. Not that you need a holiday to have friends over. I’m sure you all have wonderful ideas on how to entertain so why not share them and enter a contest to win one of 8 $100 Visa cards? Sounds good, right?

Well, I’ve got the opportunity to share that with you and to tell you about some lovely little crackers that I got to try… Read about them and leave a comment for your chance to win $100 Visa card here.

        

I propose a scientific theory on par with Einsten’s theory of relativity.   I call it the theory of layerliciousness which stipulates that the ratio of layers to food item = total tastiness.  Think about it.  Seven Layer Salad?  Yummmm.  Seven Layer Mexican Dip?  Totally rocks.  And cake?  Well, the more layers it has, the more we drool, right? So I figure if I’m going to try a new appetizers, the more layers, the better.  Ergo,  here’s my submission just in time for Super Sunday.  Ready?

Mediterranean Layer Dip

2 c. prepared hummus (store bought or your own favorite recipe)

1 c. plain yogurt, drained overnight* or sour cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 c. chopped red pepper

1/2 c. chopped cucumber

1 c. feta cheese, crumbled

1 small can chopped black olives

A handful of fresh parsley

*If you’re using yogurt, try Greek yogurt which is thicker or drain your plain yogurt overnight through a coffee filter in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge.

Spread the hummus in the bottom of a clear pie plate.  In a bowl, mix the yogurt or sour cream with the 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of cumin and about half of the fresh parsley, chopped.  Spread this over the hummus. Top with another layer of red pepper, a layer of cucumber, a layer of black olives and finish with a layer of crumbled feta.   Sprinkle the remaining chopped fresh parsley over the top.  Just perfect for toasted pita chips.  Easy peasy.

* Disclaimer:  Yes, the feta is missing from this photo.  That’s because my husband eats everything that is not nailed down to the refrigerator.  That theory is stated as HxA=EF (Husbnad times Appetite = Empty Fridge.)

        

So now that we’ve filled our elastic pants with the feast, we all have a fridge full of leftovers – nice big bowls of mashed potatoes, yummy stuffing, sweet potatoes and that scrumptious pie.  Well, most of you do.

As everyone was saying their Thanksgiving goodbyes, I asked if anyone would like a little food to take home.  Suddenly there was the sound of running feet along with a cloud of dust and 2.6 seconds later, we were facing a bare carcass and empty bowls that were still spinning as they ran out the door with enough leftovers in Cool Whip containers to feed them for a month. I think someone even foraged out of our pantry.   These are the same scavengers loved ones who contributed a packet of Kool Aid, a half eaten bag of chips and a can of lima beans to the feast.  Not that I’m bitter.

Of course, you’d be bitter too if you were mourning the loss of that beautiful next-day turkey sandwich..you know, the one with big slices of turkey breast, lovely cranberry sauce and just a schmear of mayo?   Anyway, after the dust settled, I picked the bones clean of the last few tiny shreds of turkey.  I was wondering what I could possibly do with them when my husband asked for Buffalo Chicken Dip and a light bulb went off over my head.

Here is a manly man’s appetizer that hubby loves to devour while watching manly man things like football or home improvement shows or Days of Our Lives. And I bet all the ingredients are already in your pantry…unless your relatives cleaned you out too.

Here’s the actual recipe:

Buffalo Chicken Turkey Dip

2 c. cooked turkey or chicken, finely shredded
3/4 c. Ranch dressing
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
6-8 Tablespoons Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Mix the cream cheese and Ranch dressing together until smooth and well combined.  Add the Tabasco, salt to taste and fold in the chicken/turkey.   Spread the mixture in a pie plate and top with shredded Cheddar.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until gooey and melty.  This is good served with celery sticks and thick tortilla chips.  You’ll need a manly man cracker…your sissy little Wheat Thins are no match for this hearty dip.

Just don’t tell my cousins.

Also on:

        

Egg rolls are one of those American-ized Chinese treats that we love to order in the restaurant but may find daunting to make at home.  But this is easy stuff, people!  Once you know how to roll, you’ll be dreaming up all kinds of variations!  When my nephew, Nicholas, first saw these, he made a face, took a bite and then proceeded to eat about 23.  This is dangerously delicious stuff, my friends.

Here we go.  You’ll need:

That’s cooked shrimp.  I buy mine frozen at the Asian food market because the price is great.

You do have a microplane grater, right?  It’s the most used kitchen gadget I own.  If you like garlic (if you don’t, you have some splainin’ to do!), feel free to grate in a clove of fresh garlic too.

I like the flavor and it adds a little more moisture to hold the filling together.  I’ve also added hoisin sauce which makes the filling a bit sweeter.

The egg roll wrapper should be turned so a corner is facing you.

This is normally where I’d show you one of the egg rolls cut in half so you could drool over the finished product but my bottomless pit of a husband shoveled these in like a starving caveman and declared with his mouth full, “Grr begt ekkk roez burf bebe eeden” (which I believe translated into “the best egg rolls I’ve ever eaten”).  By the time I got my camera, they were gone.

So you’ll have to trust me on this. Have I ever lied to you before?

Drop a comment and let me know what you put into your egg rolls!

        

So my friend, Sandy (who has an excellent blog by the way) designs books for publishing. She heard that I was mourning my camera so she sent me a copy of a great cookbook that she’s just finished working on called Troy Mill Farms Cookbook – Our Favorite Strawberry Recipes. Isn’t she sweet? Strawberries are at their peak now so what better time to whet your whistle by sharing a recipe from it? Excuse my drooling while I show you this photo.

Sandy’s Strawberry Salsa
1 qt strawberries
¼ cup onion
1 cup tomatoes
1-3 jalapeños (depends on how hot you like it!)
2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp white vinegar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Put all ingredients in food processor. Chop to desired
consistency. Best if made at least 2 hrs before serving.

Sounds good, no? And so I’m giving it away to one fabulous reader. All you have to do is leave a comment and we’ll draw a number for one lucky winner on June 28. Good luck, my chickens!

        

Well, I believe we established that roasted garlic paste puree is on a par with George Clooney…smooth, suave and delicious with just a hint of velvety overtones (don’t ask me how I know, I just know.)

Now we discuss what to do with that bowl of golden deliciousness that you’ve prepared. Roasted garlic paste can be added to most sauces, soups, dips or casseroles. As promised, I suggest myriad ways to add that sassiness to transform your favorite dishes.

1. Roasted Garlic Paste and Blue Cheese Hamburgers
2. Piadine with Caesar Salad and Roasted Garlic Paste
3. Roasted Garlic Prawns at The Great Indian Desi Dhaba
4. Smear it on bruschetta
5. Roasted Garlic and Herb Dip at CyberBistroBoutique.com
6. Rib Roast with Roasted Garlic Sauce
7. Mix it with a little cream and horseradish and drizzle over grilled steak
8. Simple Pasta Sauce with Roasted Garlic
9. Baked Brie with Roasted Garlic and Herbs at Clipped and Diced
10. Pea and Garlic Soup at Green Gourmet Giraffe
11. Roasted Garlic Sweet Potato Butter at Cooking at the Pacific Outpost
12. Roasted Garlic and White Bean Dip at Off the Spork
13. Roasted Garlic Rosemary Mashed Potatoes at Crafty Diversions
14. Stir in olive oil, basil and toss with pasta.
15. Lemon Chicken with Roasted Garlic at Kara’s Recipes
16. Roasted Garlic Soup at In the Kitchen with Nell
17. Add it to your yeast bread recipe
18. Chicken Fried Steak with Roasted Garlic and White Peppercorn Sauce at Stephen’s Site
19. Mix it into mayonnaise to make a great sandwich topper
20. Roasted Broccoli with Garlic at Kalyn’s Kitchen
21. Parmesan & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots at Everything is Better with Bacon
22. Macaroni and Cheese Casserole at An Attempt at Cooking
23. Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Aioli at Epicurious
24. Roasted Garlic Spread at Divine Domesticity
25. Add it to cream cheese and sour cream. Warm in the oven until melted.
26. Chicken and Mushrooms in Roasted Garlic Sauce at The Cooking Diaries of a Wine Loving Soccer Mom
27. Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce at A Peek at the Perrys
28. Stir it into your favorite gravy.
29. Romaine and Blue Cheese Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing at Fennel and Flax
30. Mix it with butter and spread it on roasted corn

No need to thank me.

        

Is there anything more smooth, more suave or more sensual than roasted garlic paste? Well, maybe the word “paste” isn’t so sexy…it kinda reminds me of that glue you used to use in kindergarten that had that weird sticky brush in the lid? It tasted awful.  (Not that I was the weird kid who ate it.  Um…my friend told me.  Yeah, that’s it.) As I was saying, puree sounds so much more enticing. And everything this food stuff touches causes you to swoon. Since George has recently put out that restraining order, I’ll have to stop hanging outside his home and settle for something almost as delicious.

If you haven’t made this stuff before, you are missing out on one of the great culinary masterpieces. Best of all, it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge whenever you want to add a suave, delicious bite to anything. When you roast garlic, it becomes sweet, tasty, and succulent.

Here’s my simple recipe for the swoony stuff.

Roasted Garlic Paste

4 heads garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
Pinch kosher salt

Cut the top of the garlic heads off to expose the garlic cloves. Drizzle a little oil over (about 1 Tbsp.) and sprinkle with kosher salt. Wrap in foil and bake in the oven for about 50-60 minutes at 400º Farenheit until the garlic is soft and the tops are golden. Let it cool. Squish out the garlic into a bowl. Watch out for that papery peel slipping into the bowl. That garlic is so good, the peel just won’t give it up easily. Mix it up with a fork and add another tablespoon or so of olive oil to make a paste. Cover and store in fridge if not using right away.

So now that you have that golden goodness, what will you do with it? Ah, here is the sweet part. What CAN’T you do with it!? Here’s one of my favorites:

CREAMY ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS

1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas
1/4 c. roasted garlic puree

1/4 c. Greek yogurt (low-fat regular yogurt can be used, it will just be thinner)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1-2 tsp. olive oil
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper

Couple drops hot sauce

In food processor, combine drained chickpeas and garlic puree. Pulse to mix. Add yogurt (yeah, I know it’s not really traditional but it makes it creamier and hummus-ier.) Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Blend on high until smooth. Thin with a little warm water if needed. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

This recipe doesn’t use tahini (which I always confuse with it’s rhyme ‘wahine’ which is Hawaiian for woman so that doesn’t really work in the recipe.) Feel free to add Tahini if you want but it works fine without it.

This recipe goes great with the baked Pita chips which are also really good for you. In my next post, we’ll talk about how easy it is to make those bad boys.