Sunday Football Dip: Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon

I mentioned this one to Carol and she said "Ooohh that one!" So here we are, the weekend of Turkey day with more leftovers I can imagine. I think the turkey is tired of being eaten and there are rolls piling up in the corner of the counter. Reading the ingredients of this dip, I though "How could this suck?"

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon Dip/Spread

Things you'll need:

1 tbsp butter
2 medium chopped onions
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup canola mayonnaise
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

• In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add onions to pan; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 
• Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. 
• Cool slightly.
• Heat oven to 425
• Reserve 2 tablespoons cheese. Combine remaining cheese, caramelized onion, 1 tablespoon chives, and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons cheese. 
• Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly. 
• Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives.
• Serve with a French bread

I have to admit I forgot the mayonnaise, but it still turned out really good! This is so rich and delicious! I decided to quarter some of the remaining rolls and toast them while the dip was baking to create some "toast points", hooray for re-purposing! If Gruyere wasn't so damn expensive I would make this all the time! Enjoy!

Sunday Football Dip: Creamy Jalapeno Ranch

Who doesn't love a spicy ranch dip? Honestly, I don't know a single person! I saved this one for a rainy day (or a lazy day, it really doesn't rain much here). And once again we have a vegetarian friendly dip. You must think I'm turning into one, I'm not.

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dip

Things you'll need:
10oz Philadelphia Cooking Creme

8oz Cream Cheese softened
16oz Sour Cream
2 Packets of Ranch Dip Mix
Can of Diced Jalapenos
1 Bunch Cilantro

• Put cooking creme, softened cream cheese and sour cream in a Food Processor and combine until well blended.
• Add both packets of Ranch Dip Mix. Combine until well blended.
• Add can of diced jalapenos (or less if you prefer mild heat). Combine until well blended.
• Add 1 bunch cilantro. Combine until well blended (there's a theme here)
• Chill until ready to serve

I am uncertain why the recipe called for the Philadelphia Cooking Creme specifically, I used the garlic flavored one. I can only assume that using regular cream cheese would work but I can't guarantee that. It has been a favorite of the household so far. Probably going to make this for parties again and again. Enjoy!

P.S. This makes 4 - 6 cups

Sunday Football Dip: Hot Corn

I'm not going to lie; I was a little concerned when I originally found this recipe. I never would have thought to make a corn dip. I decided to be adventurous and NOT a stick in the mud and go for it anyway. It paid off!


Hot Corn Dip
Things you'll need:

2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears fresh white or yellow corn, or frozen fresh corn)
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers – I used roasted red bell peppers from a jar.
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise – 1/2 C was plenty for mine
4 ounces monterey jack or cheddar, shredded
4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

Tortilla chips, for dipping

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels turn deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Note that if you’re using frozen corn it probably won’t get golden brown.  Just cook for about 5 minutes as the recipe states.  
• Transfer to a bowl.
• Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until the onions are wilted, about 2 minutes. 
• Add the green onions, jalapeno, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. 
• Transfer to the bowl with the corn.
• Add 1/2 C mayo, cayenne pepper, half of the Monterrey jack and half of the cheddar and mix well. If you need more mayo to hold the mixture together then add it, but I found that 1/2 C was plenty, and I even added a little extra cheese.
• Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish, or something equivalent and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
•  Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla chips or Fritos.

This was fantastic! We had some left over and I served it with dinner the next night. It was devoured after that. The thing I realized later is that this was a vegetarian friendly dip. And we happened to have one in the house, she approved! Food for thought. Enjoy! 

Sunday Football Dip: Roasted Red Pepper Artichoke

With two of my favorite vegetables in the title of this dip, deciding to make it was a no-brainer. Also, it is another vegetarian approved dip!

Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Dip

Things you'll need:

1 can artichoke hearts

1 jar roasted red bell peppers

2 cloves of garlic

8oz cream cheese

8oz sour cream or greek yogurt

salt and pepper

• Open and drain the artichoke hearts. Place them in a food processor and blend
• Open and drain the red peppers, add them and the garlic to the processor and blend
• Add the cream cheese and sour cream, blend, salt and pepper to taste
• Transfer to a bowl, top with some fresh squeezed lemon juice and serve

This was a big hit! I served it with pretzels, but it goes with pretty much anything you could imagine. If you have left overs, consider baking this with some chicken or adding it to a jar of spaghetti sauce. Enjoy!

Sunday Football Dip: Jalapeno Popper

Well, we here in this house LOVE - let me say it again - LOVE jalapeno poppers! I knew this had to be one I make during this endeavor. So here I am in the kitchen listening to Greg and Carol yell at the tv while their teams face off in the lovely game of football.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Things you'll need:

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 4oz can diced green chiles, drained
1 4oz can diced jalapenos, drained
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese
salt and pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• Preheat the oven to 350, grease a *8 x 8 baking dish
• combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth
• stir in the chiles, jalapenos, mozzarella and mexican cheeses
• salt and pepper to taste
• put mix into the baking dish
• combine panko and parmesan
• top dip with panko mix
• bake for 25 - 30 minutes

This tasted remarkably like a Jalapeno Popper, with the added bonus of not biting into it and having the jalapeno slide out of the breading and the hot cream cheese run down your chin. And it was a nice pick me up after Greg's team got manhandled by Carol's.

Sunday Football Dip: Orange Creamsicle

Sounds delicious, right?! I got this recipe for Greg (he loves orange creamsicles) and  thought this would be an easy way to get the family to eat something healthier. Also, you could make this semi-lowfat, if you so choose.

Orange Creamsicle Dip

Things you'll need:

1 8oz container of frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 3.4oz small package of instant vanilla pudding mix

1 6oz container of frozen orange juice concentrate, slightly thawed

• Mix everything together until smooth
• refrigerate until ready to serve

This tastes exactly like an orange creamsicle! I served them with fruit and graham crackers. I see myself making this for parties later on in life. What a treat this turned out to be! Enjoy!

Potato, Cauliflower, and Cheddar Bake

So I got my issue of Everyday Food Magazine Turkey Day addition! I found a bunch of recipes I want to try, this is one of them. Turns out potatoes and cauliflower are surprisingly similar.

Potato, Cauliflower, and Cheddar Bake

Things you'll need:

1 - 2 tbsp of cold butter plus extra room temp butter for the dish
1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 in thick
1 small head of cauliflower, sliced about 1/2 in thick
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

• Preheat the oven to 450
• butter a 9 x 13
• place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with 2 in of salted water
• bring to a boil and then add the cauliflower, cook at a rapid simmer for about 10 minutes
• Drain in colander and let sit for 5 minutes
• Place half of the potato, cauliflower mix in the dish
• Sprinkle half of the thyme and cheese on top and add some salt and pepper
• Add the remaining potato, cauliflower mix and top with the remaining thyme, cheese and some additional salt and pepper
• Chop up the cold butter and place on top
• Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese in golden-brown and bubbling

I can not express how delicious the thyme and cheddar are together!