Hot Pretzels

Nice picture, huh? My sister Gretchen came over on Sunday and we spent hours making recipes so she could photograph the food. We thought this was a great plan because 1) she gets a new genre of photograph to add to her portfolio, 2) I get better photos to use on my blog and eventually in a family cookbook I am creating through blurb.com, and 3) we got to eat some of our favorite yummy foods, like these hot pretzels. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it actually tastes a lot like the kind of hot pretzels you get at the mall. It was easier to make than you might think, and the result is so delicious. (The secret is to brush them with unsalted butter.) We dipped them in nacho cheese and honey mustard.

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/8 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 tablespoons baking soda

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

2. Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8-inch square pan.

3. After dough has rise, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3-foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt, or cinnamon sugar.

Salsa

I came across a recipe for "Spicy Bean Salsa" on allrecipes.com awhile back. It averages a 5-star rating (out of 5) with over 600 reviews so I figured it must be good. I made it to take to bible study one night and it was a hit. I served it with Tostitos Scoops which worked great for holding everything (and no I didn't actually scoop out individual servings... I just did that for the picture because it was more attractive than showing the salsa in the bowl).

Here is the recipe as it is listed on allrecipes.com. The only things I did differently were to drain the black-eyed peas (since it doesn't indicate to do that), used diced green chiles since I couldn't find jalapenos, and I used "fire-roasted" diced tomatoes instead of regular. It really didn't seem very spicy to me. Next time I might try to add some tabasco, cumin or chili powder to kick it up a little.

• 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

In a medium bowl, combine black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, onion, green bell pepper, jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. Season with Italian-style salad dressing and garlic salt; mix well. Cover, and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.

Dill

I love dill. I love the flavor and the smell. There's something about it that evokes a feeling of freshness and comfort for me.

On Sunday I went to the Ohio State Fair with my friend Kate B. She and I are both former 4-H'ers (of the cooking and sewing variety... not farming or livestock) so I figured she would be able to appreciate it. While we were wandering the exhibition hall someone offered us a sample of cucumber dill dip. The booth was selling mixes to make dips and cakes as well as things like liniment and cough syrup. The dip we tasted was delicious, but I didn't want to shell out $9 for the jar. Instead I came home and searched online for a cucumber dill dip recipe I could make at home. I made it tonight for bible study, but forgot to take a picture until afterwards... hence the shortage of carrots and the Wheat Thin crumbs. I think the dip was a hit. It had a light, delicious flavor and went well with both the veggies and the crackers/pretzels.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I used 1 tablespoon of dried minced onion instead)

1 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber

assorted vegetables and/or crackers

Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Just before serving, stir in cucumber.

I think one of the reasons I like dill so much is that I've always loved my mom's veggie dip recipe. It has more of a kick than the cucumber-dill dip recipe above, and it's ADDICTIVE (perhaps because of the MSG??). Here's that recipe:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 ounces sour cream

1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons Lawry's seasoned salt

2 teaspoons dill weed

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Accent flavor enhancer (MSG)

5 drops Tabasco

Mix all ingredients well in a food processor. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to blend.

Veggie Pizza

This morning we had a little breakfast potluck to celebrate the birthday of one of my coworkers in my new group at work. I brought some veggie pizza, and a number of people asked me for the recipe, so here it is (welcome to anyone from SP/CS who is reading this!). My friend Kate gave me the recipe, and I had been wanting an excuse to make it since I tried it at her house a few months ago.

If I made it again I probably would have gone a little easier on the amount of spread and veggies I layered on. The slices ended up being a little overloaded and stuff was falling off as I took bites. There was also a lot of spread left over, despite how much I had slathered on. I am thinking you could probably use three tubes of crescent rolls, divided between two cookie sheets, and the same amount of spread and veggies. It would make for lighter slices, but then you could just eat more of them. :-)

Here's the recipe:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Roll out the crescent roll dough onto a 9x13 inch baking sheet, and pinch together edges to form the pizza crust.
3. Bake crust for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Once finished cooking, remove crust from oven and let cool 15 minutes without removing it from the baking sheet.
4. In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and dry Ranch dressing. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange broccoli, tomato, green bell pepper, cauliflower, shredded carrots, and Cheddar cheese over the cream cheese layer. Chill for one hour, slice and serve.

Two Dips

For Jason and me, Christmas 2007 didn't just happen on December 25... we actually had FIVE separate Christmases in order to see everyone on both sides of our families. Our final "Christmas" happened on December 30 when we hosted my mom and sisters here at our house. We had a great time hosting the girls, and I got to make some recipes I wouldn't normally cook for just Jason and me. When we have company I love to try new appetizer recipes, and this time I made two dips I had been wanting to try. They don't look the most appetizing in the picture (and GRETCHEN took the photo, not me... it is really difficult to photograph food and make it look tasty), but they were pretty good.

The first one is called Hot Southwest Corn Dip, and it's a recipe I had seen online somewhere and jotted down. I love corn, especially with southwest flavors (I love cumin!), so I had to try this one.

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, drained

8 oz. package cream cheese, cubed

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon cumin

shredded cheese (optional)

In a large bowl, combine corn, Ro-tel, and spices. Place in casserole and dot with cream cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until cheese is melted. Stir blend.

Top with shredded cheese if desired and broil until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

The second recipe was for Crabmeat-Gruyere Dip. It had been published in the food section of the newspaper. It was a pretty expensive one, between the crabmeat (I wasn't sure if it would work if I substituted imitation crabmeat) and the gruyere cheese, so I doubt I will make it again. But it was good!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 large egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

2-1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat

Brandy, to taste (I omitted this because I didn't have any brandy!)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Dash of hot sauce

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup cracker crumbs, such as saltines

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 10-inch gratin dish.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add shallots and mushrooms. Saute for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, then turn off the heat.

Whisk together egg yolks and cream in a bowl. Add mixture to the skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly.

Add cheese. Simmer 30 seconds, or until it reaches a creamy consistency.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the crabmeat, brandy, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, parsley, cayenne, salt and peper. Pour mixture into the prepared gratin dish. Top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned on top.

Spinach Dip

On Saturday evening, I went to my friend Kate's house for a Broad Street Presbyterian Church "young adults" get-together. I have only known Kate for a short time (since we both were ordained as new deacons last spring) but have quickly come to consider her a friend, and I hope to continue to become better friends with her in the future. Kate and I have a lot in common, including 1) being really active at church yet having a husband who stays as far away from church as possible, and 2) having big hips. We understand each other. =)

Anyway, there was a group of about ten of us who gathered at Kate's house to drink wine, eat some food, and enjoy each other's company. It was a really diverse group that showed up: single people, married couples, married people who were alone (Jason stayed home... was too afraid we would end up talking about Jesus? We didn't.); different races, coming from different parts of town; some knew each other well and some were brand new. We had some great conversation and now will have a few more friendly faces to look for on Sunday mornings. I think it was everything you could want from that type of gathering.

I showed up with Carolyn and brought a bottle of my current favorite wine (Alamos Malbec, pictured above) and an appetizer: a new spinch dip recipe I had gotten from recipezaar.com (where else?) and some tortilla chips. The wine was a hit and the spinach dip was too.

I am usually reluctant to take photos of my food, because I know they end up coming out so bad, but this was one time I was really disappointed to not have my camera with me. I would have liked to visually document this delicious appetizer, as well as a fantastic time spent with new friends.

Here is the recipe. As I told my mom and sisters today, I think this has knocked our old standard Spinach-and-Artichoke Dip out of the top spot.

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, split into 2-1/2 cup portions

1 (8 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach

1. Defrost the spinach.

2. Place it in a colander and press until as much moisture as possible is removed.

3. Mix all ingredients (using only 1/2 of the cheddar) and blend well.

4. Put it in a shallow baking dish in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

5. Remove from oven.

6. While still hot top it with remaining cheese, heat in oven again for 5 minutes.

7. Remove and cool slightly before serving with tortilla chips.

When assembling this I started trying to mix it by hand with a wooden spoon, but then decided to mix it in the KitchenAid mixer instead. That ended up working really well. You could probably also mix it in a food processor but that would end up really chopping up the spinach.