Hot Cheese Dip

Hot Cheese Dip

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayo
3-4 oz. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp garlic salt
Sourdough bread loaf

1. Mix the cream cheese, mayo, parmesan cheese and garlic salt thoroughly.
2. Hollow out a bread loaf and put the cheese mixture inside.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
4. Serve with sourdough bread pieces.

Notes: This recipe can easily be doubled for a bigger yield. I've never encountered a person who doesn't love this recipe :)

Recipe Origination: I got it from someone I didn't know at a surprise party for Jeff Spella.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and eggs and blend.
3. Add flour, cream of tarter and baking soda and mix well.
4. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish.
5. Roll dough into 1" balls and roll into cinnamon/sugar mixture.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Notes: At Christmas time I roll them in green and red sugar. Then they look festive :)

Recipe Origination: No idea. I've used it since my sophomore year of high school when I did my "Demonstration" speech. I got an A, so it must be a good recipe!

Chicken (or Vegetarian) Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp veggie oil
4 cups water
2 chicken (or veggie) bouillon cubes
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (15 oz) can tomato puree
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
20 tortilla chips, crushed
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican, monterey or cheddar work well)
1 avocado sliced and tossed in lime juice

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Cook garlic, onions and red pepper until tender.
2. Stir in water, bouillon cubes, tomato puree, all spices and the crushed chips. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Stir in corn, green chiles, black beans and shredded chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in cheese until melted.
5. Put avocado slices in bowls and pour soup over it. Enjoy!

Notes: I recommend using the pulse function on a food processor for the red pepper and onion. Very finely chopped tastes the best in this soup. It makes about 4-6 servings and can be frozen and reheated later. If you take the chicken out and use veggie cubes, this can be a vegetarian dish.

Recipe Origination: I made it up after trying a few different recipes that were all just ok. I really like this combination!

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

1 1/3 cups flour (I like using half all purpose and half whole wheat)
2/3 cup oat bran (I use regular oats that have been blended to a powder)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cup whole milk (or buttermilk)
2 medium mashed banana
2 tbsp melted butter
1 egg, mixed
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 cup fresh blueberries

1. Stir together the first 6 (dry) ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except blueberries) and mix until dry ingredients are completely moistened.
3. Stir in the blueberries.
4. Drop batter onto skillet or griddle on medium heat and cook like a normal pancake :)

Notes: If adding syrup alone isn't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, add 1/4 cup of sugar to the batter with an extra tbsp or two of milk. I like the "naturally" sweetened version as seen above best, though!

Recipe Origination: Adapted from "Taste of Home"

Goat Cheese Medallions

Goat Cheese Medallions

4 oz goat cheese log
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
Marinara sauce, if desired

1. Slice goat cheese log into medallions.
2. Beat egg in a small bowl.
3. Put bread crumbs in a shallow dish.
4. Dip each medallion in the egg, then dip in the bread crumbs. Do this twice for each medallion.
5. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.
6. Serve over top of heated marinara sauce.

Notes: We love goat cheese, and these were fantastic. For me, getting the goat cheese to stay in medallion form was extremely frustating. So, most of our "medallions" were mainly odd shaped chunks. Though frustrating, well worth it!

Recipe Origination: Me. I made it up tonight while thinking of what to do with goat cheese.

Penne with Basil & Pine Nuts

Penne with Basil & Pine Nuts

1 lb penne (we like Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1/3 cup pine nuts
6 tbsp olive oil
1 cup bread crumbs
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup dry white cooking wine
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup slivered fresh basil leaves

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, toast pine nuts, stirring often until fragrant and golden (~2 minutes). Place aside in a small bowl when finished toasting.
3. Add 1 tbsp oil to the saute pan, along with bread crumbs, tossing until golden (~1 minute). Add to the bowl with pine nuts and mix.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, add 1 tbsp oil and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add wine and pepper flakes and bring to a boil until reduced (~2 minutes.)
5. Add the pasta to the saute pan, along with the remaining 4 tbsp of oil. Add bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and basil. Toss to combine.

Notes: The original recipe suggested twice as much basil, but I felt that would be overpowering. If you are a big basil fan, go for all of it! This meal had a lot of little things going on, but overall, it was easy and only took about 25 minutes. It's easy to cut in half, and if you're afraid of all the oil, cut a tbsp out.

Recipe Origination: "Simple Suppers" by William-Sonoma

Tortilla Soup with Pork (or Chicken or Vegetarian)

Tortilla Soup

1 cup shredded, cooked pork or chicken
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chipotle seasonings (or 1 tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo)
4-5 cups chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
Avocado, pitted, peeled and finely diced
1 cup tortilla chips, broken into small pieces

1. In Dutch oven or large skillet with lid, warm the oil. Add onion, garlic and green pepper and saute until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Stir in chipotle seasoning, broth, tomatoes, tortilla chips and pork/chicken.
3. Raise the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the green chiles and cilantro.
5. Serve in bowls, topped with cheese and avocado .

Notes: This recipe makes 4 servings. The prep is a little time consuming (lots of dicing and chopping!), but it's worth it in the end. Next time I may add black beans and/or corn.

Recipe Origination: An adaptation of a recipe in "Simple Suppers" by Williams-Sonoma.