Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip

I hope your holidays were fantastic!  I bet you think it's odd that I'm starting off the new year with a post about dip, huh?  When everyone else is in a frenzy to start the year off right with healthy foods and exercise programs here I am posting a dip recipe.

So let me just say that although we do, indeed, eat a few more candies, cookies and other decadent treats at my house between Thanksgiving and New Year's day, we don't attend a lot of parties, we don't entertain a lot ourselves and we are, in general, super laid back about the whole holiday season - participating just enough to enjoy seeing family - but not so much that we are constantly going here and there, and constantly eating rich, sure to add 10 lbs to your hips foods. In addition, I am much more likely to trot out new recipes at the holidays in an effort to add something new to my tried and true repertoire and that, inevitably, leads to the need to tweak said new recipes.

Case in point this "Crack Dip"I found on Pinterest right around Christmas time.  My gaming group, which I host in my home, managed to get together 3 times in just about 2 weeks thanks to our holiday schedules and I decided to try this recipe out on them.  I made it a day ahead, as instructed, and although I did taste it before it went in the fridge, it was readily apparent that I wouldn't really be able to judge final product until the flavors actually had the opportunity to develop.  I served it with lunch for my group the next day and everyone dived in - at first I though "oh good, it's a winner", but then I noticed that after a good sampling of the dip, they were walking away and choosing other snacks to accompany their lunch.  So I finally joined in and gave it a good taste test myself - it was horribly salty.  My husband commented on it the next day when he tried it - he couldn't even continue to eat it.  I managed to eat most of it in the days that followed, but every time, I could only eat a few chips dipped in it before I had to give up for the saltiness.

I'm convinced that the culprit is the ranch dressing mix so I immediately decided to re-vamp this recipe from scratch and I wanted to do it right away while it was fresh in my mind.  Besides, my gaming group is coming over again tomorrow and they are always a good test group and generally willing to provide thorough reviews of recipes - hopefully they won't be afraid to give it another chance.



I've renamed my version  "Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip", I've used plenty of herbs and spices including fresh chives, fresh cracked pepper, reconstituted, freeze-dried parsley, garlic and onion powder and of course, crispy bacon and sharp cheddar cheese all added to a base of sour cream.  You can certainly lighten up the recipe by using a light or fat free sour cream or a fat-free Greek yogurt would be yummy too.

Do be sure to make this dip 24 hours in advance!  It's crazy simple - just put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix them up, cover and refrigerate.  If you like, you can reserve some chopped chives and one strip of the bacon to sprinkle on top as a garnish.



I wanted to try a zesty version too, so I reserved about 1/4 of the final mixture and added hot sauce to it (I used Tobasco sauce) and stirred well.

Here's the recipe...

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Dip

16 oz sour cream
3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 TBLS fresh, chopped chives
1 tsp freeze-dried parsely, reconstituted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt to taste
hot sauce to taste (optional)

Place sour cream in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients, reserving a pinch the chopped chives and a spoonful of the chopped bacon for garnish if you like, mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Serve with chips, vegetable sticks, crackers or whatever you like to dip.

Cornbread Breakfast Casserole

Back in September, Steven and I took a mini-staycation.  I know you'll hardly be able to contain yourselves when you hear what we did...

We purged and did a thorough cleaning of our bedroom.  Exciting right?  Honestly, our bedroom really needed it, after having the 4 kids living with us and re-arranging our space to accommodate them, then remodeling to give them better spaces, our bedroom became the dumping ground for everything that didn't otherwise have a home in our house.  So we purged and we cleaned and we purged and cleaned some more.  Boy, does our bedroom look great, even now, several months later. That was day 1 of our staycation.  For day 2, to reward ourselves for getting that huge chore done, we drove to the college town of Ellensburg - which is just on the other side of the Cascade Mountains from where we live - to see my brother, whom we hadn't seen recently.  He'd just moved to a new place, which we toured, and where I got my kitty fix (after having been catless for the entire summer... a problem which we recently remedied), treated my brother to lunch, walked around downtown Ellensburg, which is very nice, and came back home.  During our tour of the downtown, we visited a couple of galleries and I picked up this little gem of a cookbook.  I do a lot of outdoor cooking workshops with my friend, Janet of Chuck Wagoneer and I'm always on the lookout for good breakfast recipes for us to try.  This cookbook is really excellent because it's truly written for outdoor cooking with your dutch oven right down to details like how many coals to put on the bottom and how many coals to put on your lid.

Anyway, there are some recipes in there that I was really excited to take for a spin and this Cornbread Breakfast Casserole is the first I have tried so far.



The first time I made it was for my gaming group and I thought I had bell peppers at home, only to discover I didn't when I got started making it (don't you hate when that happens?).  It came out just fine, but I felt the sweetness of the cornbread was a bit too strong.  After reviewing the recipe with Janet and her husband, we decided that it was worth trying again, but making sure to include the bell pepper and using green bell pepper instead of red to balance against the sweetness.



So this time around, I've used green bell pepper.  Also, I used Chicken Italian sausage for that first go round, and it was really good, but not everyone is a fan of the fennel that's commonly found in Italian sausage.  This time around, I decided to spice it up with some Chorizo.  I also used the entire can of diced green chiles - the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, which is 2/3 of the can anyway - and we couldn't really tell they were there.  Because Janet's husband has some dietary restrictions that eliminate whole kernel corn from his diet, I omitted that as well.  Last, but not least, I used both Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese for this dish and used 1 1/2 cups total, rather than a single cup.  I wanted the creaminess of the Monterey Jack to offset the spiciness of the Chorizo.



This is an excellent recipe.  When we do cooking workshops we always have a couple people with one food allergy or another and gluten free requests have become very common - this recipe just happens to be gluten free - so you don't have to make any additional substitutions or adjustments to the recipe to accommodate folks with gluten allergies.  Its super versatile - use any color bell pepper and your favorite bulk sausage; use whatever cheese you have on hand - or leave it out.  Jalapeno would be a nice addition to the cornbread for those who like it spicey.



The cornbread is dense but moist, and the eggs bring it all together.  By-the-way, I know it seems like a lot of salt and pepper, but I've put it in as per the recipe both times and it's definitely not too salty, neither is it too peppery.



There are a couple things I did differently for use in my home kitchen.
1) I used one skillet for the whole thing.  (Easy to do at home, but I'd probably prepare it as instructed at camp.)  Today it completely slipped my mind to do that until I already had the cornbread in the oven.
2) I adjusted the cooking time for the cornbread base, and also for the final step.  Not to worry, I'll post the recipe as I feel works best for the home kitchen - if you're going to make this at camp, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this excellent dutch oven cookbook.



Cornbread Breakfast Casserole
(serves 8)

Filling:
1 pound ground sausage or chorizo
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp cumin

In a 12 inch cast iron skillet or dutch oven (the size is important, if you use a different size, plan on adjusting cooking time) brown sausage with onion and bell pepper.  Stir in garlic and cumin. Remove mixture from skillet and set aside.

Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place skillet in the oven to preheat while you prepare the cornbread base.

Cornbread Base:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
4 TBLS melted butter
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 can (14.5 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained (optional)
1 can (3.3 oz) diced green chiles

Add baking soda to buttermilk and set aside while you assemble the rest of the base ingredients.  In a large bowl, combine melted butter, cornmeal, sugar, salt, egg, corn and chiles and mix well.  Add buttermilk and stir to combine.  Pour cornbread mixture into preheated skillet and bake for 7 1/2 minutes.  Remove skillet from the oven top with sausage mixture.  Set aside while you prepare the eggs.

Eggs:
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated

In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper and beat until well combined.  Pour mixture over the cornbread and sausage.  Bake 35 minutes.  Turn oven off.  Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheeses on top.  Place back in turned off oven for approximately 5 minutes, just until cheese melts.

Enjoy!

New Year, New Family Member and a New Look!

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope your holidays were merry, bright and filled with all the things you love and, of course, all the things you love to eat!  We got a new family member over the holidays.  After being cat-less since June and pet-less since August, I adopted Joy from the local animal shelter on December 23!  She's been a real "joy" to our household.  She's very sweet and cuddly and has fit right into our lives as if she's been here for a lot more than mere weeks.





In the spirit of starting fresh with a new year and a clean slate, I decided it was time to update the look of the blog - I hope you like it!

Sorry, no recipes this time, I just wanted to share the new look.  I'll have a new post for you very soon (no really, it's all set to go), hope to see you then!

No Recipe? No Problem (really)

This past Saturday was a super-fun day.  My friend Janet, of the blog Chuck Wagoneer, and her daughter, Amelia came over and we experimented in the kitchen.  Next month, we are facilitating an outdoor cooking workshop on cooking with pie irons, sticks and dutch ovens at an annual Girl Scout event.  We realized that none of us had ever actually cooked with a pie iron before and Janet had two spankin' new pie irons that needed to be seasoned before the big event.

We both researched recipes ahead of time and had ideas about what we wanted to cook...then we winged it!  That's right, we didn't follow any recipes, we totally experimented and had a blast!

The thing about recipes is, they are really guidelines and methods more than anything else - come to terms with that and you can make just about anything.  There is something so satisfying about being able to open your fridge, pull out some ingredients and make a meal that is tasty and pleases your family.

I'm ashamed to admit I don't have any pictures, I was too busy acting like a kid in a candy store to stop and take photos.  Tee hee hee.  Janet and Amelia brought pizza dough and their favorite pizza topping for calzones as well as cinnamon rolls (the pre-made refrigerator kind) and berries and I contributed egg roll wrappers, Italian chicken sausage, sauteed mushrooms and smoked gouda for a grilled sandwich, as well as fresh apples from our trees and some gourmet chocolates for dessert experimentation.

We had a lot of success with both the pizza dough and the egg roll wrappers - the pizza dough taking about 6 minutes per side and the egg roll wrappers only taking about 2 minutes per side.  We also tested good ole bread and it also took only about 2 minutes per side.  My favorite of the day was the sausage, mushroom and gouda combo and it was equally tasty as wrapped in pizza dough or egg roll wrapper. It was crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside with a really nice balance of savory flavors from the Italian sausage and the thyme I seasoned the mushrooms with.  YUM!

 I did try filling the egg roll wrapper with the gourmet chocolates (dark chocolate and caramel with sea salt) and marshmallow, but wasn't entirely happy with the results.

The cinnamon rolls were flattened, topped with cream cheese and berries on one, apples, walnuts and brown sugar on the other, then another flattened cinnamon roll was placed on top of that.  They took about 8 minutes per side and I wasn't thrilled with the results.  The apples were nice and tender (I diced them pretty small), but the ratio of bread to filling was just too much.  I'd really like to try making salted caramel apple pie with pizza dough as the wrapper - I'm pretty certain we'd get excellent results.

Bottom line, no recipe, no problem.  Don't be afraid to experiment. Play with your food!  Have some fun and trust your instincts - you might be delightfully surprised.

Summer Favorites 2: Chicken Orzo Salad

Wow, can you believe this summer so far?  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we've been experiencing temperatures that we typically only get in late July or early to mid August.  Weather like this makes Steven & I crave cool, refreshing foods and this is one that keeps well and is also perfect for packing in lunches or taking to summer potlucks.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I shared a post about some of my favorite marinades.  This Chicken Orzo Salad recipe uses the Lemon Pepper Marinade I shared in two ways:  First as the marinade for the chicken and second as the dressing for the finished salad.  I adapted this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa - I've made it with shrimp, like hers, but instead of cucumbers, I like to include grilled or seared zucchini.  I don't remember how she dressed hers, but I like this lemon & olive oil dressing and it's a summer staple for us so it's always on hand.  

To get started, you'll want to put some salted water on to boil for cooking your orzo pasta.  While that's going, I started sauteing the marinaded chicken...

Once the chicken is nicely browned, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool...

While the chicken is working, I put a bit of the dressing in the bottom of a bowl, then started chopping up about half of a large, sweet onion...

...and I threw that right into the bowl with the dressing (you could add garlic if you wanted to as well, I've done that from time to time)...

Prep the zucchini by cutting it in half, lengthwise...

...and drizzle it with olive oil, then season lightly with salt and pepper...

...and either grill it (which we do if we're grilling anything else at the time or throw it in your cast iron skillet, like I did...

Either way, just cook it until it gets nice grill or sear marks on it, and turn it (you want it to stay firm and crisp but have that lovely, grilled char - like this:

Set it aside to cool, then slice it up...

Now grab a nice handful of fresh parsley and chop it...

You can chop it fairly coarse, like I did, or chop it more finely - whatever your personal preference.

Once the orzo pasta is done (you want it al dente) drain it and rinse it to stop the cooking process and also to cool it down.  

Add it to the bowl right on top of the onions and dressing.

Once the chicken and zucchini are cool, add them to the bowl as well along with the chopped parsley - stir to combine (be sure to really get to the bottom of the bowl so everything becomes coated in the dressing.  Add some crumbled feta cheese...

Stir the feta in gently.  Give it a taste, if you need to you can add more dressing.  Chill it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it.  YUM!

Chicken Orzo Salad 

1/2 box Orzo Pasta 

2 large chicken breasts, cut into cubes and marinaded 15-20 minutes in Lemon Pepper Marinade

2 zucchini (or to taste) 

1/2 large sweet onion 

8oz Feta cheese, crumbled

1 handful parsley, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 - 1/3 cup Lemon Pepper Marinade to taste (reserve some extra for dressing)

Cook Orzo pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente.  Rinse, drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, saute marinaded chicken in a skillet (I used my cast iron) until nicely browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate to cool.  Slice zucchini lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Sear in cast iron skillet, or grill until caramelized but still firm and crisp.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool.  Dice 1/2 of a sweet onion.  Pour approximately 1/4 cup Lemon Pepper Marinade into a medium sized bowl.  Add the diced onion and garlic (if using).  Add the cooled pasta and chicken and the chopped parsley.  Stir well to combine, being sure to coat everything with the marinade.  Top with crumbled feta and stir again gently to mix the cheese in.  Season with salt and pepper or additional marinade/dressing to taste.  This Chicken Orzo Salad is best if chilled about 15 more minutes prior to serving but is also good at room temperature.

Serves 4-6.