Mediterranean Marinated Cheese

Going through things for packing, sorting, tossing, etc. I found this Kraft foods calendar from (I don't know what year it's from), and I tore out just one page because the recipe looked so good.  I've been going through my Kraft Food & Family magazines and saving all the recipes I want to keep in my Kraft Recipe Box, so I can recycle the magazines instead of packing them.  I figured I could do the same with this recipe, but it's not there.  So, I'm typing it up here.  I even took a picture of the picture.  It just looks so good.

Mediterranean Marinated Cheese
from Kraft Foods

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Kraft Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 small sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• Peel of 1 lemon, cut into thin strips

Directions:

1. Cube cream cheese into about 36 pieces. Place in 9-inch pie plate.
2. Add remaining ingredients; toss lightly. Cover
3. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
4. Serve with crackers, crusty bread or pita chips

Makes 18 servings, 2 pieces each.

Only 2 pieces each?

Jalapeno Poppers

I made these Baked Jalapeno Poppers last year.  They were so good that I planted jalapenos this year just so I could make them again!  (Yes, I know I can buy jalapenos in the store, but I know these are so much better!)

My garden has been pretty pitiful this year, but the jalapenos produced quite well.  I picked a bunch of them today, along with a few sweet peppers, one decent-sized tomato as well as some really little ones, and a small cucumber.  I cut some chard, too, though it's not pictured here.

Then, I got busy making Poppers.  First I mixed cream cheese and Mozzarella with cumin and cayenne.  Then I made bread crumbs by putting a couple slices of bread in the Ninja and then mixed the resulting crumbs with the seasonings in a pie plate.  Then I mixed up the eggs and milk in a small bowl and mixed the seasonings and flour in another pie plate.  And then I cut up some of the peppers.

The original recipe said 12 jalapenos, but I noted that I used more last year, so I started with 18.  Then I started putting the cheese mixture into the jalapeno halves.

After I'd filled all the jalapeno halves, I still had cheese left, so I cut up a few more peppers, for a total of 22.  And I put cheese into those, too.  Then it was time to roll the filled jalapeno halves in the egg mixture, flour, and bread crumbs - first the egg mixture, then the flour, then egg mixture again, then bread crumbs - one hand for wet and one hand for dry.  Even doing it that way, it was messy!

I put the finished poppers on cookie sheets lined with waxed paper.

Then all of the finished jalapeno poppers - except for the three I baked and ate for lunch - went into the freezer.  Once they're frozen, I'll put them all into a container (or containers) and they'll be ready any time I want some yummy Jalapeno Poppers.  Just pull them out of the freezer and bake them for a delicious treat!

That's what I love about these - they're baked, not fried!  Here's the recipe, as I made them today.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients

• 22 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 6 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 3 cups breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Mozarella cheese, cumin, and cayenne.
2. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons of the Essence. In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons of Essence. In a third dish, combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of Essence. 
3. Spread cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dip into the egg mixture, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the bread crumbs, pressing to coat. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on lightly greased a baking sheet and bake at 350° F until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.  (or place them on a waxed-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze.  Once frozen, layer them in a container with waxed paper between layers.  When ready to use them, remove from freezer and follow directions for baking.)
4. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cold beer.  (or milk)

*Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

I made the Essence seasoning last year when I made these.  I still had plenty to use this year.  The recipe makes way more than you'll need just for the poppers.

I only used about half the jalapenos I picked today, and there are more, smaller ones still on the plants, so I'll probably be making at least one more batch of these - once I get the cookie sheets cleaned off so I have somewhere to put them.  That ought to give us enough jalapeno poppers to get us through for a month or two!

Cream Cheese Pesto Dip

This dip is really easy to make, and so good!

Cream Cheese Pesto Dip

Ingredients:

• Cream cheese
• Minced garlic
• Pesto
• Feta
• Diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Layer all ingredients - no measurements, just whatever looks/sounds good to you.
2. Warm 10-15 minutes at 350°
3. Serve with bagel chips.

Yum!

Seriously, it is hard to stop eating this stuff.  I use a block and a half of cream cheese - because that's what fits in the dish I want to use.  Then I layer lots of garlic, pesto and feta on top, and cover it with diced tomatoes (from a can - not the whole can, though, just enough to cover).  I used pesto I made last summer and froze in a 1/2 cup Rubbermaid container.  I just thawed it out and spread the whole thing on top of the garlic.  (Time to plant some more basil!)


You can serve this cold, but it's so much better when warmed up. You're not really cooking it but just warming it up so that the cream cheese gets all soft and all the flavors blend.  Also, it's good with other crackers or chips like Pita chips, but it is best with the New York Style Sea Salt Bagel Crisps - trust me on this!  They just go together perfectly -and those bagel crisps can hold a lot of dip.

Happy Hummus Day!

Vitamix posted this recipe on Facebook today - in honor of National Hummus Day. Did you know it was National Hummus Day? Me either, but I love some good hummus, so I thought I'd grab the recipe.  I know there are plenty of hummus recipes available online, but so many of them call for tahini, and I haven't been able to find it.  Should it be in my local grocery store?   This recipe doesn't call for it, so I'm gonna give it a try.

Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chick peas (garbanzos), one drained, one with liquid
• 1/4 cup (35 g) raw sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except salt, into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
4. Blend for 1 minute, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades.
5. Season to taste with salt.

  Of course, I'll have to use my Ninja, since I don't have a Vitamix, so no Variables, but....

Do you have a favorite go-to hummus recipe?  Please share!  Know where to buy tahini?  Share that too.   Maybe I should have though to buy Tahini on Amazon! because there's plenty available. Now to figure out which one...

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

My friend Peggy posted this recipe for Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip on my facebook wall a few weeks ago.  She knows me well - anything cranberry, and I'm all over it!  I finally got a chance to make this last weekend, and it is amazing! All the flavors just combine to make your mouth happy...

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 12-oz package fresh cranberries (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 small jalapeno pepper
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 t cumin
• 2 T lemon juice (or lime)
• dash salt
• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop cranberries in Ninja or food processor and place in medium bowl
2. Chop onions, cilantro, and jalapeno and add to cranberries
3. Mix in sugar, cumin, lime juice, and salt
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight
5. When you're ready to serve: soften cream cheese and spread it on a plate, serving platter, or the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish; spread cranberry mixture evenly over the top.
6. Serve with Ritz (type) crackers, Wheat Thins, or tortilla chips

  I cut the sugar down significantly from the original recipe - from 1-1/4 cups to just 2/3 cup.  I think it could be cut down a tiny bit more, but then I like the tartness of the cranberries, so it's probably a good balance.  I used lime juice, because I had a lime I needed to use and no lemons.  It all worked together really well.

We tried it with Wheat Thins, tortilla chips, and the Ritz type crackers, and it tastes good with all of them - but the Ritz type are the best.  Everyone who tasted this thought it was great - my husband who does not like cilantro, my friend Peggy who sent me the recipe and doesn't even like cranberries, my son who - well, I expected him to like it!  I never would have thought to mix these particular ingredients together, but the combination really is magic.  I will be making this again!!  I don't expect it will last long...

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Image by fritish via FlickrSince I have all these hot peppers, I went searching for a recipe for jalapeno poppers and found this post about baked jalapeno poppers - which linked to this recipe - Baked Jalapeno Poppers. Perfect!  I didn't want anything deep fried - mostly because it makes a mess, but also because too much grease makes me feel sick.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients

• 12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 6 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne.
2. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons of the Essence. In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons of Essence. In a third dish, combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of Essence. 
3. Spread cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the bread crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on lightly greased a baking sheet and bake at 350° F until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cold beer.  (or milk)

*Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

I didn't follow the original recipe exactly - partly because I wrote it down wrong and partly because it called for 1 T of the cream cheese filling in each jalapeno half, but that seemed like too much - so I just gave up any pretense of measuring after the first half and simply filled them.  I stopped counting how many peppers I used, but it was definitely more than 12.  I had to add more bread crumbs because I ran out before I ran out of cream cheese mixture or anything else.  About the time I finished dredging all the peppers in flour, egg mixture, and bread crumbs, I decided to try egg mixture, flour, egg mixture again, bread crumbs - and that seemed to work better.  Just remember the cardinal rule - wet with one hand, dry with the other - or you'll end up with a huge mess.  It's messy enough as it is.

I did not bake all of these - just a few because I just had to try them.  I put them all on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer.  Once they're frozen, I will place them in a sealed container, probably with wax paper between layers - all ready to take out and bake whenever I get the urge.

The few that I did bake and try?  Amazing!  Seriously.  These are so good.  Yes, they take quite a bit of time to prepare, but I'm thinking they're worth it.

Jack Black Bean Dip

This sounds really good!  I'll just have to see if we have any Jack Daniel's® around here...

Jack Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (about 15 ounces each) black beans, drained
• ¼ cup Jack Daniel's® Tennessee Whiskey
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Hot pepper sauce, to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook over medium heat until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, Jack Daniel's®, and cumin. Cook until bubbly and heated through. Mash beans lightly with a wooden spoon or a fork. Stir in lemon juice and hot pepper sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature in a serving dish topped with your choice of the suggested toppings. Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Suggested Toppings: sour cream, chopped avocado, chopped tomato, sliced green onions, jalapeño peppers, chopped cilantro.

from Cooking with Jack

 

We Ninja'd Some Salsa Today!

A while back I found this recipe for the world's easiest ice cream, which I still haven't tried, but I'm going to. I shared the link on Facebook, and one of my friends said she wanted one of those Ninjas. Ninjas? What? So I went back to the recipe and checked out the Ninja, read the reviews, and decided I wanted one, too.  I've been toying with buying a Vita-Mix for the last several years at the State Fair, but I'm just too cheap to get one.  Some of the people who reviewed this said they liked the Ninja better than the Vita-Mix, and my brother who has a Vita-Mix said they mostly use it for smoothies and ice cream - and they do use it several times a month, but not as often as they could.  So, when I weighed the cost and the potential use, I figured $40 (w/ shipping) for the Ninja (with an extra pitcher and extra 2-cup bowl, found new on ebay) was a lot better than $450 for the Vita-Mix.

My Ninja came in the mail yesterday, and I just had to try it today. First Cory and I crushed ice and made some iced coffee - yum! And then I made some salsa!

Fresh Ninja Salsa

Ingredients:

• 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in 4 pieces
• 1/4 small onion
• 2 hot peppers, split and deseeded
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• pinch of oregano
• pinch of cumin

Directions:

Add all ingredients to the bowl. Use short pulses, about 3 times or until desired consistency is reached.

Serve with tortilla chips. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

I pretty much followed the recipe in the book that came with my Ninja - except I used two hot peppers (because Cory wanted them) instead of 1, I didn't use the 1/2 tsp. sugar, and I didn't have a lime so I used lemon juice - cut a small half and didn't squeeze all of the juice out. Also, the recipe called for cilantro, which would have been so good in this, but I didn't have any. Even without it, this salsa was amazing - and so easy!

• Print this recipe

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

Here's another recipe I found in the coupon section of my Sunday paper. This one I managed to cut out! I mixed it up today, ready to pop in the oven and enjoy this weekend.

Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing
• 1/2 cup any flavor FRANK'S® REDHOT® Sauce
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cans (9.75 oz. each) SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

Directions:

1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.
2. MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.
3. BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

I mixed everything in a mixing bowl and then put it into the baking dish. Also, I used a pint of chicken that my mom canned and gave me.

For additional tips and variations or to print it, view the original Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe.

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A Dip Recipe or Three

I made the first dip yesterday. The other two recipes I found on my yogurt container and on the Triscuit box. I haven't tried them yet, but they sound really good. I'm saving them here so I can throw the Triscuit box and the foil from the top of the yogurt away.

Cajun Tuna Spread

• 3 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 3 T. mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 t. paprika
• 1/4 t. ground black pepper
• 1/8 t. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 t. ground red pepper
• 1 6-1/2-ounce can tuna, drained and broken into chunks
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red or green sweet pepper
• 2 T. thinly sliced green onion (1)

In a small mixing bowl beat cream cheese, mayonnaise or salad dressing, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder or garlic, and ground red pepper until well combined. Stir in the tuna, sweet pepper, and green onion. Cover; chill for 3 to 24 hours. Serve with crackers. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

The recipe says to use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, salad dressing and spices, but I just used a mixing spoon. It seemed to work fine. Also, I didn't have any green onions so I just used some chopped yellow onion. Really good with Triscuits and Wheat Thins.

This recipe came off the Triscuit box:

Creamy Spinach & Red Pepper Dip

• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
• 4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese or 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers

Mix all ingredients; cover. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

more dip recipes from Triscuit

Image by bcymet via Flickr

This one came from Dannon:

Creamy Salsa Dip

• 2 cups Dannon All Natural Plain Yogurt
• 1 cup salsa
• 3-1/2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 t. sea salt

In bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

more dip recipes from Dannon

I think all of these would be really good with either crackers or cut up veggies.

• Print these recipes

Sausage-Hamburger Cheese Dip

Beth and Tim made this dip last night. They mixed all the ingredients up and put them in the crockpot on low, and left it overnight. That was too much cooking for the cheese, so this is the adjusted recipe - cook everything overnight and then add the cheese the next day.

Sausage-Hamburger Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. sausage (hot)
• 2 lbs. ground chuck
• 3 chopped onions
• 1 large can mushrooms (drained)
• 1 large can diced tomatoes (drained)
• 2 cans Rotel (hot) (drained)
• 3 T. garlic powder
• 1 large brick Velveeta cheese (chopped)
• 2 cans chopped green chiles

Directions:
In crockpot add all canned items. Brown sausage and ground chuck, drain and add to crockpot mixture. Add garlic powder, and cook on low for several hours or overnight. About half an hour to an hour before serving, stir in Velveeta, cover and cook until melted, stirring occasionally. Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips.

Tim also stirred in some fresh jalepenos to spice it up, but this is quite spicy on its own.

Note: Unless you're going to have a big crowd, you might want to cut this recipe in half because it makes a lot. My 5-quart crockpot was filled to the top.

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Caramel Corn

I figured out yesterday why I can't completely go to those reusable shopping bags. I need some paper grocery sacks, if only so I can make caramel corn.

Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

• 5-6 quarts popped corn (use air pop or as little oil as possible; not microwave popcorn)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

1. Put popped corn into a paper grocery bag
2. Put brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt into a microwave-safe bowl and boil for 2 minutes. (begin timing after mixture begins to boil)
3. Take out of microwave and stir in 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4. Pour sugar mixture over popped corn in bag, shake well, microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes; take out and shake well; return to microwave for another 1-1/2 minutes. Shake and microwave for another 1-1/2 minutes.
5. Pour caramel corn out of bag onto cookie sheets to cool; break it up as it cools

Enjoy!

I got this recipe from my mom. I'm not sure where she got it from, but it's much easier than the popcorn balls she used to make once in a while, and so good.

I use air pop popcorn - 2 poppings. This may be a little more popcorn than the original recipe calls for, but the popcorn gets coated nicely, and it's not too sweet.

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Hot Chicken Salad

I made this for lunch quite a while back and almost forgot about it. I had some cooked turkey in the refrigerator that I needed to use, and this recipe popped into my head. Actually, the memory of this recipe popped into my head, but no matter how hard I looked, I could not find it. I almost gave up, but gave it one last try and finally found it. I'm so glad I did, because this is really good.

Hot Chicken Salad

• 2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
• 2 c. chopped celery
• 1/2-1 c. raisins
• 2 tbsp. minced onion
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. shredded cheese
  

Soak raisins in hot water (or, if you cooked the chicken, the chicken broth) for about five minutes. Drain well. Stir everything except the cheese together. Lightly grease a 2-qt casserole, and lightly place mixture into it. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes. Serve warm with bread, croissants, or crackers.

Since this was just for me (no one else in this house likes raisins), I halved the recipe. I mixed everything right in the dish I baked it in, popped it into the oven, and baked it. I did end up baking it for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes because I like my cheese a little more cooked. Next time I think I'll add a little salt and pepper, too. It was wonderful with round snack crackers - think Ritz. I ate about half of it, so I have the other half for lunch today or tomorrow. YUM!

Taco Dip

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 package taco seasoning mix
• cheddar cheese, shredded
• black olives
• onions
• tomatoes
• 1 large jar salsa

Directions:

Mix cream cheese and sour cream; spread on bottom of pan. Brown hamburger; drain and add taco seasoning mix. Spread on top of sour cream, cream cheese mixture. Dice remaining ingredients and layer one on top of the other or just sprinkle them over the top. top with salsa. Better if refrigerated overnight. Serve with plenty of tortilla chips.

We used to have potluck lunches every once in a while at work. One of my coworkers brought this dip. It was devoured. We also all begged for the recipe and told her she had to bring this every time. It's a big hit every time I make it.

Snacks

Stuff you just gotta munch on.

Southwestern Hummus	Veggie Kablooie
Really Smooth Hummus Cream Cheese Pesto Dip	Jalapeno Poppers
Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas	Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Sweet Potato Chips	Baked Caramel Corn Microwave Caramel Corn
Also try:
Apple Dip Buffalo Chicken Dip Cajun Tuna Dip Hot Chicken Salad Jack Black Bean Dip Sausage-Hamburger Cheese Dip Taco Dip