Hot Corn Dip

Hot Corn Dip
Recipe by Emeril Lagasse, as seen on Our Best Bites
 

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears fresh white or yellow corn, or frozen fresh corn)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 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- I used monterey jack
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 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 monterey 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 equivilant and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot with tortilla chips or Fritos.

Queso Blanco Dip

Queso Blanco Dip - from Annie's Eats

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

12 oz. white American cheese, shredded*

4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

¼-2/3 cup milk

1 tomato, seeded and finely diced

2 tbsp. cilantro, minced

*White American cheese can be found at the deli counter in most grocery stores.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and jalapeño to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Add both of the shredded cheeses and ¼ cup of the milk.  Whisk or stir until completely melted.  Mix in the tomato and cilantro, and add additional milk gradually as necessary to achieve desired consistency.  Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.

Pizza Dip

Pizza Dip - as seen on Sugarcrafter

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced pepperoni slices
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Crusty Italian bread or tortilla chips, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a greased baking dish (I used a 7″ soufflé dish), layer the cream cheese, pizza sauce, onion and garlic, pepperoni, and cheese, in that order.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Serve with crusty Italian bread or tortilla chips.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Adapted from Frank’s Red Hot Sauce - as seen on Couture & Crayons

• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded with a fork
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing (omit and use 1/2 cup ranch dressing total, if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (substitute shredded mozzarella if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce (any hot sauce will do)

Mix together all ingredients until well combined. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve with crackers, chips, or sliced bread.

Streusel Filled Coffee Cake

Streusel Filled Coffee Cake - from Marian Frizzell

375 degrees

25-30 min

1 1/2 c. flour

3.4 c. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

1/4 c. shortening

3/4 c. milk

1 egg

Topping:

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. chopped nuts (pecans)

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

Mix ingredients. Beat til smooth. Spread 1/2 the batter in a 9x9 greased pan. Sprinkle 1/2 the topping, then cover with the rest of the batter and sprinkle remaining topping. Bake.

Ricotta Gnocchi

Ricotta Gnocchi - by Lillian Chou, as seen on Epicurious.com

 originally published in

Gourmet  | April 2008

by Lillian Chou

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Active Time: 40 min
Total Time: 40 min

2 cups whole-milk ricotta (1 pound)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 ounces), divided
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 (2-inch) rosemary sprig

Stir together ricotta, eggs, 1 cup cheese, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add flour, stirring to form a soft, wet dough.
Shape dough on a well-floured surface with lightly floured hands into 2 (1-inch-thick) ropes. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces with a lightly floured knife. Put in 1 layer on a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet.
Cook gnocchi in 2 batches in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water), adding a few at a time to pot and stirring occasionally, until cooked through (cut one in half to check), 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain in colander.
Meanwhile, cook butter with rosemary in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Toss gnocchi with brown butter in skillet and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Ricotta-Gnocchi-242001#ixzz1C4SdZC7G

Julie's notes: I skipped the butter with rosemary step, instead I just tossed the gnocchi with plain butter (olive oil would work too) until it was brown on both sides (think the color of grilled cheese).

I served with Newman's Own Organic Marinara Sauce and hubby couldn't say enough good things about it. Apparently it makes good leftovers, but he snatched them away before I could eat them!

Triple Threat Rocky Road Cookies

Triple Threat Rocky Road Cookies - as seen on Through the Looking Glass
makes about 4 dozen
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pecans
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 ounces unsweeted chocolate
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows, quartered


Preheat oven to 350F. Coarsely chop walnuts and pecans. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, place nuts in a single layer and bake 7 to 9 minutes until toasted and aromatic. Set aside and cool completely.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate on low heat. Set aside and cool completely.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture and stir until glossy. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Let dough chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator so that it is easier to scoop.

Use a 1 ¾ inch diameter scoop to drop spoonfuls of dough on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 ½ inches apart. Wet your fingertips lightly with water and gently flatten the cookie dough(no need to press hard, just press out the hump) Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops begin to crack and look glossy.

Cool the cookies for 10 minutes before removing them from the baking sheets.

Notes: I used less nuts and chopped them more finely than called for as I’m not a huge fan of lots of nuts in my cookies. The marshmallows melted completely, so I might just halve them the next time to prevent this.