Culinary Goods

  This is a keeper. I really loved the flavor combo, and the honey mellowed out the sharpness of the feta. It gets an 8.5 and came from halfbakedharvest.com. You can serve it with crackers or bread.  2   cups   mixed olives pitted ▢  1/3   cup  extra virgin olive oil  ▢  6   cloves   garlic, smashed ▢  1   shallot, quartered  I used 1/4 onion ▢  1   lemon, quartered ▢  2   sprigs   fresh thyme ▢  2   sprigs   fresh oregano ▢  chili flakes   I left these out HONEY WHIPPED FETA ▢  1  cup (8 ounces)  crumbled feta cheese ▢  3   ounces   cream cheese, at room temperature ▢  2-3   tablespoons   honey ▢  black pepper

My friend Lisa makes this 7-layer dip and it is one of my favorites. I have no self control so I don't personally make it myself. However, if I ever need to re-create it, here is what you do: Frito-Lay bean dip cans x 2--mix with sour cream tomatoes, chopped Green onions, including green parts, chopped sliced olives 2-3 avocados, cut in tiny pieces avocado dip (this is thinner than guacamole, and she has used Sabra brand before) cheddar cheese You layer it and eat it and give it away so you don't completely go crazy and eat the entire thing by yourself.

Brit made this, and I love it. I have no control when it comes to dip. I give it an 8 if you eat it with potato chips. Anyway, she thinks the base recipe was from Pioneer Woman Cooks:   Ranch Dip 3/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayo I use lots of dill. Probably like at least 1 Tbs. Probably 1 tsp. or more garlic powder I sprinkle in Lawry's Probably 1 tsp. of celery seed

Yes, I know this looks like a cat shat onto my plate. But it's not true. That's the peanut sauce. I paired this meal with Mormon funeral potatoes (because why not?) and garlic green beans.  I've meant to make this recipe for about 10 years. I got it from the chef I worked for at Kitchen Kneads. I remember trying the recipe during one of his shows and I loved it. But I just never got around to making it. Blargh. Oh well, it's as good as I remembered so it deserves an 8. It's like having your chicken with a side of really fancy good peanut butter. But not really. I think I put in too many peanuts so it tasted more like peanuts than anything else. The recipe isn't kidding when it says so make it fresh and don't let it sit. I let mine sit for about 15 minutes before dinner was ready and it wasn't as creamy and smooth; as soon as you make it, eat it.  Balsamic Peanut Chicken (2003 Cuisinart Scholarship recipient) chicken 4 oz. peanuts...

Ok, you big dumbos. Enough of the sweet posts. Let us move on to something more savory. I tried this dip at a friend's house and she must have really messed with the amounts because hers was much sweeter and tastier than mine turned out to be (probably needed more honey mustard and less horseradish). I don't like pretzels and I don't like watching football but I could do anything with this dip, so I ate the dip while eating pretzels and watching the dumb TV at a social football event at someone's house. Tasty stuff, this is. Stef, Jared will like this because it smells of horseradish. Rating is 6.5 right now but the original stuff I tasted was about an 8-9. 1 Tb. honey (add more) 1/4 cup sour cream 4 tsp. French's yellow mustard 1/2 tsp. apple-cider vinegar 3 tsp. prepared horseradish (add less) 4 tsp. Country Style Grey Poupon Dijon mustard (I had honey mustard in my fridge so that's what I used)

I found this recipe from a friend in my neighborhood, Amy Daniels. It’s really good—I give it a 7.5.  It’s not super spicy, but it has a kick because it’s full of vinegar. It’s perfect for a chip dip or on top of nachos.  I have no idea where the recipe originated, but here you go: 8 pounds green tomatoes (16 cups chopped) 6 large onions 6 green peppers 3 sweet red peppers 3-6 jalapenos, to taste 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1/2 cup salt 1/2 T. black pepper cayenne pepper to taste 3 cups vinegar 1 cup lemon juice   Coarsely chop tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Add everything else, and boil for about 25 minutes. Put in pint jars, process for 10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts. I think this should actually be increased to 20-25 minutes for pints based on what I’ve been reading, so I might be freezing the stuff I just canned—boo. The recipe says it makes 6 pints, but I got 7 and  had almost a full quart leftover. A...

So, my fantastic sister-in-law Marie brought this dressing to a family function, and it’s awesome. I have another version I use that I like equally as well, but these are just different enough to make it worth having two separate recipes. My original one (also found on the blog) uses only dry spices, so it’s good to have a recipe for whatever you have on hand. I give this a 7. Here is what she sent over as her recipe:   1/2 cup buttermilk 3/4 cup sour cream 3/4 cup  mayo 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1 Tbs.  olive oil 1 cup loosely packed fresh herbs (she does 3 parts parsley and one part chives) 1/4 tsp. garlic salt 1/4 tsp. white pepper cayenne pepper and salt to taste

This was super easy, and very good. This would be awesome with a veggie sandwich or a bagel. I did two versions—one with dill and one with smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder. I made the whole thing together, and then split it in half to add the separate seasonings. So, I found this original recipe on thepioneerwoman.com, and I modified it as you can see from below with changes in bold. Also, I pulsed the veggies in the food processor first. Veggie Cream Cheese Spread Ingredients 3 packages (8 Ounces Each) Cream Cheese, Slightly Softened I used one package 6 whole Green Onions, Sliced I used 3 1 whole Large Carrot, Peeled And Finely Diced I used about 1/2 carrot 1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced I used a small stalk 1/2 whole Red Bell Pepper, Finely Diced I used about 1/4 of a pepper, maybe a bit more 1/4 cup Finely Diced Red Onion I used about 2 Tbs. 1 Tablespoon Chopped Chives (more To Taste) I just used the scallions part of the green onions 1 Tablespoon Chopped Dill (mo...

This is great oil for dipping bread in. It came from the same group of recipes I got from Rebecca (who got them from a Thanksgiving Point artisan bread class taught by Lynette McNaughtan or McNaughten—I’m not sure on the spelling). Anyway, the bread is amazing, the oil is very good, and together they score well into the 8’s. This makes a ton, so I would say for 1 round loaf you would cut this in 4ths. Herb Oil 1 cup olive oil 4 tsp. Italian seasoning 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1 Tbs. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1/2 Tbs. red pepper flakes 1 tsp. salt Mix it together, dip bread in it, store the remainder in a tupperware.

This recipe was really quite good. It gets an 8. I found it on cookingclassy.com, and I served it at book club. It was good with fruit and pretzels. I didn’t change anything, but I noted in bold what I will change next time. This was really like nutella mousse. Yum! Nutella Cheesecake Dip Yield: 6 Servings Ingredients 1 cup heavy cream 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese 3 Tbsp powdered sugar I think this is unnecessary 3/4 cup Nutella Directions In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate mixing bowl, whip cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Add nutella and blend until well combined. Add half of the whipped cream and gently fold mixture until nearly blended then add remaining whipped cream and gently fold mixture until well blended.Serve with strawberries or graham crackers. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container. Recipe Source: Cooking Classy http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/05/nutella-chee...