7-Layer Greek Dip

DIRTY 30 & SASSY 60 party is finally here!!!  WOOT WOOT!!!  Had to make a yummy app for the BIG party :)  This was a HUGE hit - everyone LOVED it .....AND it was pretty healthy!!  So all your party attendees that were asking for the recipe - here it is!!!

OBB cookbook

Ingredients:

8-oz package cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
1 teaspoon dill weed or Greek seasoning (salt free–go for a mix that just has herbs)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups hummus
1 cup seeded, diced cucumbers
1 cup seeded, diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 3 green onions completely chopped)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/8-1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Spread in the bottom of a pie plate or a small, shallow baking dish. Then spread a layer of hummus. In order, create layers by sprinkling the cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, Feta cheese, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with pita chips, fresh vegetables, and/or flat bread.

Orange Teriyaki Salmon

This week was NUTS!!  Worked a million hours - so I was shocked, happy, and so thankful when I came home to my house smelling like salmon!!  Chef Ross and Brian made up this yummy meal - and said it was easy to prepare too!!  I am not a huge fan of salmon, but this marinade helped take some of the fishy-ness away, and it was really really really good!! (This meal is Brian approved appar....haha...someone had my camera)   :)

OBB - serves 4

Ingredients:
about 2  pounds salmon; one large filet or 2 smaller ones
3/4 cup orange marmalade
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup orange juice
3 Tablespoons bottled teriyaki sauce
6 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon worshershire sauce
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
several cracks black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped dry onion, or 1/4 cup minced fresh onion
3 Tablespoons dry parsley or about 1/2 cup fresh


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Layer a piece of heavy duty foil over a large baking sheet  Lay on one more sheet in the opposite direction, leaving about 8″ of overhang on all sides.

Place marmalade and butter in a small microwave safe bowl and heat for about 30 seconds, or until butter is melted.  Whisk until smooth.  Combine this mixture with all ingredients (except fish) in a bowl and stir until smooth.  Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry.  Place skin side down on baking sheet.  Pour marinade over fish.

Starting from one end, gather the foil overhang together and roll them together to seal a tent-like pouch.  (check out how great these boys did...)  Bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Fish should be opaque and flake easily with a fork.  Test fish and return pan to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes if necessary.  Serve salmon with sauce spooned over top.


Grill instructions: Preheat gas grill to 325. Place foil pouch on upper rack if you have one, or on indirect heat on the main rack.  Follow the same baking instructions as if it were in the oven.

Fish can also be cooked in a foil tent over a camp fire. Season the fish as desired (you can also add a couple of tablespoons of water to help it steam in the hot fire) and close up your foil tent. Nestle your foil pouch into the glowing embers where the heat isn’t as intense as the flames. Cooking time may vary depending on the size and variety of fish, so check it after 10 minutes. If it’s not done, check at 2-3 minute intervals after that.

Roasted Garlic-Tomato Spread (Grown up Bfast Sandwich)

Finally a weekend at home.....YAY!!  Time to make a little bfast sandwich for my honey!! This was so, so, so, so, so, so GOOD!!  We couldn't get enough of this...this spread would be amazing on any sandwich, burger, anything - so make a lot and use it till it's gone :)

OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 head Roasted Garlic

1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and herbs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Kosher salt

Toss the garlic, tomatoes, and mayo in the food processor and turn that baby on. Pulse a few times to combine and then add kosher salt to taste. I add a generous pinch. Then turn food processor on and let it process. I actually let mine go for quite a while- it seems to take a while to really break down those tomatoes.

Grown up Bfast Sandwich

Ingredients:
Roasted Garlic-Tomato Spread
English Muffin
Spinach Leaves
Fried egg
Parmesan cheese

I just smear the roasted garlic-tomato spread on half of a toasted whole wheat English Muffin. I topped it with spinach leaves, a fried egg, a little black pepper, and a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan cheese. Take that McGriddle!!

Roasted Garlic

Ahhhh I HEART garlic!!  In Colorado we went to this awesome restaurant - and they had roasted garlic and bread....since then, I've been trying to recreate the taste, and I finally did :)  YUMMY!!!

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Foil

Take a whole head of garlic. You want the remaining cloves to still be attached to the base. Peel off any excess paper around the edges. You’ll want the cloves themselves to still be in their papers but if you’ve got a lot of excess around the edges just pull them off.

Cut the top part off like in the picture. Just enough to expose the cloves- like a little less than 1/3 of the head. Place the cut head on a piece of foil.

Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and drizzle with a couple teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil. I drizzle some on and wait for it to soak down into the garlic and then pour on some more.  Then grab the edges of the foil and just pull them up, sealing tightly.  Toss that bad boy in the oven, directly on the rack. If it’s the only thing in your oven, bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.

The foil ball should feel soft when it’s done.  When it’s done, take out of the oven and let cool for a minute. When you open up your cute little package you’ll have this glorious, soft, caramelized, yummy stuff.  The soft cloves will just pop right out of there. You can either squeeze them out, or use a little fork to pop them out.

(It will keep for a week or more in your fridge in an air-tight container. You can also freeze it and just grab a spoonful as you need it.)

 One of my favorite ways to eat roasted garlic is fresh out of the oven, rubbed onto warm crusty bread.  Sprinkled with fresh Parmesan? Even better....

Other ideas:

-Spread on crostini before topping with Bruschetta
-Add to mashed potatoes
-Spread on bread (makes a great appetizer)
-Add to pasta dishes
-Soups
-Sauces
-Add to mayo
-Use in salad dressings
-Add to bread dough just before kneading

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I have overlooked Spaghetti until now....Ross kept asking for it, but I kept telling him "it wasn't a new recipe, so I couldn't blog it".....but then I found this recipe!!  I made my own meatballs - and um, I'm always going to make my own meatballs!  These were sooooo good!!  I wasn't a HUGE fan of the sauce - it was good, don't get me wrong....but it was a tad on the sweet side - so I don't think I'll add sugar next time.

I cut the sauce/meatball ingredients in half since it was just the 2 of us - and it still made about 12 meatballs - and more than enough sauce.  I would say the full serving is for about 12 people....so even cutting it in half is still more than enough for leftovers :)

Italian Meatballs:

1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb Italian sausage

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons dehydrated onion

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

Gently combine meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape into balls, whatever size you like, but I prefer using my standard cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp.) to shape meat into balls and then rolling it between my hands to make them even more round. Place on a broiler pan and broil until the meatballs start to brown. Remove from oven and set aside until ready to use (or freeze for later use).

Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Olive oil
(2) 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes
16 oz tomato sauce
1-2 Tablespoons sugar (to taste)
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of baking soda (to help neutralize the acid)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add remaining sauce ingredients and combine well. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. Simmer on low, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached--about 25-30 minutes for a sauce that's of medium consistency.

Serve over hot spaghetti with some freshly grated Parmesan on top.

FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare meatballs as directed, but divide the meatballs among two freezer-safe containers. Prepare sauce through adding all ingredients to the pan, but don't simmer; rather, divide the sauce among the two containers. Freeze until ready to use. When ready to use, place in slow cooker and cook on low for about 5-6 hours, although you'll want to keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it's not burning if you go for the whole 6 hours.

Smokey Bean Soup with Ham and Bacon

Ross: "what the heck is with all the beans..."  Lisa: "it's fall...the bean season".  :)  Had the best FALLmeal tonight - we made this yummy soup with BLT sandwiches and hard boiled eggs....ahhh so good!  Perfect combination of awesomness - and this soup was really easy to make!  I still don't have an immersion blender (Bday gift idea!) - but it worked pretty slick in a normal blender!  Try it out!!

Serves 4-6:  OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon (a few more if you want extra for garnish)
1 cup diced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 3 large cloves)
2 cups diced Ham (about 10oz)
2 red potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces (2-2 1/2 cups)
2 cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
32oz box chicken broth

Slice bacon into bite-size pieces.  Cook in a large stock pot until crisp.  Remove bacon to drain on paper towels.  Reserve 2-3 teaspoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest (dump it in one of those empty bean cans).

Add diced onion to pan and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another minute.  Add diced ham, beans, smoked paprika and salt to pan and stir to combine.  Then add the broth and the potatoes.  Bring soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.   Remove from heat and  stir in  bacon.   Take  3 cups of the soup and place in the blender (leave the plug in the lid off to let steam escape and cover with a paper towel to avoid splashes while you blend)  Blend until completely smooth.  You could also use an immersion blender in place of a blender if you have one.  Add blended soup back to pot and stir to combine.

Add additional salt (and pepper if desired) to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with extra bacon if desired.  Great with some croutons too!

Doctored-Up 7-Layer Dip

It was Nicole and Emily's bachelorette party last night - so decided to make up something new!  I am a huge fan of taco dip, so when I saw this - I knew I was going to love it!  It was really easy prep - and because it uses refried beans instead of meat, it took like 10 minutes to make....well, and eat :)  It was a huge hit!!

OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:

28-oz can refried beans
1 1/2 cup QUAC!!
1 1/2-2 cup Pico de Gallo
16-oz container sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup chopped green onions (about 2 bunches)
16 oz can olives, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese

Layer the refried beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Whisk together the taco seasoning and sour cream and spread it over the pico de gallo. Add the chopped olives and cilantro, then squeeze the lime juice over everything. Sprinkle with the cheeses and serve with tortilla chips. Makes a lot–if you’re serving just a few people, you can cut all the quantities by half.