So I hear there’s a big football game coming up? I honestly do not care about football especially pro football. I do love me some Aggie football, although recently we haven’t been too good and it can awfully hard to watch. I do occasionally ”watch” the superbowl with friends but I’d say that’s only once every 3-4 years if that. So forgive me my football loving friends!

When I do “watch” the game, its usually more of an excuse to have a party and cook up some good eats. These make a great game-day appetizer (especially since they can be made in advance and frozen) or a great food for the little ones. I baked these up recently for a family at church who’s newborn is in the hospital. They have two little ones at home, including one picky-eater who loved these! I was surprised actually how much I enjoyed these. If you’re fixing them for the freezer, I’d recommend doing at least a double batch. They were a bit addictive!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Yields: 48 mini puffs

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1 1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or italian cheese blend)
8 ounces pepperoni, cut into small pieces (about 2 cups)
1 cup marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease two 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and italian seasoning; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Freezer-instructions: Freeze baked puffs in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to freezer bag. To reheat: bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray

I’ve seen this recipe float around the interwebs for quite some time. I’ve been meaning to give it a try and finally did — just in time to share with you before you start your superbowl menu planning. With the start of the new year, and new year’s resolutions, I thought it’d be a good time to try to lighten up this recipe a little bit. Obviously, its not healthy but at least its not quite as bad for you as the full fat version and its still very tasty!

This was really tasty — definitely a crowd pleaser! It was really creamy with a bit of heat. If you like heat, go for ‘hot’ diced green chiles or jalapenos — the cream cheese will help with the heat. I’ve tested it with reduced fat cream cheese, light mayo and 2% Greek Yogurt. You could cut the calories further by using reduced fat cheese too. I don’t typically recommend using fat free cheese; the texture is a bit odd and I’m just not a fan of fat free cheese but reduced fat cheeses would work great if your looking to cut back on the calories further.

Serve this up with tortilla chips, crackers, baguette slices, vegetables, or whatever fits your fancy. We tried a bunch of different crackers and chips with the dip and my favorite were actually Ritz. The buttery Ritz were delish with creamy heat, although Ritz are kinda crumbly so sometimes the crackers fell apart but I can deal with that Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese*, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise*
2/3 cup Greek yogurt*
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
4 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, greek yogurt, jalapenos, green chiles, mexican cheese, and mozzarella cheese.  Mix thoroughly with a spoon until smooth and evenly combined.  Spread the mixture into a 9×9 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the panko and shredded parmesan and stir until combined. Top cream cheese mixture with panko mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm.

*Recipe has been tested before with reduced fat cream cheese, mayo & 2% greek yogurt with successful results.

Source: Adapted from My Baking Addiction

This past weekend we kept my 2.5 year old niece for three days. It was her first weekend trip without her parents to see us and it went remarkably well minus naps/bedtimes which took 40 minutes – 1.5 hours as she cried and defiantly tried to climb out of bed and bargain for just one more story. Other than that, everything went smoothly and we had a blast. I had all these ambitious plans to do all this stuff only to realize that I was way too ambitious. I don’t know how you cooking mommas do it all. Y’all are amazing!Anyway, one little quote from the mouth of the 2.5 year old this weekend that I thought was cute enough to share… hubby got home from work and she ran into the kitchen to say hi to him and started to run off to go back to the living room. He asked her if he could have a hug and as the little one ran back to him, she said “you just love me so much!” hahaha. Yes little one, we do.

Anyway, I’m imagining motherhood (some day. don’t go running off thinking I’m pregnant) to be filled with easy recipes like this one; something I can whip up in a few minutes that makes a great appetizer, snack or side dish. I like this corn salad recipe. Hubby finds the vinegar flavor to be too strong and prefers it without the vinegar but I kinda like the bit of tartness it adds. I like it best with some of our favorite blue corn chips! Its a great cold salad for summer time grilling!

Black Bean & Corn Salad

1 (15.5-oz) can, black beans, rinsed & drained
1 1/2 cups fresh corn or frozen
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & diced
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cider vinegar (optional)
1/3 – 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Toss lightly until well mixed. Let stand at least 15 minutes if using frozen corn, for corn to fully defrost. Can be served immediately, or best when refrigerated at least 1-2 hours, or overnight, to allow flavors to meld.

I seriously love me some good Mexican food. Chinese takes first place in my heart since I’m half Chinese after all, but Mexican takes a close second. We eat Mexican food all the time; its a weekly staple in our house which also means that fresh salsa is also a staple. My usual go to recipes are my Aunt Jana’s Easy Tomato Salsa and my Roasted Tomato Salsa recipes but some fresh quick Pico de Gallo is a nice change of pace, especially now that I can get my hands on some nice fresh summer tomatoes.

Pico de Gallo

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, seeded and chopped (~3 cups chopped)
1/2 c finely chopped white onion
1-2 jalapenos, (seeded for less heat, if desired), finely chopped
1/4 – 1/2 c cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
kosher salt & pepper, to taste

In a medium sized bowl, gently combine chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Can be served immediately, but I recommend allowing salsa to rest for an hour to allow flavors to combine.

This recipe is my easy,  weeknight , time crunched, crowd-pleasing salsa recipe. This recipe is almost my Aunt Jana’s recipe. Her recipe actually calls for garlic powder but after multiple attempts with the powder we’ve decided we prefer fresh garlic but if you happened to be out, use about 1 tsp of powder. This is a super simple recipe and at first glance you’ll wonder where the onion & cilantro are, but we don’t usually miss it in this recipe! And really, I rarely have cilantro on hand; and the whole point of this recipe is to be quick & easy!

We typically use four deveined & seeded jalapenos for a good jalapeno flavor but a mild overall flavor. Leave some of those seeds in there though, if you’d like a little more heat! Looking for a more flavorful salsa? Try my Roasted Tomato Salsa!

Aunt Jana’s Easy Salsa

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, drained (preferably organic, no salt added)
3-4 jalapenos, deveined and seeded (optional to taste)
1 tsp white vinegar
1 – 2 cloves of garlic
salt & black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in mini food processor or blender. Blend until just combined. Best when chilled overnight.

]]> http://www.delish-blog.com/2010/03/aunt-janas-easy-salsa/feed/ 1 http://www.delish-blog.com/2010/02/quick-fire-roasted-tomato-salsa/ http://www.delish-blog.com/2010/02/quick-fire-roasted-tomato-salsa/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:04:33 +0000 ashley http://www.delish-blog.com/?p=1789

I’ve already blogged about Roasted Tomato Salsa before. That recipe is still our favorite. But I wanted to give this recipe a try since its faster to whip up and we love us some good roasted salsa goodness. We really enjoyed this salsa when served on day 1, but the roasty goodness was actually too much for us the longer that it sat! Which is surprising because I expected the roasted flavor to not be as strong in the canned tomatoes than when I fresh roast tomatoes!

So I don’t usually blog about recipes that I think are just so-so, and overall that’s what I’d give this since we felt like it had to be consumed right away and I like making a big batch on the weekend to last us a week. BUT this recipe definitely has a place in our kitchen and thus why its on the blog. Its great to whip up if you’ve got company on the way! My usual go-to recipe takes too long to whip up if you’re in a time crunch (and when its not tomato season its good just not as good as it could be so canned roasted tomatoes gives you more flavor).

Quick Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

1 – 2 jalapeños
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 (15-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt

In a small ungreased skillet over medium heat, roast the chiles and garlic, turning regularly, until they are soft and blotchy brown, about 10 minutes for the chiles, 15 minutes for the garlic.  Cool until handleable, then pull the stem(s) off the chile(s) and remove seeds, if desired. Roughly chop jalapenos.  Peel the skin off the garlic.

In a food processor, combine chopped jalapenos, garlic, tomatoes. Pulse until you have a coarse puree. Remove from food processor in a serving or storage dish and add chopped cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt as desired, usually about 1/2  teaspoon.  Ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Rick Bayless

I love black bean dip. Its soo good!  Sometimes I fix this as a dip for tortilla chips, but sometimes I just eat it with a fork as a side dish. Better for you without the added chips, right? But its pretty dang good with chips too! I love that its super easy to whip up and I’ve pretty much always got what I need to make this!

Black Bean Dip

This dip is great served along with some Green Chile Enchiladas. Absolutely delicious!

Hot Black Bean & Corn Dip

1 Tbsp olive oil
15 oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 cup corn kernels, removed from the cob
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp diced green chiles
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese with Jalapenos, or more as desired

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add oil to skillet over medium heat. Saute onions. Add garlic, green chiles, cumin, chili powder and saute for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrent. Add black beans and saute another 3-4 minutes. Using a potato masher, coarsley mash the beans (I prefer only about half to be mashed for consistency). Add corn, saute another 2-3 minutes. Transfer skillet contents to a baking dish. Top with shredded cheese and back at 375°F for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Some of you might be asking what Greek Yogurt even is! Well I’ll tell ya… its really not all that different than regular yogurt except its creamier and has a richer flavor. This is a result of the straining process which is used to create Greek Yogurt. Its a great substitute for things like sour cream, cream cheese, ricotta, or even heavy cream. Its also less likely to curdle (compared to regular yogurt) when heated so it can be a great substitute in cooking! I even got hubby to try it instead of his usual dollop of sour cream on his baked potato. He claims he can taste a different but said “it works” which really means he couldn’t tell but didn’t want to admit it. I know I know… you’re thinking yea right (unless you’ve tried it of course)! I know I did when my mother-in-law told me she was using yogurt instead of sour cream?! But really, Greek yogurt is so rich and creamy that it really is a great substitute! Want to give it a try? You can get your own coupons to save on Stonyfield’s yogurt by going here.

This dressing was one of the first things we whipped up using the yogurt… Absolutely fab! Hubby loves it and so do I. We especially love that its not high in calories or fat but tastes fabulous! Its a staple in our fridge now! Its also good with a sprinkling of your favorite cajun seasoning for a little spice!

Have some Greek yogurt you’d like to use up? Try these Big Beautiful Muffins or this Lemon Yogurt Cake.

Light Ranch Dressing

1/3 cup nonfat Greek style yogurt
1/3 cup low fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Season with salt & pepper to taste (use lots of freshly cracked black pepper)!

Source: Adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger, 2007.

[post edited 08/15/09 with new photo]

It finally hit me that my favorite salsas are always the roasted varieties! Why wouldn’t I try my hand at roasting veggies for salsa?? So away I went. And the result was fabulous! We inhaled the entire batch in three days… and only because we were holding back. We’re on weight watchers right now actually (sorry guys, its likely you won’t see any baking here for several months) so we were limiting our chip intake. Otherwise, I’m sure this salsa would have been gone in one day! Give it a try!

One year ago: Peach Mango Sorbet (perfect for summer)!

Roasted Tomato Salsa

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 large white onion
4-6 cloves roasted garlic*
2-3 large jalapenos, deseeded & deveined, cut in half lengthwise
freshly ground black pepper & kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat oven to 400°F . Gently toss the tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapenos with the olive oil in a large bowl. Alternatively, use spray oil to gently coat the veggies (You just don’t want it to burn). Season with a little freshly ground black pepper. After they are nicely coated arrange in a single layer, tomatoes cut-side facing up, across a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet, roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes, (depending upon the size of your tomatoes). You’ll know they’re ready to come out when they start to get a nice color and the tomatoes start to collapse. Remove from the oven and cool.

Puree cooled tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapenos. Alternatively, puree half of the veggies and hand chop the remainder and combine. Season with salt and stir in the cilantro. Refrigerate.

* I use this method for roasting garlic. Even though you only use a few cloves for this recipe, roasted garlic is delicious in other dishes and considering how long it takes to roast, I go ahead and roast a whole head when making salsa.

Lately I have been nothing but lazy when it comes to cooking. Work has been absolutely exhausting, I worked a 12 hour day yesterday so cooking has been the last thing on my mind. But I miss it. And I miss blogging so I’m hoping to resolve that soon! But for now, I bring you a super easy not so good for you meal/snack. I first started making these about 9 months ago for our game nights. They’re always a hit. I don’t usually use crescent dough except for game nights but had a couple tubes leftover from the last game night so whipped these up recently for hubby and I. Super easy and tasty!

Crescent Pizza Pinwheels

1 (8 oz) can Pillsbury Crescent recipe creations
1/3 c marinara sauce (plus extra for dipping)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
3/4 – 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 c finely diced pepperoni (~ 1.5 oz)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray (don’t skip this or they will stick!).

Unroll crescent dough. Top with marinara sauce, crushed red pepper, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. Cut the dough lengthwise every 1/2-inch. Roll up each strip and place on baking sheet.

Bake 13-17 minutes until golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce if desired.