Party Favorite - Taco Salad Dip

I can't remember a summer cookout at my parent's house that didn't have a Taco Salad Dip. Now that I have made it myself for a girls night I understand why! Its comes together quickly, its cheap, and it tastes amazing! Make this for game day, or like I did, for friends getting together!

The more level you can get your layers the better!

Taco Salad Dip
Serves a crowd


Ingredients
1 package cream cheese
1 8 oz. bottle taco sauce
1 12 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 2/3 cup home cooked black beans)
1 medium head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 8 oz. package montery jack shredded cheese
3-5 jalapeno pepper slices
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature in a mixing bowl. Pour entire bottle of taco sauce over this and beat with mixer until well combined. Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 9" pan or similar sized container. Layer the black beans, tomatoes, and lettuce. Finish with the cheese. Garnish with chopped jalepanos. Let this sit in the fridge for about 1 hour before serving. Serve with tortilla chips and a spoon!

A couple of things to note, this is not a make ahead dish. It comes together quickly and can sit for about 1-2 hours before being served, it will get soggy if served the next day. If you want more spice try adding some hot sauce to the cream cheese mixture. This does well in a square glass container with no slope to the sides. You want to layer the ingredient level, it looks so pretty this way! While I don't recommend serving to guests the next day, save it for yourself, it still tastes good!

Egg Nog French Toast

We are going way back to catch up, all the way to the holidays. As a married couple we tend to run around to our families' houses throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We have come up with some creative ways to see everyone and have time to ourselves. We have started a tradition of Christmas Eve Day brunch with my husband's family. They know I like to cook and they love to eat my food, so I brought some traditional items; fruit salad, roasted potatoes, and something with a new twist - Egg Nog French Toast! You can really taste the egg nog, and it brought the holidays to brunch!

if you look closely you can see the grated nutmeg, also may induce drooling

Egg Nog French Toast
Serves 8

Ingredients
Day old loaf of Italian Bread, sliced 1 inch thick
8 Large eggs
1 cup Egg Nog
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Butter for pan

In a large bowl whisk together all ingredients except bread and butter. Lay out sliced bread in a 9x13" pan and pour mixture over the slices, lifting and turning to evenly coat each piece. Meanwhile heat a skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Grease pan with butter, lay slices in pan careful not to crowd the pan. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes and then flip. You want a nice golden crust on each slice. The second side doesn't take as long to cook, check after 3 minutes. Serve with maple syrup.

Festive Drinks and Merriment

We hosted out Annual Holiday Bash last weekend! Over 30 people RSVP'd! We had promised "Food and General Merriment" on the invite, so we had to deliver. One of my favorite things to make for a large party, or any party really, is Sangria! It is very impressive and so easy to make! Also easy to increase the amount for a crowd!

Red Sangria

1 750mL bottle Carlo Rossi Sangria Wine
1/4 cup peach shnapps or brandy
1/4 cup triple sec
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 orange sliced thin
1/2 lime sliced thin
1/2 lemon sliced thin
1 apple (unpeeled) sliced thin
1 bottle ginger ale

Mix all ingredients except gingerale together in a large pitcher and let sit overnight! Serve over ice and top with ginger ale. The fruit in this can be switched out for different seasons. For my summer party I used all the citrus fruits and granny smith apples. For the Holiday I used pears and cranberries. The cranberries added a festive element and looked so pretty!

Drinking sangria while decorating cookies is fun too!

Easiest Crowd Pleasing Appetizer

Well the holidays are upon us! Sorry to have left you all in the dark, battling a cold kept me from cooking meals and then out social calendar blew up and we have been eating away from home! But I am back with one of my favorite easy appetizers. This is a good one to bring to a crowded party, they are good room temperature and are vegetarian.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 large box button or cremini mushrooms
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 red or green pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
garlic powder
dried or fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Clean and stem mushrooms, reserving stems. Set mushroom caps in a 9x13 pan. Chop pepper and reserved mushroom stems into a small dice. Melt butter in frying pan. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook until softened, seasoning with garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Add remaining breadcrumbs until mixture is just comes together and is able to be used as stuffing. Using a spoon pack filling into mushroom caps, I like to mound it up because it will shrink during baking. Dot pan with butter and bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.

Little army of party pleasers!

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

What to do with the extra cans of pumpkin I bought for Thanksgiving? After making pumpkin pancakes I thought of muffins! But with the holidays upon us I didn't want these to be a dessert, we have to keep something healthy! Without many changes to the original recipe I was able to accomplish this without losing one ounce of flavor!! These muffins are moist and delicious, a big hit with the hubby!

mmm look at that chocolate goodness

Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
makes 12 muffins

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
3/4 Cup all purpose flour1
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or walnuts
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line or spray muffin tip cups with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl, set aside. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full). Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Crazy Pizza Bread

When I came across this recipe I wasn't sure what to expect. It seemed odd and like the name, a bit crazy. But Thanksgiving was coming up and I wanted to try something new to have while watching the Dog Show. Boy am I glad I made this! I have a feeling it is going to become famous at my parties from now on! Check out the recipe below and the changes I made.

Why yes, that is ooey gooey cheese bursting out the side of the loaf!

Crazy Pizza Bread

Ingredients
1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups favorite toppings, chopped small ( I used stick pepperoni, red peppers, green peppers, sauteed garlic)
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix (using a mixer, spoon, or your hands) just until it comes together. Add in the toppings and combine well. Dough will be tacky.  Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator for another hour.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour a Silpat or waxed paper. Roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle cheese over top. Then, using the Silpat or paper, fold into thirds the long way. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let oven stay at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.

Next time I make this I will add roasted garlic and caramelized onions. This bread is best served hot, I personally liked it as a pizza "biscotti" where I sliced the loaves into one inch pieces and toasted before serving. I would also serve with marinara sauce next time. This is seriously good stuff people.

Thanksgiving Dessert Explosion!!

Pies, Pies, Pies! What really makes Thanksgiving great is not the turkey, but the desserts. I was in charge of making the desserts for the family and turned to the holiday's favorite flavors; pumpkin and apple. But I was not about to make just any dessert, I aim to impress when I make my food and this was no exception. Below find the recipes used, the changes I made, and how they were received.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie
First up is Oprah's Favorite Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie!! To get a feel for that, say it out loud in your best Oprah voice, "ITS THE BEST PIE EEVVVEEERRRR!!!!" It was more of a custard consistency than a regular pumpkin pie, but tasted so good! I took out the walnuts and substituted more cookie crumbs.

Ingredients:
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp butter, melted
2 cups canned 100% pumpkin
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup whole milk
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325° F. In a small bowl combine cookie crumbs and butter, transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Press crumb mixture firmly and evenly into bottom and sides of pan (I used the bottom of a glass to pack in). Bake 10 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack.

In a large bowl, gently whisk remaining ingredients together. The mixture should be smooth and have no bubbles. Place cooled piecrust on a baking sheet; pour in pumpkin filling. Use an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon to smooth the top; transfer to oven. Bake until pumpkin filling is set but still has some wiggle in the center, 60 to 75 minutes. (If edges of pie get too dark toward the end of baking, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack.

For the decoration I traced a turkey cookie cutter onto a piece of card stock and cut out shape leaving all edges intact. Lay paper over pie plate. Place 1 Tbsp powdered sugar into a sifter or sieve and dust sugar 5 inches above over paper cut out. Carefully remove paper from pie.

Voila! An easy touch to fancy up a pie!

Say it with me now in your best Oprah voice, "YOU GET A PIECE! YOU GET A PIECE! YOU GET A PIECE!"


French Apple Pear Tart
I knew immediately the apple dessert I wanted to make was Ina's French Apple Tart. Lately my husband has been wanting pears, so I substituted two pears for two apples. I cut back on the sugar and butter in this recipe, it bubbled over and burned with the amount called for in Ina's (I made the changes in the recipe below).

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water
2 Granny Smith apples
2 Bosc pears
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
2 tablespoons water

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the filling. Peel the apples and pears and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler or spoon. Slice the apples and pears crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples and pears diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with slices. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the water and brush the filling and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Leftover Hand Pies
One of my favorite parts when baking pastry like pies is what to do with the leftover dough. Sometimes I will make small "cookies" out of it, this time I made small hand pies.

Ingredients:
Left over dough
2 Tbsp filling of your choice
(apples, pears, chocolate chips, jam)
1 egg beaten with a touch of water
Sanding sugar for decoration

Roll out the dough and add cut into two matching shapes per hand
pie. For the filling I finely minced pears, mixed with cinnamon and sugar. Place filling in between layers of dough. Brush egg wash around the edges, pinch to seal. Brush the top of the shape with egg wash, cut slits for steam, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the oven with your pie or in a toaster oven until cooked through. Keep an eye on it, it will cook quickly. Eric was so impressed by these "leftover" creations!!

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Nothing goes better with pumpkin pie than whipped cream. And I thought it would be so much better with a touch of cinnamon!

Ingredients:
1 pint whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Start by placing the bowl and whisk attachments in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. When ready to make the whipped cream start by slowly mixing the cream. As you speed up the mixer add the remaining ingredients and whip until soft to medium peaks form.

I think its needless to say the desserts came out great! Everyone was impressed and I had leftovers for breakfast all weekend!