Peppermint Dip, Pine Cones, and Other Party Favorites

Well, here we are.  The merriment of the holiday season is officially at its peak as of this weekend.  So, for all of you who are hosting or attending get-togethers and parties this weekend, I've decided to post a couple of themed recipes for you to try out.

The first one is something I had been thinking about off and on since last year's holiday season, and this year, with the help of my eldest niece, we gave it a go.  I served it at our annual family Grinch Party, and my sister took some to another gathering - it was a hit at both events!

Peppermint Candy Cane Dip

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
12 oz. vanilla yogurt
4 candy canes (crushed)
5 oz. Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
Chocolate graham crackers for dipping

Ok, this one is pretty quick and easy.  Place the cream cheese into a medium bowl.  Whip it a little to get the lumps out.  Once smooth, add in the yogurt and blend well.  

In a small bowl, melt the Andes chips in 20 sec. intervals in the microwave - stirring between each one.  Repeat until chips are melted with a smooth consistency.  Add the melted Andes to the cream cheese mixture and blend well.  Add 3 of the crushed candy canes and stir until evenly distributed. Transfer the dip to a decorative bowl and add the last crushed candy cane bits on top.  Serve with chocolate graham crackers.

This second recipe was sparked by a picture I came across on the internet.  I think it was originally from Pintrest, but I've since seen images on Food Network as well as Southern Living with same idea, but different recipes, so I can't be sure where the original idea came from. 

The image was of a cheese ball that was sculpted to resemble a pine cone, and then covered in whole almonds to accentuate the representation.  I know, genius right?  So, I took a family cheese ball recipe, altered it a bit, and went to sculpting.  This time, not just one, but BOTH of my awesome nieces jumped in to help!

Pine Cone Cheese Spread

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

14 oz. sharp cheddar cheese spread

2 oz. dried beef (shredded)

1-2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (to taste)

1/4 cup diced white onion (optional)

6 oz. whole raw almonds

3 tsp. poppy seeds

Rosemary to garnish (fresh sprig or dried)

Mix the cheese together in a medium bowl until thoroughly blended.  Add in the dried beef, Worcestershire, and onions (if using).  You may also substitute onion powder if you like the flavor, but not the texture of onions, or go without entirely - fix what YOU like.  

Sculpt the cheese spread into two large pine cones on a flat tray.  Wipe away any smudges of cheese that may have happened on the tray with a damp paper towel (or several if you are as messy as we were).  Ok, next, sprinkle the poppy seeds over both cheese sculptures.  Start at the tip of one of the pine cone shapes and layer the almonds on to resemble the scales of a pine cone.  Repeat with the other one until evenly covered.  

I meant to pick up a fresh rosemary sprig to lay in between of the pine cones to resemble a fresh pine tree twig, but I forgot.  However, I did have some dried rosemary on hand and decided I could pass it off as dried/fallen pine needles and sprinkled some in the middle of the tray.  It turned out to lend a nice accentuating flavor to the cheese spread that I did not expect, nor do I think I would have gotten the same volume of flavor with the fresh sprig, so I'm glad I tried it.  Feel free to use which ever one you would prefer.  If you are feel bold, you could even crush some up and add it to the cheese ball as you are mixing in the other ingredients?

Serve with a variety of snack crackers.  We used Garden Herb Triscuits, classic Townhouse, some sesame crackers, and another Wheat Thin type snack cracker (I can't remember exactly, I've slept since then).  Bread stick snacks, broken-up flatbreads, pita chips, bagel chips, etc., would all be fantastic with this spread.

If you have not tried this recipe for Creme Brulee Cheesecake Cookie Bars from Bettie Crocker, you are SERIOUSLY missing out!  Seriously, these things are so addictive rich and decadent and delicious!  

So many holiday recipes for sweets have nuts or peanut butter in them.  The only reason I even found this recipe was because I stumbled across it looking for a delicious seasonal treat for my friends with nut allergies, and I am so very thankful.  Please keep them in mind as you make and bake goodies for others this holiday season.  Or just make this, because everyone will love it, without the burden of peanut-induced anaphylactic shock. Everyone wins!  YAY!

I hope you all have a very safe and happy holiday season!

Independence Day With An Accidental Side Of Starfish

First off, I really want to thank those of you who participated in the OU Cookbook Tornado Relief Drive last month.  The money you raised has been sent to those who need it.  So thank you again for your generosity.  Your help is much appreciated!

www.epacha.org

I don't know about you, but the 4th of July has slowly become one of my favorite holidays in my adult years.  Oh, I loved it as a kid too, because there was always a cookout with my family, followed by the men in my family having a few beers then lighting explosives on fire.  So you know, good times.  However, after I grew up and moved away from home, Independence Day just lost it's luster for me.  Suddenly, I realized that I missed going to the fairgrounds, mom spreading out a blanket and setting a paper grocery bag full of popcorn in my lap, and the crowd "ooh" and "ahhhh-ing" in unison after each firework exploded across the night sky.  There was a time in my adulthood when I realized that there were no cookouts, no drunken uncles setting the yard on fire, and no real sense of tradition, which I learned was a very important ingredient in enjoying the holidays - any holiday.

So, I decided to create traditions - cookout, fireworks, fun.  And the only fire in the yard is the controlled one inside the fire pit on the patio.  Now, I host the cookout for lunch every year.  I don't do the grilling, but I do the hunting & gathering, side-dishes, and themed trays.

OMG!  DID I JUST SAY, "THEMED?"

Yes, yes I did.  And we all know how much I LOVE themed things!  I get tickled to death about making themed foods, so Independence Day is something I look forward to these days.  I get excited about seeing what I can come up with that differs from the year before.

This year I decided to sketch out some theoretical food tray ideas, back in June. Nothing too fancy, just themed and fun!

The one on the left is supposed to represent the American flag filled with cheese and veggies.  I took a large baking sheet and covered it in aluminum foil, then laid down a sheet of wax paper...  Wait, wait - time out...

IMPORTANT NOTE: First thing to do whenever you are making a fruit or veggie tray is to thoroughly wash all of your produce and set it aside until it is needed.  

Ok, now that I've covered my important safety announcement, let's continue.  To begin putting this tray together, I sliced up some provolone, pepper-jack, and Vermont sharp white cheddar.  You can use any kind of white cheeses - Havarti, mozzarella, Gouda, etc.  Then I sliced up 2 red bell peppers and picked out some cherry tomatoes.  I layered everything in the form of the flag's red and white stripes then as follows:

• Provolone
• Red peppers
• Pepper-Jack
• Tomatoes
• White Cheddar
• More red peppers

Then I got some blue corn chips and put a couple of handfuls of them in the square of the upper left-hand corner to finish off the American flag look, and ta-da!

The sketch on the right in the concept drawing above was an idea I had for fruit.  I wasn't sure if the fruit tray was going to work, and honestly, I was leaning toward really thinking that it wouldn't.  But, I gave it go.  The first thing I did was slice up some strawberries and laid them down in a border pattern on a round, plastic tray, in order to crate the outline of the star.  Then I put a small ramekin in the center, to hold the place where the dip was going to go.  I then carefully spread blueberries all around the ramekin, inside the strawberry star boarder until it was filled up.  Then, I cut a block of softened cream cheese in half and put one half of it in a small mixing bowl.  I added about a teaspoon of sugar and about a half of a teaspoon of vanilla...then maybe a little more vanilla ;)  Now I'm not talking about that imitation vanilla crap, I mean the real extract, just so we're clear.  Don't use the crap, you're just cheating yourself.  Ok, so then I mixed it all together and spooned the mixture into the ramekin.  Viola!

I had my doubts, but I think it turned out pretty good.  Ok, well, it looks more like a starfish than a star, but hey, I free-handed it so that's the best I could do.  Starfish are pretty too. (Even plastic ones like this one)

tapirback.com

Thanks for reading, and if you have any 4th of July themed dishes that you made this year, and would like to share, please put them in comments below.  Recipes and pictures are always welcome.

Oh, I almost forgot!  Every year I make a cherry pie too with a different pastry symbol in the middle.  This year I decided to stick with the starfish theme.  I haven't mastered (or even gotten close really) the weaving of the crust strips, but it's something I'd like to work on for the future.  Anyway, here's a pic of it:

I hope you had a wonderful 4th!

Geek-Themed Food & A Free Giveaway

Happy May, Everyone!  The first week of May is generally a happy time for geeks.  During that week there are at least 2 fantastic happenings to celebrate, and look forward to: Free Comic Book Day, and Star Wars Day.  This year, they just happened to fall on the same day...

I know, right?  For those of you not up on your geek history, it's ok, I can help.  Free Comic Book Day started in 2002 as a promotional event to introduce new readers to the wonderful world of comics.  It's main purpose today is the same, to get new readers into independent comic shops, to say thank you to repeated customers, and to bring back any wayward souls who lost interest in comics somewhere along the way.  And for those of us who have been in all 3 of those categories at one time or another, I can tell you that Free Comic Book Day is an event to look forward to!  You get up in the morning (yes, I said morning...on a Saturday, even though FCBD morning doesn't actually start until 9:30 or 10am for me), gear up with your best or cleanest geek gear, and get to your local comic book shops right when they open.  Some even line up a bit before opening, but I haven't done that yet.

I am fortunate enough to have 2 local comic book shops left in Norman that I go to, and even though some of the chain stores participate, I don't go to them for this day - it just doesn't feel right.  Some stores not only give away free comics, but also free swag of some sort: buttons, posters, back issues, key chains, and other promotional items.  Sometimes you will even find comic book authors and artists at these events to sign or draw something for you.  Talk to them, ask questions, say "Thanks for adding to the creative force," or whatever, they would love to visit with you.  I look forward to Free Comic Book Day every year!  Here's Hugh Jackman, encouraging you to go...and plugging his movie...

Now, you are probably asking yourself why is May 4th also known as Star Wars day? even though technically May 25th is actually Star Wars Day Well, maybe this will help:

Ha! Get it?  It's punny.  No?  Ok then, if you're still confused go here and read all about it.  There's also this for the day after...

"Ok, come on, Jen, what's this have to do with food?"

(See, I knew what you were thinking.  I used the fourth force.)

Alright, well, I LOVE Star Wars and all things geek, and I LOVE hosting parties for whatever reason.  So I thought that I might try and see what kinds of foods I could come up with for next year's May 4th celebration, if I should decide to host one.  Now, if you do an internet search for things like "Star Wars themed foods" or "Star Wars party ideas" you will find lots and lots of creative names and foods related to Star Wars.  I wrote many of them down as well as came up with a few of my own.

Yoda-dillas: Chicken quesadillas made with spinach tortillas cut into Yoda shapes using one of these nifty Yoda pancake molds.

Boba Fettuccine: Fettuccine Alfredo 

Coruscant Crescents: Ham and cheese sandwiches on crescent rolls

Padawan-tons: Cream cheese wantons

Padme Popcorn: Different flavors of popcorn

Snips' Chips: (an homage to the Clone Wars) Different types of chips tossed together in a bowl

Skywalker Scones: Homemade scones

Corellian Calzones: Homemade pizza pockets

Gaffi Taffy:  Different flavors of taffy

So, I made a few different dishes this weekend to get some tested ideas out...well, more into my belly.  Friday night I made Han Burgers, Vater Taters, Mon Mac N' Chesse, and Aurra Sing Green Beans.  Other people came up with Han Burgers and Vater Taters, but the rest of the names, I thought fit the bill.  Everything turned out wonderful except I tried to cut the Han Burgers in the shape of a Millenium Falcon with one of these sandwich cutters:

Yeah, mine did NOT look like that.  However, I'm pretty sure they were meant more for the PB&J type of thinness, as opposed to my 1/4 pound stacked and dressed burger patty on a dense bun.  I meant to get a pic of them, but was so hungry I forgot :/  Even though the Han Burgers were not picture-perfect, they were still good.  For the Mon Mac N' Cheese, I just took a box of Kraft Three Cheese something or other, and added some pepper jack, colby jack, and American cheese to it with some half-n-half.  I know, all of my recipes are super good for watching your weight! I obviously know nothing about dieting.  And the Aurra Sing Green Beans, are just seasoned French cut green beans.

Saturday, I tried the Corellian Calzones.  I got frustrated with trying to manipulate the pizza dough and smashed the first one up.  Then I realized that a floured surface makes all the difference in the world, and the rest were made with happy feelings of accomplishment.

Sunday, I spent the afternoon roasting a Bantha in the crock-pot   Ok, it wasn't really Bantha, I mean, they aren't even in season right now.  It was just a pork roast with some seasonings.  When it was cooked I pulled the pork apart then put it back in the crock-pot with BBQ sauce for another half and hour and called it BBQ Bantha.  By the way, this recipe can be found under the title of "Sooner Sliders" on page 27 of the University of Oklahoma Cookbook, if you would like the full details.  

And for dessert, I made Thermal Detonators, which were really just Oreo Truffles.

And now for the... 

***FREE GIVEAWAY!***

Here is the challenge: you have until May 25th (The Original Star Wars Day) to come up with an original recipe that has a geek-related theme.  REMEMBER - IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STAR WARS...It doesn't matter what genre it comes from, as long as it is geeky and fun.  If you need some ideas about what would fit into that category, just go to ThinkGeek and get your creativity flowing!  Post your entries below in the comments and a winner will be chosen next month to receive a free signed copy of my University of Oklahoma Cookbook!

Good luck!  And may the force be with you!