Guacamole

I remember going to California a few years back and thinking that it was so strange that Subway asked everyone if they wanted avocado on their subs.  I had never even eaten an avocado let alone spread it all over my sandwich.  Turns out that avocados are actually quite delicious and are great spread upon sandwiches, wraps, or layered into a salad.  As seen below, they obviously make an awesome dip for tortilla chips too.  Guacamole and I might just be new best friends!   

Not only are avocados delicious but they are also a superfood!  Yes, they are pretty high in fat, but it is mono saturated fat, the kind of fat that is good for you and heart healthy.  Avocados also pack in a high fiber content and have double the potassium of a banana. 

Garlicky Guacamole
adapted from Rachel Ray


Ingredients
3 ripe small Hass avocados

1/2 to 1 lemon, juiced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 roma tomato, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

Cut avocados in half around the pit. Separate the halves. Pop out pit with spoon, then scoop flesh of avocados into a bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over the avocados. Add garlic, tomato, and salt to the bowl. Mash and mix the ingredients into a chunky dip using a fork. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

Roasted Garlic and Herb Dip

Saturday night was my monthly scrapbooking meet-up. Usually we gather at my mother-in-laws house but I thought it would be fun to host it at my house this month. For my menu I decided on pulled pork sliders on sweet rolls, mac and cheese, and this roasted garlic and herb dip served with fresh vegetable and potato chips.


This dip was pretty easy to make once the garlic had been roasted, that was the most time consuming part of the recipe. I just whirled all the ingredients around in my food processor to make sure everything was chopped and well distributed. I used a combination of fresh and dried herbs since fresh are pretty hard to find locally. I would say that the dip was definitely a hit. It was a nice change from typical ranch that I love so much. I think I will make it again, possibly changing up the herbs to see what different combinations I can come up with.

Roasted Garlic & Herb Dip
Source: Seen on Good Things Catered originally by Williams Sonoma

Makes about 3 cups.

Ingredients
4 heads garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Potato and/or fresh veggies for serving

Directions
Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Cut off the tops of the garlic heads and rub the cut surface with the olive oil. Put the garlic in a garlic roaster or on a baking sheet. Arrange the rosemary and thyme sprigs on or around the garlic. Cover the garlic roaster with the lid or the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Roast until the garlic cloves are soft and lightly browned, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cool completely.

Squeeze the pulp from the garlic cloves into the container of an immersion blender or into a deep bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, chopped rosemary, thyme and parsley, the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend until well combined. Cover the dip with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Serve the dip with potato chips.

Italian Bread - Biga Style

Saturday night I hosted a dinner party for my mother in law's birthday. On the menu was chicken parmesan with fresh pasta and homemade sauce, Italian bread and an Italian salad. I have made Italian bread twice before and they were both was delicious, but just because I like to experiment I wanted to try a new recipe. I turned to my Bread Baker's Apprentice book by Peter Reinhart and decided to make his Italian bread. Although this recipe takes 2 days to make it is not really overwhelming at all. Especially since the Biga can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator or stored in the freezer for 3 months.

This recipe came together very smoothly and the dough was so wonderful to work with. I thought it might become messy adding the biga to the rest of the ingredients but even that mixed together smoothly. The exterior on this bread had a nice thin crust which I enjoyed but if you would like a thicker crispier crust the book suggests lowering the oven to 400 (instead of 450) and cooking the loaf longer.

I like that this recipe made two nice sized loaves, between the nine of us at dinner we ate a loaf and a half. Apparently it was a hit and we all loved it. I will definitely be making this recipe again. Although this recipe for Italian bread was pretty quick and yielded a good result I think the one I made yesterday produces a much better flavor. So if you are short on time the other one is a great recipe to turn to, but if you have a couple days I recommend trying this recipe, you won't be sorry! I whipped up some garlic butter to spread on the bread. It was amazing, the recipe is below.


Biga
Source: Peter Reinhart, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Page 107

Makes about 18 ounces

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (11.25 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1/2 teaspoon (.055 ounces) instant yeast
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons to 1 cup (7-8 ounces) water, at room temperature

Directions
1. Stir together the flour and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the water, stirring until everything comes together and makes a coarse ball (or mix on low speed for 1 minute with the paddle attachment). Adjust the flour or water, according to need, so that the dough is neither too sticky nor too stiff. (It is better to err on the sticky side, as you can adjust easier during kneading. It is harder to add water once the dough firms up.)
2. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for 4 to 6 minutes (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook for 4 minutes), or until the dough is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. The internal temperature should be 77 to 80 degrees F.
3. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or until it nearly doubles in size.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead it lightly to degas, and return it to the bowl, covering the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. You can keep this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it in an airtight plastic bag for up to 3 months.

Italian Bread
Source: Peter Reinhart, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Page 172-173

Days to make: 2
Day 1: 3 to 4 hours biga
Day 2: 1 hour to dechill biga; 12-15 minutes mixing; 3 1/2 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 20-30 minutes baking

Makes two 1 pound loaves or 9 torpedo (hoagie) rolls

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (18 ounces) biga (recipe above)
2 1/2 cups (11.25 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1 2/3 teaspoons (.41 ounces) salt
1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
1 teaspoon (.17 ounce) diastatic barley malt powder (optional)
1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) olive oil, vegetable oil, or shortening
3/4 cup to 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7 to 8 ounces) water (or milk if making torpedo rolls), lukewarm (90 to 100 F)
Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

Directions
1. Remove the biga from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough. Cut it into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper or serrated knife. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour to take off the chill.

2. Stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and malt powder in a 4 quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the biga pieces, olive oil, and 3/4 cup water and stir together (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until a ball forms, adjusting the water or flour according to need. The dough should be slightly sticky and soft, but not batter like or very sticky. If the dough feels tough and stiff, add more water to soften (it is better to have the dough too soft than too stiff at this point).

3. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed with the dough hook). Knead (or mix) for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed, until the dough is tacky, but not sticky, and supple. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77-81 F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

4. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

5. Gently divide the dough into 2 equal pieces of about 18 ounces each, or into 9 pieces of about 4 ounces each (for torpedo rolls). Carefully form the pieces into batards, or rolls, degassing the dough as little possible. Lightly dust with a sprinkle of flour, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rest 5 minutes. Then complete the shaping, extending the loaves to about 12 inches in length or shaping the torpedo rolls. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment and dust with semolina flour or cornmeal. Place the loaves on the pan and lightly mist with spray oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.

6. Proof at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until the loaves or rolls have grown to about 1 1/2 times their original size.

7. Prepare the oven for hearth baking, making sure to have an empty steam pan in place. Preheat the oven to 500 F. Score the breads with 2 parallel, diagonal slashes or 1 long slash.

8. Rolls can be baked directly on the sheet pan. For loaves, generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal and very gently transfer the loaves to the peel or pan. Transfer the dough to the baking stone (or bake on the sheet pan). Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the door. Repeat once more after another 30 seconds. After the final spray, lover the oven setting to 450F and bake until done, rotating 180 degrees in necessary, for even baking. It should take about 20 minutes for the loaves and 15 minutes for the rolls. The loaves and rolls should be golden brown and register at least 200F at the center.

9. Transfer the rolls or loaves to a cooling rack and cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.

Garlic Butter
Source: As seen on Annie's Eats adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon minced garlic

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1½ teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground paprika

Directions

In a small bowl combine all ingredients and mix until smooth

Creamy Cheese Spread

I had a few blocks of cheese in the fridge that I wanted to use up but didn't quite know what to do with them. I decided I would make some kind of a cheese ball or spread since it had been a while since I last had it. Seriously though, who doesn't love a big creamy ball of cheese that tastes awesome by itself but even better spread on crackers. I know I do!


I had no game plan when it came to putting this together, but whatever I did must have worked because this tasted wonderful. My husband, who would rather eat things plain than dip them in something, said about 10 times in a matter of hours how much he loved this spread. My guests and I enjoyed it too. It was so easy to throw together that this might be something I experiment with and make often.


Three-Cheese Spread
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights

Ingredients
8 oz. block sharp cheddar cheese

4 oz. block pepper jack cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash of Tabasco
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred cheddar and pepper jack cheese. Empty the cheese from the workbowl and place the metal blade into the bottom of the bowl.

2. Add the cream cheese, garlic and remaining seasonings into the workbowl and process for one minute. Add in the shredded cheese and process for 1-2 minutes or until everything is well mixed and creamy.
3. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with crackers and/or pretzels.

Cannoli dip

This was the other dessert dish that I prepared for the Pampered Chef show that I hosted this afternoon. Everyone enjoyed it, even those who do not like ricotta. It was very simple and took about 5 minutes to throw together. The only modification that I made was substituting mini morsels for the full size ones. If you are not a fan of whipped topping you probably would not like this dip because that is the most prominent flavor.


Chocolate Chip Cannoli Dip
(Adapted from: Pampered Chef Season's Best Spring/Summer 03)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 1 tbls semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 container (8oz) frozen whipped topping, divided

Possible Dippers
- Strawberries
- Graham cracker sticks
- Sweet tortilla chips

Directions:
1) Reserve 1 tablespoon of the chocolate morsels for garnish. Chop remaining chocolate morsels using a food chopper or knife. Place in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well. Set 1/2 cup of whipped topping aside for garnish. Gently fold remaining whipped topping into ricotta mixture.
2) Spoon dip into medium serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining chocolate morsels over dip and pipe rosettes around edge of dip. Serve with your choice of dippers.

Sweet dipping

I had been eyeing this dip ever since Chelle made it a few months ago. I knew that the recipe would be good and that everyone would love it but I just needed the right occasion to make it for. My husband and I were invited to a cook-out at our friends house today so I figured today would be the perfect opportunity to make it.

This dip was a hit with everyone from kids to adults. Although this does not taste exactly like cookie dough it is pretty close and it is an excellent recipe. I will definitely be making it again because everyone loved it.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
(Source: Recipezaar Via: Chelle at Sugar&Spice)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)
2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.
4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.
7. Garnish with additional chips, if you choose.

*Serve with Nilla wafers or graham crackers.

**Note: after refrigerating the dip it will be pretty solid and un-dippable so make sure to remove it from the refrigerator about 15-30 minutes before you plan on serving it, so it has time to soften up.

Round 2, WC platinum chef challenge

I like to hang out on a cooking board on TheNest.com. The ladies on the board are awesome and are always coming up with new things to do. One of the members of the board Cara (Cara's Cravings) came up with the idea of a Platinum Chef challenge. The person that is hosting the challenge picks 5 different ingredients and the people that want to play along have to make 1 or 2 dishes using all of the ingredients. Here is the link to the challenge on Cara's blog Platinum Chef - Round 2. I decided to play along this time and here are the dishes that I came up with.

Banana Roll with Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Cake ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Filling ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Line a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray (don't forget to spray the sides).
3) Beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Then gradually beat in the sugar until batter is thick and lemon colored. Add in banana and lemon juice and mix to combine.
4) In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Fold dry mixture into wet mixture and spread mixture evenly into prepared pan.
5) Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. While cake is baking dust a linen towel with confectioners' sugar.
6) Immediately after removing cake from oven turn it onto prepared towel. Peel off the parchment paper and roll the cake up in the towel (starting at short end), let cool.
7) While the cake is cooling prepare filling. Add cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice to mixing bowl and mix until well blended.
8) Once cake is cool carefully unroll it. Spread filling onto the cake and top evenly with blueberries. Roll cake back up, cover it, and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Half way through the roll up. This is what it looks like inside. :)

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Spicy Black Bean Dip
(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
4 cloves minced garlic, separated
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz cream cheese
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
S&P to taste
Cheese for topping (I used monterey jack)

1) Saute' corn and 2 cloves of garlic until the corn is slightly browned. Set aside to cool
2) Add 2 cloves garlic, beans, cream cheese, jalapeno and the seasonings into a food processor and process until smooth.
3) Place 1/2 of bean mixture into bottom of serving dish, then 1/2 the corn; repeat with remaining beans and corn. Top with cheese, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.