Layered Bean Dip with Baked Chips

So I kinda "created" this tonite and it was a big hit with my whole family (okay, not emmy - but she only wants to eat candy). It was actually our "main course" (ahem, my only course).

Dip:

1 can (160z) of fat-free refried-beans

1/2 package of fajita seasoning

1/4 - 1/2 t. cumin

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1 ripe avacado

1 lemon

1/8 t. salt

1 t. olive oil

lite sour cream

sliced olives

chopped tomatoes

shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheese

chopped cliantro

Chips:

flour tortillas

PAM

salt 'n pepper

In a small saucepan heat the beans up with the fajita seasoning, cumin, and garlic. Once warmed, take off the heat and set aside.

Mash the avacado up with a fork and the juice from one lemon, the 1/8 t. salt and 1 t. oil. It does not need to be completely smooth.

Then either in individual ramikins or other serving dish, layer the beans, then avacado, next with sour cream, tomatoes, cheese and cilantro. (I did mine in 7 ramikins - I layered the beans, then dolloped on about 1 T. of the avacado and about 1 T. of sour cream. I also put about 1 T. of cheese on each serving, too.)

Place in fridge for at least 4 hours (more longer if doing it in a larger serving dish).

Chips:

Heat oven to 350. Cut up the flour tortillas in triangles (I used fajita-size tortillas and made 6 triangles per tortilla). Place on a baking sheet and spray each wedge with PAM. Then sprinkle salt and pepper as desired. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Then turn each one over, spray again with PAM, and cook another 5 minutes. Done. (We did about 6-8 tortillas, on 2 different baking sheets).

Dip "chips" in the bean dip. Yum.

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

(How appropriate a title for a food site, eh?)

Anyway, I am happy to announce that...

Linda (from Living in Tally) is the big raffle winner! Congratulations Linda! Your prize packages (plural!) are on their way.

Truly, thanks to everyone who participated. The response was simply awesome. When should we do it again?!

And of course, please don't stop posting. The success of this site depends on posts (duh), which means it relies on you to post those posts, so keep 'em coming.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mini Pecan Tarts

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
30 mini fillo shells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and egg. Spoon 2 tsp. filling into each shell and sprinkle chopped pecans over mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.

I'm not a huge pecan pie fan, but for some reason I LOVE these little treats.

Individual Cheese Balls

1 tub (8oz.) chive and onion cream cheese spread
1 pkg. (8oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked, and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, ground

Mix cream cheese spread and mozzarella cheese until well blended. Stir in chopped bacon and seasonings. Shape mixture into approx. 54 balls, 1 level tsp. each. Roll in walnuts. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

To change flavor, prepare as directed using 1 pkg. natural three cheese crumbles in place of mozzarella cheese.

Fudge

1 - 12 oz package chocolate chips
1 cube butter
1 box powdered sugar (3 3/4 cups)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Melt chocolate chips and butter in double-broiler over low heat.
2. Beat eggs in bowl until lemon yellow in color. Add powdered sugar and beat well.
3. Add melted chocolate and vanilla to bowl. Beat well.
Add nuts if desired.
4. Pour into 9/13 in or 9x9 in buttered or foil lined pan. Pan size depends on how thick you like your fudge.

Cool and cut into squares. Keep unused portion in refrigerator.

Candy That Shouldn't Taste Good, But It Does

Someone brought some homemade candy into work last week. At first glance it looked like toffee, but closer inspection revealed a very surprising ingredient. I searched for it online, and it turns out to be quite a phenomenon. Check the link: I don't think it needs a new write-up here.

We made it for a Christmas party, and it was quickly gone. Who would've thought?

Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

This is from Everyday Food magazine, and is num-yummy.

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with a strip of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper. Dust paper and sides of pan with cocoa; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, ginger, pumpkin-pie spice, and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, molasses, egg, and sour cream until smooth. Add flour mixture; stir just until moistened (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Using paper overhang, lift gingerbread from pan. Transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 16 squares. Before serving, dust bars with confectioners sugar, if desired. (To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.)

In addition to the powdered sugar, I added pomegranate seeds, chopped pistachios, and whipped cream. I think those additions took this dessert from YUM to SUPER-YUM!

Christmas Yumminess

I don't know what to call this, nor do I remember where I got it from. It's just so good and so easy.

1 bag of stick pretzels
2 bags of MINT M&M's
1 package of white chocolate almond bark

have the bag of pretzels and M&M's opened and waiting in a large mixing bowl. Melt the package of almond bark (check heating directions on package, usually just 1 mintue).

When melted well, dump into the bowl on top of the pretzels and M&M's and stir til it covers it all. While still warm, spread on a wax papered cookie sheet. Let harden (10-15 minutes). Then break it up haphazardly and serve.

Take it to a party

Or take a treat to a friend

Or let your kids devour it.

Buckeye Balls

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening

1. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
2. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Melt chocolate chips and shortening in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.
4. Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

Betsy Rolls

I guess rolls are on the brain of The Foodees contributors. Tis' the season!
This recipe is similar to the "Crescent Roll" recipe but a bit different. I guess you can try both and decide which you like the best. The one thing I like about this recipe is the rising time is shorter - I think because of the flour you use. Also, I accidentally left out the eggs and baking powder once and they still turned out - never would have known.


1 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup boiling water
1 Cup lukewarm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
3/4 Cup sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
5-6 Cups "Better for Bread" flour (you can find this next to the normal flour. It's usually wrapped in yellow paper.)

Pour boiling water over the butter and let it melt. Add lukewarm water to mixture.
When mixture is warm to the touch, add yeast and sugar.
When mixture becomes bubbly add 2 eggs and mix well.
Add salt and baking powder
Then add flour. When beating in flour, add enough until dough starts to pull away from sides of bowl and it doesn't stick to your fingers.
Cover bowl with a dish cloth and let rise for 1-2 hours.
Punch down and divide into thirds.
Roll out in circles (16"). Cut each circle into 16 triangular wedges. Roll up like crescents, turning ends slightly in. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and let rise again for 1-1 1/2 hours.
Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. (check in 8 minutes)

OR

After rolling into crescent shapes, put on parchment lined pans and freeze until hard (1-2 hours) Then put in freezer bags for future use.
You will then need to allow time to thaw and rise before baking.

*I would not recommend freezing for more than 2 weeks. They get to "frozen" and don't come out right after that time.

Crescent Rolls

1 scant T yeast
1 T sugar
1/3 c warm water
3/4 t salt
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c sugar
3 eggs, beaten (2 large eggs works)
1 cup warm milk
5 c flour
4 T (1/2 stick) butter, melted

In a small bowl, mix first three ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl mix next three ingredients. Stir in the yeast mixture, then add the eggs and warm milk. Gently stir in the flour. Add additional flour if dough is sticky. Cover the dough and let it rise for three or four hours.

Divide the dough into two pieces. Roll each piece into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Brush each circle with a tablespoon of melted butter. Slice the dough like a pizza into 12 wedges and roll up each wedge from the wide end to the narrow end. Place the rolls on baking sheets with the narrow tip of the dough tucked underneath. Cover the rolls and allow to rise for another two or three hours.

Brush the tops of the rolls lightly with melted butter and bake them for 10 minutes at 375˚. Makes 2 dozen.

Note: Recently we’ve found using 2 cups of whole wheat flour with 3 cups of white flour is just perfect. They do come out slightly smaller, but still delicious.
See:

Homemade Egg Noodles and Chicken

2 c diced chicken or turkey
3 c chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
pepper and other spices to taste
1 batch homemade noodles (below)

Combine first three ingredients in large sauce pan and bring to boil. Add noodles and boil until noodles are just cooked through. You may need to add more liquid depending on how thick your noodles are, how deep your pan is, and so on. Fresh noodles cook faster than dried, thin noodles cook faster than thick, so do not boil too long! Season to taste (we are partial to sage in this dish) and enjoy the goodness.

Egg Noodles
-----------
2 cups flour
1 t salt
4 eggs
few drops of water as needed

We make our pasta dough directly on the counter surface but use a bowl if you wish. Combine the flour and salt. Mound the dry ingredients on the counter and put a depression in the top large enough for an egg. Crack the egg into the depression and use a fork to incorporate the flour into the egg. Repeat with remaining eggs. Then knead, adding water a few drops at a time if necessary, to make a smooth dough. Use a pasta mill to roll dough and cut noodles or divide the dough into workable pieces and roll with a rolling pin and cut with a pizza cutter. You may make the noodles ahead of time, dry, and store a few days, or immediately cook.

White Bread

from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book

2 packages active dry yeast (I use about 1 T. to equal 2 packages)
1 1/2 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1/4 c. vegetable oil
5-5 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the sugar. Let stand 5 min. until the yeast foams. Beat in the salt, eggs, and oil. Stir in half the flour to make a loose batter and beat until satiny and smooth. Add enough of the rest of the flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 5-10 min. Cover and let rest 15 min.

Now just do whatever you do when you make other breads. It just depends on what yeast you use. If you use instant yeast you can just shaped the loaves now and let rise for about 30-60 minutes, until doubled. Or if you use the normal acting yeast, let dough rise about an hour. Shape into loaves. Rise again until doubled - about 45 min.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake for 20-25 min. or until golden and loaves are done.

e-notes: This is like a "treat" at my home. Usually I only like wheat bread to be made for its nutritional qualities. So white bread is a treat here. I really like this bread because it tastes just like yummy Thanksgiving rolls - in fact, this is what we made instead of rolls for our Thanksgiving. Much easier, I think! I think it must be the eggs that make it taste very similar to rolls. Anyways, it's delicious.

Easy Blackberry Cobbler

*The secret yummy ingredient is the pineapple. This is so tasty, it was gobbled up at our home.

Ingredients:
1 21-oz. can of blackberry pie filling
1 21 oz. can of crushed pineapple (juice included)
1 box of yellow cake mix
¾ C melted butter
1 C chopped pecans
Directions:
Pour pineapple (first) and blackberry filling in an ungreased 9x13 in. glass dish. Top it off with dry yellow cake mix and pecans. Pour melted butter over cake mix. Bake in preheated oven for 45 min. at 350.