Chili Cream Cheese Dip

This dip is tied with our buffalo chicken dip for the most frequently made dip in our house. Why?

1)It only has 2 ingredients: chili and cream cheese. So easy.
2) It's delicious. I mean the effort to taste ratio is HUGE.

Five years ago I was 8 months pregnant with my first son and working at a forensic software company. The company had probably 40 workers and out of those only 5 of us were women. I was used to working with mainly men since majored in Computer Science. Computer programmers are generally quiet, timid, socially awkward guys with glasses who consider showering optional. Bless their hearts.

Anyway, out of the blue they threw me a suprise baby shower at work. They gave me a ton of presents and my gorgeous cherry wood crib that has survived three kids and still looks amazing. OH and the food...three tables of anything a pregnant women could imagine (the perk of having a co-worker that also had a catering business on the side). I remember that the first food to be devoured was this dip that they had in a crockpot shaped like a football.

Every since then we bust it out when we are up late playing cards with our friends or watching a game. My friend Heather nicknamed it "Ghetto Dip" because of it's low maintenance. During the SuperBowl you definitely don't want to be spending all your time in the kitchen...so here you go!

Chili Cream Cheese Dip

1 (8 oz) block of softened cream cheese

1 (15 oz) can of high quality chili ( I like Hormel or Dennison )

Warm ingredients until blended in a pot on the stove or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Serve with corn chips (Fritos).

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Here's the first dish to get you ready for the SuperBowl. The girls at OurBestBites like to call these "Inside Out" Pizza. These are the perfect finger food for the big game. You can stuff your favorite toppings inside the roll then dip them in warm marinara sauce. You can make your own pizza dough or buy it. I actually bought mine in the bakery section of my grocery store. They make fresh pizza dough balls and sell it which is sometimes so much easier when I'm short on time. Mine only cost $2. We stuffed ours with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. I made a quick Caesar salad and Voila, dinner!  

Look at the gooey inside.



Stuffed Pizza Rolls



Source: adapted slightly from  OurBestBites

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough

marinara/pizza sauce

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

8-12 ounces mozzerella cheese, diced or grated (diced is the least messy to use when stuffing the rolls)

Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly spray a baking dish or large pie plate.

Unroll pizza onto a lightly floured surface and press into a 12" X 8" rectangle. Cut rectangle into 24 squares. Place pepperoni and cheese (or desired toppings) into the center of each square. Gather the sides of each square up and pinch closed to create a ball. Place each ball seam side down in the baking dish.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

In a small ramekin stir melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings together. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter mixture using a pastry brush. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over rolls.
.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Where I've been...

So I've been busy preparing for a cooking segment for Florida's Channel 7 morning show. It's a football themed cooking segment that it going to air the week of the ProBowl and SuperBowl. I'm definitely no Paula Deen or Rachael Ray. It was fun and definitely an experience but WOW, I'm glad it's over. I feel much more comfortable doing the blog thing. Let me tell you my husband is glad it's over too. They shot in my kitchen so I went a little pyscho making sure every square inch of my house was clean. The crew was at my house for almost 4 hours and after they left I started packing to leave for a trip to Arizona for my nephew's farewell. So sorry I left you all in the dark but I don't like announcing that I'm going out of town for obvious reasons.

While in Arizona we all got sick. I even went to the ER with what I thought was appendicitis. Turned out to be gallstones...they think. The next day my son cracked his head open and ended up with 4 staples in his head.

Sooooo...now we are home and I'm ready to cook. I have a bunch of awesome SuperBowl recipes so stay tuned...

Baked Zucchini "Fries"

So I found out if you call it a fry, my kids will eat it. Dang. Why didn't I know that last week when I was trying to get them to eat carrots. You know...orange fries.

Even better...have them dip 'em in marinara,

...tell them it's ketchup.

It's amazing what a 2 year old will believe.

As for you, this is a great way to keep to your New Year's resolution.

Or are we over resolutions? Just between you and me...I'm getting there. Just one more week. They say it takes three weeks

 to make good habits and one day to break them.

 Before you give up...try these. I barely even had a chance to take them before they were snatched off the plate. These come from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes. She has tons of good healthy recipes so check her out. You can get a healthy marinara recipe on her website to dip these in. I was being lazy and just used canned sauce.

Baked Zucchini Sticks

by Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

WW points: 1.3 per serving (recipe makes 3 servings)

3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks

1 large egg white
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese (can be found in the spaghetti sauce aisle next to Parmesan cheese)
cooking spray
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt
fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping (.5 pt)

Recipe Notes:
1) Make them a little skinnier than shown here.

2) I had to double my breading because I had 4 zucchini and the breading got too soggy.
3) Best when served warm.

Cheat Day - White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

We've been hitting it hard core over here trying to eat healthy...but today I had enough. I'm not a smoker but I imagine it's like trying to quit smoking. I just felt so tense and uptight all today. Food is my drug of choice and today I just needed a hit. Seriously after I made these I took a bite and let out a long deep breath...much better. Got of it out of my system until I relapse again.

Macadamia nuts were on sale at the grocery store so that's what inspired these. Then I came home and researched online for the best macadamia nut cookie and I saw these on For the Love of Cooking and they looked like just what I wanted. I loved these! Don't be surprised if you don't get actual cookies because the dough is unbelievable. As I started making them I noticed the recipe looked familiar. Turns out it's the exact same cookie recipe as my favorite chocolate chip cookies just with the white chocolate chips and nuts swapped instead of chocolate chips. Chewy. Moist. Salty. Sweet. Enough said.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie

adapted slightly from  For the Love of Cooking

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped macadamia nuts
1 1/2 to 2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl then set aside. Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla with a mixer until creamy.
 
Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just mixed. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips by hand. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges look golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 4-5 minutes so the cookies can set before moving to a rack.

Donald Trump's Turkey Burger and our favorite sandwich bread

I don't watch Oprah regularly but I did happen to see a segment with Donald Trump where his chef made his favorite turkey burger. He swore it was the best burger he ever had. Oprah loved it...or pretended to anyway. I saw this again on Once Upon a Plate and in my quest for healthier dinners I decided to try it. It was full of flavor and good.

John was apprehensive when he saw me cutting up apples to put in the burger but since you sautee them you just get great flavor and no CRUNCH. We have a delicious turkey burger recipe that we cook on a regular basis and John said that this was definitely going to have to replace it!

When I'm trying to eat healthy I avoid sandwiches because before you add anything to the sandwich you are already at 200 calories with just the bread! Then we were introduced to Arnold Multigrain Sandwich Thins. They are thinner, super soft, and only 100 calories. They are perfect for sandwiches and burgers.

Recipe Notes:

1) The original  recipe calls for 4 lbs of turkey. I have quartered the recipe approximately to how I like it.

2) Reviews said that the Pear Chutney topping was a little too much for the burger and it didn't need it so I didn't make it. It was great without it but feel free to try it.

3) Major Grey's Mango Chutney can be found in the aisle with ketchup and pickles or sometimes with the jam. If you can't find it you can substitute Mango Jam. The chutney is just spicier but there's hardly any of it in the burger, especially if you quarter the recipe, so don't stress it.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers Recipe

adapted from Once Upon a Plate

1 1/2 Tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced

2 1/2 Tablespoons celery, finely chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced finely

splash canola oil

20 oz. Jenni-O lean ground turkey

1/2 Tablespoon salt

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco™

1/4 lemon, juice and grated zest

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1 Tablespoon Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until very tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into four 5-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney (see below) and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll. If desired, omit the chutney and serve with other favorite condiments.

Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney

1 Anjou pear, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. sea salt

1 1/2 cups Major Grey's Chutney

1/4 cup dried currants or raisins

Preheat oven to 350°.

Toss the diced pears with the cinnamon and salt. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Cool and mix with the chutney and currants or raisins.

Chicken Gyros - Opa!

I think I was meant to be Greek. When I watched the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" I couldn't help but feel like I was watching my own family. A big family with strong religious convictions who love to eat. And my family is BIG. I am the youngest of 10 kids. I have 85 first cousins on my dad's side alone. Oh, and the food. Sometimes when I am cooking for my family when I am in Arizona I feel like I am at a boarding house. Last time we were there John and I took over cooking breakfast one morning. After 6 dozen eggs we still had only fed half the crowd. As soon as you set the plate of food down it was gone.

I saw these on Annie Eats and she said they were her new favorite meal and let's face it...she's cooked a few. These are a healthy start to the new year. I made whole wheat version of her pitas to be on the healthier side and the tzatziki is yogurt based so it can't be bad. You can very well buy store bought pitas but I was having a Martha moment and felt like doing my own. And they were so soft and yummy. I loved the cool, creamy, refreshing sauce on the chicken. So good.

Also, if you really want the flavors to blend make the tzatziki sauce the day before and marinate the chicken the day before.

Some Greek tidbits from Ellie at Ellie says Opa:

1) Gyro is pronounced Yee-Roh not Jy-Roh. But Jy-Roh is so much more fun to say.

2) Traditional pitas don't have a pocket in them.

Chicken Gyros

Source: adapted from Annie-Eats

Tzatziki sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

To assemble: Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

Directions:
Shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.