Cheeseburger Dip

Cheeseburger Dip

(8-12 servings)

Ingredients:

4 tsp. Black pepper

4 tsp. Creole Seasoning

2 tsp. Garlic Powder

2 tsp. Onion Powder

¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 large Onion, small dice

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

2 lb. Ground Turkey

4 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and diced

½ cup Mayonnaise

8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature

8 oz. Jack Cheese, shredded

8 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

garnish Fresh Parsley, chopped

Ritz Crackers (or your favorite)

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the seasonings from black pepper through cayenne pepper.  Reserve 2 tsp. of mixture for a later use.  In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and then add onion cooking about 5 minutes.  Season with 1 tsp. of seasoning mixture and blend well.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add turkey and jalapeno to skillet and cook breaking up the ground turkey about 10 minutes or until no longer pink.  Remove from heat and place mixture in a large bowl.  Cool slightly.  Cut cream cheese into pieces and add along with the mayonnaise and other 3 cheeses.  Mix well and spread into a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed or greased.  Place in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 30 minutes.  Next turn oven to broil and go another 5 minutes or until top is lightly browned.  Serve with Ritz crackers (or your favorite), tortilla chips or sliced toasted baguette pieces.

Notes:              You can use ground chuck, ground pork or ground chicken instead of the turkey if you desire.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Tailgating Dips for Football Season

Football season is here!  So with that, everyone is getting ready to party before, during and after the games.  Whether it’s at the stadium or at someone’s home, you need to have food options for throughout the long season.

This week and next will have recipes for some side dishes to help fill in your menu.

We will start, this week, with a couple of party dips.  Wednesday offers up “Cheeseburger Dip” for the games you’re not offering up burgers for the crowd.  Then on Thursday, it’s “Beer Cheese Dip” to compliment your favorite brew.

Don’t forget that it takes a game plan for pulling off a great tailgate party no matter the location.

So here’s to your favorite teams having a great season and you having fun supporting them.

“Happy Cooking” until next week when we will talk “Monkey Bread” for football.  Please remember to share this link with family and friends.  Especially the football fans.  Thanks.

Mediterrranean Spaghetti (GF)

Mediterranean Spaghetti (GF)

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. Olive Oil, divided

1 large Shallot, minced

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, chopped

1 large Lemon, juiced

2 tbsp. White Wine

1 ½ tsp. Fresh Basil

pinch Red Pepper Flakes

6 oz. Fresh Baby Spinach

4 oz. Feta Cheese, crumbled

2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved

½ cup Kalamata Olives, sliced

8 oz. Gluten-Free Spaghetti

1 tbsp. Kosher Salt

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm 2 tbsp. olive oil.  When ready, add shallot and garlic cooking until translucent.  Add lemon juice and wine and simmer briefly.  Add basil and pepper flakes and then the spinach.  When spinach begins to soften, but not yet wilted, transfer mixture to a large bowl.  Toss with most of feta, saving some for garnish.  Add remaining oil to skillet and cook tomatoes until slightly softened.  Add tomatoes and olives to mixture in bowl and toss.  While doing this, cook pasta according to package directions but stop a minute or two early.  Be sure to add salt to the boiling water before adding the pasta.  Drain pasta and add to mixture and toss.  Garnish with remaining feta cheese and serve.

Notes:              If you don’t like feta cheese, use grated parmesan.  You can also use a different shape of gluten-free pasta too.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Cacciatore-Style Spaghetti (GF)

Cacciatore-Style Spaghetti (GF)

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Chicken Sausage Links, hot or mild

3 tbsp. Olive Oil, divided

1 medium Onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

1 large Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

1 large Green Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp. Fresh Thyme

1 tsp. Lemon Zest

¼ tsp. Ground Turmeric

¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

¾ cup White Wine

1 can (28 oz.) Plum Tomatoes, drained

2 tbsp. tomato Paste

1 tbsp. Small Salted capers, drained

½ cup Fresh Parsley, chopped, divided

8 oz. Gluten-Free Spaghetti

1 tbsp. Kosher Salt

½ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Directions:

Freeze sausage links for 15-20 minutes before thinly slicing.  In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm 2 tbsp. oil.  When ready, add sliced sausage and cook until no pink remains.  Now add onion and garlic.  Cook until onion is soft.  Add peppers and cook another minute or two.  Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two.  Now add thyme, lemon zest, turmeric and pepper flakes.  Stir to combine and simmer a few minutes.  Place whole tomatoes in a large bowl and break up with a knife.  Add the tomatoes with juice, tomato paste and capers to mixture.  Simmer 30 minutes, partially covered.  Add half the parsley and stir to combine.  While this has been going on, cook pasta according to package directions less a minute or two.  Be sure to add the salt to the boiling water just before adding the pasta.  Drain cooked pasta and transfer to a large platter.  Top with some of the sauce mixture and garnish with the parsley and some of the parmesan cheese.  Pass the remaining sauce and cheese as the platter is served.

Notes:              If chicken sausage links aren’t available or you prefer something else.  You could use Italian sausage links or even small meatballs, if desired.  Also, the whole tomatoes are best, but you could use diced.  Just drain most juice first.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Gluten-Free Pasta Dishes

To continue to make-up for missing my “Gluten-Free” week, this is the second in a row of GF recipes.  We will be back on every 4 weeks post starting with this one.

This week’s recipes are not your normal pasta recipes you always make.  They can also be easily doubled to make 8 portions and use a full pound pasta box.

For those of you not needing these dishes to be GF, just use your favorite pasta.

So Wednesday, we have “Cacciatore-Style Spaghetti (GF)” for your pleasure.  It uses chicken sausage links, but you could try actual bone-in chicken pieces or boneless breasts or thighs.  I do give a few other choices in the “notes” part of the recipe.

Thursday offers a “Mediterranean Spaghetti” dish to try.  This one is also a vegetarian dish.  Although it might be worth trying it using shrimp.

In the meantime, “Happy Cooking” until next week.  Remember to share this link with others too.  Thanks.

Sweet Potato Quiche (GF)

Sweet Potato Quiche (GF)

(4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 medium Sweet Potato

nonstick Cooking Spray

to taste Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp. Olive Oil, divided

1 medium Shallot, finely diced

¼ cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped

8 oz. Fresh Spinach, stems removed and chopped

4 large Fresh Eggs, lightly beaten

1¼ cup Gruyere Cheese, shredded (4 oz.)

dash Fresh Ground Nutmeg

Directions:

Grease a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.  Clean and peel sweet potato and slice using a mandolin, 1/4 inch thick.  Arrange slices on bottom and up sides of pie plate.  Spray sweet potato slices with cooking spray.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350-degrees.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tbsp. of oil.  Add shallot and red pepper cooking about 5 minutes or until softened.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  Add remaining oil to skillet adding half the spinach, cook 2 minutes or until wilted.  Add remaining spinach to pan and wilt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, cheese and nutmeg.  Stir in spinach and shallot mixtures.  Pour egg mixture into prebaked sweet potato crust.  Place in the oven (350-degrees) and bake 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes:              If you need meat in your quiche, add ¼ cup of cooked and crumbled bacon or finely diced cooked ham.   

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Hash Brown Veggie Quiche (GF)

Hash Brown Veggie Quiche (GF)

(6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

2 cups Refrigerated Hash Browns

3 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, divided

1¼ cups Fresh Zucchini, shredded

½ cup Onion, chopped

4 large Fresh Eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Half and Half

1 large Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tbsp. Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped

¼ tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

1 cup Gouda Cheese, shredded (4 oz.)

1 tbsp. Gluten-Free Flour (your choice)

Directions:

Gently pat hash browns dry with a paper towel to take out moisture.  This allows them to brown evenly and quickly.  In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter.  Add hash browns and cook 12-14 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning just once.  Press hash brown mixture across bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie pan.  Bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 400-degree oven.  Remove and reduce heat to 325-degree.  While hash browns are baking, pat zucchini dry with paper towel.  Add remaining butter to skillet still over medium heat.  Add zucchini and onion and cook for 3 minutes or until softened.  In a medium bowl, combine eggs, half and half, zucchini mixture, bell pepper, parsley and crushed red pepper.  In a small bowl, mix cheese and gf flour before adding to zucchini mixture.  Pour into hash brown lined pie pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes:              Frozen hash browns can be used in
                        this recipe.  Thaw overnight so
                        their consistency is the same as the
                        refrigerated ones.

Note:               The bell pepper color is your choice.  Red, yellow or orange would be better than a green one.  But the green will work too.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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