Hot Cheesy Corn Dip

I have been off from school for three weeks.  I should have had two days last week, but those turned into snow days so I was productive and decided to have a friend over to celebrate my productiveness!  I made this hot cheesy corn dip and we didn't even let it go from the stove to a table, we ate it right there.  It was delish and a perfect compliment to the beef tenderloin and fennel tacos I made!

Hot Cheesy Corn Dip

Hot Cheesy Corn Dip

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
1 small onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)
2 Scallions, sliced (optional)

Preparation:
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the corn, onion, and red pepper.
Toss and let it sit until slightly charred, mix it up and let it char again, about 6-10 minutes.
Mix the cheese, mayo, lime juice, salt and pepper, place back into the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the cheese has melted.
Top with cilantro and scallions.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Flatbreads

Tonight, with the cooler temperatures, I decided to make flatbread pizzas now that it's okay to turn on the oven.  I used homemade hot sausage, which my uncle made a few weeks ago when I went to my parent's house for the weekend.  The recipe I used must have LOADED the flatbreads up from the maounts they called for, but I ended up using much less than I thought I would.  I turned the rest into a pasta dish for Matt to eat as leftovers and lunches this week.
These turned out really good and you can serve them with a salad for a complete meal!

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Flatbreads

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Flatbreads

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. water
6 pieces broccoli rabe
1 (8.8-oz.) pkg. garlic naan (such as Stonefire)
3 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add broccoli rabe and water.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Set aside.
Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage to pan; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
Spread pizza sauce evenly on 1 side of each naan on baking sheet. Dollop ricotta evenly over top; top evenly with 3 pieces broccoli rabe apiece, sausage, and pepper.
Place naan in the oven.  If using two pans, switch top and bottom pans after 4 minutes.
Continue baking until the cheese is melted and the naan bread is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Take pizza out of the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Meatballs

I realized recently that although I use my mom's recipe for meatballs and sauce all the time, I actually have never posted it before.  These meatballs are delicious.  I could eat them all the time.  Now, I actually forgot to take a picture of my sauce (whoops!), so I will post that whenever I make sauce again.  For now, meatballs alone will have to suffice.
For an alternative to pasta, you can make my zucchini rollups as a side for these meatballs!

Meatballs

Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger, or ground meat of choice
2 cloves chopped garlic
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
additional garlic powder to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix ground meat, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, cheese, egg, and bread crumbes together in a large bowl.  If mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs, a little at a time. 

Roll into balls and place on sprayed cookie sheet. 

Spray the top with more pam & season with salt, pepper & garlic powder. 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until brown.

Add to sauce the last hour.

Enjoy!

Creamy Italian Dip

We had so much time off for the Pope being in Philly that we decided to have a party... obviously!  Matt and I hosted an Italian themed party... with lots of Italian foods because that's probably what they eat at the Vatican, right?  Anyway, for an appetizer I served this dip with crackers as well as some olives.  It was the perfect start to our meal!

Creamy Italian Dip

Creamy Italian Dip

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
2 small tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. Italian Dressing
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. basil, chopped

Preparation:
Spread cream cheese onto bottom of pie plate.
Combine tomatoes and dressing; spoon over cream cheese.
Top with remaining ingredients.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Kraft

BLT Flatbread Pizza

I needed a quick, yummy dinner this week because I spent longer at school helping out with the play.  This recipe fit the bill!  Using pre-made crust, naan in this case, was a great time saver, and the only prep I had to do was to cook the bacon.  It took about 20 minutes in total and we were ready to eat in no time!
We ordered wings (because who has pizza without wings!?), though if I had more time, I could have made wings.  Alas, that will be a great weekend project.

BLT Flatbread Pizza

BLT Flatbread Pizza

Ingredients:
4 pieces garlic naan
1/2 cup tomato sauce
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 Roma tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch thick circles
1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup arugula
1/2 lemon
Pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Lay naan on a pizza stone, pizza steel, or baking sheet. (I had to use a pizza stone and a baking sheet).

Spread about 1/8 cup of tomato sauce on each piece of naan.

Divide the bacon, tomato circles, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese evenly between the naan.

Place naan in the oven.  If using two pans, switch top and bottom pans after 4 minutes.

Continue baking until the cheese is melted and the naan bread is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.

Take pizza out of the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the pizza is resting, place the arugula in a small bowl and toss it with the lemon juice and ground pepper.

Top each pizza with a quarter of the arugula salad.

Slice the pizzas into halves.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Cookin' Canuck

Mango Salsa

Mango salsa screams summer.  Fresh flavors, plus being in New Mexico, it seemed like a no brainer.  I made this as an appetizer for dinner with a few friends, but then ended up putting it on the turkey burgers I made.  (It was also good on some bean and cheese tacos I had for lunch the next day).  This salsa is super easy and the flavors speak for themselves.

Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced (about 3 cups)
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1 lime, juiced
Salt, to taste

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Season lightly with salt, to taste.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Salsa Verde

Here in New Mexico, there is an abundance of fresh veggies that I would normally not have an abundance of in Philly... not that they're not there, but they're hella expensive.  (I'm not sure if I've ever said "hella" before, but it's happening now I guess!)  Tomatillos are super cheap. Cilantro is super cheap. Okay, that's it because everything else in this salsa is about the same cost wise, but the tomatillos were like $2.00/lb. cheaper!

This salsa was great on my vegan tacos, but was also great with tortilla chips!

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husks removed
1 poblano pepper, stem cut off
1/2 small white onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cilantro
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Salt, to taste

Preparation:
Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet.  Add tomatillos, poblano, and onion.
Saute on high, flipping after about 2 minutes.  (They should be nice and charred).
Transfer to a blender or food processor.  Add garlic, cilantro, and lime juice.  Blend until combined. (You may have to transfer tomatillos in batches, I did!)
Salt to taste.
Chill in refrigerator.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Chef Savvy

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

As I was clicking through Pinterest trying to figure out what to make for our New Years Eve get together, I found a recipe for blue cheese stuffed meatballs, they sounded great!  As I started to make these, I realized I was supposed to have a block of blue cheese as opposed to crumbles (which I had) and no egg... well I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use the cheese as a binder.  These ended up not being stuffed, but delicious anyhow.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup onion, grated
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ranch seasoning
4 oz. blue cheese crumbles
1 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Redhot- though for a more mild flavor, you can use wing sauce)
2 Tbsp. butter

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine turkey, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic, ranch seasoning, and blue cheese in a large bowl.  (I used my hands to mix, if you want, you can use a fork.)
Roll into medium-sized meatballs, you should end with 16 meatballs.
Place meatballs onto a sprayed baking sheet.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Meanwhile, add hot sauce and butter to slow cooker.  Place on high and whisk until combined.  Turn to keep warm.
Add meatballs to slow cooker and spoon sauce over the top of each meatball.
These can be kept in the slow cooker for about a half hour.
Serve warm can be topped with blue cheese dressing.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Inspired by Charm