Savory Pumpkin Dip

I made this on Sunday for a little pumpkin-themed potluck get together after church.  I found the recipe on Gimme Some Oven after searching Google for "savory pumpkin recipes" Saturday night.  I actually had all the ingredients on hand - woo hoo!  Well, except the roasted pecans.  I did have some raw almonds, so I roasted those instead.  The dip was popular, so I figured I ought to share it here.

SAVORY PUMPKIN DIP
slightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese or neufchatel, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds or pecans
4-6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked and chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced


In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, pumpkin, and seasoned salt.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until serving.

Here's a photo of the dip from Sunday:

It looks great garnished with crumbled bacon and green onions.

BLT Pasta Salad and Homemade Ranch Dressing

Your favorite sandwich is now a pasta salad! I personally don't care for bottled ranch dressing and I don't always have a packet of dry mix in my pantry, so I've included a recipe for making your own homemade ranch dressing. It makes a little more than you need for this recipe, but I'm sure that you won't have trouble using it up. :)

This recipe serves 6-8 as a side dish. It's easily doubled if you need to serve more.

An easy way to cook bacon is to lay it out evenly on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. To get it crispy enough for crumbling, you may need to leave it in a few minutes longer - but watch it so it doesn't burn. Let cool on a paper towel lined plate.

BLT PASTA SALAD
adapted from Allrecipes.com

8 oz. rotini pasta (half of a 1 lb. box), uncooked
8 oz. (half a pound) bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup packed, chopped Romaine or Bibb leaf lettuce
1 - 1 1/2 cups prepared ranch dressing
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, and onions. Fold in 1/2 - 3/4 cup ranch dressing until mixture is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, add lettuce, bacon, and black pepper to pasta. Add more ranch as necessary, to taste.


HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. dried chives
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving to let flavors mingle.

Pork or Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki

My mom bought my dad some Greek and Indian cooking lessons for his birthday one year. (He's one of those rare men that enjoys cooking and does it well.) So now we look forward to his Greek dinners with anticipation. But he lives on the other side of the country from me so I finally caved and decided to learn how to make some things myself.

If you frequent Greek restaurants or gyro shops, you are probably familiar with souvlaki and tzatziki. Souvlaki is traditionally made with lamb or pork but can also be make with chicken and is essentially a marinated and grilled meat. You can serve it in a pita with lettuce and tomato gyro-style or on it's own. It's best served with the complimentary tzatziki which is essentially a yogurt and cucumber mixture that is either flavored with dill or mint. I like dill best. Tzatziki is also a great dip for pita crisps or vegetables.

You'll need plain Greek yogurt, which is thicker and a different consistency from regular American yogurt. Luckily it's become more popular and is not hard to find. Here is what I used:
These 5.3 oz containers run about $1 a piece at Walmart and you'll need about 3 1/2 to make this recipe. Or maybe you'll get lucky and find a bigger container at your grocery store. The shredded cucumbers give it some crunch, but if you want your tzatziki sauce more smooth, pulse it in a food processor or blender.

SOUVLAKI
marinade adapted from Emeril Lagasse's on FoodNetwork

2-3 pounds boneless pork loin or b/s chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano (or 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients in a gallon size Ziploc bag and marinate 3-4 hours or overnight.

If grilling: Soak wooden skewers in water for 1 hour. Preheat grill to med-high heat. Thread cubes onto skewers and grill for 10-12 minutes for pork or 8-10 minutes for chicken, turning occasionally.

If sauteing: Heat large skillet over med-high heat. Saute in 2-3 batches (to ensure even cooking) for 8-10 minutes for pork or 6-8 minutes for chicken.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

2 cups Greek yogurt
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and shredded
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/8 tsp. salt (kosher salt is best)
1 tsp. dried dill weed (or 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill)*

Place shredded cucumber in a strainer and squeeze out excess water with your hands. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, cucumbers, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours to let flavors mingle.

*Some people prefer mint over dill in their tzatziki. You can substitute 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint for the dill.

Grilled Salsa

Apparently this is similar to Chevy's salsa, but I've never been there so I really don't know. The recipe called for 6 jalapenos, which I mistakenly complied with, and let me just say, that is too frickin hot for me. Which is too bad, because the flavor of this salsa is awesome. So here's my suggestion:

Mild salsa = 2 jalapenos
Medium salsa = 4 jalapenos
Super-hot-clear-your-sinuses-for-4-hours salsa = 6 jalapenos

And if you are smarter than me you will wear gloves while handling the jalapenos to prevent 3 hours of burning fingers. I also recommend removing as many seeds as you can because that is where most of the heat comes from.

The tomatoes and peppers are grilled in this recipe (hence the name) but I think you could get the same effect by broiling them. Just keep an eye on them so they don't turn into charcoal. You want them charred but not brickettes.

And as for the liquid smoke, if you're not going to add it ... well don't bother making the salsa.

GRILLED SALSA

8-10 Roma tomatoes
2-6 jalapenos
olive oil
1/4 of a medium sized onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. liquid mesquite smoke

Preheat grill to high. Place tomatoes and peppers in a large bowl, lightly drizzle with olive oil, and rub to coat. Place tomatoes on grill first and after about 6 minutes add the peppers. Grill, turning occasionally, until skin peels from tomatoes and peppers are charred:
Remove to a plate and let cool.

Once the tomatoes and peppers are cool, remove the skin from the tomatoes and place them in a food processor.* Pull off the stem of the peppers, remove any burned skin and seeds, and add to the food processor. Add remaining ingredients to food processor and pulse until mixture is smooth.

Pour salsa into a medium size bowl, cover, and chill for several hours or overnight for best flavor.

*If you don't have a food processor, this can be made in a blender: pulse for 1-2 second intervals and use a rubber spatula to stir it up until you can get it all the same consistency.

7-Layer Greek Dip

Okay, for all you sugar haters out there (just kidding - who could hate sugar?) here is a healthy and flavorful recipe. I'm borrowing it from, where else?, Our Best Bites. I made it for New Year's Eve and accidentally bought Kalamata olives that were marinated in something spicy (stupid Fry's deli needs to fix their labels) so it had a little kick to it but it was still really good. I made it again this weekend since I still had so many of the ingredients on hand.

You can use store-bought hummus (you'll most likely find it in the deli section as well as the Kalamata olives) or there is a great recipe to make your own here. I've bought Stacy's brand pita chips to serve with it, but crackers are great too.

7-LAYER GREEK DIP
from Our Best Bites

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened (low fat is fine)
1 tsp. dill weed or Greek Seasoning (I actually use about 1/2 - 3/4 tsp. of both)
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups hummus
1 cup seeded, diced cucumbers
1 cup seeded, diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/8 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese with dill and/or Greek seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice. Spread in the bottom of a pie plate or shallow serving dish. Then spread a layer of hummus. Then, in order, sprinkle evenly with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, Feta*, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or fresh veggies.

*I also like to sprinkle some freshly cracked black pepper on top, before the parsley.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

This recipe comes from Vanessa over at V and Co (which is a fantastic site for crafty peeps - go check it out). I'm going to print the recipe the same as hers, but I actually made a few changes.

I ended up using 3 avocados instead of one because there just wasn't enough otherwise (my avocados were small). I also used green onions instead of white or red because they are easier on my stomach.

So, you can make it as written, or make changes like I did. Either way, it's a great recipe.

BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALSA
from Vanessa Christenson

1 can of corn, drained
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 onion (white or red), chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3-4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine corn, beans, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; pour over bean mixture and stir to coat.

Serve with chips or as a side dish.

Fantastic Fruit Dip

I got an ant bite while taking this photo. The things I do for you!

Now that it's summer, all best fruits are coming in season. I thought this would be the perfect time to share this recipe. My favorite fruit dip! I first had it at a party that my friend Holly threw. It is simply delicious. And it's simple to make. Just two ingredients for creamy, fluffy bliss.

FANTASTIC FRUIT DIP

1 (8 oz) tub strawberry cream cheese spread
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme

Combine both ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Serve with fruit. Refrigerate leftovers.

Guacamole

I didn't like guacamole, or avocados for that matter, for a long time. Now that I'm a grown-up, I'm finally appreciating the 'finer' things. This is my favorite guac recipe. Give it a try, I think you will like it too. If you like it chunkier, don't mash the avocados as much.

GUACAMOLE

3 ripe avocados
2 limes
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

Scoop avocado into a medium size bowl. Squeeze in the juice of 2 limes. Mash.

Mix in the green onions, cilantro, salt, and garlic. Fold in tomatoes.

Can be served immediately or stored in fridge. Best eaten within 24 hours.

Pumpkin Spread

I found this recipe in our newspaper today. I think it sounds delish, so I thought I'd share.

PUMPKIN SPREAD

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
15 oz. can solid-pack pumpkin
2 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

In a large bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add pumpkin and spice and blend thoroughly.

Serve with sliced apples or pears, graham crackers, gingersnaps, or sugar cookies. Can be spread on bagels or toast. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes approximately 4 cups.

Hot Fudge Sauce/Fondue/Dip

Another great recipe from a lady I used to work for. This is not good for you, therefore it tastes divine.


HOT FUDGE SAUCE

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Use a large saucepan to prevent boiling over. Melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, if desired.

If sauce is not creamy and smooth, poor hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2-4 minutes, with the lid vented to allow steam to escape. Store in the refrigerator.


This is great hot fudge sauce for ice cream. Warm, it's a great fondue for fruit and pound cake. Cold, it's a great dip for fruit. Or whatever else needs some chocolate!