Cheesy baked dip

•8 oz. sour cream
•8 oz. cream cheese
•16 oz. cheddar cheese, grated (sharp or mild)
•4 oz. chopped green chilies
•Green onion (suit your own taste)
•1 c. chopped ham
•1/2 pound chopped bacon
•1 round bread loaf, hollowed out
Method:


Mix first seven ingredients together and put into the hollowed out bread loaf. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for one hour. Serve with leftover bread or chips.

Double tomato bruschetta

6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 French baguette
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
1.Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
2.In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
3.Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
4.Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
5.Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Pear and Gorgonzola Tarte

•1 pkg. (17 oz) puff pastry sheets, thawed
•2 red onions, thinly sliced
•2 T. butter or olive oil
•1 tsp. kosher salt
•3 D’Anjou pears
•1 ½ - 2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Method:


Place the two sheets of pastry on parchment lined baking sheet. Crimp the edges of each pastry square to form 2 separate tarts, set aside.
Sauté the red onions in butter or olive oil with kosher salt, for 5-8 minutes on low heat until soft and caramelized. Cool to room temperature.

Cut the pears vertically into 1/8” thick slices, removing any seeds. Spread the onions on the pastry evenly, top each pastry square with the thinly sliced pears in a single layer, sprinkle on the cheese and bake in preheated 425 degree oven (middle shelf) for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and cool slightly before cutting into serving pieces. Serves 8.

Crock-pot Mongolian Beef

This was a goodie! Everyone in my family liked it, except the 4-year-old who doesn't like anything that's not Cheeto-based.

1 lb beef flank steak, sliced thinly across the grain
1 medium white onion (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup light soy sauce or 1/2 cup Braggs liquid aminos
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger or 1 inch piece fresh ginger grated
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup cut scallion, in 1 . 5 inch pieces (green onions)
1/3 cup fruity white wine

1 Slice the flank steak thinly across the grain - the strips should be 2 to 3 inches long each; set aside.

2 Combine the onion, soy sauce, broth, garlic, hoisin, brown sugar, ginger, and pepper flakes, then put the mixture into the crock pot.

3 Put the cornstarch in a large Ziploc bag; add the sliced beef and toss well to coat. (It practically kills me to use up a gallon bag for such a simple task, but I did, and the food was worth it in the end.)

4 Add the coated beef into the crock pot, gently pushing it into the liquid to cover; pour the white wine over - do NOT stir.

5 Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours; an hour before you're going to serve, turn the crock pot to high, add the cut scallions, stir, and cook for an additional hour.

6 Stir, and serve over rice or noodles.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sweet Potato

I tried to re-create a yummy dish from a restaurant that I liked, and this is what I came up with. It was good to the adults. The young 'uns weren't fans, but they don't like sweet potatoes (yet), which was a fatal flaw for them with this dish.

6 sweet potatoes
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Jamaican Jerk or Carribbean Jerk marinade
1-2 tomatoes
bunch of cilantro
onion (green would probably be best, but I used white)
papaya (I didn't use this, but I believe the restaurant did. Mango might make a good replacemet for it too.)
lime juice
honey

Put the chicken in your slow cooker, top with some of the marinade, and cook for about 5 hours, until done. Shred it and keep it warm.

In the last 1-2 hours, place the sweet potatoes in a glass baking dish, poke with fork, cover with foil, and cook at 375 until nice and soft.

Chop tomatoes, onion and cilantro into bits. Combine. Add a splash of lime juice. It should look like a fresh salsa.

To assemble, take a sweet potato, peel it and mash it onto your plate. Top with chicken, then salsa, then a little drizzled honey.

Yum!

Chocolate Cake in a Mug/Afternoon Lifesaver

This is my favorite new discovery. When you've got to take care of that afternoon craving, but you don't want to make a whole cake or leave evidence behind, this is the perfect solution.


1 coffee mug


1/4 C. flour (plain, not self-rising)
1/3 C. sugar
2 TBS. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
3 TBS. milk
3 TBS. oil
small splash of vanilla
3 TBS. chocolate chips (optional)

Mix the dry ingredients in the mug. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. I know it looks like there's no way they'll fit, but just trust me on this one.

Microwave for 2 min. 45 seconds. You can eat it straight out of the mug or dump it onto a plate. Really, it makes about two servings, which is just right for one mama on a Thursday afternoon

Ratatouille-ish

Still looking for a way to use that eggplant and/or zucchini? Here's a great dish. I'm not sure it's the real ratatouille, but it's close enough.

1 eggplant
1 zucchini
1 onion
1 bell pepper (red was super yummy)
mushrooms
olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2-1 C. white wine
1 lb. sausage (whatever you have--italian, breakfast, etc.)
1 lb. fun pasta. Bowties worked for me.

Pour a tablespoon or two of oil on a cookie sheet. Chop up the vegetables into bite-size cubes, rub in the oil and roast. You can roast with them larger too and then chop them up when they're done, it'll just take them longer to cook.

In the meantime, prepare your pasta. Also, cook up the sausage. When the sausage is cooking, add garlic. Pour wine into sausage and de-glaze the pan, letting the alcohol cook off.

When everything's done, just throw it all together in a large pot and serve, topped with parmesan or mozzarella cheese.