I freaking love this Bean Dip

Over the years, Billy has requested numerous cheese and bean dips. I’ve happily obliged, because…who doesn’t love dips? I know I do! There are tons of recipes for them out there. This one happens to be my favorite. It’s not loaded with cheese, so I don’t feel too bad eating it, either. It’s also ridiculously simple to make--it’s a one pot deal!

Speaking of the pot, I don’t even need this served in a bowl. I can stand at the stove and eat it right out of the pan. I’m serious. I’m not even ashamed! Give me a bag of chips and this dip, and I’m going to town.

“What? Where’s the bean dip?”

…

“Did I say I was making bean dip?”

…

“Nope, not me. You must be imagining things.”

…

“Sorry. There’s no bean dip.”

__________________________________________

Yeah, it’s like that. It’s my favorite, what can I say?

Recipe!

I freaking love this Bean Dip

Makes about 4 cups

1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 cup shredded cheese, I use a Mexican blend
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 tsp adobo powder
1 jar (8 oz.) taco sauce
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
dash of garlic powder
Corn chips for dipping

Mix all the ingredients, but not the corn chips, in a small saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring often, until thoroughly heated and cheese is
melted.

Keep warm. Serve with corn chips.

So simple! And if you want more heat, go ahead and add it.

For more Super Bowl Foods, check out my other posts here:

• Pizza Roll Ups, plus other recipe links
• Super Bowl Party Foods

Pizza Roll Ups

Game day food! These would be a fun snack to serve at your Super Bowl parties. Not only are they ridiculously simple to make, but they’re a little something different among the other snacks. A mixture of cream cheese, shredded cheeses, pepperoni and green onions is spread out on flour tortillas, and browned in a hot pan. Serve with your favorite marina for dipping!

You could also change these up, making a Tex-mex type roll up, a spinach and feta roll up (Oooh, add some fresh dill to that one and I’m there!)--use your imagination!

Cream Cheesy Pizza Roll Ups

Makes 4 (8") tortillas, cut into 3 pieces each, so 12 pieces total.
Adapted from Cuisine at Home

8 oz softened cream cheese 

Scant 1/3 cup finely diced pepperoni 

1 cup shredded cheese (I picked up a pizza blend.) 

1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced (just the green parts) 

1 tsp pizza seasoning

1 tsp fresh basil, minced

4 (8") flour tortillas 

a bit of oil for cooking 

Marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, pepperoni, shredded cheese, green onions, pizza seasoning and basil. Mix well.

Spread each tortilla with some of the cheese mixture, and get it all the way to edges to help the rolls seal. Roll each one up tightly. Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Not too much, you're not deep frying, just browning the tortilla rolls. Depending on the size of your pan, place one or two rolls in the oil and brown on all sides. This should only take a few minutes for each one. Use tongs and turn the rolls so you brown them all over. Set aside, and finish browning the rolls.

Let them cool slightly before slicing. Slice each roll into 3 pieces and serve with your favorite marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

If you’re looking for more ideas for fun Super Bowl foods, check out my post from last year. I collected some of my favorite past recipes for you to look over!

• Super Bowl Party Foods

And here are some of my favorites from the past year for you to check out:

• Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Cookies (This makes a lot to feed your crowd!)
• Turkey Pesto Parmesan Meatballs (Make meatball subs--add some sliced provolone!)
• A Ploughman’s Platter makes a great “nibbling” offering.
• Cosmic Brownies are super fudgy and you can personalize them with m&m’s in your team colors.
• Portland Eggplant Veggie Burgers--these are one of my faves!
• Game Day Buffalo Pork Meatball Subs--I’ll definitely be making these! I crave these constantly. Everything you love in a Buffalo Wing, but neater.
• Steak, Blue Cheese and Horseradish Cream Bites with Caramelized Onions. If making individual apps isn’t your thing, consider the parts of these apps in a sandwich!

Teddy Graham Trail Mix

The Super Bowl is coming! It’s almost here. There will be parties, food, drinks, screaming, yelling, crying (maybe), food…did I mention food? Don’t forget the kids when you plan your game day parties! They’ll be happy that you thought of them. This is great to bring to a party if your hosts have kids, too. You’ll score big points, for sure.

It’s an easy mix of Teddy Grahams, cereal, pretzels, and a few sweets, too. Also, completely versatile! Use what you can find--don’t feel limited to what I’ve used here. When my son was in preschool, I made this when it was my turn to supply the Friday snack. The kids LOVED it. Got a long car ride coming up? Pack some of this!

Confession. I love this, too. And I can’t keep Billy out of it! He’s asking me to give it all away because he can’t stop snacking on it. For me, I like to throw some nuts in my own serving, but only mine because the kids don’t like nuts.

Speaking of nuts, it may be a good idea to see if any kids at your party have nut allergies, and plan accordingly.

I can’t even call this a recipe--it’s more a guideline. One thing I've found is that dried fruit tends to make the crispy things kind of soft during storage, so that's why I use the yogurt and chocolate covered rasins. If you think it'll all be eaten on the same day you make it, I'd say go for it.

This makes a lot. I didn’t measure it out, but what you see in the photos isn’t even all of it. There’s more backstage, ha!

Teddy Graham Trail Mix

Makes a bunch

1 box (11.3 oz or 7 cups) Peanut Butter Multi Grain Cheerios
1 box (10 oz) Teddy Grahams (I've used chocolate here.)
2 cups mini pretzels
1 bag (12.6 oz or approx. 2 cups) m & m's
1 1/2 cups (10 oz) yogurt covered raisins
1 (3.5 oz) box Raisinets

Mix all of these in a large bowl, store in an airtight container.

Baklava Butter

I adore Baklava. I’ve never met one I didn’t like! But as far as making it, I’m not sure I have the patience, with all the layering that needs to be done. And then, after making it, I’d want to eat all of it! It’s so sweet and nutty--completely addicting. How could I turn it away, with all of those nuts, the sweet honey, and the crunchy, paper thin layers of phyllo dough?

I’ve found a way to get all of my favorite things from Baklava, without all of the work. How does it taste? Nutty, crunchy, sweet--but not too sweet, and there’s the telltale signature spice, cinnamon. I don’t see how I can go any amount of time without this in my kitchen.

The other day, while out shopping with Billy, I stopped to check out the cooking mags. I have an addiction, ok? I know, you do, too! The rack was filled with comfort food related issues for slow cookers (of which I don’t have) and casseroles (Billy strongly dislikes casseroles of almost any kind). I saw an issue of Cuisine at Home, which I’ve only ever picked up once or twice. But skimming through it, I saw quite a few promising recipes.

I didn’t even pick the magazine up to read it until a few days later when we got some free time. This recipe for Baklava Butter nearly jumped off the page while screaming my name. It’s true! I went out almost right away and got the nuts to make it.

Speaking of nuts, I know they can be expensive. Trader Joe’s has very reasonable prices on nuts if you’re near one. Whole Foods allows you to buy just the amount you need in the bulk foods aisle. If these aren’t options for you, try your nearest natural foods store. They’ll likely have a bulk food section. If none of these options are going to happen for you, then pick up the nuts you can. I’m sure this spread would be just as fantastic if you can only get one or two types of the nuts.

Don’t even get me started on the health benefits of nuts! By now, you should already know how fabulous they are for you, but if you don’t, check out this site. Every single nut in this recipe is so good for you! And it’s sweetened only with honey. Best part? You don’t have to mess around with blanching and skinning the nuts. Plus, it’s a no bake, quickie snack. So make some!

Baklava Butter

Makes just over 2 cups.
Adapted from Cuisine at Home.

1 cup almonds
2/3 cup walnuts
2/3 cup cashews
2/3 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup honey (Use organic! Cheap honey is full of nasty hidden chemicals and HFCS.)
1/2 cup water
Couple pinches kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor about 20-30 times. you still want to have some of the nutty texture, so don't overdo it.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Note: All of the nuts I used were roasted, not raw. You can certainly use raw if you'd like, and combined with honey, can be a raw spread for you to enjoy! If any of the nuts are salted, taste for seasoning before you add some salt.

So simple!

• Serve this with your favorite bread, bagel, roll, etc.
• Billy chose to swirl some into some Greek yogurt and said it was amazing. A must try!

Top 11 for 2011

I won’t get too wordy here, the title is self explanatory. These are the top eleven posts from my blog for the past year, according to Google. Don’t be alarmed if some photos are marked earlier than 2011, it’s just that you guys still really like some of the older posts. That makes me happy!

Thanks for reading along! I’m looking forward to more fun and good food in 2012!

Counting down from 11 to #1…

11. Loaded Fries - Think Super Bowl food! These have grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, horseradish cheddar and other good things. 

10. It’s not a P-I-T-A to make Pita Bread - Easy, I’m serious. Pig out!

9. S’mores Rice Krispies Treats - Makes both little and big kids seriously happy! Is it a Rice Krispie Treat? A S’more? It’s both, sandwiched together.

8. Pistachio Praline Cherry Ice Cream - I could eat this every single day.

7. Bananas Foster Cupcakes - I even flambéed bananas for these!

6. Make Your Own Christmas Ornament Wreath - It blew me away how popular this one was!

5. Fresh Blueberry Pie - Bursting with fresh blueberry goodness. Most of the berries don’t get cooked, so it’s super fresh.

4. Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Cookies - I cracked the code!

3. Holiday Elfin Shortbread Cookies - Customizable for any holiday.

2. Cosmic Brownies - Who loves Cosmic Brownies? Everyone, it seems!

1. Woodchuck Draft Cider Sorbet - The most popular post ever in the the history of this blog. Super simple and so refreshing!