Cucumber Dip

This past weekend was pretty hot, and I wanted a cool refreshing snack.  I was looking through Pinterest and this Cucumber Dip caught my eye.  I of course thought I would be cutting up cucumbers and adding them to the dip, but apparently you just dip your cucumbers in it! You can find this dip here https://www.saltysidedish.com/cucumber-dip/ or on my Pinterest board titled Netflix Snacks.

I tried to grab all the ingredients, but I had a problem at the grocery store.  During this pandemic every time I go to the grocery store the shelves are out of just want I need.  I had no minced onions at home so I figured no problem I'll grab some at the grocery store, while I pick up a few other things.  They were out of nearly every spice, luckily I did have onion powder at home and this recipe recommends using that instead if you are not going to make it the night before. So once I finished yet another melt down in the grocery store I grabbed my ingredients and got to work.


This is a very easy recipe so I measured out all the ingredients, and put them in a bowl ready to mix them.



Once I finished mixing this, I put it in the fridge and started getting my dippers together (yes I think I'm going to make that a word I use frequently).  When I first read this recipe one of the things they suggested to dip was pickles.  Anyone who knows me, knows I love pickles, so it made sense to try it.

Here is the finished product me and my bestie enjoyed this weekend, while watching Netflix!



What did I learn from this recipe?  1.) Pickles can be dipped in anything and I will love them even more, but in all honesty I used gherkin pickles and they were amazing in this Dill Dip. 2.) Just because something is called Cucumber Dip, doesn't mean cucumbers are going to mixed into it. 3.) This is a great summer snack, my friend and I devoured the whole thing! 4.) Don't stick to the usual dippers, experiment you might find that you like something besides the traditional bread and pretzels!

Here is a copy of the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 1/4th tsp Lawry's seasoning salt 
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 cup whole fat sour cream
• 1/8th tsp ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Keto Cucumber Dipping Sauce

1. In a bowl, add and mix up Hellmann's mayo, dried dill, Lawry's seasoning salt, dried minced onion, full fat sour cream, cracked pepper, and dried parsley. 
2. Once dip is thoroughly mixed, put in fridge overnight so flavors can combine and meld together. This also allows the minced onion to soften in the dip.
3. Mix well just prior to serving.
4. If you want to serve same day, you have to omit dried onion (or understand it will have a little crunch) and use either onion powder or real minced onions in its place for the flavor.

So what are your feelings on pickles (and this dip)? Do you love them, hate them, or never even thought about them? Until next time....

Pecan Pie Bites

I was going over my parents house this past weekend and I always like to bring something over there.  My dad....well my dad rocks, he loves to eat and he will try anything we make.  Poor guy even used to eat those brownies my sister made in her easy bake oven.  You know what I'm talking about the thing used a light bulb to bake a brownie.  He would come home from work and my sister would be so proud of what she made, and he would encourage her like she made the most fabulous dessert.  Thankfully my mom always was and is an amazing cook and would have a real dinner for him before he had to suffer through the easy bake oven desserts.

My dad loves pecan pie so of course I had to make something related to that, and I'm sad to say that it is my first Pinterest fail that I am posting about.  Some of it was my fault, but it still was a horrible recipe that I will never make again.  If you want to give it a try you can find it here https://thebakermama.com/recipes/pecan-pie-bites/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=908339024_39654836_312821 or on my Pinterest page under my Yum June 2020 board.

As always I started by grabbing my ingredients.

The recipe said to toast the pecans (until they are brown).  I thought pecans were already brown so I was a little worried I wasn't going to know when they were done.  It also said to mix your dough while the pecans are browning, but to be sure you constantly mix your pecans.  I know how to multitask no problem, but mixing dough with one hand and stirring pecans in a pan with the other hand was a bit much.

I may have burned my pecans slightly, so I learned that pecans can turn a darker brown and even black.  This is before they burned.

And here is the dough that I mixed.  I feel like the dough was too simple of a recipe, but I always stick to the recipe at least when I make it for the first time.

I had my mini cupcake tin ready to go and started filling it.  The recipe said to put a couple of tablespoons in each cavity.  I think my tablespoons may have been larger than what they mean cause there was way too much dough once they baked.  I did press them down too.

Once I finished with the dough I mixed my filling.  I was to fill each bite 3/4 full of filling and that is when I think I learned that I had to much dough.  It was hard to fill and they may of been more filling in their than I should of had.

These baked in the oven for 15 minutes and then you let them cool for five minutes and put another tablespoon of your filling in each bite. This is where I struggled with this recipe again.  The filling which has corn syrup in it has been sitting on the counter for 20 minutes and trying to scoop a tablespoon out and add it to the bite is not an easy task. 

My finished product

So what did I learn from this recipe you ask.  First toasting pecans should be the only thing you are focused on at the time, otherwise they can burn.  Don't listen to the recipe when it says a couple of tablespoons of dough for each bite (it's too much).  Letting pecan pie filling with corn syrup in it sit on the counter for 20 minutes makes it hard to work with.  These didn't come out of the mini cupcake pan very easily, so mine to no look nearly as perfect as the original picture. Most importantly I learned my dad still rocks and will sit there popping these in his mouth as me and my mom talk non stop.  Never once has he discourage what I baked.  My bestie on the other hand is the most honest person you will meet, but would never hurt my feelings.  She tried one and gave me constructive criticism.  Her review on these bites were the filling was great, but there was too much dough and the dough wasn't the greatest.  If you decide to make them you may want to try a different dough recipe.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

TOASTED PECANS:

2 tablespoons butter

2–1/2 cups pecans, chopped

CRUST:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING:

1–1/2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the chopped pecans and toast for about 10 minutes until golden brown, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, make the crusts. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the flour and salt and beat until well combined. Take a few tablespoons of dough and press into and up the sides of each mini muffin cup.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, light corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir in the toasted pecans until well coated. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into each crust, filling it about 3/4 full. Try not to overfill the crusts, as the filling will bubble over when they are baking. Don’t worry…you’ll be adding more filling after they bake!

Bake the bites for about 15 minutes or until the crusts just start to brown. Remove from the oven and let set for about 5 minutes before scooping another tablespoon of filling onto each bite. Let bites cool in pan completely before removing.

So let me know have you ever made something similar to this and what did you do for the dough.  Until next time...

Lemon Thyme Baked Ricotta Cheese Dip

As I was looking through Pinterest, this recipe immediately caught my eye, and I knew I had to make it.  As an Italian I love ricotta, put ricotta on anything and I will try it, honestly I could just eat it plain by the spoonful.  For this recipe you can find it here https://stephaniesain.com/lemon-thyme-baked-ricotta-cheese-dip/ or on my Pinterest board called Yum June 2020.

Complete side note....how do you pronounce ricotta?  My bestie and I can not agree on how to pronounce it.  She says it like it is spelled, and I definitely have a "G" sound in there.  But I also have been told I say most words "funny".

On to the the task at hand, as always I grabbed my ingredients and got started.



I decided to try a few things for this recipe that I have never done before.  First was I never used fresh garlic and minced it myself.  Guilty....I totally use the jar that is already minced, I know my grandmother is turning over in her grave right now.  Sorry Grandma, I should of paid attention more to your amazing cooking while I was little.  But I redeemed myself, and I bought some fresh garlic and watched a youtube video and minced my own garlic.  It was so easy and I really enjoyed doing it myself.  Now if I can just get a little of the garlic smell off my hands that would be great.



I mixed all the rest of the ingredients in.  I also have never used thyme before, so of course I watched another youtube video (wasn't sure which part I was suppose to use).  Let me tell you thyme is super easy to work with, I may have to find more recipes that uses it. The last thing I wasn't sure was when it said the zest of a lemon, how much does it really mean.  I decided to zest the whole lemon (who doesn't love lemon?!?!?!).



Another little small thing I noticed when following this recipe is there is a typing error (I know who am I to talk my grammar is horrendous).  But it said 1/4 of the grated parm.  I wasn't sure if it meant a cup or a tablespoon.  I googled another similar recipe and they were using a 1/4 cup so I went with it and really I love cheese so more is always better. Once I mixed all my ingredients I put it in my small casserole dish and got ready to put it in the oven. 20 minutes later I pulled it out and noticed it was very loose, but smelled delicious.  I added the optional toppings of olive oil, thyme, and rep pepper flakes.


So I had to taste test this right away.  I probably should mention that you want to let it sit for a minute to make it less jiggly! With the first bite you definitely taste the lemon and it is amazing with the ricotta.  I used bread to dip into this, but I think I want to try some veggies next time with this.  The lemon may be a bit overpowering to some, but again I really like lemon so it was perfect for me.  Also I learned that fresh garlic is so much  better than the pre-minced garlic you fine in the jar.



So what did I learn from making this.  I learned that youtube is the greatest tool ever, and do not be scared to try new things.  I learned that while you may think two flavors don't go well together, definitely try it and you may be surprised.

Here is a copy of the recipe:

Lemon Thyme Baked Ricotta Cheese Dip

Ricotta cheese paired with lemon zest & thyme for an elegant party dip perfect for almost any occasion.

 CourseAppetizer

 CuisineItalian

 Prep Time5 minutes

 Cook Time20 minutes

 Total Time25 minutes

 Servings6 servings

 AuthorStephanie

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1/4 finely shredded parmesan cheese
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp. olive oil + some for greasing dish & optional topping
• dash of red chili pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Generously grease small casserole dish with olive oil.
• Place all of the above ingredients in medium mixing bowl and combine well.
• Pour into prepared casserole dish and bake in preheated oven 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and can top with extra olive oil, thyme, & red chili pepper flakes.

So let me know what you think of this recipe and also how do you pronounce ricotta. Until next time...

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

I'm in search of the perfect brownie recipe, and since my husband and I were invited over our friends house last weekend I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try one of these brownie recipes I've been pinning. I've learned that while box mix brownies are really easy, brownies from scratch are just as easy (as long as you have all the ingredients).  

The recipe for this post can be found here https://vintagekitchennotes.com/fudgy-peanut-butter-brownies/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug or on my Pinterest board labeled Brownies.

As always I grabbed my ingredients.  When I went to grab the brown sugar I realized I only had light and this recipe called for dark.  After a small meltdown in the grocery store (they didn't have dark either) and a quick Google search I learned that dark brown sugar has more molasses in it and you can substitute the two when in a pinch.

I started following the recipe, I opted to use the microwave to melt my chocolate and butter, instead of using a bowl over a boiling pan.  I have actually never melted chocolate that way.  If you have please let me know if you think it comes out any different. I will say I had an odd satisfaction seeing my chocolate and butter melt so smoothly.

I mixed in all the ingredients for the brownie base and poured it into my pan.  I then made the peanut butter portion, which required very few ingredients.  I thought it would be more like a cookie, but it was a peanut butter brownie mix. If you make this I would recommend adding more cream to make it more smooth and not dry. I then scooped spoonfuls of the peanut butter mix on top of the brownie mix. Be sure not the over mix the two when swirling the peanut butter mix in. Then in the oven they went.  By the way this pan is awesome to get your brownies cut in equal sizes, but washing it can be a pain (I still wash all my dishes by hand).  

I let them finish cooling and then got them ready for our get together.

What did I learn from these brownies??? These are not going to become my go to recipe they were good but missing something and the peanut butter mix was a bit dry.  Don't get me wrong they were still really good, but I'm hoping to find that recipe that when someone hears I'm coming over they think "I really hope she brings those brownies they are amazing".  I found it odd that they did not add salt and the butter was unsalted. 

Here is a copy of the recipe:

Ingredients

For the brownie base:

·         3/4 cup (130g or 4.5oz) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

·         3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter

·         3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

·         3/4 cup (150g) dark brown sugar

·         3 eggs, at room tº

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         Drops of almond extract

·         1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

·         1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

For the peanut butter swirl:

·         2/3 cup  peanut butter

·         5 tablespoons (40g) powdered sugar

·         ½ teaspoon  vanilla (optional) 

·         2 or 3 tablespoons cream (double, whipping or heavy)

---

Instructions

For the brownie base:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.

2.     Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper and spray the sides that aren’t lined.

3.     Melt the chocolate and butter together in a large glass bowl. I do it in the microwave oven, stirring every 10 seconds, until the chocolate is smooth. You can also do it over a pot of boiling water, careful the bottom doesn’t touch the water, stirring until it's melted.

4.     Mix both sugars into the chocolate.

5.     Add the eggs, vanilla, almond extract if using and cocoa. Mix until well combined.

6.     Add the flour in 2 parts and mix carefully, but don't overmix.

7.     Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

For the peanut butter swirl:

1.     In a medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and cream. Make sure no lumps remain.

2.     Drop spoonfuls on top of the brownie base, then swirl lightly with a knife, making sure you leave whole chunks of peanut butter mix intact. Otherwise it all blends together and it’s not the same effect.

3.     Bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out with fudgy remains and the top looks dry. It's important not to overbake them.

4.     Let cool on a wire rack completely.

5.     I find that they are better the next day. I keep them wrapped in plastic.

6.     They can be frozen, well wrapped.

Let me know if you like your brownies plain or with walnuts or mint? Until next time...

Asparagus, Sun-dried Tomato Puff Pastry Bites

This week I decided to make these delicious asparagus, sun dried tomato puff pastry bites again.  I made these a few months ago when my cousin, Jaclyn, came over. After making them I knew that these had to be made again and again.  I made a few changes from the recipe, but they were great.  You can find the recipe here https://culinaryginger.com/asparagus-sun-dried-tomato-puff-pastry-bites/ or on my Pinterest board under Snacks Jan. 17, 2020.

As usual I grabbed my ingredients and got started.

 

My first adjustment to the recipe was deciding to wrap them like a crescent instead of wrapping a strip of dough around them at the end.  I found my way to be easier although the original recipe may be a little prettier than mine.  Also when I went to cut my dough into 2 by 2 squares I don’t really know where my mind was because they were nowhere near 2 by 2 squares, but these were meant just for me so I didn’t think it was a big deal. Once I finished my horrible cutting job I went to work assembling them, which was quite enjoyable. 

Here is again where I changed things up again. I used Tomato and Ricotta Pesto because I cannot find Sun Dried Tomato Pesto at all. I scooped a teaspoon (possibly a little more) in the middle of each piece of dough and then added 2 pieces of asparagus, before wrapping them up I used the egg and milk mixture to help keep them closed.  The dough was very sticky so in my opinion the extra step wasn’t necessary.  I did however glaze the crescent roll with the egg wash.

 

I was trying to time these so I can enjoy them for a movie I was watching with my girlfriends (we text during the movie to make sure we still follow social distancing guidelines). The recipe called for the puffs to be cooked for 20-25 minutes but I found that they didn’t need much longer than 18 minutes.  I was able to plate them and be ready for movie night.

A few comments about this recipe. I wonder if I used the frozen pastry puff them said, I would of actually gotten 24 out of it? I also wonder if I had the right sauce would it change my feelings on these?  All I know is that by using what I had I loved these and would definitely make them this way again! Also this wine is delicious if you are like me and enjoy fruity flavored drinks!!!

Here is a copy of the recipe:

prep time 10 MINUTES

cook time 20 MINUTES

total time 30 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

·          1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted according to package instructions

·          All-purpose flour for dusting

·          1 cup sun-dried tomato pesto

·          48 asparagus tips, cut to 1 inch long

·          1 egg, beaten

·          1 tablespoon milk

 INSTRUCTIONS

1.        Preheat oven to 400°F.

2.        Dust a clean surface with the flour.

3.        Roll out the puff pastry using a rolling pin to 13 x 12 inches square.

4.        Using a pizza cutter, or large knife, cut a 1-inch strip from the longer 13 inch length.

5.        Cut the strip into 2 1/2 inch long strips that are about 1/8 inch thick. Set off to the side.

6.        Cut the pastry into 2 x 2 inch squares.

7.        Add the egg and milk to a small bowl and beat until mixed.

8.        Working with the pastry square in a diamond shape on the board, add 1/2 teaspoon of pesto to the center of each square.

9.        Place 1 asparagus tip facing to the left corner and another to the right corner.

10.     Brush egg was on the corner furthest from you.

11.     Fold the corner closest to you over the asparagus to the center, then bring the egg washed corner over and glue to the center.

12.     Place 1 strip of pastry in the center of your hand and lay a pastry package in the center.

13.     Brush each end of the strip with egg wash.

14.     Bring both ends to the package and glue them to the package, this is the underside so it doesn't have to look pretty.

15.     Place the package onto the parchment covered baking sheet.

16.     Once they are all done, brush with the egg wash.

17.     Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

So tell me what you think of this recipe and if you are like me and like fruity wine. Until next time...