Dip, dip, dip!

For Christmas I tried a couple new dips. Most of them were great, and I look forward to sharing the recipes. They all stored and traveled well - a must around our house! We hope you enjoy them. If you make any good improvements, please share the changes with me :)

Avocado Feta Dip 
1/2 c. red onion  (I do the whole thing)
1 diced seeded jalapeno
Cook both in olive oil for 6 minutes. I cook them till the onions are transparent.

Puree the onion and jalapeno (using my stick blender) with
1 diced avocado (I use the very large Florida/Texas? avocados instead of the normal small ones. If I was using a small avocado I would probably use 2 or 3).
1 c. cilantro
3/4 c. feta
1/4 c. lemon juice
3 T. oil
salt and pepper to taste

Puree until blended well (make sure to get all the cilantro stems blended well) then put in the fridge ...EASY!  Goes very well on chips. Kind of like a variation of guacamole.  Warning: it turns out bright/light green.

Kale Pesto (Thanks Rach) Dip
3 c. packed kale. stems removed and roughly chopped
1 c. packed basil
2 garlic cloves
2/3 c. toasted walnuts
1 c. parmigiana cheese (I used parmesan cheese)
juice from 1/2 lemon (2 T concentrate?)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper (I used more)
1/2 c. olive oil

To make pesto into a "dip," combine a couple tablespoons of pesto with:
1/3 c. sour cream
1/2 c. cottage cheese
I'm not sure on my measurements. "Eye" it and add more pesto and cottage cheese to taste.

Food Processor the basil and 1/2 the kale, break it down. Add the rest of kale once first batch is smaller. Add garlic, walnuts. Pulse until it forms a paste. Add lemon juice, cheese, salt, pepper and oil. Pulse until desired consistency.

Rachel shared the Kale Pesto recipe and then I just mixed it with "equal parts" of sour cream and cottage to make a dip. It turned out much like a spinach bread bowl dip. We really enjoyed it!

Hot Black Bean Dip (Thanks Auntie Cubby)
1 15 ox. can black beans - drained and rinsed
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chicken broth
lime juice 1 T? to taste
1 scallion trimmed, sliced
1 clove garlic
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. hot red pepper sauce

Combine all ingredients & puree. To save for later just put in the refrigerator. To serve immediately microwave until hot and serve with chips. This saves well and travels well (put into a spill proof jar).

Salsa Quinoa Salad (or chip dip!)
Cook 1 c. Quinoa  according to pkg directions, then cool.
Combine cooled quinoa with:
1-15oz black bean, drained and rinsed
1 -15 oz sweet corn, drained (or frozen) Roasted on a skillet for extra flavor
1 can Lime Cilantro Rotel
3 green onions chopped (cooked in oil, with corn?)
1/2 c. green bell pepper, small diced
Lots! of fresh cilantro

Dressing:
1/3 c. olive oil
1-2 Limes fresh squeezed
1/2 t. grated lime peel (I did one whole lime peel and didn't measure)
1 T. chili powder (I did about 1/2 T. extra for good measure!)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over combined salad ingredients.  This recipe stayed fresh tasting for days - AWESOME recipe! The recipe says to serve it in flour tortillas, but we ate it scooped up in chips. SO GOOD!

Hunting Season

There are many things to enjoy about hunting season:

-being outside in the woods
-feeling fully justified to take an afternoon nap after getting up early
-the wonderful contrast of coming inside where there's a fire going after being outside shiveringly cold
-being able to share the fun with those you love
-filling the freezer
-knowing where our meat comes from
-how warm it makes the rest of winter feel (in contrast to sitting and not moving for 3-4 hours)



I am thankful for the opportunity to have watched Joshua hunt and then to do it at KRiv with Dad and Naom and now to be able to share hunting with Denver. We are thankful for the bounty of this year. Word over here in WI is that the numbers are down, but Denver still has seen quite a few and has gotten two with his bow. When we went home to MN for opener weekend he got two there also. We are so thankful for full freezers!

Thanks to other's generosity we have a dehydrator and I made our first batch of venison jerky- it's amazing!

A craving for Peanut Sauce

I was at work on Thursday morning thinking about what I was going to make for dinner. Thursday dinner is always a bit interesting, because we have Bible study at 6pm and I get home around 3:45-4pm. When it was warmer I used to bring a picnic lunch and meet Denver after he got done with work (4:45pm). So, basically Thursday dinners need to be quick. Because of the need for speed we usually have leftovers and I try to plan ahead on Tuesday and Wednesday to have something extra by Thursday.

But back to this week: we didn't have anything made in the fridge...and I was really wanting peanut sauce. So I looked up quick recipes during my prep period and found Thai Peanut Noodles. Over lunch I ran to the grocery store and picked up the few things we didn't have in our kitchen. I was SO excited for dinner!

I'll be the first to admit that normally it takes me about DOUBLE the time estimated on a recipe to actually finish baking or cooking what I set out to make. I was hopeful that this would be different. The recipes (I was going off of two) both have estimated time of 15-30 minutes. It took me just under an hour, but I added meat to the dish. :) My chicken was frozen, which easily added 20 minutes to the cooking time. I bet this could be a 30 min meal when perfected!

Here's the recipe I came up with, combining the two:

Sauce:
1/2 C. Coconut milk (I kept adding to thin out the sauce and used the whole can) 1/4 c. in the chicken
1/2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
2 T. Ginger minced + 1 t. in the chicken
2 T. (or to taste) reduced sodium Soy Sauce  1 T. in chicken
1-2 T. Hot Chili Sauce

Chicken:
2 Chicken Breasts Sliced (or smaller would be ok)
olive oil for the pan when cooking the chicken
Listed above: Soy sauce, coconut milk, ginger

When chicken is cooked add vegetables: Broccoli in small pieces, sweet peppers sliced, carrots, sugar peas, (asparagus - the recipe listed, I'm curious how this would taste).

We used Linguine noodles and layered all three on our plate: Noodles, Chicken/Veggies, Peanut Sauce, topped with some chopped peanuts.  It was delicious! Denver commented many times how fun it was and tasty too!

We both thought it could used a little bit more salt (non was added and it was reduced soy sauce). If you have regular soy sauce it will probably taste fine, or you could add chicken broth to the peanut sauce and the chicken. Another fun addition would be sesame oil to cook the chicken.  Enjoy!

Cranberry Apple Crisp

I was feeling rather festive the other day at the grocery store and bought a scoop of frozen(ish) cranberries out of an open freezer bin (much like the large nut display that I'm used to). I scooped up a small bag and wondered what they would turn into once they got into our kitchen  :)  All the possibilities were exciting to my cooking-loving brain.

After having them defrost in the refrigerator for a couple days I told Denver that I really must make them into something. Originally I was thinking of Cranberry (Pound) Bread - I'm not sure if there is such a recipe, but it sounded good!  Then I was going to make a Cranberry Apple Pie (the picture online looks so pretty). But at 8:30pm on Saturday night I didn't feel like rolling out pie dough. So instead I made an Apple Cranberry Crisp - and it was fabulous!

The apples turn red color from the cranberries

this is on a glass plate - tricky :)

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it:  50 65  

• 3 cups chopped peeled tart apples  (I used more than 3 cups)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup sugar (I did 3/4 c.)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• I added cinnamon - probably about a 1-2 teaspoons
• TOPPING:
• 1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup chopped Diamond of California® Pecans
• Again I added some cinnamon - probably about 1 teaspoon

Directions

• Combine apples, cranberries, sugar and flour. Pour into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. (I used a 9x13) baking dish. In a bowl, mix topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until fruit is tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Chili

I'm not usually an overwhelming fan of chili...but something has changed. Brown sugar! 
Here is our current favorite recipe.

Crock Pot Chili

1 10 oz can of Rotell Tomatoes (whatever spice you like)
1 14 oz can Diced Tomatoes -no added salt
1 14 oz can Northern White Beans (rinsed)
1 14 oz can Black Beans (rinsed)
1 14 oz can of a red bean: Red Beans, Chili Bean (no rinsed), Light Kidney...
1-2 lb. ground beef (browned with minced onion and garlic on the stove)
1 teaspoon (aka. a couple shakes) Franks Hot Sauce
hearty amount of fresh cracked black pepper (1/2 - 1 T)
1 t. dried basil (or fresh)
1 t. dried oregano
3 T. Chili Powder (or more or less to taste)
1/4 c. brown sugar (again - I usually just sprinkle it in without measuring. The goal is to have it cut the acid of the tomatoes, sometimes I use more and other times less.)
Let simmer in the crock pot on low for 2-6 hours. Everything is cooked, so it just needs to get warm.


Really any beans work - use what's in the cupboard. We just like the color variation of white, red and black. It makes each bite a little more interesting :)

Some of our favorite toppers: a scoop of cottage cheese and snipped cilantro! Enjoy with a cornmeal muffin!  

This meal freezes great for Denver's lunches! When I make a batch I dish some up directly into glass (old peanut butter) jars, before we've even eaten. They freeze well, thaw well and he can re-heat it in the same container at work. Sigh...I know what we're having for dinner :)

An oven!

After living here for two months without a stove/oven (which wasn't so bad, believe it or not!) we now have an oven. It arrived on Saturday and so today for lunch I made cornbread muffins to go with our chili. It is so much fun to expand the possibilities of what to make :)

The Lord used the lack of oven to teach me thankfulness and contentment. I was so thankful for the generosity of the Yoder's for letting us use their electric hotplate. Denver had a griddle and a crock-pot, both which I was very thankful for! And the Lord used the lack of stove to show me that cooking my "best meals" wasn't what Denver was needing in a wife. Rather a wife who welcomes him home with love and a gracious attitude; to be pleasant and be thankful for what the Lord provided for us (food and home).

While I enjoyed the Lord using that season of no stove to teach me things, I am also looking forward to having an oven and using it. :) Denver is out deer hunting and I thought it would be fun to have an apple pie ready when he gets home. Off I go to cut up apples...

A Good Ol' Favorite

Dump Cake - it has the worst name, but the best flavor. Yesterday I was trying to think of something quick I could bring to Bible study. A couple days ago I was telling Denver about dump cake and questioning if it could be made in the crock pot. Anyway - it has been on my mind ever since then.  So yesterday I figured it would be a quick easy dessert. I called up our pastor's wife and asked her if I could bake it at her house (since study is there anyway). She kindly said yes and I whipped it up and brought it over.

Since it is quick enough to literally "whip" up and is transportable enough to bring pre-baked over to the other side of town, I figured it earned a spot of recognition on the blog :) Plus the rave reviews last night. It's so easy I almost feel bad about all the compliments.

So here's the recipe:
1 can chunk pineapple (with the juice)
1 can cherry pie filling
1 yellow cake mix (I had a white cake in my cupboard and it turned out just fine)
1 cup of butter (cut into "tabs")
nuts and coconut to sprinkle on top

It's this easy. Add the ingredients into a greased 9x13 pan in the order given. Spread the pineapple and pie filling out evenly across the bottom. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top of the fruit. Place the cut butter over the cake mix evenly. Sprinkle nuts and coconut on the top. Done!

Bake at 350* for 1 hr

Here's what was left over after Bible study last night :)