Caramel Popcorn

Well, I accidentally posted this to my other blog, so sorry for the cross-post - but EVERYBODY should make this.  It's amazing.

Ever since meeting the CEO of Crunch Daddy Popcorn, I've been on a quest to make my own caramel corn (although if you are looking for delicious perfection in a bowl, just order some.  The sesame ginger crunch is fantastic.) 

I wanted to make some for superbowl Sunday, because we have to make whatever we are bringing in advance this year, so I prepped some this morning.  I used this recipe from AllRecipes and even though baking isn't necessary, I'm trying it now.  I'm not sure how coated the pieces are supposed to be, but I often find caramel corn to be too sweet, so I went for half coverage.  Everything is more in clumps and stuck together - I think going in several batches for stirring might have been a better idea. 

I also halved the recipe - and it made a GIANT pyrex bowl (thanks Paul!) full of popcorn.  So if all you have is a normal mixing bowl, just halve the recipe and you'll have plenty of caramel.  Make an appropriate amount of popcorn - I did two batches in a 2.5 quart bowl and it made enough for a giant ziplock bag full.  

Roasted garlic

Last night I roasted garlic for the first time. It was amazing. And easy. And took a long time. I'm going to give instructions without breaking them up, because they are easy and I'm feeling lazy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a small baking dish that is about an inch or two deep. I used a dish that is about 5 inches square and an inch and a half deep. Pour in 3/4 cup water and some vinegar (receipe recommended using white wine, I used white) - maybe a teaspoon. Take a clove of garlic, chop the top off with a really heavy knife in one fell swoop so the tips are exposed. Removed the losest layer of paper. Drizzle the top with olive oil and then cap with aluminum foil.

Bake for an hour.

There are a lot of purposes for roasted garlic. I used it for gourmet sandwiches and then I just ate it. I think I'll probably make a batch before big dinner parties and before thanksgiving, and just use it in everything.

Crockpot Caramelized Onion Crostini

I can't believe I've never posted this recipe! It's one of my favorite appetizers. It comes from 125 best vegetarian slow cooker recipes. I make smaller portions usually.
Ingredients:

• 3 lbs onions
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 16 crostini
• 2 cups shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese
  

Procedure:

1. Slice onions really thin.
   
2. Cook onions and melted butter in crockpot for 30-60 minutes until onions are softened.
   
3. Add sugar, salt, and peppercorns. Put a towel or two under the crockpot lid to absorb moisture.
   
4. Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring a few times.
   
5. Stir in thyme and balsamic vinegar.
   
6. Preheat broiler.
7. Spread onions evenly over crostini and sprinkle cheese on top. Place on baking sheet and broil until cheese is melty - about 3 minutes. 5 results in charcoal.
   

I like to use more crostini and less onions on each one, and use a full loaf of french bread. I've also used this to stuff tomatoes (it wasn't very good) or to make a caramelized onion filling for sandwiches, or just to have caramelized onions at dinner. I love that I don't really have to babysit the crockpot, although I do feel I can't leave the house for a super-long period of time.

Appetizing Fare

The google, it knows what I like...in my gmail this morning, one of the ads was a link to this. I'm now putting it on my list of possible party fare, especially because at least the asparagus in blankets look pretty easy. (I haven't clicked on the recipe, but my guess is crescent dough, cheese, and asparagus.) I'm currently trying to organize a couple of parties in the fall, because I miss my friends, and these seem like some delicious ideas. I'll let you know how they go.

Dinner Party at the Treadhoffigans

We had one of my law school friends and his wife over for dinner tonight. I got to play with some of my new toys - namely my new rolling pin and my Le Crueset baking dish.
I made - breaded and sauted talipia, green beans with garlic and butter, spinach pinwheels, sweet potato casserole, and salad.
Spinach Pinwheels - super easy, super delicious. Buying crescent roll dough in bulk at Costco is a smart move, because you can make so many great appetizers out of it at the last minute which end up being delicious and tasting like they are harder to make than they are.
Ingredients -
1 8 oz package crescent rolls
4 oz cream cheese, softened
fresh or dried herbs (I used fresh thyme and oregano, and powdered garlic)
5 oz (1/2 square package) frozen spinach, thawed & drained

Equipment:
Cookie sheet
cutting board
rolling pin

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Open crescent dough and break in the middle (there is a perforation there).
3. Roll the dough out into a rectangle (about 8" by 10")
4. Combine cream cheese and herbs, spread on dough.
5. Sprinkle spinach on top of the cream cheese - try to make sure it is even
6. Roll dough widthways into a log. Cut log into 3/4 slices and place them on the cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 12 minutes.

The green beans were pretty easy - just chop up some fresh green beans and put them in a small baking dish with slices of butter on top and some minced garlic - my new le Cruset pan was a great size for this - less awkward than a 9" square baking dish, plus it looked nice on the table. Bake at 350 or 400 until they look done, stirring a couple times through to redistribute the butter and garlic. I cooked them a little too long, but my friends said they were good.

Next up: Sweet Potato Casserole!

Mr. Barefoot's First Guest Post!

[Editor's note: I didn't write any of this, except where indicated.]
Alright, after many dropped hints, I've finally gotten around to writing my first guest post, and the funny thing is that I didn't even end up preparing this dish. In any case... Beer cheese dip was brought into our life by my grad school buddy Brad, now returned to his homeland in the cheese state of with his wife and 1.5 kids and sadly missed by all. This dip is great because it is a) delicious; b) incredibly easy to make; and c) again, delicious. Everybody loves it. It's one of those dishes that we have to refrain from making because it's so easy and nobody wants to be a one-trick pony. Unless it's a really good trick.

We had a big family party today, for which Ms. Barefoot was responsible for obtaining the lion's share of the food. As a recovering student leadership slut, she's learning to delegate, and my one task was to make the beer dip. Then I discovered we were out of cheddar cheese, and wound up waiting fifteen minutes in the express lane at Shopper's an hour before a Ravens away game. We were supposed to be at the party 35 minutes away in an hour, and I hadn't showered yet. So when I got home, she made the dip and I showered. But I had every intention of actually making it myself, I promise. So here it is:

Ingredients

2x 8oz pkg cream cheese

1x 1oz pkg ranch dressing mix (typically the brand the stores have is Hidden Valley. The little envelopes are usually in a display tray near the bottled dressings)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup your favorite beer

Equipment

Mixing bowl

Serving bowl (if you consider yourself too sophisticated to serve your dip in a mixing bowl)

Spoon or other utensil for mixing

Procedure

-Let the cream cheese soften on the counter for an hour or two. Cream cheese straight from the fridge is hard to mix.

-Mix the ranch dressing into the cream cheese, then the beer, then the cheddar. Use all the cheddar. It may look like a lot, but if you don't you're just eating ranch cream cheese and that isn't nearly as good.

-Cover and refrigerate if you have time, because it's probably a little mushy.

-Enjoy the rest of the bottle of beer and reflect on your culinary prowess. Wasn't that easy?

[Editor's Note: Best when served with those flat pretzel chips that are so delicious. Otherwise regular pretzels or even potato chips will do. You can also use low-fat cream cheese and cheddar.]

Political Buffalo Chicken Dip

From the famous Mr. Redline, now of Real Life on the Red Line, the recipe for buffalo chicken dip. I don't eat chicken, so I can't really speak to it's deliciousness, but I'm pretty sure Mark likes it more than he likes anything I cook, and he was looking more forward to the dip than the election.

Buffalo Chicken Dip:

2 packages cream cheese
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cans of chicken
1 bottle of Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing

1) Heat cream cheese in saucepan
2) Add chicken, Red Hot Sauce, and Ranch
3) Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese
4) Serve hot with chips, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

*Note: You can substitute low fat cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and ranch dressing.

Thanks Mr. Redline!

Election Night Tricks & Treats

You may have heard that last night was election night. Apparently that elitist-terrorist-muslim guy won. While the relief I'm feeling should be much greater, the way it is for most people, and my sense of history and finality should be tingling, I am nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm waiting for something. I don't know what. It seems unreal that an election can be resolved, these days, in a single night.
My good friends Mama Awesome, Baby Awesome, Papa Awesome, Mr. Redline, and my nonblogging friends, watched the returns and enjoyed Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and baked brie in crescent rolls. For dessert, there was the best pumpkin pie ever and chocolatey-peanutbuttery-cookie bars, which were amazingly chocolaty.
I will hopefully get a guest blog post from Mr. Redline and DNA as to how to make their election night foodery. For now, here is a recipe for brie wrapped in crescent rolls. Because brie is the food of elitists, terrorists, and winners.

Ingredients:

• Brie cheese (I used a 6 ounce wedge, you can use any size. For a larger party, use a round.
  
• Crescent roll dough (if you are using a full round of brie, you may want to use 2 loafs)
• Optional - cranberries, chopped nuts, or apples
  

Equipment:

• Cutting board
• Rolling Pin (I made this at the Awesome's, so I didn't have access to one of these, but I wished I had had the foresight to bring my own. I spent very little time at home yesterday. I spent 23 hours out of the house.)
  
• Baking dish - I used an 8x8 pyrex dish, but I think I probably will go with a regular aluminum cookie sheet in the future.
• Oven at 375 (I will experiment with the temperature in the future)
  

Procedure:

1. Roll out crescent dough. Do not cut into little triangles. Instead, roll into a large rectangle or oval. (Probably about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thick
   
2. Place brie in the center of dough.
3. Add cranberries, fruit, or nuts.
   
4. Wrap dough around brie. Imagine wrapping a gift, but instead of wrapping paper, you are using dough. Everything should be covered.
5. Bake for 20-40 minutes. I don't know how long it actually took to cook, because I had to leave the party.
   

I had it cold, which was less good, because I like cold brie less. But I was told that it was decent. It could have been by people trying to stoke my ego, but really, I think they generally think that I think highly enough of myself and my cooking that they don't need to do that.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Spinach and Artichoke Dip is my favorite thing to make for parties. It's easy to make, delicious, and can be served with crackers, tortilla chips, or carrots and other crudites. It's also low in fat, if you want it to be. This recipe doesn't use mayonnaise, because mayonnaise is gross.
I eyeball this when I make it, depending on how many I'm cooking for. You can check out allrecipes.com for more thourough recipes.
Ingredients:

1. Frozen chopped spinach, slightly thawed (use as much as you want)
   
2. Canned artichokes, drained and chopped up (use as much as you want)
3. Garlic
   
4. Approx. 2 tbsp. butter
5. Cream Cheese
6. Sour Cream
7. Salt
8. Pepper
9. Parmesan, mozzarella, moneterey jack or other white cheese.
   

Equipment

1. Cutting board
2. Knife
3. Omelet pan or wide bottomed saucepan
4. Stirring Utensil (spatula or wooden spoon)

Procedure

1. Melt butter in saucepan on med-high heat
2. Cook spinach in butter for about 2-3 minutes, until totally thawed and flexible
3. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
   
4. Add chopped artichokes, continue to saute.
   
5. Add cream cheese and sour cream (if you are trying to make a large batch, use 8 ounces of each, or use 4 ounces if not trying to make a large batch).
   
6. Stir constantly until melted, then melt in cheese and season with salt and pepper.
   

Enjoy!