Beer and Mustard Dip

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Andrea

While on our most recent break, Scott and I had “snackies” one night for our evening meal. Since we were on vacation, I wanted to make snackie night a little bit more special by adding in a few dips to the mix.

On a recent episode of Triple D (because I love it so), I saw mention of a beer and cheese dip. This got me thinking about creating a beer dip that you could have with snacks and that doesn’t need to be kept warm.

By eliminating the need to keep this dip warm, it becomes perfect for having out for parties and get togethers.

I wanted the beer flavor to come through while also having a little bit of a kick to it. What goes great with beer? Mustard!

Once I knew mustard was going into the mix, the rest of the recipe fell into place.

Andrea’s Beer and Mustard Dip

1C Dark Lager Style Beer (I used Great Lakes Eliot Ness)

Roasted Veggie Dip

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Andrea

Dip was something that my family had at every party and every kind of gathering. We are a dip loving folk and when I started dating Scott, he discovered he is a dip loving person as well.

Then dips kind of got pushed aside for a while here at the HQ, and now I’m looking to bring them back. I’ve been recreating a lot of my favorite flavors of dip and using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

So far I’ve been successful! The first dip I made was a roasted veggie dip that’s creamy, full of dill punch, and roasted veggie goodness.

Andrea’s Roasted Veggie Dip

1/4 Small or Medium Red Onion, chunked

1/2 Red or Green Pepper, chunked

1 Small or Medium Size Carrot, peeled and chunked

2 Cloves of Garlic

1 1/2C Greek Yogurt

1 1/2TBSP Dried Dill

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Ground Black Pepper

1/4tsp Garlic Powder

1/4tsp Onion Powder

Buzzin Bars

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Andrea

Last week Scott left for a business trip that had him away from the house for about a week. He was flying off to San Francisco to geek out about code and be in his element.

Because I knew that eating times might be odd and because I know Scott, this meant he would need to take some food along with him.

He was taking a carry on which meant that the food had to be small, easy to carry, and not prone to spoilage. And since I knew that these could very well be a meal source, I knew that they had to be jam packed with good stuff. Stuff that could get you through a couple of hours.

I like using soaked dates in bars and coffee cakes because it adds a nice sweetness without being over powering. Plus they are a great source of fiber and potassium.

Plus I wanted to do something fun so I added an extra little kick to these bars.

Pickled Jalapeno With Red Onion

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Andrea

I love pickled things. Ever since I was a kid, I have loved pickles. The texture and taste could not be more perfect in my opinion. Crunchy, salty, tangy, and tart.

But the flavorings of pickled things can change and become whatever you want them to be.

Spicy
Garlicky
Dilly

And as I grew up and started expanding my food knowledge, I realized that pickled is a term. A concept. A technique. It isn’t just a green cucumber slice, but in fact, it can be whatever you want it to be.

You can go through the whole canning process in creating your pickled concoction or if you want quick results, there’s a quick refridgerator pickling method.

I bet you can guess which I go for.

A recent viewing of Guy’s Big Bite is the inspiration for my quick pickled Jalapeno with Red Onions. This took no time to make at all and were ready to eat by dinner time.

Pina Colada Smoothie

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Andrea

It’s the end of March and yesterday Columbus was blessed with a snowstorm that lasted all afternoon. It was the last thing that any of us wanted. Okay, well there might be a few residents who don’t mind but the rest of us were cursing and shaking our fists in the air.

So to beat the winter blues, I’m posting something springy and fun! Something that nourishes both the body and spirit.

Pina Colada smoothie! Super green in color to perk up any blah winter day and tasty enough that you might start looking around for some rum.

Andrea’s Pina Colada Smoothie

1C OJ

1C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (like SO Delicious)

2 Large handfuls of baby spinach

1 Frozen Banana

1/2 C Frozen Pineapple

1/4C Frozen Mango

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This will be a thicker smoothie, like milkshake or frozen drink style. Makes enough for two large glasses.

Perfectly tart and creamy. It tastes just like a pina colada but looks like spring. The amounts of frozen pineapple and mango are estimates because I didn’t measure those out. Go by what you like. The pineapple is more tart while the mango is more sweet. You need to use enough pineapple to ensure you get the pina colada taste because that’s what makes the smoothie.

Quick and Dirty Guacamole

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Andrea

Guacamole is one of those things that I instantly fell in love with. I didn’t grow up eating it and only ever had it out in restaurants which was nothing fantastic I promise you. But to me it was creamy green heaven.

It took me a while to figure out how to make a guacamole that I liked and I tried everything. With chunks, without chunks. With tomatoes, with cilantro, and so on and so on. I discovered that what Scott and I really like is just a basic and simple guac that isn’t fancy but highlights the avocado well.

This version seriously takes maybe five minutes and then you can get busy stuffing your face with goodness.

Andrea’s Quick and Dirty Guacamole

2 Avocados

1/2 a Lime

Hot Sauce (I like Cholula, but whatever floats your boat)

Salt

Garlic Powder

Chili Powder

In a medium sized bowl, cut the avocados and remove the seeds. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place in bowl. With a sturdy fork, mash the avocado until it’s smooth or as smooth as you like it. Add in the juice of the 1/2 a lime, hot sauce, and all the seasonings. Stir and taste to see if it’s seasoned enough to your liking. If not add more and stir again until it’s right.

Read more on Quick and Dirty Guacamole…

Poplicious

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Andrea

My newest obsession is popcorn! Fresh popped popcorn. I have a long history with popcorn, we go way back. I used to love it as a kid and my sisters would make it all the time. We had an air-popper so I would watch the popcorn come flying out the top and into the bowl on the counter. The butter conveniently melted in a little tray on the top. Once the bowl was full, pour on the butter, add some salt and you are golden!

Then an incident with too much popcorn and a donkey basketball game (Yes they exist, Google it.) resulted in an experience that I’ll kindly spare you the details of.

I didn’t eat popcorn for years after that. YEARS. The smell alone would turn my stomach.

Then I started eating it again, probably late high school or college. I told you, I was off popcorn for a long time!

Times progressed and now we had access to microwave popcorn. Easy little pouches of corn that would pop and already be covered in butter when it was done. All you have to do is pour into a bowl and eat!

Spicy Chex Mix

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Andrea

When the holidays roll around a lot of people think of Chex Mix as one of the staple holiday snacks. Growing up we didn’t have it until it started appearing on the shelves in packages. It was a long time before I realized you could make this yourself. Maybe that’s strange to some, but the snack wasn’t a staple at our parties. We’re a more chip ‘n dip kind of folk.

I have to say, that I love the taste of Worcestershire sauce! It is that flavor that drew me in and kept me coming back for more snack mix. It’s spicy, salty, and so potent. Right up my alley! I prefer the original flavor of snack mix for this very reason. I’m not really into the other flavors and variations of the snack mix. Call me a Chex Mix purist.

I decided to create my own recipe and of course it has a heavy Worcestershire base to it. Lea & Perrins happens to be my favorite Worcestershire sauce and when Foodbuzz offered us the opportunity to get a free bottle of it for using in holiday recipes, I jumped at the chance.

Holiday Party Foods 2010 Edition

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Andrea

Tis the season! Now is the time when everyone is out and attending holiday parties left and right. Heck perhaps you are even hosting one! If you need some ideas on what to make for your next gathering, OHC is here to help you out!

Just out of the oven

You can’t really go wrong with bacon and cheese right? Bacon wrapped jalapenos are the answer! Very portable and can be made ahead of time. Just heat right before serving!

Ham and Cheddar Potato Puff

Got leftover mashed potatoes? Quick and easy potato puffs are great for appetizers! Even if you don’t have leftover mashed, use fresh! These also can be made ahead of time and just need to be heated up before serving.

Pear and Brie Crostini

Maybe you’re going to a fancier party? Or maybe you just want to wow your friends? Pear and Brie Crostini is a great combo and a perfect way to put that cranberry sauce to use. It looks gorgeous and tastes just as amazing.

Cheddar Chipotle Puffs

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Andrea

If you recall a previous post where I talked about Columbus’s Beer Family’s First Potluck, then you will remember that my contribution to the event was Cheddar Chipotle Puffs.

Cheddar Chipotle Puffs that were paired with Rogue Chipotle Ale. Cleverness!

To briefly recap, the idea behind the party was to pair a craft beer with a food item that you made. I really wanted to bring a Rogue beer since it fit the criteria of a craft beer and it’s also easy for me to get my hands on. Then I had to decide what to pair it with. Once I knew that I was going to use the Chipotle Ale then a dish utilizing chipotles was the obvious choice.

I didn’t want the chipotles to be too overpowering though. They can really bring the heat and I wanted to keep the heat level moderate enough that you could tell it was there but it didn’t blow your socks off.