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)
• 2TBSP Whole Grain Mustard
• 3TBSP Dijon Mustard
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/4 Small Onion, chunked
• 1TBSP Prepared Horseradish
• 1/2TBSP Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4tsp Garlic Powder
• Big Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• About 1/2tsp each, salt and ground black pepper
• Couple Dashes Your Favorite Hot Sauce
• 1tsp Olive Oil
• 1C Shredded Cheddar

In a small mixing bowl, combine the cheddar and flour.  Set aside.  In a small food chopper or food processer, add in the onion and garlic cloves and pulse until finely chopped.  In a medium sized sauce pan add in the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add in the onion and garlic and sautee for about 2 minutes stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn.  Add in the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. Add in the beer, mustards, and horseradish.  Stir and allow to come to a simmer.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  You should notice the sauce starting to thicken up at this stage (not a lot, it thickens just a tad).  Turn heat down to low and slowly whisk in the cheddar and flour combo.  Keep whisking until the cheddar is melted and fully incorporated into the sauce.

Remove from heat and pour dip into a glass bowl.  You can serve this immediately or allow to cool, cover, and store in fridge till you need it.

This dip is great warm and it’s great cold.  It can also be served at room temperature making it a perfect party dip!

It’s creamy with a strong flavor of beer and mustard.  It goes well with veggies, chips, or even sausage bites!  It can also be used on top of sandwiches as a spread or sauce.

The cheddar helps thicken it up just a little more while providing some background sharpness that brings some depth to the dip.  Horseradish makes it demand to be noticed.

I’m already looking forward to making some more of this and seeing what else I can add it to!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 0

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
• 1/2TBSP Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss veggies with olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast on a baking sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the onions and peppers have started to brown and caramelize.  Stir once while roasting.  Remove veggies from oven and set aside to cool.

Once veggies are cool, place in a food processor and pulse until the veggies start to break down.  Scrape down the sides, and add in the yogurt, dill, cayenne pepper, a little more salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Pulse until smooth leaving the veggies a little chunky so there’s  a little texture to the dip.

Place in a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.  Can be made the day before.  Serve chilled with your favorite veggies and chips!

By letting the dip sit in the fridge for a few hours, this allows the flavors to mingle and get more pronounced.  It’s actually best if you make this a day before you want to serve it.  Before serving, give a taste and see what you think.  If you feel there needs to be more dill added, sprinkle in a bit more.  Some people really love dill and if that’s you, go crazy with it!

What I really enjoy about this dip is that it is made with fresh ingredients along with the added bonus of using Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream.  Greek Yogurt has the benefits of yogurt along with a high protein content.  You can feel good about eating this dip!

You can also switch up the veggies to suite your tastes. Like broccoli? Add it in! You can play around with flavors and use what you have on hand or what you like.

TIPS:

Switch out the Greek Yogurt for cream cheese and now you have your own roasted veggie cream cheese.

This can also be used on sandwichs as a flavor packed spread.

If you can’t find Greek Yogurt or feel it’s too pricey for your budget, you can quick make your own.  Line a fine mesh strainer with paper towels or a cheese cloth and dump in plain 2% yogurt.  Allow to strain for several hours until most of the whey is removed.  You’ll be left with a thicker yogurt or “yogurt cheese”.  Then just follow the recipe for making the dip!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 4

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.

Andrea’s Buzzin Bars

• 10, dried and pitted dates
• 1C Coffee + 2TBSP
• 2C Oats
• 1C White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2C All Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/2C Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1TBSP Maple Syrup
• 1/2C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Not the kind in a can, the kind in the refrigerated section)
• 2tsp Vanilla Extract

In a small to medium sized bowl, add the dates and pour 1C of hot coffee over the dates.  Allow to soak for 1/2 hour to an hour.  You can use leftover coffee that has been reheated.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8×8 baking dish (either with oil or nonstick spray).

Drain dates and add to a food processor.  Pulse just until the dates start to break up.  Add in the oats, flour, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.  Pulse again until the oats start to break down and the chips start to break down as well.  The chips might not break down as easy, don’t worry about this.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, add in the coconut milk, 2TBSP of coffee, the peanut butter, maple syrup, and the vanilla extract.  Whisk until the PB is well incorporated into the mix.  Add this mixture to the date mixture, and pulse until well combined.

This will be an extremely thick batter.  It will not be a pourable batter and you may have to remove it from the processor and mix with your hands a few times.  Put this mixture into the baking dish, you’ll have to press it into place.  Again, remember this is a really thick batter.

Place in oven and bake for about 10 -15 minutes.  Just till the top starts to get a little browned.  It doesn’t take long at all for these bars to set.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting.  Cut into squares and serve immediately.  Or allow to cool longer once cut, place in a storage container and keep in fridge until you’re ready to eat one.  I suggest heating it up slightly before eating.

These also freeze very well.

These smell exactly like a no bake cookie.  The peanut butter comes out as a very strong smell and flavor in these bars.  The coffee is just enough to enhance the chocolate and not dominate the flavor in any way.

The bars are very dense because they are so jam packed with goodness.  Fiber from the oats and dates, protein from the peanut butter, and a little fun from the chocolate.

If you don’t have coffee or don’t want to use coffee, you can soak the dates in hot water.  Use 2 TBSP of coconut milk in place of the 2 TBSP of coffee in the bar batter.

Great as a breakfast or a snack.

Bonus, you don’t even have to cook these!  You can roll them into little ball shapes and serve them up as a twist on a truffle. Yes there is flour in here but there is no “uncooked flour” taste when you eat these bars raw.  All you get is a straight forward chocolate and peanut butter combo.

I did give all of these to Scott to take on his trip.  That much chocolate and PB needs to stay close to home as well.  I had some for breakfast and they are chocolatey delish!

Do you make bars at home?  They are perfect for snacks on the go!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Comments: 4

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.

Andrea’s Quick Pickled Jalapenos with Red Onions

• 1/2 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Jalapenos, thinly sliced
• 3/4C Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3/4C Water
• 1/2TBSP Salt
• 1/2TBSP Brown Sugar

In a medium sized glass bowl, add in the onion and jalapeno slices.  In a small sauce pan, add in the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar.  Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cook just long enough that all the sugar and salt is dissolved.  Remove from heat, and pour mixture over the onions and jalapenos.  Allow to cool, then cover and place in refridgerator.

Let sit for several hours before serving.

This quick pickle turned out better than I anticipated.  It was perfectly crunchy, cool, and delicious.

I choose to use ACV instead of white vinegar because I wanted that little extra sweetness you get from the apple cider vinegar.

I seeded the jalapenos but if you prefer things a bit spicier, leave the seeds in for extra kick.

The beauty of this quick pickle is that this is just a base recipe. You can add in extra seasonings and spices that suit your tastes.

Next time I make this, I’m going to go for some extra kick.  I’m going to add in some garlic and red pepper flakes.  Oh yes!

I’ll let you in on a little secret.  Not only is it great to eat straight up or on a salad, it makes for a lovely sandwich or burger topper.

Have you tried pickling at home?

And I mean that in a completely G-rated family friendly kinda way, of course.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 10

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.

I’m telling you it’s tart so be prepared! But it’s refreshing and will remind you of the warmer temps that will be arriving soon!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 4

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.

Serve immediately with chips or vessel of choice!

No measurements on the seasonings because it’s totally to taste. I like a lot of salt, a good bit of hot sauce, and just a dash of garlic powder and chili powder. If you really dig on lime, you can add in the juice of a whole lime.

Quick because it takes no time to make and you’re eating right away. Dirty because the hot sauce and chili powder give it a darker hue.

This is great for tacos, nachos, or just spread on bread as a sandwich glue.  It’s great just eating straight with chips and an icy cold brew.

Or ‘rita if you’re down with that.

Do you like guacamole? Do you make your own version at home?

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 6

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!

That was my standard go-to for popcorn.  I was never into the overly buttered stuff or any of the funky flavors.  Just basic butter but then that started not appealing to me.  It was heavy and greasy along with being full of not so happy ingredients.

I didn’t want to be putting that into my body so I stopped buying it.

A recent grocery store trip found me buying a bottle of popcorn kernels to make fresh popcorn at home.  You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a big pot with a lid.  A touch of oil to the pan, heat it up, and watch the popcorn start to pop!

My method for making popcorn is super easy!

Andrea’s Fresh Popped Popcorn

• 1/2C Popcorn Kernels
• Light Olive Oil
• Seasoned Salt

In a large pot, heat olive oil (about 1TBSP) over medium high heat. Dump in the popcorn kernels and give a shake so that they are covered with oil.  Place lid on top of pot and give a shake to the popcorn every so often, like every other minute.  When you start to hear the kernels rapidly pop, shake the pan a little more often to keep them from burning in the bottom.  Once the popping has decreased, to about 1 pop in 5 seconds, turn off heat.

Pour popcorn into a large bowl, sprinkle with seasoned salt (to taste but remember it can get salty on you fast!).  Serve and enjoy!

Super easy and takes no more than 10 minutes tops to make.  It tastes a heck of a lot better than something from a microwave bag, I promise.  Fresh popped corn is very light and fluffy when it’s not weighted down by heavy butters and oils.  It also lasts a very long time without getting stale.

There are also loads of ways that popcorn can be flavored! Trying using some chili powder or maybe some garlic powder.  How about parmesan cheese sprinkled on top?  Maybe a sweet and savory version, by sprinkling in a little sugar with the oil at the very beginning.

Popcorn is kind of a blank canvas that can be flavored to suit your mood of the moment. :)

Do you like popcorn? Do you ever make fresh at home?

Comments: 13

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.

The one downside to Lea & Perrins is that they use HFCS in their sauce.  I’ve looked for HFCS free Worcestershire sauces and have not had much luck finding any.  I don’t really care for vegan sauces as they rely heavily on cloves to get that spicy effect and it just isn’t the same.  Therefore I have stuck with Lea & Perrins.

Please take out the HFCS Lea & Perrins! A lot of people would be really happy!

I also like a spicy kick to my Chex Mix and since Scott loves spicy things, this works out well.  This recipe is super easy to make and you can have it ready in no time!

Andrea’s Spicy Chex Mix

• 4C Pretzel Sticks
• 4C Wheat Chex
• 3C Corn Chex
• 1/2C Light Olive Oil
• 1/2C Buffalo Sauce (not hot sauce, but actual Buffalo style sauce)
• 1/4C Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4C Honey
• 1TBSP Garlic Powder
• 3tsp Season Salt
• 2 1/2tsp Onion Powder

Preheat oven to 350 and line a very large baking sheet with foil.  Spay with nonstick spray and set aside.  In the largest mixing bowl you have, combine the pretzels, Wheat Chex, and Corn Chex.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the sauce.  Pour mixture over the Chex and pretzel mixture, combine well.  Put this mixture onto the cookie sheet and into the oven.  Allow to bake for about 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Serve and enjoy!

Crunchy, salty, and spicy.  In other words, delicious!

If you prefer, you can use a vegan Worcestershire sauce to make this a vegan snack mix.  If you want to reduce some of the oil and add in butter, that’s totally up to you.  I personally just prefer oil over butter in recipes like this.

This is just a base, you are free to add in nuts or other snack bits of your choosing.  Perhaps sprinkling a little ranch dressing mix (dry kind) after pulling it out of the oven might be a clever idea.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Foodbuzz sent me a coupon for a free bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce to use in a recipe. This recipe is entirely my own.

Comments: 8

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.

Salsa is always a winner! And super easy to transport! Black bean and corn salsa will bring a fresh twist and taste to the party table.

Switch up pasta salad with some Orzo and Roasted tomato. Can be served warm or room temperature.  This also transports easily and can be made ahead of time!

These are just a few ideas for your next party or gathering but feel free to search OHC for even more ideas.

Happy Holidays from OHC!

Comments: 8

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.

I decided to make little “puffs” because they are bite size and would be super easy to transport.  After a few tweakings I got the recipe down.  It is a food of love type recipe which means it will take you some time but it’s totally worth it!

Andrea’s Cheddar Chipotle Puffs

• 2C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1C Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1/2tsp Baking Soda
• 1tsp Salt
• 2tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/2C Water
• 1/2C Light Olive Oil
• 2 Chipotle peppers + 2 tsp of the adobo sauce
• 1tsp Honey
• 1C Grated Cheddar Cheese

In a large mixing bowl add in the flours, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika.  Whisk until combined.  Place mixing bowl in fridge.  Also in the fridge place the 1/2C of water and 1/2C of olive oil.  Allow to chill for at least half an hour.

Then add the dry ingredients to a stand mixer bowl.  In a food processor, add in the water, oil, chipotles with sauce, and the honey.  Pulse until the chipotles are broken down and fully incorporated into the wet ingredients.  Add this mixture to the dry ingredients gently combining them all.  The dough will be dense and thick.  Once the ingredients are combined, add in the shredded cheddar until it is mixed throughout the dough.

Roll the dough out onto a flat surface sprinkled with flour and give it a few extra kneads.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for an hour or until it sets back up.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat.  Remove from fridge and split dough into two parts.  One part goes back in the fridge while you work with the remaining half.  On a floured surface roll dough out till about a 1/4 of an inch thick.  Using a small round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut dough into several pieces.  Rerolling out the dough as needed.  You should get several puffs just from one half of the dough.  Place puffs on cookie sheet and they can be relatively close together.  They “puff” up not out.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  The puffs should be “puffed” and springy to the touch.  Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool.

Repeat with remaining half of the dough.

These are best served slightly warm but can be eaten at room temperature as well.  Depending on the size of the cutter you use will determine how many puffs you end up with.  I used a small biscuit cutter that was almost 2 inches in diameter which resulted in a ton of puffs!  YaY!

These puffs smell so so good as they are baking!  They are also mighty tasty too! Scott loved them and so did I.  These also freeze very well and can be pulled out when you want a quick snack or a quick appetizer for guests.

I also made these subbing in some spelt flour instead of the whole wheat and they worked just as well.  You can add more cheese if you like, just keep in mind that you want these to puff up, so too much cheese might inhibit that a bit.

Using cold ingredients helps make these puffs puff!  I have also made a batch with cold ingredients but did not put the dough in the fridge before rolling it out and baking.  It turned out alright and will work if you are short on time.  However if you have the time, allow the dough to chill for a bit first.  It makes the puffs a little more fluffy.

So how did these pair with the Chipotle Ale?  AMAZING!  A bite of puff followed with a swish of ale totally brought out the chipotle flavor of the ale a great deal.  The ale became spicy with some heat at the finish creating a very unique drinking experience.  Since the ale is cold, the spicy and heat give your taste-buds a sort of tingle that they weren’t expecting.

These little puffs are great for entertaining or bringing to your next potluck.  If you like savory flavors and cheese, you’ll love these!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Comments: 7