Tuesday Tip: Olive Oil dipping sauce

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Andrea

Olive oil and spices The first time I’ve ever had bread and oil as part of a meal was back in North Carolina, about 7 years ago. Scott and I had just purchased our first house and we were out having a celebratory lunch. The server brought out a basket of warm bread and a little dish that she poured seasoned olive oil into, then quickly scurried away.

Me: What do we do with this? Do I just dip the bread into the oil?

Scott: I think so. I’m not sure what other options there would be.

Me: Okay. Although dipping bread into oil and eating it is a little odd.

Scott: Totally weird.

The concept was so foreign to me. “You want me to what?! Dip this bread into some fat and munch away?”, was my thought process.

But you know what? It was fabulous. And of course olive oil is full of good heart healthy fats, so it all worked out! From that point on I started looking more at flavored olive oils and olive oils labeled as “dipping oil”. And you know what I found?

Pimento and Cheese

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Andrea

getting started

I was first introduced to pimento and cheese when Scott and I lived in North Carolina. I was working an overtime shift at my PT job at White Barn Candle (with an adjoining Bath&Body Works) and was on a short 15minute break. I was starving and for some reason that is escaping me now, we had food in the back. Someone brought in pimento and cheese sandwiches and I inhaled two of them. I thought they were really good and told Scott all about them when he came to pick me up that night.

I started making them and fiddling around with recipes. Turns out that Scott is pimento and cheese’s number one fan. I’m surprised that he likes them so much because there’s not really much too them. Another surprise? I don’t really care for them. :p I guess it was just the fact that I was starving and my blood sugar was too low when I had them the first time. I can eat one sandwich with a little bit of spread, but that’s about it. Otherwise it’s just not my bag. But as I mentioned, my husband loves them and because I am a most fabulous wife, I make him his beloved pimento and cheese every so often.

Pita Pizzas

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Andrea

Just like old times

When I was in middle school it was the 80s. Hair bands and mall teen pop queens were in their prime. And the thing to do back then was hit up the skating rink on Friday night. Especially when you lived in a super small town and there was nothing else for you to do at that age. The skating rink was a happening place and I taught myself how to skate. And backwards skate. And skate going around the corners with my feet turned out, heels touching. My favorite thing to do was skate backwards and stop with my stoppers coming to a sliding halt. My skates were white with blue wheels and a blue stopper. And Velcro because when you are at the skating rink, it is all about the skating and not about wasting time lacing up your skates. Oh and secretly crushing on the boys who preferred video games until the couples skate was announced. Eventually I out grew my Velcro skates and moved on to bigger, more “adult” skates that I did have to lace up. I figured out a way to do it quickly with flair and grace. I was still sporting blue wheels and a blue stopper though. And, no, never pom-poms on my skates. I preferred the smooth classic chic look.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Andrea

Crunchy jalapenos

Jalapeno poppers. Jalapeno bites, whatever you call them they have been making the rounds at parties and gatherings for a while now. They interested me but I also shied away from them since I tend to have a low tolerance for spicy dishes. I’ve been slowly working to become more immune because when one has a husband who loves spicy stuff it starts getting harder to avoid it.

I finally decided to tackle bacon wrapped jalapenos. Now, all recipes I have come across just call for some cream cheese in the jalapenos. If you know me, then you’ll know that I consider that too plain. Anyone can do that. I wanted to put a twist in it. Let’s bump this up and play around with it for a little bit and see what happens. I went back and forth thinking about what I could do. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible but still kick up the flavor. Finally it hit me, jalapenos are already spicy (well to me anyway) so let’s stick with that theme and keep the spicy going!

Garlic Teriyaki Wings

Posted on January 5, 2009 by Andrea

Ready for the oven

Alright the first recipe of 2009! Woo! I would have had this up sooner but there were technical difficulties to be dealt with but everything is peachy now.

How are we all doing post-holiday? We’re doing pretty darn good over here at the HQ. Snackies were indulged in but not embarrassingly so. Or at least I think so, it was the holidays and wine was involved which means it’s possible I’m forgetting something. My big question is, do we have room for more snacks?

Yes!

Excellent my friends. Here’s the deal, because my site was still new around the holidays my theme related stuff was just not happening. One of my 2009 goals is to be more on the ball and make sure that doesn’t happen again. Yes the holidays are over but there is still one more big thing that people usually get together for so they can party, eat, drink, and yell obscenities. It’s just like Christmas really.

Pear and Brie Crostini

Posted on December 7, 2008 by Andrea

Cranberry Sauce

I am a lover of cheese, but I’m not a lover of all cheese. Blue cheese or anything that has a mold as an ingredient is not something I really want to eat. Stinky cheeses and sheep’s milk cheese are also not cheeses I care for much.

This may surprise you, but brie is also not a cheese I care for too much. I know people love it but for me, brie basically tastes like what an old musty basement would taste like if you could spread it on a cracker and serve it during cocktail hour.

However I can appreciate the creamy perfection of this cheese and how when melted, it envelops everything it touches. I have discovered that I like and enjoy brie when something sweet is accompanying it.

Because brie is a cheese that almost everyone else on the planet loves and it shows up often during the holidays, I wanted to create a recipe that could be served as an appetizer. Something other than brie en croute because let’s face it, that is an old worn out technique. I also wanted something where the color would stand out and incorporated classic fall/winter flavors. Pear and Brie Crostini is the answer.

Leftover Idea: Potato Puffs

Posted on November 28, 2008 by Andrea

Thanksgiving OHC Style

Hi guys! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of yummy food, laughs, and naps! Over at OHC HQ we had a beautiful day, the skies were clear with a very mild temperature outside. Perfect for an afternoon stroll to help digest the big meal.

Here we are the day after and while some of you may be shopping and scoring deals, others of you may be wondering how to handle all those leftovers in your fridge. My suggestion is to turn them into something else!

For example, if you have leftover mashed potatoes and the last thing you want is another scoop of them, try my little Potato Puff recipe!

This is a recipe you can play around with and discover new combinations! Possible mix-in ideas can include:

Leftover greenbean casserole
Leftover corn or corn pudding
Turkey and cranberry sauce
Corn and stuffing

Or you can even make a sweet potato puff! Don’t get in a leftover rut, use your imagination and get creative with leftovers!

Ham and Cheddar Potato Puffs

Posted on September 25, 2008 by Andrea

Jazz up leftovers

It never fails, whenever I make mashed potatoes I always make way too much. Then I have leftovers and I wonder what I’m going to do with them. Sometimes they get eaten with the next night’s dinner but sometimes they don’t. I hate throwing out food and have since vowed to always try and do something with my leftovers.

Thankfully mashed potatoes are a dish that can be easily and quickly turned into something else. They can go the savory route or, believe it or not, the sweet route. I typically stick with the savory road myself. I love mashed potatoes. A comfort food for me that I often turn to when I need a big comfy sweatshirt and a hug.

This is a recipe I created so that I could use up the small amount of leftover mashed that was sitting in my fridge. The rest of the meal that accompanied the potatoes had been eaten and they were all that remained. I pulled out some other things from the fridge to add to the potatoes and my little potato puffs were born.

Apple Cheddar Quesadillas

Posted on September 7, 2008 by Andrea

Crisp Apples

A big indicator that fall is on the way can be marked by the arrival of apples. Apples become cheaper at the grocery store, there is more of them, and they are huge because they are in season. I love apples. Raw or just warm please, I do not like cooked apples. And yes that means I don’t like apple pie. My favorite combination is peanut butter with an apple. Can be a tart or sweet apple, I’m not picky. I used to not care for the tart apples much but have since gotten over that and now will gladly eat whatever apple comes my way.

I recently saw Paula Deen make this grilled apple sandwich and it had me intrigued. I have recently started mixing fruit in with savory dishes. I didn’t use to be a big fan of that but having apples with cheese fondue converted me. The sweet crispness of the apple combined with salty garlicy cheese sent me to the moon. I loved it! And it caused me to start experimenting by combining fruits with other things I normally would have avoided.

Read more on Apple Cheddar Quesadillas…