Leftover Dip

I was invited to a party Sunday afternoon and was asked to bring something to munch on.  No problem.  I whipped up some dip threw some carrots in a matching bowl and off I went.  When the party was over, there was still plenty of dip leftover.

Tonight I decided to use that leftover dip to make supper.

I had unused boneless, skinless, chicken thighs in the fridge.  You really could use chicken breasts if you wanted.  I had thighs so that's what I used.  Put the chicken in a greased dish.

 There are about 6 thighs in here.

Next take the leftover dip and "ice" the chicken with it.

Use as much dip as you want.  As for the type of dip, this happens to be a discontinued line from Tastefully Simple called Go Go Asiago.  You could also use french onion or even ranch dip just as easily. 


Since I was using leftovers anyway, I had some extra sharp cheddar cheese left from some grilled cheese sandwiches we had a few nights ago.  So I shredded some and added it to the top of the chicken.

Preheat oven to 350* and cook the chicken for 30-45 minutes or until juices are clear.  Thighs are closer to 30 minutes. Breasts would lean towards 45.

Nervously I presented my leftover dip dish to my family. 

I would show you a picture of what was left, but there wasn't any. 

Even my picky eater loved it.

Enjoy! 

Apple Pie

I got the original recipe from our grandma. I will admit I have made some modifications to it to suit my own preferences. Once you get past the crust, apple pie is very easy to modify to anyone's pallet.

I will post the crust recipe and method I use in another post. This is the pie filling portion of the pie.

I use 5-6 medium apples. I mix the types of apples I use. Usually there is at least one Granny Smith, a Fuji or two, and any other firm apple I come across at the farmer's market. I cannot recommend Red Delicious. In my experience, they get too mushy for pie without adding any flavor.

Peel the apples.











Then core and chop them. When I chop, I keep my pieces on the larger side. I prefer my apples to be fork tender, but not mushy in my pies. Larger pieces make this easier to accomplish.

Once all the apples are chopped, it's time for the seasoning.










I start with a good 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. I also use 2- teaspoons of cinnamon and a healthy 1/4 cup of Pampered Chef Sweet Caramel Sprinkle (sorry, forgot to take a picture of those sprinklings).




  




Next, gently stir to coat those apples in the sweet goodness you have just created! I expect everyone to sample the apples at this time.








Here is another point at which apple pie lovers are divided (the cinnamon being the first). I like to pile the apples into the crust to near burstin'. Others may say this is too many apples and would only fill the crust level with the pie plate. You can experiment and decide which way you like best.

Now carefully top with a second crust and decorate as you like. I make a little apple out of the dough and center on top.
IMPORTANT: Cut at least five small slits or holes into the top crust. This lets some of the evaporated juices out and if not done you will have apple soup pie. I learned this the hard way when I had company over for dinner and forgot the slits. More juice than apples :(






Now for a little something extra, I brush melted butter (or margarine) over the top of the pie. Do this liberally.

 Grab that sugar bowl (I never said this was a healthy, low calorie recipe) and lovingly layer a coating all over the top of that melted butter.  Don't be stingy.

You are done with the sugar when it looks like it has snowed on your pie.  Now it is ready for the oven.  Due to the topping on the crust, bake on a pizza pan or line the rack below the pie with foil.  Trust me it will make for a much easier clean up later. Bake at 375* for 40 minutes.  Your pie is done when you can stick a knife into one of the slits on the top and the apples are the tenderness (or lack thereof) that you like and the crust has a golden brown ring on it.

Serve with ice cream and a spoon or just a fork!  Enjoy!

Salsa

My wonderful honey likes to have chips and salsa while he watches his team play. Since his team was playing in a bowl game, I decided to make salsa for him at home. I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com.

Start with 1 1/2 pounds of firm ripe tomatoes. Dice these into salsa-sized pieces. The recipe says 3/8 inch pieces, but I think you can determine the size you like for yourself. Once all the tomatoes are chopped to your liking, place them in a colander to drain for half an hour. While you wait, you need to continue to chop, mince, or dice and layer on the next few ingredients.
1/4 Cup minced fresh cilantro leaves. Don't go by my picture for amounts. I used too much (don't worry it turned out okay). Chop the cilantro pretty fine, more than this. I had only just begun in this picture. Once you have a nice fine pile of green bits add it to the top of the tomatoes.

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup diced red onion. I only had this white onion, so I used it instead. Chop the onion in to very small bits, but not mush. Then add it to the bowl. I hope you have not been stirring. Just pile everything on at this point. I'll let you know when to mix it all together.


One clove of garlic, mince it well, then add it to the top of the onion.


Jalapenos - The recipe called for one large. I ended up with three medium, using the seeds and ribs from only one. This is the jalapeno with the seeds and ribs removed. You can save the ribs and seeds to add more heat later if you want. Mince the rest of the jalapeno into small bits. Once this is done, add the jalapeno on top of the pile.

At this point, wait the remaining time left in the half hour of draining time. Once the timer buzzes (no I really did not use a timer), discard the juice, wipe out the bowl, and dump the colander into the bowl.

Okay I messed up this next part a little so follow the instructions, not necessarily my pictures.

You need 2-6 teaspoons of lime juice. One well squeezed lime will do it. Start by adding 2 teaspoons to the tomato pile.

Here is where the mistake comes in. Add the salt and pepper to the tomatoes and stuff, not to the lime juice.Add a pinch of black pepper (fresh ground if you have it).


Add 1/2 teaspoon salt (you can add more later if you want to).

At this point, toss the salsa to combine.

Sprinkle in a tablespoon of sugar.

Now the fun part, taste. Adjust your seasonings. Add more salt, jalapeno, lime juice, black pepper, what ever you want. This recipe is great for adjusting to your own tastes.

Serve with chips. We like the scoop type here in our house.Enjoy everyone!!

Chipped Ham Barbecue

This recipe is so easy. . .a four year old could make it.  In fact, my four year old did make it for our "out the door" dinner tonight.  We occasionally have an evening activity to rush off to and must have a quick, low prep meal.  My friend Joanie gave me this one and it is the quickest and lowest prep there is.

Here's what you need: 

2 pounds of chipped ham from the deli
1 18 oz. bottle of barbecue sauce (we use KC Masterpiece)

Here's what you do:

Ask your four year old to get out clean scissors and roll up her sleeves. 

Chop (or cut) the chipped ham in to roughly one inch pieces and place them in a crock pot.  (If you don't actually need to occupy a small child for any amount of time, simply cut the chipped ham with a knife.  It'll go much faster.)

Empty the bottle of barbecue sauce into the crock pot,

Set the slow cooker to low (or high if you have less time), you're goal is to heat it through.  Honestly, if you're in a real hurry, you could do this in a sauce pan on the stove.

Serve on hamburger buns.

That's it!  That's all she wrote!  Add a side dish and you're out the door lickety split.

Welcome

This blog is the result of three sisters who live in three states sharing recipes. These are recipes we have found from other places or have invented ourselves. Most of the time the new recipes turn out pretty well and we will share those. If the dish turns belly up you may never hear about it.

From time to time we will throw in kitchen tips and possibly some tales of cooking with kids (since all together we have 9). So sit back and enjoy. We will cook and share.