Greek Layered Dip with Pita Chips

This is a nice twist from the traditional Mexican Layered Dip.  I serve it in a Trifle Bowl - which just makes it that much more special.   I have made a few notes on the ingredients - so see below for a few tips.

1 14-ounce package pita bread

Olive oil cooking spray

4 teaspoons Greek seasoning

1 pound ground tukey (A)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 16-ounce container prepared hummus

1 1/2 cups tzatziki (gyro sauce) (B)

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

2 medium roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 diced red onion

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped  (C)

1 4-ounce container crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with foil. Cut the pita rounds into eighths. Split each piece in two and place on the prepared baking sheet(s), with the inside of the bread facing up. Spray with the olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the Greek seasoning. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden.


Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the ground turkey with the garlic salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning. Drain and set aside. In a shallow 1 1/2-quart dish, spread the hummus on the bottom. Top with a layer of ground lamb, then the tzatziki. Layer with the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives and feta. Serve the dip at room temperature with pita chips.

(A) - The original recipe calls for Ground Lamp - I substitute Ground Turkey.
(B) - If you're a local resident - Fareway Grocery Store makes Tzatiki sauce prepared.  It's available in the Meat Department.
(C) - You can buy fresh kalmata olives at the "Olive Bar" at your local Hy-Vee.  They are generally located near the Meat/Cheese Deli.

Originated from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Rumor is that this dip is the next big thing - quickly replacing (in popularity) the ever famous Buffalo Chicken Dip!  I am making this for my family on Christmas Eve - so I will update with our verdict.

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained
½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 stick butter - melted
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses.  Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined.  Spread the mixture into a baking dish (9 x 9) or a 2 quart baking dish.

In a second bowl, combine the Butter, Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined.   Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden.  Serve warm with baguette slices, tortilla chips, vegetables, etc. as desired.

Cheeseburger Soup

Serve this hearty soup with Beer Bread (http://www.tastefullysimple.com/) and you're good to go!

1lb pound ground beef
1/2 lb bacon

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup shredded carrots

3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup Corn

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

4 tablespoons butter, divided

3 cups chicken broth

4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)*

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2.5 cups (12 ounces) Velveeta Cheese

1-1/2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup sour cream

In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef and bacon; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, corn, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream and bacon.

*Want to save time? - Use frozen hashbrowns instead of potatoes.

Creamy Baked Ziti

This is an easy casserole that's good for the whole family.  My toddler likes it (which is a rare occurence around here) - I simply make half of the casserole without sausage to make it toddler-friendly.

4 cups - Ziti pasta, uncooked
1 jar (26 oz.) marinara sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
6 oz. - Cream Cheese (cubed)
3/4 cup - Sour Cream
8 oz - Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/3 cup - Parmesan Cheese
2 Cloves - Garlic (minced)
1 Tb - Basil
1 Tsp - Oregano
1 Tsp - Salt/Pepper
1 lb - Italian Sausage
　
Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package. Remove from pan; drain and spray cold water on noodles to stop cooking. Meanwhile, brown sausage on stovetop.

Add marinara sauce, tomatoes, garlic, spices, cream cheese, and sour cream to noodle pan; cook on medium heat 10 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan, add sausgae and mix all ingredients.

Pour 1/2 of pasta mixture on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Next, add 1/2 of the mozzerella cheese and then the remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzerella cheese and parmesan cheese.
Cover and Bake at 375 for 20 min. or until heated through.

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound ground beef

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup finely chopped carrots

1 cup water

1 can (8 ounces) Tomato Sauce

1 can (6 ounces) Tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp - Basil

1 tsp - Garlic Powder

2 Tbs - Worchesthire Sauce

3 - Bay Leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

If you're wanting a spicier sauce add:

2 tsp - Chili Powder

3 drops - Hot Pepper Sauce

In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

Transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in all other ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until bubbly.  Remove Bay Leaves prior to serving.

Mexican Pizza

A nice twist on traditional pizza - the bean/spice "sauce" is quite tasty.  The original recipe didn't include ground beef but I added it to ours and it turned out really good.

Pizza Dough (I recommend Trader Joe's)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne
3 tbsp. Chicken Broth
1 lb - Ground Beef
2 cups - Mexican Cheese Blend
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
3-4 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450.

Roll out the pizza dough into a 14 inch round.  Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil.

Brown ground beeft in skillet.  Meanwhile - combine the black beans, cumin, paprika and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor (I used our Magic Bullet).  Puree until ground into a paste.  Add the chicken broth 1 tablespoon at a time - continuing to puree in between additions.

Spread the bean puree onto the shaped pizza crust in an even layer.  Add ground beef and then layer with half of the cheese.  Sprinkle the jalapeño, red onion, tomato, corn and cilantro over the inital cheese layer and then top with the remaining cheese.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes.

Originated From: http://www.annies-eats.com/

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

We are big fans around here of Papa Murphy's - Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, so we decided to try and find a recipe that mimicks it and this one comes pretty close.

I am a big fan of Trader Joe's refridgerated Pizza Dough - I buy 5 or so at a time, freeze and then thaw out whenever we make a homeade pizza.

Pizza dough

Topping 

2 cups cooked chicken breast halves (chopped)

8 slices cooked bacon (cut up)

1/4 cup red onion (chopped)

2 cups Mozzerella Cheese (shredded)
1 cup tomatoes (chopped)

Pizza Sauce

1/3-1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/4 cup butter 
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

Salt and black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500.  Place Pizza Stone in oven and let it warm up for atleast 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, roll out pizza dough onto your pizza dough and prepare sauce

In saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Mix in the cream cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the cream and garlic powder. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer, stirring often. If sauce seems too thin, sprinkle in some flour 1 teaspoon at a time. Cook and stir for desired consistency. Stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Spread your ranch dressing on your dough first, next spread your alfredo sauce on the dough.

Sprinkle half of your mozzarella cheese on the pizza. Add your shredded chicken, bacon, tomatoes and chopped onion. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake at 500 on the bottom rack of oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until crust appears done on the bottom.

 

Crockpot Italian Chicken Sandwiches

This is a hand-me-down recipe from my mom....who got it from a friend....who got it from her mom.  You get the idea.  I love it because it's easy and really, really good.

3 lbs - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup - Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp - Sweet Basil
1 1/2 tsp - Garlic Powder

Dredge Chicken in Parmesan Cheese (and I mean really, really coat them in cheese) and layer on the bottom of your crockpot.  Combine all other ingredients - pour over chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Once cooked - shred and enjoy.

Note - We like our sandwiches a little bit moister - so I mix up an additional amount of the Olive Oil Mixture and use it when shredding the chicken.

Baked Potato Soup

This is a good comfort-food type of soup - one that brings back memories of coming inside from sledding or building a snowman as a child.   I  made a few adjustments from the original recipe - like doubling the amount of bacon (who doesn't like more bacon) and reducing the amount of garlic.  I am a lover of garlic, but it over-powered the other flavors.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 to 4 medium baking potatoes, baked

1/2 lb bacon strips, diced

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of potato soup

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

3-1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dash Liquid Smoke, optional

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• Peel and dice the baked potatoes; set aside. In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 1-1/2 teaspoons drippings.
• Add the soups, milk, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, pepper, Liquid Smoke if desired and reserved potatoes to the drippings.
• Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream; cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through (do not boil). Garnish with cheddar cheese and bacon. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Originated from:  Taste of Home