Spinach Artichoke dip...perfect super bowl winner!

My family does not observe the day of super bowl Sunday, call us "Un-American"...but really, it is just because we don't watch sports...we play them. The one exception being the Olympics...of course...because that isn't just a sport...it is magic. Although we don't make a big hoopla about the Super Bowl, we do join in on some of the eating rituals that come with the holiday. I think I will make this dip and eat it during the half time show and then go to bed. Speaking of bed, on a completely non related tangent...after working a long shift at the bakery I quickly jumped into bed and as my head was hitting the pillow I realized that this is the single most unappreciated moment in life...I mean come on, people make a big deal out of sunsets, and rainbows, but nobody pays homage to that perfect moment of bliss when your head meets your pillow at the end of a long day. I mean come on people, someone needs to write a song about that exact moment that brings so many people joy. I'm just saying.

Anyways, back to the dip, the dip that don't belong to no chip. This dip is best paired with some awesome bread - crusty, or chewy...whichever you prefer. Or, a pita, or some crudites, or just eaten with a spoon straight from the bowl. I can't remember where I found this recipe, but I have made some minor adjustments. Basically what it all comes down to is if you want to be that "person" who made "that dip" that you just can't stop thinking about...and yes my friend...you want to be that person. I wish I had a photo of it, but it never lasts long enough to take a picture.

Spinach Artichoke dip

In medium saucepan combine the following and stir over medium heat until well combined and hot:
1 cup cooked and drained frozen spinach (just boil it in some h2o, or zap it in the microwave)
1 1/2 cups canned artichoke (chopped and drained)
6 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Stir, stir, stir...and then eat. Best if served warm.

Quick chicken...

So yeah, I know I have already posted a chicken teriyaki recipe, but here is what I do when I have chicken and need something quick...of course it is always better is you let the chicken marinate for at least an hour...but really...who plans dinner an hour ahead of time? : )

My quick chicken Teriyaki

chicken thighs
cover with:
lemon juice
sesame or olive oil
teriyaki sauce
salt
chopped fresh garlic
ginger (from the spice aisle)
brown sugar

I am not giving you measurements because I don't have any...basically you want enough of the marinade to fully coat all the chicken.

Apple and Carrot Agave muffins

It is such a beautiful day. I am currently sitting outside trying to type this post while huddling under a canopy that is failing to block the sun and glare from my computer...I will prevail, and not surrender to the indoors today. I knew it was going to be a good day when I left church this morning and some sweet old bald dude came up to me and asked if he could borrow some of my hair for his bald head. I jokingly said, "I have plenty to spare." He then went on to say I had very beautiful hair. Have I mentioned before that I LOVE LOVE old guys...they have this old genteelness to them that seems to be lost to my generation. They are great! Anyways, I also knew today was going to be a good day because after my Mass, and gym, and a quick visit to a new bookstore, I knew that there were fresh muffins sitting at home anxiously awaiting my return. I am proud to say the muffins are gone, and the liner is thoroughly scraped, and my tummy very satisfied. It is such a beautiful day.

My Mom recently bought a juicer with the hopes of getting more fruits and veggies into our daily diet. So far we are very pleased with it, and use it every day. It is quite a pain to clean, so hopefully we will come up with a more time efficient solution. Every time you use the machine it collects all the pulp and extra stuff from the fruits and veggies in a little bin. We figured that stuff had a lot of nutritious value as well so I developed this muffin recipe last night. I am pleased to say that it is sweetened with agave and not refined sugars. Last summer I was dappling in the unrefined sugars baking world and had mild success. Overall, I really liked substituting agave for sugar in my muffin and quick bread recipes. The results were always fabulous, and the muffins rose really well with that perfect dome shape on top that everyone always strives to get with muffins. I plan on coming up with a banana bread recipe using agave in the near future. As a general rule if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar I use 1/2 cup of agave. Like I was saying earlier, I used the pulp from our juicer after making a carrot, orange and apple juice for this recipe, but if you don't have that - equal amounts of shredded carrots and apples will do just fine.

Apple and Carrot Agave Muffins
from my insane pea sized brain and kitchen

Mix the following in small bowl and set aside
2 eggs (room temp)
1/2 cup coconut oil (or olive, grape seed, canola)
1/2 cup agave
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
1/2 cup milk

Whisk together in larger bowl. Then stir in the wet ingredients from above. Stir just until combined.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice

Add the following and mix just until combined.

6 oz shredded carrots, apples, or pulp from juicer
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup raisins

Fill lined muffin tins to top of liner. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. I got 12 standard sized muffins out of this.

Enjoy!

My food quote of the day..."To eat, is always a treat."

Chocolate Bubble Biscuits

Oh good Lord, has it really been over a month since my last post? I hate the huge gaps in posts...I hope I didn't loose any of you. I work at a bakery and basically from Thanksgiving to Christmas I was working insane overtime...we were really cranking out the cookies. We got through the season and are now enjoying a slight lull until things pick back up again once everyone has given up on their New Year's resolution to get skinny. : ) I also quit my office job, which is when I usually wrote this blog...so now I actually have to schedule a time to update.

I decided to post one of my oldies, but a goodie. This recipe was the second one I wrote in my first recipe journal. It is kind of a random thing because it isn't a cookie, and it isn't a biscuit...so I am always confused as to when I should make it. I generally make this when I have guests arriving late in the evening...it is a good night cap treat. I was fortunate enough to have two wonderful college friends stop by for two nights and this is a must make whenever I see one of them... Do not be fooled by the name, these are incredible and different.

Chocolate Chip Bubble Biscuits
from the Nestle Toll house cookbook

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together: 2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cut 1/3 cup cold diced butter into the dry mixture.
(I usually just mix it in my kitchen aid until it is mealy...if you mix it too long it will clump)

Stir 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips into the bowl.

Add 2/3 cup milk to mixture and stir until combined....do not over mix, it will result in a tough biscuit.

In separate bowl mix 1/2 cup cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Set aside. Melt 1/3 cup butter. Pour 1/2 of that butter into the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll dough into aprx. 16 balls and place in buttered/sugared pan. Brush with remaining butter and then sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and no longer doughy looking. Cool about 10 minutes, if you can wait that long, and then eat, and share...if you want.

Gingerbread Pancakes...for the love of spice!

Today is Saint Nicholas Day!!! As long as I can remember my family has always celebrated this feast day. Traditionally you are to leave your left shoe outside your door so when Saint Nicholas stops by he will fill your shoe with either treats or coal. I come from a very large extended family, and my mom has always sent decorated treat bags full of something to all our relatives and friends. Quite a task, and I am impressed that she has continued to do it even though the family has grown so large...not as in gaining weight, but as in many bodies. Although Saint Nicholas is from Myra, also known as modern day Turkey, many other countries celebrate his Feast day. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of Sailors, merchants...ironically, archers, children, and students.

Traditionally "Speculaas" cookies are served on Saint Nicholas day. These are Dutch spice cookies very similar to a ginger snap. I have made these cookies and they are very good, but I didn't have the time to make them this year. Instead I opted to make a different spice filled item...Gingerbread pancakes. I liked them so much that I had them for dinner and dessert one day, and then used the rest of the batter to make some more in the morning. I was surprised to find that I much preferred the taste of the pancakes that I made for breakfast after the batter had been in the fridge overnight. The flavors and spices had a chance to really meld together and the result was a rich spicy pancake. I looked at a few recipes for inspiration and then added and changed some things. I really like deep, rich, molasses filled things when it comes to anything spice related...as in cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc...
Gingerbread Pancakes
BY MOI

SIFT together in small bowl:
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves

Whisk together in medium bowl:
4 TBS molasses
3 TBS agave,honey, or brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt, or sour cream
2 TBS melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry into wet ingredients until combined. Pour onto hot buttered griddle. Wait until bubbles form on surface before flipping. Serve with warm maple syrup...or with warm maple pecan syrup...which is just maple syrup heated up with some butter and then add chopped pecans to it....so good.

*If you like a spicier pancake add 1 tsp fresh ginger chopped really small.
*You can make the batter the night before and store it in the fridge...easy breakfast!
*I added chocolate chips to some of the batter...also tres awesome!
*This recipe should make enough pancakes for 3-4 people...it all depends on what size the pancakes are and what size the people are : )
*Contrary to popular belief pancakes are not just a breakfast food...If I have my own family one day I plan on having pancake Wednesdays...we will have pancakes every Wednesday for dinner...how cool am I? : )

How to find a recipe...

It is snowing here in Texas. I must not be a true Texan because I am not freaking out over a few snowflakes. I am however craving tomato soup. I used to hate tomato soup, but then I had Panera's tomato soup and it was love at first bite. That will be my food project for the weekend - finding and making a yummy tomato soup. Usually when I decide I want to make something I search online for a recipe. Here are the websites I use and pull recipes from...

http://foodblogsearch.com/

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes

And of course check the food blogs that I follow...Smitten Kitchen, Eat Make Read, etc...

I used to check the food network website regularly, but wasn't having too much luck with those recipes. I do like the Barefoot Contessa recipes, Michael Charillo, and Alton Brown.

Maple Pecan Pie

One holiday down...three to go. I usually gage how good my Thanksgiving was by how tight my jeans are the next day. I was able to zip them up the day after, but then after we spent the next day eating the leftovers I opted for my sweat pants instead. When we travel for Thanksgiving I usually don't contribute too much to the meal. This year I made a bunch of pies, but nothing else. My favorite out of the 6 pies we made was the maple syrup pecan pie. Most pecan pies call for corn syrup, but I really wanted to avoid that if at all possible. The result was nice...sweet...and delicious. This pie will be making more appearances at our house. I recently quit my office job and am now working full time at a bakery, so...this will hopefully free up some of my time and I can test more recipes. My next venture is sweet potato bread pudding which should be served as a breakfast item with maple syrup...can't wait to make it!!

Here is the link for the maple pecan pie, thank you Williams and Sonoma!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/maple-pecan-pie.html

My winter bird cake...isn't it cute? : )