Pepperoni Pizza Dip

I’ve learned that I need to start prepping for certain holidays weeks in advance for the benefit of this blog.  I would love to feature a dish that would shine during a particular time of year.  I’ve attempted this in the past, but failed rather miserably.  My Christmas Croquembouche was posted Christmas Eve, which didn’t allow near enough time for someone to make their own croquembouche for a Christmas festivity, had they wanted to.   I had planned on making rosy pink macarons for Valentine’s Day… which, as I’m sure you can tell, I did not.   Furthermore, this featured ooey gooey, cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Dip was intended for Super Bowl Sunday.   And if I’m not mistaken, I believe it is now March. Only a month past due.

I can’t beat myself up too much, I guess.   I’ve never been one to be punctual- and you can forget expecting me to be ahead of schedule.   I’d also like to mention that I’m superb at procrastinating or pushing things aside.   Nevertheless, I’m determined to get better.  There is always room for improvement and that’s what I like to think of this blog as: my own personal log of self-advancement. It’s a diary for my growth as an individual.  A place where I can share my thoughts and the current events of my life, as well as tracking the progress I’ve made over time.

For instance, wouldn’t you agree that I’ve improved vastly on my photography skills?   You only need compare my current photos from this post or perhaps this one to the posts when I first began this little blog, with Chicken Milanese or Summer Peach Cupcakes.  I’d also like to think my skills in the kitchen have improved as well.  That’s why I sometimes select recipes that might be a little too involved or over complicated.  I think it’s fun challenging myself to learn a new technique.

So maybe in time for Easter this year I will have posted a stunning leg of lamb recipe for you all to try out in time to serve on Easter Sunday.  After all, recognizing the problem is the first step to self-improvement.

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup low fat sour cream

1/4 cup light mayonnaise (preferably Hellman's)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 cup grated parmesan, divided

1 cup jarred pizza sauce

2-3 oz pepperoni slices (I used a mix of regular and mini- the mini slices are just so cute!)

1/4 cup thinly sliced green pepper

2 tbsp sliced black olives

1/4 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 crusty French baguette

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.  Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan together in a small bowl, and spread it evenly across the bottom of a 9" pie pan.

2. Spread the pizza sauce on top then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  Top with the pepperoni slices, green pepper, black olives and mushrooms.

3. Bake until the cheese is melted, bubbling and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.  Serve with a sliced baguette. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8 (or in my case, just Jon and I :-)

Vegetarian Wonton Soup

Have I mentioned how much Jon and I like to eat?  Surely, I have.  Because sometimes it feels like that's all we do.  Whether it's snaking, cooking or eating out, the two of us do more than our fair share of consuming.  The upside?  We have a lot of fun doing it.  The foodie in me always knew I would need to end up with someone who loved to eat and try new foods as much as I did.

Jon is a very adventurous eater.  He has helped me expand my food horizons immensely.  I've ventured out and learned to like oysters, mussels and clams thanks to him (Jon is a lover of seafood).  But we've also had many foodie firsts as a couple.  Whilst pushing aside the thought of what a certain food might actually entail, together we have tried bone marrow, sweetbreads (the thymus glands of veal, young beef, pork or lamb), foie gras and just last week, tongue tacos.  Yep, it's been a lot of fun.

The downside of our gluttony?  We've put on a combined weight of about 20 pounds in the four months that we've lived together.  Interestingly enough, the two of us are also very active people.  With winter setting in, however, mountain biking and hiking are becoming less likely weekend activities, while snuggling by the fire in front of the TV has become increasingly more common.  More accurately, snuggling in front of the TV with a glass of wine in one hand and something edible in the other.  Hence, the 20 pounds.

I think it's fairly easy to guess what Jon and I's New Years resolutions will be this year.  Not only is the idea to shed that extra weight, but we would also like to introduce more vegetarian based meals into our diet.  Vegetarian meals can be just as satisfying, hearty and delicious as those loaded with meat (perhaps, with the exception of a bloody ribeye...).  The added bonus: a diet with more veggie filled meals is not only more friendly on the waistline, it's much kinder to your bank account as well.

So, in the spirit of "practice makes perfect", I thought it wouldn't hurt to test out some vegetarian recipes a little early this year.  Don't get me wrong, Jon and I have yet to break our bad eating habits.  I mean, who can really stick to a strict diet around this time of year anyways?  But, as soon as that clock strikes midnight, you can bet that Jon and I are going meat free.  Well, at least two days a week that is.

Vegetarian Wonton Soup

Recipe by Karlie Kiser

Ingredients:
For the stock-
8 oz onions, coarsely chopped
4 oz leeks, outer layer peeled off and coarsely chopped
8 oz carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 oz celery, coarsely chopped
½ bunch parsley
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
6-8 cups cold water

For the wontons-
8 oz firm tofu
1 ½ tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp sesame oil
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (available in the Asian food section of most supermarkets)
1 egg
2 scallions, minced (both white and green ends)
1 ½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup carrots, julienned then minced
¼ cup water chestnuts, minced
½ jalapeno, seeded and minced
½ tsp Kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
About 25 wonton wrappers

For the soup-
1 lb baby bok choy, leaves halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
6 oz shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
½ cup water chestnuts
2 oz baby spinach
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients for the stock, with the exception of water, in a 6 qt. stockpot. Add cold water to cover contents by 1 inch, about 6-8 cups and simmer over medium heat 45 minutes to 1 hour; do not let stock come to a boil. Skim off and discard any impurities or foam that rise and settle on the surface.

2. While the stock is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat, spray with non-stick spray and crumble the tofu into the pan. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce, stir and sauté for about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, scrape tofu into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Once the tofu is cool enough to handle, add the egg, scallions, ginger, garlic, carrots, water chestnuts, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands until just combined.

4. Put 1 wonton wrapper on a work surface (keep remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap). Spoon a rounded teaspoon of filling in center of square, then brush water around the wonton’s edges. Lift 2 opposite corners together to form a triangle and enclose filling, pressing edges firmly around mound of filling to eliminate air pockets and seal. Moisten opposite corners of long side. Bring moistened corners toward each other and pinch together. Make the remaining wontons in the same manner, repeating the process until the tofu mixture is gone.

5. Once the stock has finished cooking, stir in the bok choy, mushrooms and water chestnuts and season the broth with salt and pepper; continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the bok choy is crisp-tender. Add the spinach, sliced scallions and wontons and simmer, gently stirring, for another 3 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 6-8 servings

Truffled Mushroom Tagliatelle

I had a birthday.  Another birthday.  My 27th one to be exact.  I don't feel near as old as I actually am.  Sometimes I think I'm still 22, that is until the monthly bills start rolling in or perhaps when I glance in the mirror and see the early signs of aging starting to appear on my once youthful face.  Despite facing yet another birthday, inching me ever closer to that dreaded 3-0, I like to take this time of year to pamper myself a little bit.

Instead of using the birthday money I get from relatives to put towards bills (which is exactly what I should be doing), I allow myself to buy a little something just for me.  I mean, I deserve it right?  I also let myself truly indulge the week of my birthday.  Cake, red meat, an extra margarita or two.  So when it came time to decide what I was going to whip up for this blog last week, I thought it should include one of my absolute favorite things: truffles.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use actual truffles (I can't afford such luxuries at the moment), but I did use plenty of truffle oil and a beautiful blend of earthy, unctuous mushrooms.  I had found a delicious looking recipe for a mushroom fricassee in September's Bon Appétit.  I had been looking for a good excuse to make it and my birthday seemed as good as any. (Side note: a fricassee by definition is a dish of pieces of meat or vegetables stewed in stock and served in a white sauce).

Bon Appétit's version of mushroom fricassee called for using only chanterelle mushrooms.  However, when I got to Whole Foods and realized that chanterelle mushrooms were $29.99 a pound, I decided I'd better take a different route.  I went with a mixture of chanterelles, oyster mushrooms and the adorable looking enokitake mushrooms.  Not only did I save myself roughly $15, but I thought the mixture of mushrooms would make for an interesting looking dish.

OK, enough about mushrooms, let's talk more about my birthday.  Jon's gift to me was something I've always wanted.  I got this same gift for my 13th birthday, but for some very odd reasons, the gift fell through.  Jon made it happen for me though.

He got me the hot air balloon ride that I've been waiting to take for 14 years.  Despite the 5:30 AM wake up time and the very unexpected hangover, the ride was magical and the view beautiful.

It was everything I thought it would be and even more, because now I got to share the experience with the man I love.  Thank you, Jon, for making one of my dreams come true.

Mixed Mushroom Fricassee with Tagliatelle

Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, September 2011

Ingredients:

6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

8 oz chanterelle mushrooms

4 oz oyster mushrooms

4 oz enokitake mushrooms

1/2 cup heavy cream

pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped, plus more for garnish

fresh lemon juice

1/4 lb tagliatelle pasta, cooked al dente

white truffle oil 

Directions:

1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, 4-5 minutes.

2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add wine, stir to mix and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  Add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are lightly golden, about 5 minutes. 

3. Add cream and nutmeg and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in 1 teaspoon thyme and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Add cooked pasta and toss until evenly coated.  Drizzle with truffle oil to taste (I like to add 2-3 teaspoons).  Garnish with more thyme and serve.

Makes 4 servings