Food goodness

These are so, so delicious . The sauce is also plentiful and ridiculously delicious on everything. That is all.

These are Shannon's refried beans, they're the best refried beans in the world, they're the only ones you'll ever need, and that is all I have to say about the matter. They're so good that I'm reviving this food blog, because once her directions disappear too far back into our text chain, I might not be able to find them again and that would be a tragedy. #pandemicblogrevival 1. Rinse and pick over some amount of dried pinto beans. Put them in the Instant Pot with a quartered onion and several whole garlic cloves. Fill water several inches above the beans. 2. Cook on manual in the IP for 30 mins. Natural release until all the pressure is gone. 3. Drain almost all the cooking liquid, but reserve a cup or so in case you need to add it back in later. Add some salt. Blend with immersion blender. 4. In a skillet, heat a few generous tablespoons of some kind of fat until hot. Pour in the beans. Fry for a while, adding more water if it looks too dry. ...

Aw, little neglected food blog. Hi, buddy! A friend (thanks, Wendy!) just posted this on Facebook and I couldn't figure out how to save it, so here we are. My Go To crockpot recipe for potlucks is this: Take as many white mushrooms as will fit in a crock pot, add a stick or two of butter, an entire bottle of cooking sherry (which is just regular sherry with a bunch of salt in it, you could also buy cheap white wine and use that plus a bunch of salt), and whatever random Italian herbs I can lay my hands on (usually a ton of dried oregano, basil and rosemary, but I've even used one of those Italian dressing seasoning packets before). Basically it's done as soon as the mushrooms get soft, but the mushrooms will just keep getting better the longer it cooks -- and I never EVER take any leftovers home. Another serving suggestion:  If you wanted to serve them with something, my old favourite restuarant had a mushroom sandwich that was a baguette toasted with garlic butter, he...

From: Gina's Skinny Recipes I served this with the Salsa Verde Chicken and it was quite delicious.  Would also be good with fish or grilled chicken.  Maybe pork, too? 1 mango, peeled and diced 1 avocado, peeled and diced 1 plum tomato, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 jalepeño, seeded and diced 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 tbsp fresh lime juice 1/4 cup chopped red onion 1 tbsp olive oil salt and fresh pepper to taste Combine all the ingredients and let it marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving

I didn't have the right ingredients for the skinny artichoke dip , so I tried Alton Brown 's instead, with some significant alterations. 1 package thawed, chopped frozen spinach 1 can artichoke hearts, chopped 6 ounces light cream cheese 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (I used light sour cream) 1/4 cup light mayonnaise some amount of shredded cheese (I used Parm and Romano)  1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon salt a few grinds of black pepper Preheat oven to 350. Put spinach and artichokes in a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible. Put cream cheese into an 8x8 baking dish. Microwave for a minute or two, until soft. Stir in all other ingredients. Sprinkle a bit more cheese on the top and bake until it's all bubbly and hot, about 20 minutes.

The thing that makes this salad so delicious is the balsamic glaze, I think -- which is just regular old balsamic, simmered on the stove until it gets thick and sticky and sweet. Mm. Adapted from this recipe . Preheat the oven to 400. Cube about 3 cups of stale bread and spread it out on an oiled baking sheet. Drizzle more olive oil on top. Toast for about 10 minutes in the oven, until golden brown. Pour onto a platter or into a glass baking dish. On another baking sheet or two, spread 2 generous pints of cherry tomatoes  -- different colors look pretty, but any cherry or grape will do; and better yet, make it 3 pints so you have leftover roasted tomatoes tomorrow -- and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. About 10 minutes in, take the tomatoes out and drain the hot tomato liquid (hotttt) on top of the bread. Don't soak it, just give it a bit of tasty roasted tomato love. Put the tomatoes back in for another 10 minutes, or until they start turning dark and wrinkly. Cho...

Can't believe this recipe isn't already on here -- I'm going to a not-watching-the-Superbowl party on Sunday, and it will prominently feature DIP, and taco dip is my own heart's one and only true dip. A and A collaborated on the directions: In a bowl, combine 5 to 8 oz. sour cream and an 8 oz brick of cream cheese, slightly softened. Spread in a glass pie plate. Drain off the extra liquid from some mild salsa (don't forget this step: draining is important). Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer on top of the sour cream/cream cheese mixture. Finely chop a white onion and a green pepper and spread on top of the salsa. (You can also add olives or jalapenos in this step.) Cover the whole thing with shredded cheddar cheese. Get tortilla chips and eat it all in your friend's basement. (Younger A adds: "In theory, you can make all this less bad for you by using low or reduced fat products and using celery instead of tortilla chips to get it to your mouth, b...

From: LOL Foodie 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed 2 tbs butter half of a large onion 2 apples (Granny Smith or another tart variety) 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/3c fontina cheese, shredded 1 tsp minced fresh thyme 1/2 tsp salt Instructions Begin with prep work. Slice/chop the onion very thinly. Peel and core the apple, and chop it into pieces approximately the same size as the onion. Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium. Once it’s melted, add the onions and 1/4 tsp of salt. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the apples, and reduce the heat to low. Cook over low for about 30 minutes. The onions should be nice and caramelized, and lightly browned. Stir in the pepper and remaining salt. Remove from heat and let cool. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap and unfold the puff pastry dough. Slice along the folds already present in the dough, creating 3 even “strips” of dough. Cut each ...

From: BBC Good Food I really liked this. Makes a delicious addition to your usual cheese board. I think many of our guests didn't know what to do with it (despite my helpful signage suggesting people try it with cheese and honey). My suggestion is to start with a cracker, top with a slice of cheese (manchego, perhaps), a slice of the fig cake, and then a drizzle of honey. Yum! These also make a nice gift - just tie up a couple in a cellophane bag. Please note that you need to make these in advance because you have to let them dry for about a week before you serve - otherwise they will be a sticky mess. Ingredients 100g whole almonds , toasted 500g pack dried whole figs , hard stalk and centre of base removed 85g dried apricots , chopped into small pieces 50g dried cranberries 1 tbsp brandy 1 tbsp clear honey 1 tsp ground cloves 100g sesame seeds , toasted Directions: Whizz the almonds in a food processor until most are finely chopped, then tip into a large bowl. Roughly ch...

From: Alton Brown Definitely make this one the night before you plan to serve it. It needs time for the flavors to meld. The onion flavor intensifies overnight, too. Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 cups diced onions 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1/2 cups sour cream 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Directions In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

From: Annie's Eats These were good, and could be adapted to a variety of fillings. I used pre-sliced pepperoni, which I halved. When I filled them, I put in 2 pepperoni halves, then a bit of mozzarella, and then 2 more pepperoni halves. These would also be good with pre-cooked, crumbled sausage, veggies, etc. Serve with a pizza sauce for dipping. I used on batch of pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's. pizza dough (enough for one pizza) 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces) Sliced pepperoni For topping: Olive oil Italian seasoning Grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Lightly brush the to...

From: Gina's Skinny Recipes You can make this in advance and just throw in the oven when your guests are about to arrive. I doubled it and it made a ton, which was unnecessary. I also forgot to put the bread crumbs on top, which I think would have been good. I served this with bruscetta-flavored pita chips and a variety of veggies. 13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained 2 tbsp chopped shallots 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt 1/4 cup light mayonnaise 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese salt and fresh pepper to taste 2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs olive oil spray Preheat oven to 400°. In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the shallots. Combine artichokes, yogurt, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and top with breadcrumbs. Lightly spray the crumbs with olive oil then bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. S...

From: Pioneer Woman This is a good recipe for all the summer tomatoes that are starting to come in, from the garden and the farm share. You can use any kind of tomatoes - large, small, red, yellow, etc. We ate these piled high on fresh mozzarella with a bit of fresh-cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Todd also made a toasted/melted version for dinner, too - he toasted up some nice bread, piled on the tomatoes, placed some sliced mozzarella on top and then stuck it back in the toaster oven to melt the cheese. Sprinkle with sliced basil and, viola (as they say in France)! You could also serve it cold on toasted bread like bruschetta, or spoon it over some quinoa or cous cous for a side dish, etc. Ingredients 1 cup Canola Oil (I used less, and substituted olive oil) 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 4 Tablespoons Sugar 1 teaspoon Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper 3 whole Green Onions, Sliced 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley 18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade) 1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme 2 cloves Garli...

From: New Jewish Holiday Cookbook I made two versions of haroset for a seder on Thursday night. The first was a combination of apples, cinnamon, walnuts, honey and wine. It was good, but this version was better. Everyone loved this stuff and several people asked to take some of the extra home. I have a container of leftovers in my fridge (I made a double batch of both versions and it was way too much), and I had some for breakfast this morning, scooped up with pieces of matzoh. I also had some as a snack yesterday, spread on a rice cake. It makes a great snack. This version is easy to whip up in the food processor. 15 pitted dates, cut in half 1 large apple, peeled, cored, cut into eighths 1 medium navel orange, peeled, cut into chunks 1 cup any kind of raisins 1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces 1/2 cup slivered almonds about 2 Tbsp sweet red Pesach wine (any type) additional navel orange slices for garnish, optional Put the dates, apple, orange, raisins, walnuts and almonds into a ...

Happy 2011! I brought this guac to our little new year's party last night. I know we already have multiple delicious guac-tastic recipes on this site, but I figured one more can't hurt, and it's a little different because of the dairy. It's also one of my old standbys that I always make without a recipe. 3 avocados, preferably really ripe ones, but this recipe is actually forgiving of under-ripeness juice of 2 small limes half a small onion, diced very fine a few T sour cream or Greek yogurt, just enough to make it creamy and light green salt & pepper something spicy (optional; can be crushed red pepper or chopped jalepenos or some of that Thai chili garlic sauce, which is my favorite) a dash of cumin (optional) chopped cilantro (optional) Using a fork, smash everything together in a bowl. It can be as chunky or as smooth as you like; I enjoy a bit of chunk. Keep adding lime juice until you can actually identify the lime taste, which I think is the key to the delici...

From: Taste of Home I made this as one of the dishes for our Christmas party last night and it went over well. In the past I used to use a cranberry-apple chutney topping from TJ's, but they discontinued it this year, so I found this recipe to try instead. Everyone liked it, even though most people couldn't figure out what was in it. :) 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar Dash salt 1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed 1 round Brie cheese (8 ounces) In a small saucepan, combine the apricots, brown sugar, water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in rosemary. Remove rind from top of cheese. Place in an ungreased ovenproof serving dish. Spread apricot mixture over cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is softened. Serve with crackers. Yield: 6-8 servi...

From: The Pioneer Woman This salsa was very easy to make, and would be good for a variety of uses (with tortilla chips, used in recipes, etc). I think I will make this rather than buying jarred salsas in the future. Be warned, though - this makes a LOT of salsa. It might not even fit in your food processor unless you have a large capacity. You might also want to start with 1/2 a jalapeno if you are concerned about the heat - I used a whole jalapeno, and a large one to boot, and thought it was very hot when I first made it, though the heat did mellow somewhat by the second day. 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies) 1/4 cups Chopped Onion 1 clove Garlic, Minced 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin 1/4 teaspoons Sugar 1/4 teaspoons Salt 1/4 teaspoons Ground Cumin 1/2 cups Cilantro (or to taste!) Juice from 1/2 a lime Preparation Instructions Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumi...

From: my former supervisor Claire Claire brought this to an office pot-luck event, and it was gobbled up. It's super quick to throw together and a crowd-pleaser. 1 can black eyed peas, drained 1 can shoepeg corn, drained 1 can black beans, drained 1 large can diced tomatoes, drained 2 bunches scallions, chopped fresh parsley, chopped 1 bottle Garlic Expressions (you won't use the whole bottle) Mix all ingredients well. Add as much Garlic Expressions as you want. You can remove the garlic cloves from the bottle, chop, and add to the mix. Serve with tortilla chips (the Scoops type works well). * Look for Garlic Expressions in the produce, bakery or dressing sections. It can be used as a bread dipping sauce, salad dressing, or marinade.

Adapted from the Grand Luxe Cafe on the Mag Mile in Chicago, courtesy of my brother. I wasn't going to post this but Gwen talked me into it. It's just that I'm not following a recipe so much as using recipes I have on hand already and then using proper nacho preparation technique (courtesy of Cooks Illus.). And Asian nachos are exactly what they sound like: nachos with Asian flair. And had we actually been competing at this year's Super Bowl Top Chef party, I dare say I would have been a top contender with these. Take that Bobby Flay and your nacho dogs! Note that I've made these with tofu but they are commonly served with chicken or pork. Here's how it goes: Ingredients: 1/2 pkg of square won ton skins, cut in half on the diagonal 1/2 medium red pepper, minced 1/2 medium yellow or orange pepper, minced 1/2 medium carrot, minced 3 scallions, finely sliced 1 T chopped cilantro 1/2 pkg extra firm tofu, cut in half lengthwise, pressed and marinated in a mixt...

I just made this up, based on the full-sized Rustic Onion Tart recipe that I posted here awhile back. I wanted to turn that delicious main dish into an appetizer, so I just adapted it this way. I don't have exact measurements, sizes or times, but there should be enough info here for you to get the point. I'll try to pay more attention next time. 3 large red onions, halved cross-wise and sliced thinly splash of balsamic vinegar gruyere cheese, shredded or sliced into small, thin squares pie crust dough (store-bought or homemade Saute the onions over medium heat until well browned. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Unroll your pie dough onto a flat surface. Using a small round cookie cutter (or the mouth of a small drinking glass), cut the pie dough into circles that will fit nicely into a mini-muffin pan. I have a water glass that makes the perfect sized circles for my muffin pan. Press the dough into the muffin tin. Place a sm...