Caramelized Onion Dip

I think few recipes are more useful than a dip that goes with just about anything. A good, versatile dip will go with chips, veggies, crackers or any other socially acceptable method of spooning it into your mouth.

It would probably not be wise to only use your fingers to eat this dip…well in public anyway. At midnight, alone and in front of your fridge while the dog goes outside to pee? Sure, why not! Not that I have ANY experience with that scenario. Ever. 

Caramelized Onion Dip

* Makes 2 ½ cups

(printable recipe)

What you need:

-          16oz Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt

-          1 large red onion

-          1 large yellow onion

-          3 tablespoons butter*

-          1 teaspoon garlic powder

-          1.5 teaspoons onion powder

-          1 teaspoon soy sauce

-          1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

-          Black pepper

-          Salt

-          Scallions, optional as a garnish

-          Chips or veggies for serving

*more if needed

What you’ll do:

1. In a large sauté pan melt the butter over medium-low heat. Slice the onions evenly and add to the pan. Cover and simmer 25-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If the pan gets too dry, add more butter as needed.
2. Once the onions are completely caramelized, remove from heat. Drain off any excess butter and allow to cool completely.  
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, garlic powder, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in onions and let sit in the refrigerator for approx 4 hours.
4. When ready to serve, stir dip and taste for flavor. Add salt and pepper if needed. 

Enjoy!

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Pico de Gallo

I’m pretty sure I’ve established here that I love Tex-Mex and Mexican food. I love spicy, cheesy, guacamole covered yumminess. I can’t help it.

Pico de Gallo is a common Mexican fresh condiment much like salsa. Many people have their own version and this one is mine. Chili peppers are common in Pico but I omit them when I make Pico. I feel chili peppers (such as jalapeños) have their place already in salsa and I prefer Pico to just be fresh and bright with no heat.

And because I love Mexican food and I use pico de gallo so much, it gets its own post so I can refer back to it. Later I will share a recipe where I use it. It’s a pretty great one too!

Pico de Gallo

* Makes about 1 ½ cups

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          1 cup diced tomato, about 2 medium tomatoes seeded

-          1/3 cup diced red onion (you can use white or yellow)

-          2-3 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro, depends on your taste

-          Juice of ½ lime

-          Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Prep all ingredients and combine in a small bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

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Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls with Blue Cheese Dip

So in case you haven’t heard yet, there is this big – HUGE really – football game tomorrow. Which means pizza, wings, beer, and tons of other fat and calorie laden yumminess to indulge on.

I confess that I don’t love buffalo or chicken wings and I refuse to eat them in public. In general, I don’t like any meat that is still on the bone. I do love buffalo sauce though. I've posted a few things on here already that are for buffalo sauce lovers, and I can’t help but always think of new ways to use it.

Like these egg rolls. Why is it so much fun to fuse different types of cuisines together? I've seen egg rolls stuffed with all kinds of non-traditional fillings – the craziest might be the Mac n cheese stuffed ones I saw recently. Not sure if I’d ever go there but these Buffalo Chicken ones are pretty awesome.

They have a crispy, slightly chewy outside with a sharp and spicy inside. Serve them with my blue cheese dipping sauce and you might not even miss the real thing. And I added bacon in them just for good measure. You can’t get that with a chicken wing.

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

* Makes 16

(printable recipe)

Last Minute Appetizer - Herbed Cheese and Prosciutto Spread

This is one of the easiest appetizers I have come up with to date. The first time I made it was out of desperation to serve unexpected guests that came to our house. It went over so well that I've been making it regularly ever since. In fact, I made it last night for Brent to bring to his potluck at work today.

So if you happen to be looking for a quick appetizer to share for Thanksgiving tomorrow, this one might be your best bet. If prosciutto sounds scary to you, feel free to substitute thinly sliced deli ham.

For picture purposes, I spread the dip on some crostini but I usually leave it in a bowl and arrange crostini or crackers around it for serving.

Herbed Cheese and Prosciutto Spread Recipe

*Makes approx 2 cups/ Serves 8-10

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          8oz whipped cream cheese

-          6.5oz spreadable garlic and herb cheese (such as Boursin or Aloutte)

-          3 oz prosciutto, sliced thin

-          Fresh ground black pepper

-          Crackers, crostini or bread for serving

-          Parsley – optional

Directions:

1. Allow cream cheese and herb cheese to come to room temp, and then place in a large mixing bowl.

Cannellini Bean and Basil Pesto Dip

Do you say white beans or cannellini beans? I find myself switching between the two all the time. So this is either Cannellini Bean and Pesto Dip, or White Bean and Pesto Dip depending on day.

Regardless of which way you say it, this is a really tasty dip to share. And so easy too! I made this for a birthday lunch we made for Brent’s mom. He was making her a big Italian dish for the main course, and I wanted something light for an appetizer that would pair with it.

It was so simple to pull together. The only real cooking you’ll do is simmer the beans for a few minutes to get the raw taste out of them, and warm up some pita bread if that is what you want to serve it with. You could also serve the dip with veggies, pita chips, or sliced baguette. I think it would pair beautifully with any of them.

The recipe below makes just shy of 3 cups which would serve about 4-6 as a light appetizer. It can be easily doubled/tripled if you’re serving more.

Cannellini Bean and Pesto Dip

* Makes approx 3 cups

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          2 cups cannellini beans, (one 19oz can)

-          ¾ cup basil pesto

-          Juice half a lemon

-          Zest of whole lemon

-          2 tbls water

-          S&P

Directions:

Goat Cheese and Basil Tomato Sauce

My 21^st birthday was some time ago. More years than I’d really like to admit, if I’m being honest. While there are many things I remember about this specific birthday, one was an appetizer we had at dinner. The dish was simple enough, consisting of goat cheese baked in marinara sauce and served with toasted baguette. Our server suggested mixing the cheese and sauce together – which we did – and I don’t think any of us could stop eating it. It was slightly tangy and luscious.

At the time when I whipped the sauce up for dinner, I wasn’t really thinking about recreating the appetizer in any way. I was just simply getting a bit creative with random items in the fridge and pantry. Now I think of this sauce as a nod to that appetizer…even though I’m making it about a million years later.

I’ve included a recipe for the dish I made that night and a separate recipe for just the Goat Cheese and Basil Tomato sauce. If shrimp, mushrooms, leeks, and spinach aren’t your thing, the GCBT Sauce would go great with grilled chicken or be fine all on its own.

Shrimp Pasta with Goat Cheese and Basil Tomato Sauce 

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          2-3 garlic cloves

-          ½ medium onion

-          16oz plain tomato sauce

-          3 tbl EVOO, divided

-          2 leeks, slice ¾ inch thick and clean*

-          2 cups mushrooms, sliced

-          3-4 cups fresh baby spinach

-          2 tbls butter

-          1 pound 26/30 shrimp

-          2 tbls goat cheese

-          2 tbls minced fresh basil

-          ¾ pound thin spaghetti

-          1-2 tbls tomato paste

-          Salt and pepper

*Clean leeks by placing them in a large pot of water and swishing them around to release any dirt trapped between their layers. Use a slotted spoon to scoop leeks out of bowl once they are clean.

Directions:

1- Cook pasta according to package directions

Seriously Awesome Burgers

Last night I came home from work and the last thing I felt like doing was putting any effort into cooking. I knew we had some burgers in the freezer, so I pulled them out to thaw and decided tater tots for a side.

Classy, I know.

Once Brent threw them on the grill, I decided that I was just going to eat mine with cheese, mustard, and ketchup. No fancy pants toppings this time! Just a damn good and simple burger.

Until, I decided that bacon didn’t sound too bad…and if I was cooking bacon I could certainly take 5 minutes to sauté some crimini mushrooms because I need to use them up… and oh no, we only have one slice left of the good cheese, so why don’t I use up the goat cheese in there from that failed dish I attempted the other night… oooh I have a lonely little sun-dried tomato…I’ll make a goat cheese sun-dried tomato spread for it! That jar has been taking up way too much space in the fridge anyway.

And right there folks, is how I almost always get carried away with dinner. Sometimes I think there should a twelve step program of some sort for this type of behavior. But then…what would I share with you?

These little beauties were delicious and completely satisfied my burger craving. The burger was juicy, the bacon crispy, and the goat cheese sun-dried tomato spread was awesome. It was the perfect compliment to the burger and other toppings. I devoured these with no shame, juice dripping down my chin, and inevitably onto my shirt, which now is probably ruined. Not that this is anything new to me, I tend to always get something on me from either the cooking or eating part of the process.

With Memorial Day coming up, the spread would be a great and simple addition to your cook out. It seriously takes less than 2 minutes to whip together, and that includes pulling out the ingredients!

Peel n Eat Shrimp - A Great Summer Recipe

A few weeks’ back– ok ok, months - Brent’s mother had a get together at her house for the family. She was having a good ol’ southern fish fry and I decided to make some peel n’ eat shrimp to share while we all waited for Brent to fry up pounds and pounds of tilapia, catfish, and grouper.

I’ve wanted to make peel n’ eat shrimp at home since October when Brent and I took a short getaway to Orlando and we had some pretty great ones at Jimmy Buffett’s MargaritaVille at City Walk. Normally I don’t eat “messy” things like this in public, but they turned out to be a perfect midday snack as we took a break in between the two parks.

Old Bay Peel n’ Eat Shrimp
*Serves 10-12 as an appetizer
(printable recipe)

What you’ll need:
- 4 lbs 31-40 uncooked shrimp, shell on and deveined
- 2 cups light beer
- 1 tablespoon crab boil
- 1/3 cup old bay seasoning
- extra old bay for sprinkling if desired – I used about 2 tablespoons
How to do it:

1- Make sure your shrimp are properly deveined and clean but the shells still on. In a large pot add beer, crab boil, and old bay. Fill pot 2/3 full with water and bring to a boil.

2- Once pot is boiling add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp is just pink in color. Remove from heat and drain.

3- Allow shrimp to cool and sprinkle with extra seasoning if you like. Chill shrimp for at least an hour before serving.

Thoughts: These are perfect for a summer get together – preferably an outside one! Keep them well iced and a garbage bowl near for the shells. People can dig in, peel, and enjoy. Pair them with the cocktail sauce recipe below or whichever brand you prefer.

Havarti Horseradish Fondue

I follow a lot of other food blogs. I think right now I subscribe to about 175 feeds… and the list keeps growing weekly. While there are so many dishes I see posted that look utterly fabulous, I never make those dishes at home. The reason is simple – I have hundreds of ideas/recipes/creations of my own that I want to make. Some I’m downright dying to share to be honest. But all that changed when I saw this recipe posted on Pinch My Salt.

I think I actually fell out of my chair when I read the words: Havarti Horseradish Fondue.

I love havarti. Horseradish is pretty awesome in my book. And fondue totally and completely kicks ass. I mean its freaking melted cheese you get to dip things in. And call it dinner! How can that NOT be a winner?

Anyway, the original recipe comes from Michael Symon from the Food Network. He suggests serving this with Rib Eye, but I’m going to tell you to not stop there. We paired it with a Rib Eye but also some grilled Portobello mushrooms and it was awesome on those too. And I’m pretty sure it would be great on chicken, or even an old boot.

Ok, I’m kidding on the last one.

I departed slightly from the recipe when making this at home, so I will link both Symon’s and Pinch my Salt’s recipes below.

Havarti Horseradish Fondue

*Serves 2- 4 as a dipper
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 8 oz havarti, grated – about 2 cups
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons EV olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, squeezed dry*
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
* I would suggest adding the horseradish little by little until you reach your desired flavor level.

Directions:

1. Over low heat in a medium sauce pan add EVOO, shallots, and garlic. Sauté for a minute or two until shallots are translucent. Add vinegar and reduce by half, stirring occasionally.

2. Add cream and let it reduce by half. This takes a looong time. About 25 -30 minutes for me. Stir occasionally.

3. Once cream is fully reduced, remove from heat and whisk in cheese slowly. Add horseradish (to taste) and chives. Add salt and pepper as needed.

4. Serve warm with your favorite grilled meat or vegetable.

Thoughts: This fondue is fantastic. It’s creamy from the havarti and has a nice kick from the horseradish. It would be perfect for a special occasion meal, or if you have a friend or two over for dinner that you want to impress. I will definitely be making this again.

Link Credits:
Pinch My Salt
Michael Symon
 

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto

So what do you do with a bunch of roasted red bell peppers? Make pesto of course!

There is about a zillion ways you can make pesto, and truth be told I don't follow the same exact recipe every time. It depends on what I have on hand when I make it.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto

* Makes about 2 - 2 1/2 cups

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 2 cups roasted red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup EVOO
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 4-5 basil leaves
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or almonds
- salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Toast your nuts on a dry sauté pan over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Nuts will turn golden in color.

2. If using jarred peppers, drain them. You can also make your own.

Beef and Cheese Empanadas

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone that voted last week in the appetizer poll. It was really interesting and fun to see what everyone voted for. When I added empanadas to the poll, it was really just an afterthought. I didn’t think anyone would really vote for them. I was surprised that so many people did! I liked the idea of you guys chiming in on what you’d like me to make, and will most likely do some more polls in the future.

The empanada recipe below is not the one I was planning to make. Not even close. Don’t get me wrong, the ones I did end up making are pretty tasty and I shamelessly devoured 4 of them. Still, I was personally disappointed that my original recipe didn’t pan out.

I’ll save you the long drawn out story of all the things that went wrong… but let’s just say that Sunday morning after 3 trips to the grocery store, 4 hours in the kitchen, and failed empanadas stuck to the walls of the kitchen… I ended up sitting on my kitchen floor crying hysterically with flour, dough, cheese, and meat stuck all over me while my puppy was sitting in my lap trying to lick the tears from my cheeks, and my poor boyfriend just looked at me trying to figure out why I was having a complete nervous breakdown over empanadas.

Looking back at that scene now, it’s pretty amusing.

Monday night I came home from work armed with new ingredients, and an easier method to make what I am affectionately calling now “Fakepanadas”.

Beef and Cheese “Fakepanadas”

*Makes 30 empanadas

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1.5 lbs ground beef

- ¾ cup beef broth

- 1.25 cups medium salsa

- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder

- ¾ teaspoon cumin

- ¾ teaspoon dried cilantro
- Salt and pepper
- Couple of pinches red pepper flake
- ¾ cup bean dip or refried beans
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 12oz cans of biscuits, 10 biscuits in each can, butter or buttermilk – not flakey layers
- Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Brown the ground beef in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until fully brown and no longer pink. Drain in a colander to remove grease and return to sauté pan. Over medium low heat add to the beef: salsa, beef broth, garlic, cumin, cilantro and red pepper flake. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue to simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

15 Minute Dinner: Cajun Scallop Tacos

On nights that Brent works his late shift I like to make meals that don’t take a whole lot of time and effort (or uses a lot of dishes) so that I have time to take care of chores or homework. A lot of times I make some sort of breakfast for dinner or an easy one pot pasta dish. One of my favorite go-to meals is some form of taco. I’ve made these tacos several times and it only occurred to me this morning to share them with you. Sometimes I go really simple and just top them with lettuce and salsa if that is all I have on hand. So this is really more of an idea to share really since you can change them up however you like!

Cajun Scallop Tacos

*Serves 2 (two tacos per person)
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 16 large sea scallops

- 1 ½ - 2 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced

- 1/3 cup chopped scallions

- 4 soft tortillas

- lettuce, shredded

- 1 haas avocado, sliced

- Cilantro Sour Cream

- Small amount of oil

- 1 lime (optional)

Directions:

1. Make sure your scallops are thawed and clean. Place in a small bowl and top with Cajun seasoning. I like a good amount of spicy flavor so I go with 2+ teaspoons, if you don’t like as much, go with less. Allow to sit for at least 5 or so minutes.

2. Heat pan to medium heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom. Add scallops and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Scallops will start to brown and caramelize slightly.

Meatloaf: Love it or Hate it?

Recipe: Yankee Meatloaf with Mushroom and Shallot Gravy

Brent has been wanting meatloaf for a while. Well actually he has been wanting Beef Stroganoff but I told him no because THAT recipe is already on the blog. I’m a cruel a girlfriend, aren’t I? Meatloaf was his second choice and he said he wanted my stuffed meatloaf. Again, I said no, THAT recipe is already on the blog.

So finally I told him I would make this dish for him and he was very happy with the end result. In fact, he ate half of it in one sitting. I’ve made this version several times before, but for some reason he acted as if he never tried it before. Boys can be so strange.

Meatloaf is one of those dishes that vary wildly from recipe to recipe. Mine is more meatball like in texture and not “loafy”. This is how my mother made it and I prefer it that way. I also prefer to cook mine in a loaf/bread pan. I find that cooking it like that makes a moister meatloaf, and again this is how my mother always did it.

Yankee Meatloaf

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1.5 lbs ground beef

- 1 small red pepper, diced

- 1 small white/yellow onion, diced

- 1 cup mushrooms, diced

- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

- 2 eggs

- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (3-4 cloves)

- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- ¾ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil

A recipe and some rambling...

Recipe for Spicy Kick Guacamole

I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now and many times I still feel like a newbie. I was completely green when I started Kitten with a Whisk and all I knew was that I wanted to track my recipes and this seemed like a fun way to do it.

I had never shared recipes before because I never – I mean never – wrote them down. So while my problem has never been coming up with a new idea or a recipe, there was a problem when it came to replicating one I had created previously.

Believe it or not, I have actually used the print feature for some of my recipes I’ve posted here. I don’t keep them on file once I upload them… I probably should but I hate files clogging up my computer.

All this has nothing to do with the recipe I’m going to share with you.

Oh wait – yes it does.

So my blog is a little over a year old and I’m still learning new things about being a food blogger. The most recent lesson is: Plan on posting EVERYTHING you make.

A lot of times if I’m just cooking a quick dinner I don’t worry about writing down the specs as I go. And many times those dinners have been really great, and I would have loved to have posted them here. The recipe below was one such occurrence and was even apart of another dish that I didn’t write down either that was spectacular. Blogger FAIL.

This recipe took me 3xs to replicate what I did the first time so I could post it. And it was just a guacamole recipe!

 

Spicy Kick Guacamole

Chipotle Three Bean Dip

I’m currently in clean out mode for my pantry and fridge. I try to do this every couple of months in an effort to get rid of random things I have laying about. At any given time you can look in my freezer and see tons of ziplock baggies with small portions of unused broth, stock, beans, veggies… I could go on. When you only cook for two people you don’t always need a whole can of artichokes or black beans.So while we may eat some strange combinations for a week, there are times when these random baggies come together and make something yummy. And since this blog is about food I make and eat in my home at any given time, I decided to post it.
Enter stage left: black beans, red beans, and chipotles.

Chipotle Bean Dip

*Makes approx 3 – 3.5 cups

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

- 1 cup red beans, drained and rinsed

- 1 16 oz can refried beans

- 1-2 chipotles in adobo – depends on how spicy you want it

- 1 teaspoon minced cilantro

Directions:

1. Throw everything a blender or food processor and combine. You may need to add a small splash of water to get things grooving.

2. Optional: This can be served hot or cold. I ate it cold but to heat just put dip in a baking dish and place in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. A great idea would be to top with some shredded cheddar cheese.

3. Serve with chips of choice.

Thoughts: Its bean dip with chipotles, this is a win in my book.

Later this week I will be posting a recipe that I used the dip in.

 

Arugula Overabundunce

Before I get started – is overabundance an actual word??? Why does it seem like its not?

I had a bunch of arugula left over from my Roast Beef panini endeavor the other day and I just couldn’t let it go to waste. I try very, very hard that whenever I purchase food (especially fresh produce) to use it all up before it becomes a science experiment in my veggie drawer. Most of the time they end up in an omelet, frittata or a veggie pasta, but arugula is bit different. I would say that it’s a bit of an acquired taste because of its peppery and slightly bitter flavor.

So anyway, what to do with all this arugula? I knew we couldn’t eat it in salads over the next two or three days so I decided to make a pesto because it would keep in my fridge/freezer for a good amount of time.

Arugula Walnut Pesto

*Makes approx 1 cup of pesto

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 3 cups Arugula, packed

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

- ½ cup walnuts, unsalted

- 2/3 cups EVOO (roughly)
- juice of one lemon

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Create an ice bath in a large mixing bowl with water and ice.

2. Place walnuts in a dry (no oil) sauté pan over medium heat for roughly 5 minutes. Be sure to stir them a few times so not to burn. Remove from heat when done and set aside.

Shrimp, Bacon, and Mushroom Quesadillas with Mexican Herbed Sour Cream

So it was Saturday night and I was trying to figure out what I should whip up for dinner. After mentally running through everything that was in my freezer/fridge and pantry, I came up with the idea to do Quesadillas. But these aren’t “normal” quesadillas; these have shrimp, bacon, mushrooms, and gouda cheese in them. Swoon.

After I settled on my ingredients I thought that I couldn’t just serve them with plain old sour cream. That would be boring and probably not stand up well. So I went with a Mexican-ish Herbed Sour Cream. Which I am now addicted to and use on everything I can possible think of. And I swear the longer it sits in my fridge, the better it gets.

Shrimp, Bacon, and Mushroom Quesadillas with Mexican Herbed Sour Cream

*Serves 2

(Printable version)

Ingredients:

- 1 dozen raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

- 2 cups shredded gouda cheese

- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

- 1 cup sliced mushrooms, any variety – I used baby bella

- 6 bacon strips

- 3 large tortillas

- 1/3 cup chopped scallions

- Canola or Veggie oil, few tablespoons for frying

- S&P

Sour cream:

- 1 cup sour cream

- ½ teaspoon garlic

- 2 tablespoons fresh chives

- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

- 1 teaspoon ground cumin

- Juice of ½ lime

Preparation:

Note: Make the sour cream mixture first and then set in the fridge. You’ll want to do this so they flavors have time to develop into a happy mixture.

Wonton Mission

There are a few things you need to know about this dip:

• The inspiration behind it was solely the desire to make wonton chips. Seriously, I’m not joking.
• I debated between calling this zesty or spicy.
• I took many more pictures of the process to share, but my camera didn’t like me today. She’s an old lady, what can I say?
• I ate all of this dip for dinner tonight. Can we push beach season back a few more weeks?

 So last night BD had Sam the Cooking Guy on and I kept glancing at it while cooking, cleaning, and doing homework. One of his dishes was guacamole and instead of tortilla chips he used wontons to make chips. He’s all about healthy eating on the show and claimed there are very little fat and calories in them, which I could care less about. (Just ask the cellulite on my thighs.) However, the idea of using wontons as chips really intrigued me, so all day I’ve been rolling ideas around in my head for some kind of asian-esque dip to serve them with. I’m sorry but guacamole deserves tortilla chips. (You can check out my guacamole recipe here, btw.) What I came up with is kind of a deconstructed Crab Rangoon. It wasn’t my original intentions but after I started wolfing it down like a cat on tuna fish and thought about the flavors that’s how it worked out.

Parmesan Chive Cream Sauce

Parmesan Chive Cream Sauce

*Serves 4

I made this sauce for pan seared chicken I made the other night. Unfortunately, my camera was on hiatus so I don’t have pictures to share. Stupid camera.

(print recipe)

Ingredients:- ½ cup whipped cream cheese

- ½ cup milk

- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

- 2 tablespoons chives, freshly snipped

- S&P to taste

Method:

1. In a small sauce pan over low heat add cream cheese and milk. Whisk until cream cheese has melted and sauce is smooth.

2. Add parmesan cheese and whisk again until incorporated. Allow to simmer for a few minute to thicken.

3. Once sauce coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat. Add S&P and fresh chives. Serve over chicken, pork, or vegetables.

Thoughts: This sauce gets a nice salty flavor from the parmesan cheese, and the chives add a subtle onion flavor that worked really well for chicken. I think it would also pair nicely with pork or even roasted vegetables such as asparagus.

Stone Crab Season!

Even as a kid I loved seafood. I suspect it’s because I was raised eating steamers, clam chowder, and lobster among other fish and shellfish.

Stone crab season is from the middle of October to middle of May. It is the only time that their claw can be harvested. The claw will grow back in about a year. They are considered by many a delicacy, and I assume this is because they aren’t available year round. I try to enjoy them at least once or twice a season.

Stone crab is commonly served with a mustard sauce. Usually it’s a mayonnaise based dip. Since I don’t groove on mayo, I created my own version. It still has kick, is very easy, and it doesn’t have to be used on just seafood either.

Mustard Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

- Sour cream

- Dijon mustard

- S&P

Preparation: Take equal portions of the sour cream and mustard and mix together. Add a pinch of salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. Mix again.

Then settle in with a mallet and get to work!

Its a messy job, but someones gotta do it!

To serve stone crab, the best way is to serve chilled over ice in a shallow dish. I prefer crushed ice and then put the sauce in the center.

This is about a pound of stone crab. I was planning on having it as an appetizer for dinner that night, but  I lucked out and BD was working and our roommate went out so I got to enoy these bad boys all by myself.