Homemade Salsa in the Blender

It's that time of year where we are either entertaining, going to parties or we are just so darned busy we don't even want to mess with cooking a full meal.  Sometimes we just have snack night and we will eat mini naan breads with hummus, or little freezer tacos with queso.  Or <GASP> pizza rolls.  I'm not too much of a food snob to hit the freezer snack section of the grocery store once in a while, BUT the one thing I am picky about it store-bought salsa.  There is really only one kind I like, and I swear everyone in town must like it too, because it is always out of stock.  Only a couple of stores around town even carry it, and on the rare occasion I do see it, I'll buy several jars.  When I can't find it however, I prefer to make my own.  I love this version because not only is it super easy, it's made with canned whole tomatoes.  Of course I love salsa made with fresh from the garden tomatoes, but now it is the time of the year the grocery store tomatoes are mealy and white in the middle with no flavor.  This version has much more flavor and you can control with spice with how many jalapenos you use.  It's great for Mexican food night, or company because most of the ingredients are items you probably have on the pantry shelf.  Grab a bag of chips and give this a try - it might just be your favorite (or in my case, my second favorite!)

This is so quick and easy to make.

Just a few ingredients.  Use as many or as few
whole pickled jalapenos as you would like to 
make your salsa milder or hotter.  I usually use
around 6-8 PLUS the juice from the can.

Grab some chips and enjoy.

HOMEMADE SALSA IN THE BLENDER

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 small can whole pickled jalapenos (AND the liquid from the can)-use as many as you want to make it hotter or milder

1 small red onion (or part of a red onion if it is larger)
1 garlic clove
handful of fresh cilantro (to taste)
juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar (this helps the canned tomatoes not taste so canned)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or to taste)

Combine everything in a blender or food processor and pulse until everything is chopped and combined.  Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.  Will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Ham & Swiss Sliders

 A while back we went to visit my Devilish Nephew and family.  We had quite the fun get-together.  There were 8 adults and 4 children present.  We had folks arriving at several times throughout the day.  Errands to run, a doctor's appointment, a big party planned for the next day.  All the men gathered around a giant brisket on the smoker.  I knew lunch would be need to be simple, with everyone in and out of the house all day.  I decided to make a couple of batches of slider sandwiches.  These are easy to eat, delicious hot or cold and made a hearty little lunch served with a couple of store bought chips and dips.  I managed to whip up two kinds of sliders, a batch of my Pumpkin Spice Pretzels, Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats, Apple Cider Donut Muffins, along with a big batch of side dishes for a football watch party.  All this, AND quality time with the Littlest Devils.  That should tell you how quick and easy these are to whip up.  A total crowd pleaser, these would be ideal for a tailgate or sports watch party, OR an easy meal on a busy day during the upcoming holiday season!

The best little hot ham and cheese sandwich.

Cut the rolls in half horizontally.

Place the roll bottoms in to the pan.

Top with ham.

Top with cheese.
I did two layers of each.

Cover with the roll tops.

Pour butter mixture of tops of rolls.

Ready to go into the oven.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an 
additional 10 minutes until browned

Cut into 12 sandwiches and enjoy.

HAM & CHEESE SLIDERS

1 package (12) Hawaiian dinner rolls

1 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1 pound sliced Swiss cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoons dried minced onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.  Cut the rolls in half horizontally and place the roll bottoms in to the pan.  Top the bottoms with the ham.  Place the cheese slices on top of the ham.  Cover with the roll tops.  Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds and dried minced onion.  Pour the mixture over the tops of the rolls.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes uncovered.  Cool slightly, cut in to 12 slider-sized sandwiches and serve.

Bloomin' Onion Dip

I'll have to admit, it's been years since I've had a Bloomin' Onion.  It's been years since I've eaten at an Outback Steakhouse.  Don't get me wrong, from what I remember it's pretty tasty.  I just have my own guy cooking steaks "OUT BACK" in my own backyard.  When Mr. Devilish Dish and I were first married, I used to make the bloomin' onions all of the time.  I would carefully cut the onion, batter and fry it.  I would even make that delicious horseradish-infused dipping sauce.  So when this dip recipe went viral, and I've seen it allover the place, I decided that the holiday season was the perfect time to bring this tasty appetizer back.  Even better, is the flavors are combined in a tasty dip form, so there's no mess of dipping into batter or frying.  It even features the kick of horseradish just like the dipping sauce.  And, the best part is the topping of those crispy French fried onions.  I love a good hot dip recipe for a party, and I know we will be making this viral sensation again during the holidays, or even out back, next summer lol.

All the flavors of that famous
Outback Appetizer, in an easy
hot dip form!

Here's the line up.  It seems like a lot of 
ingredients, but it all gets stirred together in one
bowl. So easy.

Simply stir it all together.
Much easier than cutting and frying
an onion.

Spread the dip mixture into the prepared
dish and top with the fried onions and bake.

Garnish with chopped green onions and
serve with pita chips.

No wonder this recipe went viral!
So good.

Bloomin' Onion Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup finely chopped white onion
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup crispy French fried onions
chopped green onions

Town House Sea Salt Pita Chips for dipping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly grease a deep pie dish or casserole dish and set aside.  Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, chopped onion, Parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, oregano, paprika and salt and pepper in a bowl.  Stir well.  Spread this mixture into prepared dish and top with the fried onions.  Bake approximately 20 minutes, until browned and bubbly.  If the onions are starting to get too brown, cover with foil for the last few minutes of baking.  Remove from oven and garnish with chopped green onion tops and serve hot with pita chips.

Dirty Martini Dip

We took a Fall break to Colorado to see Devilish Nephew and Fam.  Well really to see those Littlest Devils.  My Oklahoma Sooners just happened to be playing a big away game, so of course a huge watch party ensued.  The night before the big party however, we wanted to have a nice family dinner.  Mr. Devilish Dish made Chicken Saltimbocca and Garlic Bread.  It was a late meal, because of course I have to make sure the Littlest Devils get their bath, put on their jammies, brush their teeth, say their prayers and then I get conned into reading about a dozen books and singing a whole lot of lullabies.  I probably should not admit their favorite bedtime songs include "Boomer Sooner", "Oklahoma" and "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma." By the time and literal song and dance is done, sometimes we don't eat until 8:00 pm.  In addition to Mr. Devilish Dish and I making the trip out to Colorado, Little Devil and her boyfriend came to visit, along with one of the Devilish Nephew's fraternity brothers and his wife and children.  Once the kids were all down, we had nice grown up meal planned for 8 adults.  The Chicken Saltimbocca is so good, it stands alone, and we decided all we needed to serve with it was some crusty bread.  But I thought while Mr. Devilish Dish was preparing dinner we could use some kind of appetizer or antipasto.  Literally on the fly I the grocery store I settled on a Dirty Martini Dip.  I was so tired from cooking, shopping, singing and dancing I needed a simple appetizer to prepare.  I've seen this several times, with the olives chopped up and served in martini glasses, but I thought serving it on a big platter would be fun with a couple of different kinds of olives.  Honestly I wish I would have doubled the recipe, spread the dip onto a big charcuterie board and added several kinds of olives.  That's definitely happening soon.  It was truly a fun appetizer, light and tasty and not too filling before our delicious main course. 

A great party appetizer.

Combine the ingredients in a 
food processor or mixer and blend
until smooth.

Spread mixture onto a platter.
Drizzle with good quality 
olive oil.

Top with your favorite
pitted olives.
We love the Castelvetrano olives.
I opted for the Jalapeno stuffed since the
dip already contained blue cheese.
(Normally blue cheese stuffed
olives are my go-to for a good martini.)

This is such a pretty alternative to
just chopping the olives and 
serving the dip in a bowl.

DIRTY MARTINI DIP

8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2-3 tablespoons olive brine
1 tablespoon vodka
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
zest of 1 lemon
good quality olive oil for drizzling
1 jar of olives (Your choice - or use several different kinds.  I used Castelvetrano Olives and Jalapeno Stuffed Olives)
Chips of your choice for dipping

In a food processor or mixer combine the cream cheese crumbled blue cheese, olive brine, vodka, white pepper, garlic powder and lemon zest.  Mix until smooth.  Spread the dip onto a plate or platter.  Drizzle with olive oil and place the olives on top.  Serve with pita chips, crackers, pretzel chips or tortilla chips for dipping.

Turkey Charcuterie Board

I'm obsessed with making fun little charcuterie boards for various holidays.  My Halloween Fruit Char-BOO-terie board was a big hit, so I decided a Turkey Charcuterie board was just thing for Thanksgiving.  Imagine bringing this cute little guy and a bottle of wine to Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving?  It's just so fun and the ideas are endless, as to the meats, cheeses, fruits and crackers.  I have a giant round board I like to use for tailgates and parties, and I think it would make a gorgeous turkey board.  It's pretty huge, and since I was making this board for just my husband and I, this version was more simple.  I just used an assortment of meats, cheeses, crackers and grapes.  You could certainly make his feathers fancier with the addition of apple slices, more nuts, and even small bowls of mustards and jams.  All you need is a pear for the body and then go to town with your favorite charcuterie board ingredients.  You can be as whimsical as you want (with candy eyes) or go for a more classic look with dried whole cloves or pepper corns.  Whatever you decide, this will be a fun and delicious addition to any Thanksgiving get together.  Who doesn't love to graze on some cheese and crackers while the real turkey is cooking!

THIS and a bottle of wine.
The perfect FRIENDSGIVING.

Grab your standard charcuterie ingredients
plus a pear for the turkey body.

I used candy eyes and cheese for the beak.

Create the look of feathers by alternating
meats, cheeses, crackers, fruits, nuts,
olives etc... on a round board.
Use your imagination.  The bigger your board
the more "feathers" and ingredients you can add.

Fill in any gaps with small clusters of 
grapes and garnish with fresh rosemary.

Serve with some good wine and have
a Happy Thanksgiving.

TURKEY CHARCUTERIE BOARD

1 pear (brown, red or green)
assorted meats, cheeses and crackers
assorted fruits
smoked almonds and other nuts
Optional: Candy eyes 
Fresh Rosemary for garnish

Cut your pear in half.  Place him at the bottom of a round charcuterie board or platter.  If you wish to add eyes, do it now.  I cut a piece of cheese for the beak and turkey wattle.  If you want your turkey to look less whimsical you can skip this step. 

Place the smoked almonds around the pear (turkey body) 

Begin alternating meats, cheeses, crackers and fruit in concentric circles around the pear to create the look of feathers.  For round pieces of salami and other meats, fold them in half, and then in half again.  This will give your board some depth, and create a ruffled look.  You can also opt to place your ingredients in single rows so each "feather" is a different color.  Think a vertical row of cheese, then crackers, then meat, then nuts etc... There really is no correct way to do this, just fill it all in an make it look nice and tasty. 

Fill in any gaps with small bunches of grapes and fresh rosemary.

Enjoy.

Mini Pumpkin Cheeseballs

I'm so excited to share these little cheeseballs.  They are quite simple to make, but they are so tasty and so cute.  They would be ideal to take to a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving meal, or an adorable addition to a charcuterie board.  The best part is the cheeseball mixture itself is a great base for whatever garnish you decide to roll your pumpkins in.  I used Everything Bagel Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, Italian Seasoning and crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos.  You could also roll them into freshly chopped herbs, toasted sesame seed, black sesame seeds. smoked paprika, finely chopped nuts and more.  The flavors and ideas are endless.  Mr. Devilish Dish really liked the Italian Seasoning and the Cajun Seasoning the best.  The variety of color and flavor combinations are what makes these so cute.  Each batch of cheeseball mixture makes approximately 7 little pumpkin cheeseballs, so plan your toppings accordingly.  Simply serve them with a variety of crackers and sliced apples or pears and you've got the cutest little holiday snack platter around.  Bonus, you can make the cheeseball mixture in advance and create the pumpkins slightly in advance of serving.  A make ahead recipe we can all use this time of year, with a presentation that will WOW everyone that sees it!

The CUTEST little pumpkins in the patch.

The cheeseball ingredients are fairly simple.
That way you have a good base flavor 
before rolling the mini cheeseballs 
into a multitude of flavor toppings such as:

Crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos.
Use a mini food processor to finely crush toppings
like chips or nuts.

Scoop the mixture with a large 
cookie scoop so you have 7-8 uniform
sized cheeseballs.

Scoop them all out...

Roll them into assorted toppings
for varying colors.

Use a piece of butcher's twine to press
the look of the pumpkin segments into the cheeseballs.

Rotate the cheeseball until you have 8 segments.

Add a pretzel stick stem.

Place the pumpkin cheeseballs on a platter
and chill 1-2 hours before serving.

Opt for assorted toppings so you have 
a variety of pumpkin colors on your platter.

Aren't these just the cutest.

Serve with crackers or sliced apples and pears.

Choose toppings like Italian Seasoning,
Cajun Seasoning, Everything Bagel Seasoning,
crushed chips, chopped nuts, black sesame 
seeds, finely chopped fresh herbs.

Using the butcher's twine really helps 
make them look like real pumpkins.

What a fun holiday appetizer or
addition to a charcuterie board!

MINI PUMPKIN CHEESEBALLS

8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 packet (1 ounce) Ranch dressing mix
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
pretzel sticks for stems
Assorted seasonings, chopped nuts and herbs for garnish

Assorted crackers and sliced apples or pears for serving

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, dry ranch seasoning and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.  Use a large cookie scoop to make small balls (about the size of a regular scoop of ice cream - slightly larger than a golf ball.)  

Roll the balls into assorted herbs and seasonings such as Italian seasoning, Everything Bagel Crunch, crushed Doritos chips, finely chopped nuts, etc...

Using a piece of butcher's twine, press into the cheese mixture in opposite directions to create the look of the pumpkin segments.  

Add a pretzel stick for the stem. Place onto serving platter.

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to firm up before serving.