Roasted Tomatoes & Burrata Cheese with Crostini

Since all of the food recalls this year, I've been skeptical about serving lettuce and other ingredients.  Which is really frustrating because the weather has been so hot.  We should be right in the heart of cool and refreshing salad season.  Since we can't really trust the produce right now, we've mainly been sticking to stuff from our own garden, which means tons and tons of cherry tomatoes.  Earlier in the summer, the Devilish Nephew and family came to visit. I certainly did not want to make anyone sick so I kept it safe and made a watermelon and feta cheese salad.  The adults enjoyed that and the tiniest devils love a good wedge of watermelon.  Mr. Devilish Dish grilled some delicious spice rubbed chicken thighs.  We enjoyed a batch of Frozen Aperol Spritzes.  All I needed was something featuring my harmless and abundant cherry tomatoes from my garden.  I've seen variations of this recipe allover the internet, featuring all kinds of ingredients, but I decided to keep it simple.  You could definitely add olives, fresh basil or anything else you desire, but the simple combination of tomatoes, roasted garlic and cheese tastes absolutely delicious as is.  This was a huge hit with everyone.  It would make a lovely snack with a crisp glass of wine, but since we are not eating lettuce right now, this has become a side dish in our meal rotation with no complaints!

This is so good.
We could eat this every day.

Easy to make and easy clean up.
Everything goes in one dish.

While the tomatoes and garlic roast,
get your baguette ready to
toast into crostini.

Look how good this looks.
Roasted well and a tiny bit of char
on a few tomatoes.

Use tongs to squeeze the roasted
garlic cloves out of the head 
of garlic.

Grab a fork or potato masher
and mash everything together.

Get some burrata cheese.
Drain away the liquid.

Tear the burrata into pieces and 
nestle it down into the hot
tomatoes and garlic.

Once the cheese melts, stir
everything together.

Serve with toasted crostini.

So delicious and a great use
for a big harvest of cherry tomatoes.

Serve as a side dish, or enjoy as an 
appetizer with a crisp glass of wine.

ROASTED TOMATOES & BURRATA CHEESE WITH CROSTINI

2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes
3 heads fresh garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
one container burrata cheese
1 baguette

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Add the cherry tomatoes.  Generously drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Leaving the garlic heads intact, cut off the top.  Drizzle the cut part with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Nestle amongst the tomatoes and bake in the oven for an hour.  Remove the dish from the oven.  Using tongs, carefully squeeze the roasted garlic from its paper
squeezing the roasted garlic cloves into the tomatoes.  Discard the garlic papers.  With a potato masher or fork, smash the garlic and roasted tomatoes together.  Remove the burrata cheese from its liquid.  Tear into pieces and place in the hot tomato mixture.  Stir together allowing the cheese to melt completely.  Serve with crostini for dipping.

To make the crostini:  Slice the baguette into thin slices and place on a baking tray.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in the 400 degree oven approximately 4 minutes per side or until crisp.

Tomato - Green Chile Relish

Have you ever had the pleasure of enjoying a Santa Maria-Style barbecue?  It traditionally features a tri-tip steak served with pinquito beans, fresh salsa (think pico de gallo) and garlic bread.  A tri tip is one of our favorite cuts of meat.  Mr. Devilish Dish often puts one on the smoker.  The result is the smokiness of a brisket, but the taste and texture of steak or a really good roast beef if you slice it a little thinner.  We don't always prepare the tr-tip Santa Maria style, but a while back we did and I made this delicious variation on the traditional Pico de Gallo style fresh salsa.  This "relish" features ripe red cherry tomatoes that are bursting with flavor, accompanied by a dressing made with balsamic vinegar.  Now you might be thinking that sounds like the flavors of a Caprese-style salad, but the addition of the green chiles to this recipe really brings it back to the Santa Maria flavors.  The chiles really tone down the strong flavor of balsamic, and give this relish the versatility of being served both like a salsa or a side salad.  If you chopped the tomatoes a little finer, this would be ideal with the sliced tri-tip either inside a fajita or on a sandwich.  The ideas are endless.  We planted 5 Super 100 cherry tomato plants this year, so I'm hoping the harvest will be abundant and I'll be able to prepare this recipe often.

This is bursting with flavor.  It is so delicious with
a Santa Maria-style barbecue, but also ideal as 
simple salad for any meal.

It's time for those beautiful fresh cherry tomatoes
to be bursting with flavor.

Halve the tomatoes and serve this relish
like a delicious salad with any meal, or chop finer
and enjoy like a salsa or on a sandwich.

Enjoy the unique flavor combination of this
relish.  You won't be disappointed!

TOMATO-GREEN CHILE RELISH

4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup diced green chiles (1 small can, drained)
5 green onions, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and oregano.  Gradually add in the olive oil, whisking constantly.  Stir in the green chiles and green onions. This will be your dressing.  You can prepare this ahead if desired.  When ready to serve add in the tomatoes and toss to coat with dressing.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Enjoy,

Homemade Bean Dip

There are a few food combinations that go so well together, they are iconic:  Peanut Butter & Jelly, Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup and of course Fritos Corn Chips & Bean Dip!  That dip in a can was a household staple growing up.  It was our go-to snack food all through college.  When Mr. Devilish Dish decided to make it from scratch a while back, it became an instant hit.  I just happened to have my college friends in town, so he whipped up a batch and everyone agreed how delicious it was.  We even gave it to my Mom & Aunt for Mother's Day.  That is how often this snack staple is enjoyed by my family.  The best part about this dip is it goes together in seconds, with just a hand full of ingredients.  It is so easy to keep an couple of cans of pinto beans in the pantry to pull out whenever we need a quick side dish or snack.  Of course tailgate season will be here soon, and I know this recipe will be on repeat.  Creamy, with just a hint of spice, this dip is ideal for dipping or as the base for a 7-Layer Dip.  Grab a bag of corn chips, and put this recipe into your summer snack rotation immediately! 

The ultimate snack combination...

This is so simple and delicious.

Just dump everything together.

Process until smooth.

Enjoy with corn chips for dipping.

We double this recipe every time we make it.
It's that good.

HOMEMADE BEAN DIP

1 can Pinto Beans, drained
1 Tablespoons Jalapeno brine
3-4 pickled jalapeno slices
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and mix until smooth and creamy.  You can enjoy immediately, or even better if you let the flavors meld together in the fridge for a couple of hours.

NOTE:  We double this recipe every time we make it.

Enjoy,

 

BOOTY DIP/Fruit Charcuterie Board - National Snack Day!

It's National Snack Day!  My go to snack would probably be chips and salsa.  Or pizza rolls.  Mr. Devilish Dish makes some mean pizza rolls in the smoker.  He wraps them in bacon, puts fresh jalapeno slices on top and then drizzles them with hot honey and cooks them in the smoker.  I didn't know it was possible to make a pizza roll better, but you can.  It's a fact.  So yes, you could say we are normally into savory snacks, but a while back we were invited to a big Super Bowl watch party and I automatically started brainstorming something sweet.  When you think about typical ball game snacks, it's chili, buffalo wings, and queso.  This time I wanted to wow the crowd with something sweet for the kids in attendance and of course some fruit for those who didn't want a giant plate of cheese sauce.  I have my big round board I love to use for tailgates and get-togethers.  It's kinda big for just Mr. Devilish Dish and I, so I love to incorporate that for parties whenever possible.  BOOTY DIP went viral on social media awhile back.  Probably named that because if you eat a lot of it, your booty will get bigger.  It's so tasty it doesn't matter, and it makes a great dip for fruit and assorted cookies and crackers.  It was definitely a hit at the party with kids and adults alike.  All that was left was a couple of strawberries and a couple of grapes.  

A perfectly SWEET SNACK for 
National Snack Day!

The ingredients.

Whip together the cream cheese,
marshmallow fluff and brown sugar.

Fold in the whipped cream and
mini chocolate chips.

Serve with assorted fruit and cookies.

BOOTY DIP :)

This is such and easy and tasty treat idea.
Perfect for any occasion.
Makes such a fun grazing board.

Enjoy!

BOOTY DIP FOR FRUIT

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow fluff 
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 ounces whipped cream (2 ounces heavy whipping cream, whipped stiff)
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Whip together the cream cheese, marshmallow fluff and brown sugar until smooth.  Fold in the heavy whipping cream and stir in the chocolate chips.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve immediately with assorted fruit and graham crackers or cookies.

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.

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Dip

If you don't have any holiday spirit by now, here's your chance.  What's better than a Little Debbie Christmas Tree Snack Cake?  A whole bunch of them made into a festive dip.  This dip is decadent, fluffy and delightfully sweet.  And it comes together quickly so it is perfect for holiday parties, Christmas Eve snacking and last minute guests.  I served my dip with graham crackers for dipping, but this would be ideal with fruit or pretzel sticks too.  It's such a fun presentation of a nostalgic treat.  It's full of red and green sprinkles as well as holiday spirit.  

Isn't this just the cutest dessert?
Perfect to get everyone into the
holiday spirit.

I somehow lost my pictures of the 
ingredients, but the first step is 
blending the cakes, cream cheese,
milk and vanilla.

I like to make my own whipped cream 
in lieu of using whipped dairy topping.
Feel free to use either.

Carefully fold in your whipped cream
or whipped topping.  You want to keep
the dip light and fluffy.

Transfer to your serving dish and cover 
and refrigerate if you aren't using 
right away.

Or, if you are using right away, garnish with 
red and green sprinkles and plop that remaining
Little Debbie Cake right in the middle.

LITTLE DEBBIE CHRISTMAS TREE CAKE DIP

(8) Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes (they usually come 5 per box.  You'll need 2 boxes and have a few for snacking or decorating)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla 
8 ounces heavy whipping cream + 1 tablespoons sugar OR (1) 16 ounce carton whipped topping (like Cool Whip) *SEE NOTE
Red and Green Sprinkles

Remove the wrappers from the tree cakes.  Set one aside for garnish.  Break up the remaining 7 trees into the bowl of a stand mixer (Or large bowl and a hand mixer) Add the softened cream cheese, milk, and vanilla.

Mix the ingredients on medium until the mixture is well-blended and smooth.  

 *NOTE: Beat the 8 ounces of whipping cream with the 1 tablespoon of sugar until you have a nice, stiff-peaked whipped cream.  I do this step because I really like the texture and flavor of freshly whipped cream instead of using a whipped dairy topping.  If you want to skip the whipped cream step and use a 16 ounce carton of whipped dairy topping please do.

Fold in the (already) whipped cream or the whipped topping carefully so your dip will become light and fluffy,

Transfer to a serving dish.  If you're not using it right away, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve garnish the top with red and green sprinkles and add the remaining Christmas Tree Cake.

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.