Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

We love to party at our house.  Well not party like it's 1999 party, just hanging out with good friends and enjoying good food party.  Whether it's board game night, movie night, or ball game watching, there are a few stand by party-friendly recipes I always turn to.  Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip is one of my old-faithful recipes.  It's great with tortilla chips and even though I like to serve it hot out of the oven, it's good at room temperature or even cold.  It's just as tasty at half-time as it is at kick-off.  Frozen spinach and canned artichoke hearts make it a cinch to prepare, and the addition of red pepper flakes gives it just the right amount of kick.  Try it at your next shindig!

Time to Party

The cast of characters.

Boil spinach and drain well.
Soften cream cheese.

Add Parmesan cheese.

Add artichoke hearts.

Season with red pepper flakes.

Season with garlic powder and salt.

Spread evenly into oven-safe
baking dish.

Bake until golden and bubbly.

Dr. Pepper Stew

Don't be scared by the name.  This stew has a great depth of flavor and very tender meat, all due in part to the addition of Dr. Pepper.  It's surprisingly not sweet, but your guests will be trying to guess the mystery ingredient.  It's a hearty stew on a cold day, with a little kick from Ro*Tel tomatoes.  Once the meat is browned, everything goes in the pot and cooks for 2-3 hours.  That's my favorite kind of cold weather cooking.  The fix it and forget it stews that make the whole house smell warm and wonderful.  Give this a try, with a big slice of buttery cornbread.  Come on, "Be a Pepper Too!"

Rich and Hearty
Be a Pepper Too!

The Line-Up

Season meat generously with
salt and pepper.

Dredge meat in flour.
Brown in hot oil in Dutch oven.

Add onions and celery, cooking a
few minutes more.  Add beef broth and
Dr. Pepper.

Add carrots, potatoes and garlic.

Don't forget the Ro*Tel!
Simmer about 3 hours until meat
is very tender.

Stir in peas just before serving.
Heat through.

Serve with a big wedge of warm cornbread
for the perfect Winter meal!

DON'T Feed Your Face, Feed Our Troops!

OPERATION GIRL SCOUT COOKIES FOR TROOPS!!!

My 10 year-old niece is selling Girl Scout Cookies.  Just like every other 10 year-old girl in the U.S. right now!  Like her Aunt Candi, Emily is a marketing genius, and she's decided to focus on selling:

COOKIES FOR TROOPS!  Isn't that a great idea???  Our troops get cookies, Emily earns a week at Camp Cookie Land and our waistlines don't suffer from too many Thin Mints.  Everybody wins!

Emily
Also known as:
The Devilish Dish Assistant

How do you send Girl Scout Cookies to Troops?  It's simple.  Just decide how many you would like to send and Emily will pack them up and ship them for you.  This is a cause near and dear to Emily's heart.  Her Uncle Matthew is stationed in Afghanistan.  And he LOVES cookies!

Uncle Matthew

The cookies are $3.50 per box or $35.00 for a case.  Simply write your check to:

Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma

Shoot me an email at thedevilishdish@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with Emily.  Of course if you'd like some Thin Mints and Samoas for yourself, I think she can arrange that too.

The Versatile Blogger Award!

My pal Kristen over at Forkful of Comfort, was sweet enough to present me with the: VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD!!!  What an honor to have my blog featured among such great company.

Pizza Soup

Soups are one of my favorite things to make.  Not only are they comforting on a chilly day, but they're easy.  Something about the entire meal being in one pot just makes life easier.  One of my husband's favorite jokes to say is, "If you think loading the dishwasher means getting your wife drunk, you might be a redneck."  Very funny Greg.  We do have a dishwasher, but yes besides the Kitchen Aid, he's referring to me.  Hardy-Har-Har.  So yes, since I am the dishwasher, one pot meals are the greatest idea ev.  And if you can make the one pot be pizza flavored?  Even better.  Win-Win, the dishwasher AND the kids are happy.  Serve it with a salad (you know, if you want some of that green stuff in your diet) and definitely some crusty breadsticks.  Getting loaded is optional.

Pizza in a bowl?  Yes, please!

The Pizza Soup Line-Up

Heat oil in a Dutch oven. 
Saute ground beef with onion and
garlic til brown.

Add green peppers and mushrooms.

Add stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes
and water.

Stir in beef broth.

Add pepperoni.

Add seasonings.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.
Simmer about 10 minutes.

Remove bay leaf.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls.

Top with shredded cheese.
Place under low broiler
until cheese is melted and bubbly

Apricot Chicken

Sometimes the oddest combination of ingredients have the best results.  I mean somewhere in history someone decided to dip their chocolate bar in peanut butter.  Or some genius decided to experiment with battering and frying a Twinkie.  (DO NOT knock that one until you've tried it.  I'm sure it is what the food in Heaven will taste like:  Fried Twinkies.)  So somewhere along the line, chicken and apricots were introduced.  And a sweet, sticky chicken concoction was born.  This recipe is so super simple and everyone loves it.  Serve it over rice and you have a definite week-night winner.  Winner Winner Chicken Dinner that is...

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

The Line-Up
What cook doesn't appreciate a
five-ingredient meal?

Place chicken in baking dish.
Season well with salt and pepper.
(I used Drummettes.  Because I had them
on hand.  I don't even know what a drummette
is.  Do chickens have drummettes?)

Combine dressing with apricot preserves.

Add water...

Add onion soup mix.

Pour over chicken pieces.

Bake 1.5 hours, basting several times
during baking.

Serve over rice.
Take in the rave reviews.
Pretend you have suffered over the
hot stove all day.

Spicy Cocktail Sauce & How to Prepare the Perfect Shrimp

Go to any party and you'll find a platter of shrimp and cocktail sauce.  Go to a party at MY HOUSE and you'll find a platter of shrimp with the best cocktail sauce EVER!  You'll never want to use cocktail sauce from a jar again, once you've tried this version from Mr. Devilish Dish.  It's got just a little kick from hot sauce and horseradish.  You can make it as spicy as you want.  And it'll keep for quite a while in your fridge.  So toss out that jar of ready made stuff, and whip up a batch of this.  Your guest AND your shrimp will thank you!  I've also recently added to this recipe our simple preparation for boiled shrimp.  It's totally worth the effort to buy the raw shrimp and cook it yourself.  The quality is just so delicious, and worthy of dipping into every last drop of this sauce.

This is SERIOUSLY the best 
cocktail sauce.  Perfect for shrimp,
oysters and more!

Look at that gorgeous shrimp and 
cocktail sauce.  See below for how we 
prepare our shrimp.

This cocktail sauce is ideal for entertaining,
especially during the holiday season. 
And with the price of seafood, it's definitely
worth the effort of making a tasty sauce.
Throw out that bottle!

Spicy Cocktail Sauce

1 cup ketchup
4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot sauce, or more to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients and stir well to blend.  This can be kept covered and refrigerated up to one week.

Prep Time:  Approximately 10 minutes     Cook Time:  0

For the Perfect Shrimp Boil:

24 large shrimp (21-25 count per pound, raw and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 of a fresh lemon
8-10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Fill a large saucepan about 3/4 full of water.  Add the salt. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon into the water, then toss in the lemon.  Add the peppercorns and bay leaves.  Bring the pot to a rapid boil over high heat.  Remove from the heat and let the water stop boiling.  Add the shrimp.  Stir and put the lid on the pan.  Let sit for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are opaque and pink.  

While the shrimp is sitting for 4-5 minutes fill a large bowl with 2 cups of ice cubes and fill about half way with cold water.  When the shrimp are cooked, remove the shrimp and immediately drop them into the ice water.  Let them sit in the ice water and cool for a few minutes before draining.  Peel the shrimp, but leave the tails on.  Serve with sliced lemons and Spicy Cocktail Sauce.

NOTE: The recipe for cocktail sauce was originally published on 12/29/11 but I recently updated this post with new pictures and our method for making the best shrimp to serve with the sauce.  Enjoy!