Spicy Black Bean Dip

If you are in a need of a quick dip to take to a party, or serve at your own party, this one is a hit! I used a chipotle pepper in adobo instead of a jalapeno since I had some readily available. The chipotle isn't as hot and I thought that might appeal to more people. It still had a kick and the chipotle added a nice smoky flavor. I think next time I will do it in a smaller dish because the corn layer kind of got lost in all those beans so the presentation wasn't as pretty as it could have been. It was really good though! I also put mine in the oven to melt the cheese.

Spicy Black Bean Dip
Source: Amber's Delectable Delights -my additions/changes in italics

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
4 cloves minced garlic, separated
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz cream cheese
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds removed - I used a chipotle in adobo
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
S&P to taste
Cheese for topping - I used a pre-packaged mexican blend

1) Saute' corn and 2 cloves of garlic until the corn is slightly browned. Set aside to cool
2) Add 2 cloves garlic, beans, cream cheese, jalapeno and the seasonings into a food processor and process until smooth.
3) Place 1/2 of bean mixture into bottom of serving dish, then 1/2 the corn; repeat with remaining beans and corn. Top with cheese, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Things that make you go MMMM.....

Growing up I always liked to lick the beaters when my mom was baking. Icing....good! Cake batter....better! Cookie dough....the best! Of course we always got the lecture of how there were raw eggs in the batter and the dough, but we didn't care. That sugary goodness was all we could think about. In fact, my profile picture is of one such instance. Erin (my sister) and I were thoroughly enjoying whatever my mom was making that day.

When I came across a recipe (on several cooking blogs) for chocolate chip cookie dough dip, my heart skipped a beat. Could it really be? Everyone who made it raved about it. I decided to store the recipe away for a time when I could make it and not eat the entire bowl myself. Such a time presented itself last Thursday night when a group of girls from my Sunday school class came over. Needless to say it was a hit. It was super easy to make and I highly recommend it! I made it the night before and stuck it in the fridge until about 30 minutes before the girls got there.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
Source: Recipezaar and the blog Sugar&Spice

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)
2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.
4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.
7. Garnish with additional chips, if you choose.

Serve with Nilla wafers or graham crackers.

**Note: after refrigerating the dip it will be pretty solid and un-dippable so make sure to remove it from the refrigerator about 15-30 minutes before you plan on serving it, so it has time to soften up.

The Hunt for the Perfect Salsa

Let me start by saying that Mexican is one of my favorite food genres. But the best thing about going to a Mexican restaurant to me is the salsa and the homemade chips. YUM! Add in some white cheese dip and I could sit at that table and eat all day. I don’t even need an entrée because I will gorge myself on the appetizer.

But have you ever tried to find salsa like at a Mexican restaurant at the grocery store? Trust me, I have, and it doesn’t exist. Well, not at the big chains in Alabama anyway. And don’t even get me started on the jars that say “Restaurant Style” salsa. That is a bold faced lie! I can look at the jar and see the big chunks of veggies floating around and know instantly that it is not what I want. The reason I like the salsa at the restaurant is that it is pureed. I don’t like the chunks, so don’t try to fool me with your clever attempt at advertising. Anyway, several years ago after wasting money on salsas from the store, my sister and I decided to try and replicate the fresh salsa from a Mexican restaurant. We bought all fresh ingredients and chopped and mixed them up and let me just tell you, it was NOT good and not even close to Mexican restaurant salsa. I then gave up the quest for a while. It was just too much disappointment.

I took up the cause again when I tried some homemade salsa my cousin made, and then some my co-worker made. I asked them about their ingredients and I have finally mixed and matched to make a recipe that is pretty darn close to the restaurant kind. We'll call it semi-homemade salsa because most of the ingredients come from a can.

My husband and I LOVE this salsa! I usually make a “batch” once a week. We will mix it with Velveeta cheese and just have it with tortilla chips for dinner sometimes. It is also a big hit at work when we have snack days.

Jaime's Semi-Homemade Salsa

1 can Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes
2 cans Original RO*TEL (If you like things really spicy, you can use Extra Hot RO*TEL...but beware!)
2 - 3 cloves of garlic smashed (depending on how much you like garlic)
1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro (I just buy it tied together in the grocery store, then take half the bunch and chop off the stems)

Put all ingredients in the blender, in the order listed. Trust me, it works best this way. Pulse until it is the consistency you like.