Recipe of the Week; BUFFALO WING -N- CHEESE DIP

"Here we go Steelers, Here we go!"

You can't imagine how crazy things in and around the 'Burgh are these days with our beloved Steelers getting ready to nab their 7th Super Bowl Title!

It's like Christmas all over again- an ongoing celebration until the BIG DAY arrives! And what do you do on a holiday? Why eat, of course!

Super Bowl Sunday is a pretty big event in our house, but it's most exciting when we get to see Ben, Hines, James, Troy and the rest of our boys in action! Already I've been planning a menu!

I've been making this dip for the last few years on Super Bowl Sunday, and it goes over so well. In fact, a pan of this dip nets us ZERO leftovers. SCORE!!

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (leftovers or a rotisserie are great for this!)

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 8 oz. block Monterrey Jack cheese, cubed

1/2 cup or so shredded Mexican cheese blend (optional)

1 cup Ranch salad dressing

5 oz. hot sauce, I recommend Frank's (add more if you like heartburn)

tortilla chips

celery sticks

chicken-flavored crackers

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix softened cream cheese, Ranch dressing and hot sauce in bowl. Stir in chicken and cubed Jack cheese.

Spread into a square glass dish. Bake approximate 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Allow dip to sit for 5 minutes or so to "set". Serve warm with tortilla chips, celery sticks, and/or chicken flavored crackers.

Recipe of the Week; FRENCH ONION SOUP

Freezing temperatures mean one thing is certain- a big pot of soup is going to be made in my kitchen today!

Lately I've had in insatiable craving for my homemade French onion soup. I make a mean soup, but it pales in comparison with that of Mimi's Cafe in the Phoenix metro area. Although right now a few days in sunny Arizona feels like a welcome reprieve, and I have to admit just visiting Mimi's again would be enough. I don't need the sunshine, just the SOUP.

Well, unfortunately jetting off to the wild west isn't optional right now, so my own French onion soup will have to do. Here's my favorite recipe... with an unusual twist. Let me explain the twist first. French onion soup is always served topped with toasted bread (usually a baguette slice) and cheese. I've seen everything from Provolone to Gruyere.

However for my own soup-devouring pleasure, I instead will be enjoying croutons made using Tastefully Simple's Bountiful Beer bread. I have a good half a loaf left from this weekend, and I need a reason to use it. I also like to experiment. Keep in mind my crouton method can be used with kind of bread, really. And you could always just use a slice of baguette or Italian bread to top your soup if you wish, instead of the croutons.

To make the croutons, slice the bread into 1 inch-cubes. Day old or dried bread works good for this. Melt a small amount of butter in a skillet. Sprinkle the bread with garlic salt, dried Italian herbs and a little paprika. Toss bread in the skillet, frying until toasted. I tend to like mine just a little toasted on the outside and still a soft in the middle. Drain on paper towels.

For the Soup:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 to 5 onions (approximately eight cups) yellow onions, sliced (I prefer the large, sweet Spanish onions.) A mandolin will be your best friend in prepping the onions!

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup

3 tablespoons flour

2 quarts beef broth

croutons or bread slices (toasted)

Gruyere, Provolone, Mozzarella or Swiss cheese, grated or sliced

Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium low heat. Add onions, garlic, bay leaves and salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally while the onions are cooking. (Now is a good time to make the croutons!) Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the head and simmer until the wine has evaporated and onions are dry, about 5 minutes or so. Discard the bay leaves.

Sprinkle the onions with flour and stir. Turn the heat down if necessary to prevent the flour from burning. Cook for about 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Add the beef broth, bringing the soup back to a simmer and cook another 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Just before serving, preheat broiler. Arrange oven proof bowls on a cookie sheet, and ladle soup into the bowls. Sprinkle croutons or bread slices on top. Top with a gracious amount of cheese and place bowls in the oven. Broil until bubbly and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Ooooh la la!!

Warding Off the Winter's Chill

"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." -William Blake

"O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" -Percy Bysshe Shelly

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." -Anne Bradstreet

"Let me be the first to tell you, drinking alcohol is the worst thing to do in cold weather. Hot soup is the best because the process of digesting food helps to warm you up." -Morgan Freeman

"Winter is nature's way of saying, 'Up Yours' ". -Robert Byrne

A Merry Midwinter

Winter blahhhhhs. Oh, I've got 'em. And we're not even halfway through January. Funny how the weather really does set ones mood.

Christmas was truly wonderful this year, although something seemed to be missing. I can't put my finger on it just yet. We did all of the traditional Christmassy things that we do. Baking. Decorating. Shopping. Traveling to and fro. Party over here, party over there. Church stuff. Scout stuff. (You know how I feel about that.) We even had a wonderfully white Christmas, something that has been amiss my first two Christmases back in good 'ol PA.

But something else was amiss this whole Christmas season, and it's really starting to bug me. I spent the weekend "de-Christmasing"- putting away the old and bringing out the new and all that. But the whole time I'm thinking to myself "What did I miss"??

In time it may come to me. It may just be that as I get older the magic of Christmas begins to fade with each passing year. I try so hard to make the holidays a wonderful time for my son. Growing up the whole Christmas season seemed to be one never-ending holiday. I wish so desperately to recreate that for TJ. I know he had a wonderful Christmas, in fact his Thank you letter to Santa sincerely expressed that this was HIS BEST CHRISTMAS EVER.

Well, well. I'll figure it out sooner or later. And maybe I'll update this post. Until then- stay warm my friends...

Make Merry in 2011

Recipe of the Week; CLOTHESPIN COOKIES

Nothing says "It's Christmas!" to me like cookie tin filled with Mom's homemade clothespin cookies! She made these religiously year after year, and God Bless her for it!!

I too have taken on the daunting task of creating these mini masterpieces at Christmas, although since I've moved back to PA I don't regularly make them because Mom does and I can always steal a dozen or so from her!

The recipe I am posting is the one Mom uses, but I've seen similarly styled cookies made with puff pastry dough. That would seem like such an easy and heavenly alternative, but I'm kind of a stickler for the traditional way Mom made hers. Do make these- they are not as complicated as you may think. And if you're just not into all the measuring, rolling, and wrapping, try the puff pastry and let me know how they are!

Before you begin, you will need clothespins. Use the old-fashioned, (non-spring type) ones. You can find them primarily these days in craft stores.

Wrap the pins in aluminum foil. As an alternative to this, you could also use a dowel rod. Either cut the rod to clothespin lengths, or simply wrap several strips of dough on one rod, leaving enough space between them. I recommend 2 inches, as the cookies will puff a little during baking. You can also find "horns" in kitchen stores, but why go through the expense?

DOUGH:

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup room temperature evaporated milk

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

Dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside. Mix evaporated milk, butter, vanilla and eggs in large mixing bowl. Gradually mix in yeast. Add salt, sugar and flour slowly to the mixture until a soft dough forms. Chill for at least one hour. You can prepare the filling while this chills.

FILLING:

1 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

1 cup Crisco (not butter flavored, and no other brand of shortening works- BELIEVE ME.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar (fine granulated sugar works well)

Using a small saucepan on medium heat, mix milk and flour until it forms a soft ball. Stir constantly to avoid lumps. The mixture is completely ready when it sticks to itself and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and forms it's own ball. I cannot stress enough to MIX MIX MIX while it's boiling. Flour lumps are not welcome in this filling.

Allow mixture to cool completely. In a mixing bowl, add the Crisco, sugar and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until well combined. This process may take awhile, as the sugar should be beaten well to avoid gritty frosting. A stand mixer comes in handy here, as I've had to mix this for up to 15 minutes to get the right texture. The best way to check this is by tasting while it mixes.

Once the milk mixture is completely cool, add to Crisco and mix with electric mixer again until all ingredients are well combined. You should have a white, creamy filling.

You may add food coloring at this point if you wish, if I'm in the mood I'll tint some of the filling red and some of it green.

Store filling in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to start filling cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once dough has been chilled, divide it into fourths, working with only one portion at a time. Keep the dough in the fridge until you're ready to start rolling. Roll the dough on a floured surface until it is approximately 1/4-inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips. roughly 3/4-inch wide and 4 to 5 inches long.

Wrap the dough strips around the foil-wrapped pins, overlapping the dough enough so that it doesn't separate during baking.

Place cookies on baking sheet. I suggest using a silpat or parchment paper on your cookie sheet to avoid the cookies from browning too much on the bottom. These cookies should retain a soft and somewhat delicate texture once they are baked.

Repeat with remaining dough until all the cookies have been baked.

Use a pastry bag or a zip-lock fitted with a large tip (I like the large star) to fill the cookies. Squirt into each side of the cookie to ensure the cookies are filled throughout.

I have dipped the ends of the cookies into fine colored sugar for the holidays upon occasion, although it's totally unnecessary. You could also finely dust with confectioners sugar if desired, this looks especially festive if you tint your filling.

These cookies freeze wonderfully for the holidays.

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

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