Garlic Sticks

I listen to the radio as I drive to and from work every day which means that typically my entire day only consists of 20 minutes of radio listening. Therefore, I have to pick my station very carefully. In the mornings, I am always hard pressed to find a station playing music constantly so I pick my go-to station by the characters on the morning show. I've settled into a station that I like here and one of the things that they do shortly before 9am (which is typically when I'm finishing up my drive in) is list 5 random facts of the day. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they make you think, sometimes they are a little gross. But regardless I can start my day off my learning something.

Earlier this week, one of the facts of the day was that not having friends can be hazardous to your health. The study they were quoting apparently said that being friendless is like smoking 15 cigarettes a day. How or why someone measured that is beyond me but it made me thankful for all of my wonderful friends. Throughout all of the stages of my life, my friends have helped to brighten my days and I suppose to keep me healthy. For that, my friends, I thank you. And as I move on to the next stage of my life and make new friends (here's hoping), I want to thank you in advance for keeping me healthy.

So put down those "cigarettes", invite some friends over, and fellowship over these garlic sticks. They are a perfect combination of garlic and cheese and soft and crunch.

Garlic Sticks (Topping adapted from One Preppy Cookie)
Ingredients:
1/5 recipe frozen homemade pizza dough (if you want to up the amount of garlic, when you make the pizza dough use garlic infused olive oil instead of regular olive oil)

1 tbsp freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Let the frozen pizza dough thaw over the course of the day in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature covered with towel for 10-30 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven and baking stone to 500F.

Whisk the parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and onion powder into the melted butter.

Roll or pull the dough into a circular shape, as thin as you can; brush with the butter mixture and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Transfer to the preheated baking stone.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crunchy. Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with pizza sauce (homemade or other) for dipping.

Mini Buffalo Chicken Muffins

I told you that I was traveling a lot this fall for job interviews. And I started 2014 with another trip. This one for a scientific conference. Traveling can completely exhaust you because you are not on your normal schedule and you are living out of suitcases and you are not sleeping in your own bed.

I have concluded the thing that will make or break my travel is not the delayed flights, nor the eating out so often, nor the lack of a DVR for my normal TV shows. No, it is the heater or air conditioner in the hotel room. I LOVE a new hotel that has renovated and installed real thermostats. The ones that you can set at a temperature and they will only kick the heat on if necessary. I HATE the old heaters that are either on or off with no real control of the temperature, hot or hotter or cold or colder. When I was on this last trip, this was completely cemented in my mind. It was cold in the mountains of New Mexico so I turned on the heater in my room (low and towards the hot). I fell asleep for a few hours to awake in a completely dry heat where I couldn't breathe. So I flipped the heat off, chugged some water, and climbed back into bed. I awake after another hour or so completely freezing! I tried and tried to adjust the temperature to get a happy medium but to no avail; I was stuck every night jumping up to either turn on or off (multiple times) the stupid heater.

Ah well. It just makes you appreciate your own home so much more. I am thankful that I do not travel all of the time. I love my comfy pillow top bed and thermostat that keeps it a perfect 66F so I can cuddle under my blankets and sleep.

Enough of the story time, Julie; get on to the food! Today we are making and eating delicious mini buffalo chicken muffins. Technically I made them for a party a few months ago, but give me a break okay? I just told you had been traveling a lot. But really, you need to make these. Like today. Or maybe on February 2nd for the Super Bowl. They are perfect buffalo chicken bites--- loaded with buffalo sauce, blue cheese, and green onions. Make sure you follow the instructions and wait until they have rested for at least 15 minutes before you try to remove them from the pan. They need to set otherwise you will make a disaster in your kitchen. And I'm not volunteering for clean-up duty!

Mini Buffalo Chicken Muffins (adapted from The Noble Pig)
Ingredients:
3 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, finely diced
3/4 cup buffalo sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz blue cheese crumbles
1 celery stick, minced
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 tbsp chopped green onion (just green part)
1 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray mini muffin pan(s) with cooking spray.

Mix together the chicken, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, cream cheese, blue cheese, and celery until completely combined. Note: this will be easiest if the cream cheese is at room temperature.

Mix together the panko, parmesan cheese, and green onion. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix with a fork until all of the breadcrumbs are moistened.

Scoop rounded tbsp of the panko mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup. Press down with your fingers, making a crust. Spoon a rounded tbsp of the chicken mixture into each cup. Sprinkle with additional panko mixture.

Bake about 25-30 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and cool in pan for at least 15 minutes to let set. Gentle lift each muffin out of the pan.

Make 48 mini-muffins.

Spicy IPA Hummus

Grab yourself a mug of beer and let's cheers to the start of 2014! We'll probably need some snacks to wash down that beer. How about this spicy IPA hummus and some chips or carrots? Sounds perfect.

Spicy IPA Hummus (adapted from The Beeroness)
Ingredients:
2 jalapenos, stemmed and roughly chopped (remove seeds if you want it to be less spicy)
3 tbsp tahini pasta
15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (peeled, if you have time)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup IPA beer (I used New Holland Brewery White Hatter), plus additional if necessary

Directions:
Place the jalapenos, tahini, chickpeas, parsley, oil, lime juice, garlic powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until everything is pureed. Stream in the beer while the processor is going. Add additional beer until you get to your desired consistency.

Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or veggies.

Chipotle Hummus

I don't know what it is about warm weather, but it makes me want to make hummus. It makes me want to grill up some veggies, throw them on top of a thick slice of bread slathered with that homemade hummus, and jump in head first. Maybe it is the fact that the farmer's market is up and running and you can find lots of delicious and fresh veggies. Maybe it is because a hummus sandwich doesn't require turning on the stove. Maybe it is due to the fact that I've been working long and crazy hours and this comes together so fast.

Regardless of the reason, you should definitely dust off your food processor and make this chipotle hummus. The chipotle pepper gives it a nice smoky and spicy kick. If you aren't in too much of a rush, you should spend the time to peel the chickpeas. Like I mentioned in my last hummus post, this really does wonders for the creaminess.

Serve the hummus with tortilla chips, pita chips, or an assortment of raw vegetables. Or throw it on a pita or piece of bread, top it with some grilled peppers, onions, and mushrooms and enjoy the start of summertime.

Chipotle Hummus
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large garlic clove
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/4-1/3 cup water

Directions:
Optional, but recommended: Peel the garbanzo beans.

Combine the beans, garlic, pepper, tahini, lemon juice, oil and cumin in a food processor. Pulse until mixed well and chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the water until you reach your desired consistency.

Crab Meat Rangoons and Egg Drop Soup

Double recipe day!

And we're checking something off of that bucket list.

And I'm keeping my promise that I was going to utilize crab in honor of the Ravens' Super Bowl win.

What a big day :)

I was craving some Pi's the other week. Pi's is this great Chinese restaurant in my hometown that makes the best crab meat rangoons (no joke, best ever!) and a deliciously simple egg drop soup. Unfortunately with the restaurant 6 hours away I had to make different plans. So I decided to make it at home.

Overall, I would say it was a success. The crab meat rangoons were good (although Pi's are still better) and the egg drop soup was great. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I sure wasn't.

Crab Meat Rangoons (adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventure)
Ingredients:
4 oz neufchatel cheese (this is reduced fat cream cheese)
1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp Sriracha
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 green onion, green part only, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic powder
dash of ginger
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup crab meat, picked over and shells removed
14-16 wonton wrappers


Directions:
Preheat oven to 415 F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.

Mix together the cream cheese, yogurt, sriracha, soy sauce, onion, garlic powder, ginger and sugar. Fold in the crab meat. Lay the wonton wrappers on a clean work surface (it is best to work with 4-5 at a time). Place about 2-3 tsp of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Then working with one at a time, use your finger to wet the sides with water and fold along the diagonal. Press around the filling to remove any air pockets and seal tightly. Place on your baking sheet and repeat until all the wrappers are filled and you are out of the crab mixture.

Mist the top of the wontons with cooking spray. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

Egg Drop Soup (adapted from Tyler Florence)
Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth (homemade or low-sodium)**
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 green onion, chopped
salt and white pepper, to taste

Directions:

Whisk together 1 tbsp broth and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Bring the remaining broth, ginger, soy sauce and mushrooms to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the slurry of cornstarch and stir until thickened. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the egg slowly while stirring. Turn off the heat and add in the green onions. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serves 1-2.

**Feel free to substitute chicken broth or turkey broth here.

Creamy Lemon Hummus (and Superbowl Ideas)

SUPERBOWL XLVII

It is happening this Sunday. Are you ready?!

This is the first year that I'm actually really excited about watching the game because the Ravens are playing! It is Ray Lewis's last game and I'm very optimistic that they will take home the trophy. For good luck, here's a picture of Scott and me when we went to a Raven's game a few years ago. Although they lost that game so maybe it isn't good luck...

In the past, the thing that has made me the most excited for the Superbowl is not the game nor the commercials but the food. I love a party where everyone cooks up their favorite appetizers and you eat with your fingers all evening. For that reason, I've put together a list of fairly quick and easy snacks for your coming Superbowl party. Make one of these and you're sure to bring smiles to the faces of your fellow party-goers.

Savory Snacks for Your Superbowl Party:

Salsa

Guacamole

Black-eyed Pea Hummus

Sriarcha White Bean Dip

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Baked Tortilla Chips

Pretzel Rolls

Pizza

Baked Ravioli

Chicken Nuggets

Boneless Buffalo Wings

Chicken Quesadillas

BLT Spring Rolls

And in case that list wasn't extensive for you, I'm sharing with you a recipe for literally the creamiest homemade hummus I have ever made. When Deb of Smitten Kitchen posted that the key to making creamy homemade hummus was to peel the chickpeas, I wasn't sure if I believed her. Was it really worth the effort, I asked myself? Like any good scientist, I set out to test the hypothesis. I've made hummus plenty of times and I have found that it is not quite as creamy as what you can pick up at the grocery store. But this peeling of the chickpeas, genius. It was quite certainly creamy! And totally comparable to the tubs you get at the store. Experiment successful -- hypothesis confirmed-- certainly worth the effort. I will never go back to the skins again. 

Creamy Lemon Hummus (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients:
About 2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned or cooked yourself)
1/2 cup tahini paste
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4-1/3 cup water


Directions:
Peel the skins of the chickpeas.

Place the chickpeas in your food processor. Pulse on high for approximately 1 minute until they form powdery clumps. Add the tahini pasta, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Pulse again until pureed completely. While the processor is on, stream in the water until you get a smooth, creamy texture.

Taste and season with additional lemon and salt as needed.

Makes about 2 cups.

Serve as a dip for vegetables and chips or in place of hummus for any recipe.