Caramelized Onion and Artichoke Dip

I was piddling around the kitchen last week, trying to find something Superbowl-ish to make and share in time for the big game, when I found a jar of marinated artichoke hearts and a can of artichoke bottoms. Kind of an unusual find, those artichoke bottoms...I'd never seen canned artichoke bottoms before. I got them at he 99centsOnly store. I love that place, I find the most amazing stuff there. 

Artichoke bottoms are my favorite part of the artichoke when I steam them fresh. Delicious and worth all the effort of pulling off the leaves to get to the bottom. Yum. How are they canned? At this point, I didn't know, but I was going to find out. I had two things of artichokes staring at me, crying out to be made into a rich delicious Artichoke Dip!
I threw this one together with what I had on hand, so don't worry if you can't find artichoke bottoms, just use the easier to find hearts. (Note: I rinsed the marinated hearts to cut down on the acid from the marinade). In addition to the artichokes, I had a bunch of yellow onions, Greek yogurt, cream cheese and some Gruyere Cheese and this was the result, a decadent caramelized onion and artichoke dip! 

My husband suggested that it would be great as a sandwich spread. Maybe I'll give it a try on some sandwiches, possibly make some Paninis with it. I'll let you know how they turn out. In the meantime, make some of this delicious dip for the big game and enjoy!  (Go Niners!...oh wait, they lost...maybe next year!)

Caramelized Onion Artichoke Dip
Serves 8

2 cups onions, chopped (about 2 medium onions)
2T clarified butter (Ghee)
1 jar of artichoke hearts, chopped
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large skillet, add clarified butter and onions and saute until browned and evenly caramelized, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool. 

  
In a separate bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayo, yogurt and 1/2 cup of the Gruyere cheese. Once onions are caramelized and cooled add to the cream cheese mixture and add chopped artichokes. 

Mix well and pour into a small casserole dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. (Note: Gruyere doesn't melt into a smooth cheesy layer like mozzarella or cheddar, rather it makes more of a crust that gets a little brown. If you prefer a melted top, use mozzarella or cheddar to top your dip.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with sliced baguettes.

Other Superbowl foods you might like to try:
Fried Chickpeas
Movie Night/Game Night Snack Mix
Easy Chicken and Soy Chorizo Chili

Easy Chicken and Soy Chorizo Chili

The other day, two of my dear "co-workers" and I were talking, in a round about way, about our jobs as "stay-at-home moms". My girlfriend, Gina mentioned that someone once said to her, something to the effect of, "I could never be a stay-at-home mom, I would be so bored." We all snorted with laughter. We laughed even harder when my girlfriend, Neidin pointed out the irony, because we were all sitting on the patio watching our kids play together in the backyard as we sipped wine, shared stories, and laughed....Yeah, boredom at its best. But anyway, we contemplated that statement a bit and added our own thoughts and I couldn't help but feel that "boredom" was a luxury.
The introvert in me, which craves alone time, thought that boredom sounded like a far away vacation destination. The vacation you save for and plan to one day visit. Stay a week or maybe two. Boredom means that you have nothing to fill your minutes, no distractions to the monotony of time ticking by. I would love to take a long vacation to Boredom, if only for the alone time to recharge my weary introverted self. However, if I were to take a vacation to that fictional place, I don't think I could get bored even if I tried...unless you force me to watch TV all day, every day for a week, then I might have to kill myself out of boredom. But I wouldn't mind the luxury of a small vacation to see if I could get bored.
Don't get me wrong, I completely understand the other implications of the boredom comment. I admit, I once held a similar feeling about stay-at-home moms, but that was before I became one. Being bored? Never. You never rest, either. Well, unless you're sipping wine at your girlfriends house during play dates... Those moments aside, it's the most challenging job I've held and the most important. To be responsible for ensuring that my kids know they are loved and grow up to be happy, educated and capable adults, that's a pretty important job. 
The other components that makes this job so great and decidedly, not boring, are my co-workers; my fellow warriors of motherhood in the realm of "you never get off work" land. Without your funny personalities, keen insights on all things children, husbands, and life, did I mention your funny senses of humor, and your friendships, this job would probably suck. Doing this alone would really be hard and dare I say, boring? Childhood and motherhood are social experiences and by nature I believe can't be done successfully all alone. 
I love you girls and you all know who you are. The ones I see everyday, the ones I see once a week or the ones I see once in a long while--why has it been so long girlfriends, the new ones and the long time friends, you are all important to me and I'm grateful to all you wonderful ladies. You make life, not boring!

Now, on to some Easy Superbowl Chicken and Soy Chorizo Chili...

Easy Chicken and Soy Chorizo Chili 
Serves 8-10

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2 cans of Kirkland Chicken Breasts, drained (yes, I know you are cringing over canned chicken but it really makes a great chili, if you're frightened, use boiled or leftover chicken breasts, chopped)
2 cans S&W chili beans in sauce
1 can S&W white beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 small can of diced green chilies
1 small can of V-8 Spicy Hot Juice
1 tube of soy chorizo
1T chili powder
1 t cumin
salt and pepper (to taste)

In a large dutch oven, saute onions, red peppers and garlic until translucent about 10 minutes. Add drained chicken and shred with forks. Add all remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for a minimum of 45 minutes.  Serve with sour cream, cheese and green onions. Enjoy!

Other Soup recipes to try:
Pork Verde and Hominy Stew
Spicy Asian Meatball Soup
Spicy Pork, Red Pepper and Lentil Soup
Winter Mexican Corn Soup
Tomato Garlic Soup with Cheese Tortellini

Movie Night Snack Mix

Happy New Year! Apologies for my short hiatus from the blog. Unfortunately, I suffered from what I like to think of as the blog equivalent of writer's block. 
After the holidays, I was exhausted. The kids returned to school and I imagined that I would fall right back in step with the blog, cooking, taking photos and writing but that just didn't happen. Even worse, I didn't feel like cooking, not even for our nightly family dinners. I felt completely at a loss creatively. Even the business idea I'd been working on, took a back seat. 

Writer's block? ...well, some might even say that I suffered from a small bout of depression because I wasn't doing the things I loved to do. 
Okay...admittedly, I was feeling a bit blue and my writer's block was just the symptom, not the cause. Luckily, the old me is returning as I anxiously prepare new recipes and toss around fun new ideas and actively work on my business idea. I'll share the business idea with you once I work through the details...I'm really excited about it! Personal insight aside, here's a deliciously simple snack mix that's perfect for your family movie nights and birthday parties, or to chase away a small bout of writer's block. (Wink) ...I literally ate a fourth of this very large recipe all by myself and it did make me feel better. :)  I'll warn you though, it's addicting, utterly delicious, and not low calorie! Enjoy!


...Also a perfect snack for the holidays, from Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, St. Patrick's Day or Halloween, just add your choice of holiday candy to fit your holiday and enjoy!

Here's a few more of my easy dessert recipes using ready-made ingredients:
Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Heath Bar Cookies
S'mores Cellar Cake
Cereal Bars

Cereal Bars

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Heath Bar Cookies

Movie Night Snack Mix
(recipe from Taste of Home Halloween Food and Fun, 2007)


3 quarts popped popcorn*
4 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
4 cups Corn or Rice Chex
2 cups peanuts
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda

optional: holiday candy, chocolate chips, candy corn etc. 

*Note: I cheated and used 3 bags of Microwave Butter popcorn and it was amazing just watch out for the un-popped kernels and take extra care not to add them to your mix. You will break a tooth on them! 

In a very large greased roasting pan (I used two large, disposable aluminum buffet pans), combine popcorn, cereal and peanuts and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter; bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, quickly stir in vanilla and baking soda until mixture is light and fluffy.

Immediately pour over popcorn mixture, toss to coat. Bake uncovered, at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely.

To customize your snack mix for special events, add seasonal candy (Candy corn, M n M's, chocolate chips etc.) when mostly cooled and mix well. Cool completely and serve.

Sliders with Pickled Onions and Spicy Mayo

 
As I planned our New Year's meal, I struggled with the idea of making a dinner with multiple courses like I did last year. Coming off the stomach flu at Christmas and now having a head cold that's left me with a sore throat for 5 days now, I just didn't have it in me this year to go to all that effort. Plus I'll end up eating too much and feeling fat and miserable the next day. Instead, I decided to go easy on myself and just go for a little comfort food. Something delicious and comforting to ring in the New Year and I thought of these Sliders I made the other night. These are my copy cat version of some amazing Pan Seared Chicken Sliders I had a few weeks ago from a local food truck called Belly BombZ. They were 'out of this world' delicious with some pickled onions, roasted peppers, lettuce and a spicy Korean Mayo, all on a toasted bun. Well, I loved them so much that I decided to try my hand at recreating it so that my husband could try them. Belly BombZ also served this incredible Cabbage Salad that I could've eaten three plates full of this great salad all by itself.  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, here is my copy cat version of Belly BombZ Pan Seared Chicken Sliders with a side of Cabbage Salad with a Orange Miso Dressing. Happy New Year!

Note: There's a bit of prep for all these ingredients but it is well worth the effort. You will need to make the pickled onions at least a day ahead of time but three days is best. The pickled onions are the key to these sliders if you ask me, please don't leave them out. They are not overpowering and they add a slight acidity with sweetness that goes so well with the mild chicken or turkey burger. Also you will need Miso for the cabbage salad. Miso, or soybean paste, can be found at your local Asian Market or Whole Foods in the refrigerated section. I used white miso in the dressing. Okay here we go...

Sliders with Pickled Onions and Spicy Mayo

Ground chicken or turkey patties (I used turkey)
garlic powder
onion powder
salt and pepper (to taste)

Pickled Onions (recipe link)
Spicy Mayo- 1/2 cup mayo with 1-2 T Garlic Chili Sauce
Roasted red and yellow peppers (how to link or use jarred peppers)
Lettuce
Slider size hamburger buns, toasted

Season meat with garlic and onion powders, salt and pepper. Grill or pan fry. Toast buns and spread both buns with spicy mayo, top burger with roasted red and yellow peppers (I used yellow peppers since that's all I had left in my freezer), lettuce and pickled onions. Enjoy!

Cabbage Salad

4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
1 cup shredded carrots
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
sesame seeds
Orange Miso Dressing

Orange Miso Dressing (Adapted recipe from Epicurious.com)
1/4 cup white or yellow Miso
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup seasoned Rice vinegar
juice of 1/2 orange
2 t fresh grated ginger
1 t sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil

Combine ingredients in a mini food processor and emulsify. Toss with Cabbage Salad.