Hot Artichoke Dip

I think I found my go-to hot dip recipe.

Last week, one of my co-workers held a vinatge/craft open-house at her place. She does truly amazing things with found materials and vintage "junk." There were cake stands and platters made with vintage plates glued to old candlesticks, wine bottle stoppers made from antique doorknobs and faucet hardware, and rings made from vintage earrings and brooches. Everything was gorgeous! I ended up buying this ring, I absolutely love the colors.

But what does this have to do with dip? Nothing, really, except that she served a dip very similar to this one! I loved it, may have eaten too much of it, and immediately put it on the list of appetizers to bring to Thanksgiving at the in-laws'.

It was a huge hit at Thanksgiving- totally comforting and delicious. I almost felt bad accepting the compliments, it was too easy as well!

Hot Artichoke Dip

1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
dash of black pepper

2 cans of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor, mix the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, green onions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until well combined. In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise mixture together with the chopped artichokes. Stir to combine well.

Spread dip into a 9 x 13 glass pan, and bake for 30 minutes, or until top is slightly golden brown. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, and serve hot with crackers or crostini. Enjoy!

(I kept it warm throughout the afternoon in a mini crockpot, but it is just as good at room temperature!)

Adapted from allrecipes.com, original recipe here.

Pumpkin Chili and October Snow

It snowed yesterday. Not much snow, just a dusting really- maybe a whole inch in the places it actually stuck to the ground. But the amount wasn't the crazy part. The crazy part is that it's still October! It just does not snow around here that early. I remember going up to my great-aunt's house (at a higher elevation) for Thanksgiving when I was little and being amazed that they had snow on the ground already- at the end of November! So having snow here a whole month earlier than that is pretty darn crazy!

I wasn't complaining though- a cold snowy day definitely provided the opportunity I was waiting for to make a batch of pumpkin chili I had my eye on. I am so glad I did, it was absolutely perfect for a blustery day :)

It wasn't very different from regular chili- the pumpkin taste isn't extremely strong. If you didn't know it was in there, you probably wouldn't be able to pick it up. But the pumpkin did provide a rich and just slightly sweet flavor that added a great "je ne sais quois" to the chili. And as most crock-pot dinners are, this is completely easy to prepare and smells amazing all day!

Pumpkin Chili

2 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red (or yellow) bell pepper, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey
1 (28 oz.) can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14.5 oz) can (or 2 cups) of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can (or 2 cups) of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of frozen corn
1 (14.5 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 Tablespoons of chili powder
1/2 Tablespoon of cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
fresh cilantro
Cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream

Directions: Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, green bell pepper, red (or yellow) bell pepper, and garlic until tender, about 8 minutes. When they're done, transfer them to a slow cooker.

Using the same skillet, still over medium high heat, add the other Tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is heated, add the ground turkey, and stirring often to crumble, brown it for about 10 minutes. When it's done, transfer the turkey into slow cooker.

Add the tomatoes, beans, corn, and pumpkin, stir to combine. Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and stir to mix spices in. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. Serve with shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

Adapted from What's Cookin', Chicago? original recipe here.

Spicy Shredded Pork

This recipe for spicy shredded pork was on our menu for last week, and boy, did it make a lot. I froze the rest in 2-person size portions, and we've been enjoying it for lunches ever since.

I never posted about it, but I really loved it so much that I can't not share! The flavors are incredible and the meat is as moist and tender as it gets. And of course, being a crockpot meal, it's as easy as pie!

This is absolutely perfect served in a flour tortilla, with a little bit of salsa and sour cream, and some fresh cilantro.

Spicy Shredded Pork

4-7 lb. pork shoulder (bone-in)
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 Tablespoon of salt
black pepper to taste

4 garlic cloves
1 onion, quartered
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 cups water

Directions:
Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder.

Combine the spices, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over pork shoulder, in the crevices and folds. Place pork shoulder in the crockpot. Add the onion, garlic cloves, olive oil, vinegar, and water. Set crockpot to low and let cook for about 10 hours.

When done cooking, remove pork from crockpot, and shred with a fork discarding the bone and fatty pieces. Serves about 8-12, depending on the size of the pork shoulder. Enjoy!

Adapted from Annie's Eats, original recipe here.

Summer Chili

For as long as I can remember, I've loved the summer. What kid doesn't? Combine that natural love with the fact that I grew up 10 minutes from the beach, I just about lived for summertime. I have always had a soft spot for that first brisk morning in September as well, but it was always overpowered by the melancholy of a new school year just begun.

All that love for the summer began to fade when I was in college. My school had an all-year-round, four quarter system as opposed to the traditional two semesters set-up. Summer wasn't nearly as wonderful while spent attending classes in a sweltering city as it was while lying on the beach with nothing to do. Go figure.

But enough nostalgia. Now, as a full-fledged grown-up, I no longer live near the beach, nor do I have a good 2 month break in responsibility during the summer. And that, dear friends, means that fall has officially emerged as my absolute-favorite-I-totally-live-for-this-time-of-year season.

And after the unusually hot and oh-so-humid summer we've had this year, I'm even more completely ready for fall now than I usually am. And although I love cooking with the abundance of fresh fruits and veggies we have available in the summer, there are so many things I look forward to making in the fall. One of those things is chili. Man oh man, do I love the smell (and taste!) of chili cooking away in the crock-pot on a chilly day.

So, when I found a recipe for "summer chili," which combines the chili I love during the fall with the vegetables I love during the summer, I knew I had to give this a try. And what do you know? It has zucchini- even more perfect!!

Summer Chili

1 lb ground turkey
1 lb Italian sausage

2 (28 oz.) cans of diced, fire-roaster tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
1(8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 (12 oz.) bottle of beer- I used Samuel Adams Summer Ale

2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 large zucchini, halved and sliced
1 large yellow squash, halved and sliced
1 package of frozen corn
1 (10 oz.) bag fresh spinach, chopped

1 1/2 cups kidney beans
1 1/2 cups pinto beans

2 Tablespoons chili powder
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
black pepper

Directions: Brown sausage and turkey in saucepan until cooked through. Drain, and place in crockpot. Add rest of ingredients to crock pot, set to low, and allow to cook for 8-10 hours. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Enjoy!

This was really good- it's still a little heavy (it is chili after all!) but the vegetables were a great addition. Adapted from a la carte kitchen.

New Recipe Review- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

For my new recipe last week (again, a little late), I made buffalo chicken in the slow cooker. I had this recipe filed away for a long time, and Super Bowl Sunday seemed like a great day to try it out. It was a huge hit with H, who loves buffalo chicken but hates all the work (seriously) involved in wings. He says it's too much work for too little meat. Anyway....

It is absolutely one of the easiest recipes ever and it turned out really well. Here is the original recipe. I made a few changes- I took the meat out at about 5 hours and shredded it, then put it back in with the butter to better absorb the juices. I also only used a half packet of ranch dressing mix (cause that's all we had- no idea why) and didn't put any extra sauce on the sandwiches after they were done (didn't think they needed it). We used kaiser rolls and I had mine with ranch dressing and provolone, while H had his with crumbled bleu cheese. We also had purple cabbage slaw (which went REALLY well with them- soothed the spiciness), and loaded potato skins for our football feast. Awesome!

Please excuse the terrible photo- I was in a hurry to eat!