Herbed Parmesan Dipping Oil

The Foodbuzz Tastemaker program teamed up with Crisco Oil, and as an Opt in I received three bottles of New Crisco Olive Oil. Of the three bottles, there were as follows a Light, Pure, Extra Virgin, and with my bottles of oil I also got four recipe cards. I chose to make the Herbed Parmesan dipping oil with some French bread for dipping. It turned out great, the oil on its own has such outstanding flavor but when mixed with the other ingredients it really shines. Thank You to Foodbuzz and Crisco Olive Oil, for giving me the opportunity to try and share with others your amazing new product.

1/2 C. - Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs. - Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Tsp. - Minced Garlic
1/4 Tsp. - Kosher salt
1/4 Tsp. - Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp. - Chopped Fresh Rosemary
1 Tsp. - Grated Parmesan Cheese
French Bread

Place all ingredients into a jar with a lid or a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well then pour into a saucer or shallow dish. Serve next to some French bread for dipping and enjoy!

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Spicy Artichoke Dip

Let me start with saying Happy Mother's Day to all of my blogging friends.... Today's recipe came from our friend Eddie; he works at our favorite little restaurant The Canyon Grille. We went in for dinner last Thursday night and we started talking to him about our cooking site and how we make something to post every Sunday and how at this point in time I still had no idea what I was going to make. Eddie piped up and said I know the perfect thing and he handed me a recipe written down on a guest check, it was for his sister’s killer dip. Let me tell you he was not kidding, this dip for starters is so extremely quick and easy to make but it also has an outstanding taste too.

14 oz. Can - Artichoke Hearts (chopped)
8 oz. Package - Cream Cheese (soft)
4 oz. - Diced Green Chilies
4 oz. - Diced Jalapenos
1 1/2 C. - Mayo
1 C. - Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 C. - Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

Mix mayo and cream cheese together until smooth. Stir in the chilies, jalapenos, artichokes, and 1 cup Parmesan, stir well to combine. Spray a 8x8 baking dish or in a ramekin with cooking spray then pour dip mixture into dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes, and then broil the dip for just a few minutes for a deeper golden color. Serve with a veggie tray, sliced baguette or your favorite chips.

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Cap ' n Crunch Chicken Strips

My husband bought me what I think is the coolest cooking book ever, America's Most Wanted Recipes. Inside you will find some of today's top restaurants sharing their most popular recipes, I have found so many items that I just simply have to try. Like the dinner we had just last night, at first I thought it sounded a little strange but after thinking about it more it really did sound good. This recipe comes to us from Planet Hollywood....it was fabulous!

2 C. - Crushed Cap'n Crunch Cereal
1 1/2 C. - Crushed Corn Flakes Cereal
1 - Egg
1 C. - Milk
1 C. - Flour
1/2 Tbs. - Onion Powder
1/2 Tbs. - Garlic Powder
2 Lbs. - Chicken Breast (cut into strips)
Vegetable Oil - (for frying)

Combine the cereal in a large bowl, beat the egg with the milk and set aside. Stir together the flour and spices then set aside. Dip the chicken into the flour mixture and shake off the excess, then dip into the egg mixture and then fully coat the strips in the cereal mixture. Set into a preheated deep fryer set at 320 degrees and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown. When done drain on some paper towel and enjoy. My husband really loved them with a side of honey mustard sauce we created for dipping.

Spicy Brown Honey Mustard Sauce

1 Tbs. - Spicy Brown Mustard
2 Tbs. - Honey

Mix the 2 items together and let them sit in the fridge to mingle the flavors while you are cooking the chicken.

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Pico De Gallo

My husband and I go to dinner very often with his parents, we usually go to this Mexican place that is around the corner from their house. Mazatlan has very good food, my husband and his dad simply love the chips and salsa. One of the last times we all met for dinner my husband got a dish of Pico De Gallo on the side, his dad and him just flipped for it, they thought it was the best stuff on the table. Immediately my husband turned to me and asked if this would be very hard to make at home, to look at it I really didn't think so, and let me just say it is so very easy.

6 - Roma Tomatoes Diced (seeded)
1/2 Small - Red Onion (diced)
1/2 Small - Walla Walla Sweet Onion (diced)
1 - Jalapeño (seeded & diced)
1 - Serrano Pepper (seeded & diced)
1 C. - Chopped Fresh Cilantro
2 Tbs. - Lime Juice
1 Tsp. - Salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to blend the flavors. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with chips, tacos, burritos or enchiladas.

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Greek Feta & Herb Popovers

While my husband was cooking away at our lovely Greek Chicken Lemon Soup with Orzo I was on the other side of the kitchen baking some wonderful little Greek Popovers to serve with it. I sure do love these little light and fluffy bites. The popovers paired extremely well with this soup and I am sure they would go great with anything you wanted to serve them with. I made a simple little sauce that I served on the side that my husband just loved.

3 Tsp. - Oil
¾ C. - Milk
1 - Egg
1 - Egg White
¾ C. - Flour
2 Tsp. - Chives
2 Tsp. - Parsley
4 oz. - Feta Cheese ( cut into 24 cubes)

Mango Sauce:

2 Tbs. - Mango Chutney
¾ C. - Vanilla Yogurt

Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray, place the muffin pan on a cookie sheet. Add 1/8 of a Tsp. Oil to the bottom of each cup. In a small bowl combine the milk, egg and egg white, mix well using a whisk. Add the flour, chives & parsley then mix well. Warm the cookie sheet/muffin pan in a 425 degree oven for about 5 minutes, once heated divide the batter between the muffin cups. On top of each serving place a cube of feta cheese and bake for 18-20 or until golden brown. While the popovers are baking mix the chutney and yogurt together in a small dish and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. When the popovers are done baking take them out of the oven and remove them from the muffin pan, serve warm with the mango sauce.

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Hummus … 3 Ways

The last 2 weeks of postings was filled with some deep fried fun, but the next 3 weeks will be concentrating on Greek Food. Thanks to my friend Whisper, I have to come to love Hummus, I know this being said by the girl who proclaims to hate veggies. My love for her homemade hummus made me want to branch out and try it myself and in turn I found many other Greek items I wanted to try and share with all of you. I will keep you all on the edge of your seat wondering just what we will be creating for this fun affair. I can tell you that today's posting is homemade hummus, but not just 1, Oh No, we have made 3 kinds of hummus for you to enjoy.

Caramelized Onion Hummus:

1 Large - Sweet Onion Diced
1 Tbs. - Chopped Garlic
1 Tbs. - Oil
1 Tbs. - Butter
1 - 15.5oz. Can - Chickpeas ( drained )
¼ C. - Lemon Juice
1 Tbs. - Soy Sauce
¼ C. - Tahini ( sesame paste )
1 Tbs. - Sesame Oil
1 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Season
1/2 Tbs. - Honey
¼ C. - EVOO
1 Tsp. - Ground Cumin
Salt & Pepper

Saute onion and garlic in oil and butter until soft and golden in color, this takes about 15 minutes. Place drained peas into the food processor along with all other ingredients except the EVOO. Put the lid on the machine and turn it on low to break up the beans. Then turn onto high and slowly drizzle in the EVOO. Let the machine run until you have a nice smooth consistency. Serve with pita bread or chips.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:

1 - 15.5oz. Can - Chickpeas (drained )
¼ C. - Tahini
6 Oz. - Roasted Red Peppers
1 Tbs. - Sesame Oil
1 Tsp. - Cayenne
½ Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Season
1 Tsp. - Ground Cumin
¼ C. - EVOO

Place all ingredients other than the EVOO into the bowl of a food processor, place the lid on and turn it onto low to break up the peas. Turn the machine onto high and slowly drizzle in the EVOO, let the machine run until smooth and creamy. Serve with pita bread or chips.

Marinated Artichoke Heart Hummus:

1 - 15.5oz. Can - Chickpeas ( drained )
1 - 6.5oz. Jar - Marinated Artichoke Hearts
1 Tsp. - Ground Cumin
½ C. - EVOO

Into the bowl of a food processor place the peas and artichoke hearts ( liquid too ) and put the lid on. Process on low until the peas are broken down. Turn the machine on high and drizzle in the EVOO, let the machine run until smooth and creamy. Serve with chips and pita bread.

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Salmon Cakes

Here at Dunkin Cooking The Semi – Homemade Way we decided to step out of our box and try our hand at something a little different, we had a few recipes to choose from but the winner was a moist, flaky and very flavorful salmon cake. We were very amazed at just how easy and simple they really are to prepare, I always thought they would be more difficult to make but I guess you really never know until you just give it a try.

Salmon Cakes:

2 - Eggs (beaten)
1 C. - Milk
2 Tbs. - Lemon Juice
3 C. - Coarsely Crushed Garlic Club Crackers
2 Tsp. - Onion (minced)
2 Tsp. - Garlic (chopped)
½ Tsp. - Dill Weed
¼ Tsp. - Salt
¼ Tsp. - Pepper
2 Cans - Salmon (14 ¾ oz) Drained, Bones & Skin Removed
3 ½ Oz. - Box Panko Crumbs


Kicked Up Tarter:

¼ C. - Tarter Sauce
1 ½ Tbs. - Dijonnaise
1/8 Tsp. - Cayenne

In a large bowl beat the eggs, milk, lemon juice, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, dill weed and crackers. Add the salmon and mix well. Shape into 12 3-in cakes and coat with the panko crumbs. Place onto a well greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes . Once done baking, cook in a deep fryer at 350 degrees for about 30 seconds per side or until golden and crispy. While the cakes are cooking and draining on paper towel mix your sauce ingredients together. Serve your salmon cakes with a dollop of the kicked up sauce.

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Posh Piggies

I was talking to my friend Denice from work a few weeks ago about the Dunkin family Super Bowl party and how this year I wanted something quick, easy, yummy and fun to take. The very next day at work she had brought me a recipe for a spiffed up version of pigs in a blanket, she thought this was exactly what I was looking for. I took one look at the ease of the recipe and the flavor combination and I knew it would be a big hit. My husband and I just did a test run on them for dinner and they turned out fabulous, they are so easy, flaky, flavorful and downright delish!

1 Lbs. - Sweet Italian Sausage Links (Johnsonville)
1 - Sheet Puff Pastry (thawed)
1 - Egg
2 Tbs. - Mayonnaise
2 Tbs. - Dijjonaise
¼ C. - Apricot Pineapple Jelly

Cut the sausage links into 36 half- inch slices; brown the meat on both sides in a frying pan over medium high heat. No need to fully cook at this time, all you want is to get both sides a little crispy. Set aside on a plate to cool while you get the pastry ready, lay the pastry out on your work surface then break the egg into a small dish and brush the entire surface of the pastry. Using a mini cookie cutter (I used a star) cut out 36 shapes from the pastry. Place the meat onto a baking sheet and cover each one with a piece of pastry and secure in place with a tooth pick. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. While the piggies are baking mix the jelly, mayo and mustard in a small dish, these are good served hot, warm and room temp. Dip and enjoy!

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Pumpkin Milkshake

Don’t you just love it when you make a recipe, have some left over and can turn it into something completely different? I sure do. We had some left over Harvest Pumpkin Dip and vanilla ice-cream, I’m sure you can figure out where this is going. I totally love Burgerville’s Pumpkin shakes, I get one every year. So this is my ode to Burgerville and our rendition of a pumpkin milkshake.


2/3 C. Harvest Pumpkin Dip (Recipe posted on 10-16-08)

3 C. Vanilla Ice-Cream

Milk (If Needed)

In a blender, place the ice-cream and pumpkin dip, blend until smooth and creamy. If it is too thick add a little milk and blend again. Pour into a fountain glass (or your favorite glass) add a straw and enjoy.

Harvest Pumpkin Dip

We will be having a Halloween pot luck party at work and I wanted to make something really good but yet something really different. I started looking through one of my very old cooking magazines and found this recipe and it looked just perfect. This creamy dip is the result.

1 8 oz. Cream Cheese (Soft)
1 1/2 C. Powder Sugar
1 Can (15 oz) Solid-Pack Pumpkin
3 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Ground Ginger
Apples (Your Favorite)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and powder sugar. Gradually add the pumpkin, spices and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. Serve with apple slices.

Yield: 3 1/2 Cups.