On our last visit to our youngest son, we snacked on a very tasty dip he prepared, among a nice spread of various other hors d’oeuvres.  It was a great feeling to see that he is becoming a great host, and practices his recipes on his parents.

If you have adult children, you will agree that it makes you feel rewarded, seeing them grow up into responsible, self-sufficient individuals.  It confirms that you have done a good job, and now it’s their time to shine, and show it off.

Now back to the dip.  It was his home made Greek Tzatziki Dip, for which he shared his recipe with me to try at home, and to post for all of you, in case you have never tried making it yourself.

It is very refreshing any time of the year, but even more so during hot summer days.  It may be served as a dip with veggies, chunks of Pita Bread, with Gyros or Souvlaki, or as a salad dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cucumber, chopped of shredded (one large cucumber-seeds removed, or 2-3 small ones ,with seeds,  as these have very small and tender seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (garlic chopper is perfect for this job)
• 2 cups  Greek Yogurt, plain (or sour cream if you don’t like yogurt)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black, or white pepper, ground
• 1 Tbs dill weed, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel the cucumbers, rinse under running water, pat dry.
2. Finely chop, or shred on a large eye hand grater, or food processor.
3. Salt cucumber and place in a strainer over a bowl, to drain any extra juices.
4. Mince the garlic.
5. Chop the dill.
6. Place cucumbers in a mixing bowl.
7. Add garlic, dill, pepper, salt,olive oil, lemon juice, and Greek Yogurt.
8. Mix well with a spoon, to fold in nicely.
9. Cover and chill for about an  hour.

Serve as suggested above.

TIP: If you are not very fond of Dill, you may use chopped, fresh or dried mint leaves.

Labor Day is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning a party.  I have already posted several recipes for party foods, but this time I will share one that has been around for a while.

It used to be very popular few years back, and it’s gaining popularity once again.

Actually, one of my readers  asked me to post my recipe for the Rye Bread Dip, so here it is.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mayonnaise (Hellmans Light, is my favorite)
• 2 cups sour cream (see TIP below this post)
• 1 Tbs Italian Parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbs onion, minced
• 2 Tbs dill
• 1 packet Dried Beef, chopped(optional if you are a vegetarian)
• 1 round loaf of Rye Bread

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl, mix mayonnaise and sour cream.
2. Chop the Dried Beef to small chunks.
3. Blend in the parsley, onions, dill and chopped beef.
4. Slice off the top of the round rye bread loaf (about 1 inch from the top)
5. Scoop out the middle section of the bread, and cut up into 2×2 inch squares.  The bread shell will become  a bread bowl.  The sliced off top of the bread may serve as a cover for the dip before serving, or it may be cut up into chunks, for dipping.
6. Set aside the bread chunks.
7. Fill the bread cavity with the dip (see TIP below this post).
8. Place the filled bread bowl on a serving platter, and arrange the cut up bread chunks around it.
9. Dip in, and enjoy!

TIP: To prevent the “bread bowl” from getting soggy, you can place a serving bowl, filled with the dip, inside the bread cavity, and as begin to run low on the bread cubes, you can cut up the remaining bread, to replenish.

To lighten up this recipe a little further, you may substitute the sour cream with Light Sour Cream, or Greek Yogurt.

Hummus is a great source or protein, quite nutritious to snack on, and very easy to make.   I began using Chickpeas a couple of years ago, when I experimented with The Fat Smash Diet, as it was included in the list of approved foods to snack on.

I used to always buy hummus, but now I prefer to make my own, since it requires very few simple ingredients, and only takes a couple of minutes to complete.

I grow my own garlic and basil, so my hummus is also very fresh, and very inexpensive to prepare.

If you love hummus, you will love this original recipe, or you can add your favorite vegetables for variation, and share your experience with us.

Makes 1 1/4 cup of hummus.

Ingredients:

• 1 can Chickpeas (I used Progresso 20 oz)
• 5 large basil leaves (about 2 Tbs), chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered (one is enough if you prefer a lighter flavor)
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce, low sodium
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground

Directions:

1. Drain the chickpeas over strainer, reserving 1 Tbs of the liquid.
2. Rinse under running water.
3. Place the chickpeas in a food processor, add remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and process until the mixture is smooth.
5. Serve with your favorite crackers, for dipping.

TIP:  This dip is also excellent with raw veggies, such as celery, cucumber slices, or peppers.

photo credit: Sam Catchesides

Rice Krispies Treats make an excellent snack for kids and adults.  They are very simple to make, require very few ingredients , and best of all, a short preparation time.  It can’t get any better than that!

You can make them plain, or dress them up with colorful sprinkles, M&M, drizzle with melted chocolate, or to make them extra yummy, cover them with chocolate ganache.….ahhhh.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal
• 1 bag of Marshmallows (10 oz)
• 2 Tbs of butter
• Optional decorations: sprinkles, M&Ms, melted chocolate

Directions:

1. Measure 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal into a bowl, and set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbs of butter in a large pan, keeping pan on low heat.
3. Add Marshmallows, and continuously mix with a spatula, or a wet wooden spoon, until marshmallow dissolve and turn into a smooth paste.
4. Gradually keep on adding cereal, and continue to work it into the marshmallows, until all cereal in fully mixed in.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Generously grease a glass casserole dish, 9 x 12 inches.
7. Transfer the Rice Krispies/Marshmallow mixture into the casserole dish, and spread it evenly.
8. Press gently down, using your fingers dipped in water (to prevent from sticking), or with a wooden spoon, also periodically dipped in water.
9. If you want to use them plain, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool.
10. If you plan to decorate them with your favorite accessories, this is the time to do it.
11. Cover and set aside to cool completely.
12. Once cooled and set, use a sharp knife to cut into serving portions.

Store any leftovers in a plastic zip-lock bag, to prevent from drying out.

ENJOY!!

TIP:  If you want to be creative, you can cut the Rice Krispies into interesting shapes, using your cookie cutters.

This summer has been so hot, and the thought of using the oven is just not very appealing, except for special occasions, of course.  However, what do you do when your oven is out of commission, yet you still want to make that special cake.  Well… if there is a will there is a way…so here comes my own creation of an ice cream cake.

Last year I made an Atkins diet chocolate cake for this birthday boy, so this time I decided to put together a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and came up with this Super Chocolate Ice Cream Cake with Double-Stuffed Oreo, topped off with Rich Chocolate Ganache.

I love the rich and satiny creaminess of ganache.  Absolutely heavenly!

It would have been even more decadent, had I flavored it with liqueur, but it did not seem suitable for an office party.

If you love ice cream, chocolate, and Double Stuffed Oreo cookies, this cake will hit the spot for you.

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of Double-Stuffed Oreo cookies
• 4 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 gallon of Chocolate Ice Cream (I used Breyers Triple Chocolate – Milk, White, Dark)
• 1/2 gallon of Vanilla/ Chocolate Chunks Ice Cream
• 1 cup of Heavy Cream
• 1 Hershey Dark Chocolate Bar(4 oz)
• 1 Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Bar (3.4 oz)
• 1 Tbs of Rum, or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

Directions for Oreo cake layer:

1. Place the cookies in a Food Processor and pulse/mix until all creamed up
2. Add sugar and cream cheese
3. Mix until well blended into smooth paste
4. Line a 9 inch spring form with a strip of parchment paper, wide enough to extent at least an inch over the top edge of the pan.  For easier fit, grease lightly the sides of the pan so the paper sticks to it. I needed to strips.
5. Spoon the Oreo paste into the pan, and evenly press onto the bottom of the pan, and if you wish, you can extend it about an inch up the side.
6. Set aside.
7. Place 1/2 of second box of Double-Stuffed Oreo cookies, into a plastic zip lock bag, and using a rolling pin, crush the cookies to coarse chunks.
8. Set aside.

Directions for Ice Cream filling:

1. Remove the Triple Chocolate ice cream from the freezer, scoop it out into a bowl, and keep at room temperature for few minutes, until it starts to soften slightly (not too long, so it does not get runny).
2. Scoop the ice cream evenly onto the Oreo “crust”.
3. Smooth the top to with a spoon, dipping it often into a cup of hot water.
4. Place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden slightly.
5. Remove the Vanilla/Chocolate Chunks ice cream from the freezer and scoop into a bowl.
6. Set aside.
7. Remove the cake from the freezer.
8. Sprinkle the crushed Oreo cookies over the Chocolate ice cream layer.
9. Even it out.
10. Scoop the Vanilla/Chocolate Chunks ice cream over the crushed cookies.
11. Using a spoon dipped in hot water, smooth the top of this ice cream layer.
12. Select 12 Oreo cookies, and spacing them evenly (like the hours on the clock), push them halfway into the vanilla ice cream layer.
13. Cover and place it in the freezer to chill thoroughly (at least an hour).

Chocolate Ganache

Preparation and Application:

1. About 10 minutes before taking the cake out of the freezer, start preparing the ganache.
2. Crash the two chocolate bars into small chunks in a mixing bowl.
3. Set aside.
4. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a sauce pan, and bring it to low boil.
5. You must keep an eye on the cream, because it can spill over very quickly once it starts boiling.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Pour hot cream over the crushed chocolate, and mix with a spoon until all melted and a smooth paste has formed.
8. You can add your favorite liqueur flavoring here, if you wish, and mix it in well.
9. Once the Ganache is cooled to room temperature, you are ready to apply it to the cake.
10. Remove the ice cream cake from the freezer.
11. Place it on a plate, or a larger round pan (pizza pan which will be able to fit into your freezer later on)
12. Loosen the spring and remove the sides of the pan.
13. Loosen the cake away from the top edge of the parchment paper.
14. Pour slowly the cooled Ganache over the top of the cake, starting from the middle, so it spreads evenly into all directions of the cake.  It will start to solidify quickly, on top of the cold ice cream.
15. Remove the parchment paper from the sides, and pour some more of the Ganache at the edge of the cake, so it runs down the sides, at even intervals.
16. You need to watch your cake, so it does not start to melt.
17. Decorate the middle of the cake with Oreos, if you wish.
18. Place it in the freezer for about 1/2 hour.
19. Remove the cake from the freezer.
20. Gently loosen the bottom of the cake pan, and remove it (so you do not scratch it while cutting the cake).
21. Place the cake on a plate.
22. Cover the cake with foil paper, and return it back to the freezer for several hours, or over night.
23. Before serving, remove from the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

TIP:  For easy cutting to serving portions, dip your knife in a glass of hot water, as often as needed.

I am not a big fan of seafood, even though I know fish is full of Omega-3 fat, which is healthy for your heart. So, if I want to have fish for a meal, it most likely will be at a restaurant, but even then it is a real commitment on my part.

I don’t mind the taste of fish as much as the odor left behind in the house after cooking time,  or from the fish, before, or even after it is cooked.

Every fisherman tells me that fresh fish does not have much of an odor.  This means that your freshest fish comes from a real fish store, rather your your favorite supermarket.

Also, when purchasing your fish, try to stay away from farm raised fish, as these have lots of fat that is bad for you.

So, why am I posting a fish recipe?

Well, because this is one of the fish dishes that I do not mind preparing, and actually enjoy eating.

It is very quick, simple, and delicious.  It can be broiled or grilled.  I normally broil it, out of convenience.

Yields 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 Wild Salmon fillets, or 3 small ones (no more than 1 1/2 – 2  inches thick)
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce (Low Sodium)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground

Directions:

1. Wipe clean the fish fillets.
2. Mix the chopped garlic, pepper, and Soy Sauce.
3. Place the fish fillets in a glass container (casserole dish)
4. Pour the marinade mixture over the fillets.
5. Cover, place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour, turning the fish once, halfway through the marinating process.
6. Cover a broiling pan with foil (for easier cleaning), and place the fillets with skin up.
7. Pour half of the marinate over the fish.
8. Broil on high for 8 minutes.
9. Turn fish over.
10. Pour the rest of the marinate over the fish.
11. Broil another 6 minutes, on low.
12. Cool for  5 minutes.
13. Serve with steamed wild rice, and veggies.

TIP: I noticed Salmon is so much tastier, when before eating, I remove the grayish meat that is right under the skin, and discord it together with the skin.  You can sprinkle some lemon juice over the fillets, but I prefer to have mine plain.

photo credit: VirtualErn

Summertime calls for outdoor cooking/grilling, and enjoying fun activities with family and friends.

There doesn’t need to be a special holiday, or celebration, to have a barbecue.  You do it just because you feel like taking advantage of the warm weather, and cooking outdoors.  Not to mention to give your husband a chance to show off his grilling skills, while you are relaxing with a nice cold drink and chatting with everyone (that is after you set everything up for him beforehand…).

My son-in-law, with the assistance of my daughter, prepared these finger licking barbecue ribs, and they let me share this recipe with all of you.

Pork Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds pork baby back ribs
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper
• 4 cups barbecue sauce (see recipe below)
• 2 (12 ounce) bottles porter beer, room temperature

Directions:

1. Cut ribs into small portions of 2 or 3 bones each.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
3. Season water a pinch each of salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper to the water.
4. Boil ribs in seasoned water for 20 minutes.
5. Drain, and let the ribs sit for about a half an hour.
6. Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
7. Lightly coat the ribs with barbecue sauce.
8. Cook the ribs over high heat for a 5 to 10 minutes on each side to get a nice grilled look to them.
9. Place grilled ribs in a slow cooker.
10. Pour remaining barbecue sauce and one bottle of beer over the ribs; this should cover at least half of the ribs.
11. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours.
12. Check ribs every hour or so, and add more beer if needed to dilute sauce
13. Stir to get the ribs on top into the sauce.
14. The ribs are done when the meat is falling off the bone.
15. The ribs were cooked completely in the first process, the rest is about flavor and texture.

Bourbon Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup bourbon whiskey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and whiskey.
2. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
3. Mix in the ground black pepper, salt, ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Run sauce through a strainer if you prefer a smooth sauce.

Jello desserts are great any time, but I love them that much more during the summer months.

Then again, whipping up a jello dessert mixed with cream cheese and fruit, how can you beat that?

The recipe I am about to share with you is also very quick and simple to prepare, and it makes a very refreshing dessert for your family barbecue, or a dish to pass at a neighborhood get together.  I made this jello mold for numerous occasions, and I never had to worry about storing any leftovers…..it’s yummy!

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes  (3 oz each) of Strawberry Jello
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 large box frozen strawberries (12-16 oz)
• 2 cups crushed pineapple , drained ( 2 – 20 oz. cans)
• 1 small sour cream ( 8oz)
• 1 package cream cheese ( 8oz)

Directions:

1. Dissolve jello in hot water.
2. Drain the strawberries, and mix into jello.
3. Cool until partially set (the frozen strawberries will cool the jello very quickly).
4. Mix in the crushed pineapple.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese with the sour cream, to a smooth paste.
6. Add to the jello mixture, fold in well.
7. Place in a serving bowl.
8. Cover.
9. Refrigerate until well set (couple of hours or overnight).

Enjoy!

Every time I see a ready assembled vegetable platter at a grocery store, just to pick up and go to a party, I cringe at its cost.  I think it mostly reflects the price of labor, rather than the value of the veggies.

I can understand if you are in a hurry and rally do not have time to put it all together, but even that is not a good enough excuse.

It doesn’t take a culinary genius to cut up raw vegetables, and to arrange them on a platter.

Even if you still have to buy the ready made dip, you will save money, doing the platter yourself.

Here is what you will need:

• Baby carrots (1/2 bag)
• Celery stalks ( 3 stalks)
• Green Peppers (1)
• Red Pepper (optional)
• Yellow Peppers (optional)
• Cherry Tomatoes (1 container)
• Cucumber (one)

I know once you add up the cost of these items you might come up close to what the platter costs, but you will not use up all of these vegetables for this one platter.  You will have leftovers for your own use.

If you want to cut down the price even further, skip the peppers all together, and fill up that space with celery.  Also, instead of cherry tomatoes you can select broccoli and cauliflower.

You may also substitute the baby carrots with regular carrots, peeled and cut them up to chunks (french fries size), these will also cut down on the cost of carrots.  It all depends on your budget and the current price of vegetables.

Maybe you don’t have a vegetable platter to arrange these on, or you don’t want to use your own and worry about bringing it back home.  In that case, stop at a Dollar store  and purchase one for a Dollar.

Once all assembled, wrap it up with foil, or plastic wrap, and off you go.  Not only you will same some money, you will feel good about your creation, and maybe impress someone as well.

TIP: To make a quick and easy vegetable dip, use 1 cup of sour cream, add 1/2 packet of Good Seasons Zesty Italian

flavored salad dressing mix, mix it all up, spoon it in a plastic container and it’s ready.  Money saved again.  This whole platter will cost about $6, if you do it yourself.

This hot summer weather is calling for lots of quick to prepare light meals, thus lots of salads and refreshing desserts.

Jello desserts are one of my favorite desserts for the summer, because they are light, and served cold.

My raspberries produced abundantly this year, so they were my fruit of choice for this dessert.

I found this recipe on another site, posted in Polish.  I translated it, and tested it last weekend on my family.  Everyone really loved it, so I had to share it with all of you, my loyal readers.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Lady Fingers cookies
• 1 box of Cherry Jello (3 oz)
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream , cooled (for whipping)
• 1 1/2 cup fresh fruits (I used raspberries – see TIP below)
• 1 large box of Raspberry Jello (6 oz)

Directions:

Line bottom of a glass casserole dish (9 x13) with parchment paper.

Layer the Lady Fingers cookies to cover the whole bottom of the dish, as shown above, or in your own way.  You may need to trim them to fit snugly, to cover the bottom.

Prepare the whipped cream, by using a cold mixing bowl, pouring in the whipping cream, and using a mixer, whipping  it to stiff peaks.

Do not over whip, so you don’t end up with butter, rather than whipped cream.  Keep the whipped cream in the refrigerator, while preparing the jello.

Prepare Cherry Jello, dissolving it in only 1 cup of boiling water, but not adding any cold water.

To speed up the  cooling process, pour it in a cold container, place it in a bowl of ice water, and keep on stirring until room temperature, or cooler, but not jelling yet.

Slowly add the cooled jello to the whipped cream.

Fold the jello nicely into the whipped cream, do not mix too much, so you do not break up the whipped cream.

Scoop the Cherry Whipped topping over Lady Fingers, and spread evenly, making sure it is well packed near the edges of your casserole dish, so the jello in the next step does not leak down the sides, and moisten the cookie base.

Position the fresh fruit over the whipped cream layer.  I butterflied my raspberries so they do not stick out too high.

Prepare the raspberry jello, also using only 1 cup of water, so it will stay firmer and not soften as quickly during serving.

Slowly pour cooled raspberry jello over the fruit (I used small gravy ladle), until completely covered.  As you can see some of my fruit still was poking out of the jello layer, but that is fine, since you do have a thin layer of jello poured over it.

Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight, and enjoy this refreshing dessert.

TIP: You can use any  fruit of your choice, however kiwi and pineapple will not hold well in the jello layer.  Next time I would like to try Lemon Jello with the whipped cream, and mandarin slices for the fruit, covered with  Orange Jello. Yum…that sounds wonderful already…eh?  Lady Fingers cookies can be a little expensive (I paid $3.99 for a box), so to cut down on cost, you may use sponge cake for the bottom layer.