Red Pepper Chipotle Dip

I only recently discovered the glorious majesty that is ground Chipotle powder, and quite frankly, I can't believe how many dips, soups, pots of chili and Mexican casserole-type situations I have made and served without it. It's delicious - smoky, rich, dark, and super spicy. It elevates this simple red pepper dip to from good, to seriously delicious.

I wanted to make traditional hummus, but didn't have any tahini. I figured cream cheese would do in a pinch, and boy did it ever.  I plan to make this dip this way from here on out. Hummus, schmummus.



Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: None
Number of Ingredients: 7

1 14oz. can chickpeas
1 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers packed in olive oil
3 tablespoons cream cheese
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt to taste
A pinch or 2 ground Chipotle powder, to taste

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Drain red peppers. Toss into food processor (or blender, if you're not lucky enough to have come across a good one at a thrift store, like sad little me). Add the cream cheese, oil, and lime juice. Whiz to a non-lumpy puree. Add a big pinch of salt and a smaller pinch of Chipotle, then whiz again, and taste. If it's too thick, add more lime juice or oil. If you can't taste the Chipotle, add more of that. Whiz again, tasting and adding as you see fit after that - but remember, you want this to be thick and creamy, not thin and watery (blerf), so mind how much you whiz it, hoss.

When the dip has your desired taste and texture, sprinkle it with a fresh herb (I used cinaltro), and serve with raw veggies and/or pita chips.

Apple & Onion Confit

This warm, gooey, complex yet comforting combination of flavors blows my mind. The sweetness of the apples and onions, cooked in all the luscious butter, off-set by the light perfume of the sage and juxtaposed with the sharp cheese... oh, HELL yeah.

When something is this delicious, and has a French word in it, you'd think it difficult to execute, but you'd be wrong. This couldn't be easier to make - just chop, cook in fat, and occasionally stir.  

I think the confit would be a fabulous addition to a pork tenderloin or chop, or a lovely roast chicken. It would be delicious baked in a gratin dish with a heavy sprinkling of cheese over the top, and served along side a spicy greens salad and a loaf of good bread.

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Number of Ingredients: 10

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium apples thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh sage
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup (I used a bit less) apple cider or balsamic vinegar

1 crusty baguette, sliced into rounds

1 wedge strong cheese -  I used P'tit Basque, a tangy sheep's milk cheese.


Melt butter and oil in large skillet over medium/low heat. Add apples, onions and sage, and stir to coat. After a few minutes,  add honey and stir.  After another few minutes, add vinegar and stir. Watch the mixture to be sure it doesn't brown, stirring frequently, and cook about 20 minutes.

Just before you take the confit off the heat, broil the baguette until toasty and crisp. Arrange toasts on a platter, top with a nice chunk of cheese, and spoon the confit over the top. Garnish with finely chopped sage. Serve with prosecco (my holiday drink of choice)!

Holiday Appetizers in 30 minutes

I made these two appetizers for Thanksgiving this year, and every last one of them was gobbled up -  in way less time than it took me to make them. These classic flavor  combinations were easy to shop for (so easy that Mike could do the shopping for me!) easy to throw together, and easy to put my own twist on.

Black Pepper Potato Chips with Lemon Creme, Smoked Salmon and Chives

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: None!
Ingredients: 5

1 bag kettle cooked black pepper potato chips, any brand
1 container creme fraiche
1 Meyer lemon
8 oz. smoked salmon (I used a black pepper-crusted smoked fillet of salmon, but lox would be great, too)
3-4 chives or green onions

Dump the creme fraiche into a mixing bowl, and combine with the zest and juice of half the lemon. Put in the fridge. Gently flake the salmon into bite-sized chunks with a knife or fork (if using a fillet, beware of bones!), or slice if using lox. Finely chop the chives. Lay nice, round, unbroken chips on a pretty platter. Remove the lemony creme fraiche from the fridge. Dab a small spoonful onto a chip, taking care to use enough to taste, but no so much that it spills over the edge of the chip. Gently tuck some salmon into the creamy base, and top with chives. Repeat. You may need to sample several chips, to get the creme-to-salmon-to-chives ratio just right (I did!). If you really wanted to go nuts, you could finish with some grated zest and a grinding of fresh black pepper. I didn't, because time was running out, but they were fabulous anyway!

Dried Figs with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: None!
Ingredients: 3

1 bag dried figs
1/4 lb good prosciutto
1 log chevre (The tarted-up kind, with herbs, or pepper, or edible flowers would be amazing in this bite. I wanted to use my favorite - Purple Haze with lavender and fennel pollen - but I waited too long to gather ingredients, and it was gone. Next time!)

Stuff a nice-sized little nugget of room temperature goat cheese into a fig half. Wrap it with a thin slice of prosciutto. Repeat. That's it! This little bite has all kinds of possibilities - instead of figs, you could use dates. Or sun-dried tomatoes. Or olives. Or you could shape the goat cheese around dried cherries. Instead of goat cheese, you could use brie. Or gorgonzola. Basically, what I'm saying is that this appetizer is fool proof! Especially when served with holiday booze.