Olive Dip aka Botox Dip

This is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Jean, who refers to it as Botox Dip because of the salt content.  I don’t use as much salt but keep to her recipe. Jean always served it with Fritos, which is also my chip of choice for this dip. You could serve it with crackers, pretzels, or any other chip of your choice. I find this dip highly addictive, so beware!

Ingredients

Cream Cheese 8 oz (softened)

Pimento Stuffed Green Olives 5 oz (I use either Lindsay Manzanilla or Trader Joe's Manzanilla olives)

Whipping Cream 4oz

Mayonnaise 1 TBLS

Worcestershire Sauce 1 TSP

Garlic Salt 1/2 TSP

Kosher Salt 1/4 tsp (about)

Garlic Powder (to taste) 

Directions

Chop jar of drained olives and set aside on paper toweling. Place softened cream cheese in a bowl along with a few drops of whipping cream, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, and Kosher salt. Use a hand mixer to whip until creamy. In another bowl whip the remaining 4 oz of whipping cream until stiff. Add half of the whipped cream to cream cheese mixture and whip together. Fold in remaining whipped cream and TBLS of mayo. Fold in green olives. Add garlic powder in sprinkles to taste.

 

 

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

 

This delicious homemade salad dressing is from a recipe I got from my sister Miriam. It's a keeper!

Ingredients

    3 cloves garlic, minced

    3/4 cup mayonnaise

    3 tsp. anchovy paste

    1/4 cup grated Parmesan

    1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

    1 tsp. Dijon mustard

    1 tbsp. lemon juice, or more to taste

    salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, best overnight. I sometimes add a bit of half n half to thin down the dressing.

Pretty Pink Pig Pumpkin

 

This year for Halloween the little girl I nanny was dressing up as a cow and her parents and dog got in on the fun by dressing as a farmer, sheep, and pig. I decided to make a pig pumpkin to go along with the theme. I used little styrofoam balls that I cut flat on 2 ends of balls for the feet and nose.

 

Brisket of Love

This brisket makes the perfect comfort food dinner and is a family favorite! I find it a great meal to serve for a large group and can be served over garlic mashed potatoes or on rolls. What makes it extra nice is that it can be made ahead and frozen.

Ingredients

5 lb. beef brisket flat

Spice Houses "Brisket of Love" seasoning

6 cups of beef broth-divided (I use Better than Bullion)

4 Tbls. butter

1/4 cup flour

Directions

1.  Set oven to 350 degrees

2.  Dry off all sides of brisket flat with a paper towel

3.  Season all sides of brisket liberally with "Brisket of Love" seasoning

4.  Place brisket in roasting pan, fat side up, and place in oven for 1 hr.

5.  Take brisket out of oven and add about 1&1/2 cups of beef broth to the bottom of the pan (about 1/2 

      inch of broth) and cover with foil. 

6.  Place the pan back in the oven and turn oven temp. to 300 degrees and roast for another 4 hours. If

      using a smaller or larger roast you will need to adjust time to 1 hour per pound which includes the 1

      hour at 350 degrees.

7.  Trim off fat slice and then cut into chunks and put back into juices and refrigerate over night. If you

      are making the same day putting it in refrigerator for a number of hours will help to allow the beef

      to soak up the fat and juice which is important for flavor.

8.  Make a roux by melting the butter and adding flour, stirring steadily for about 2 minutes. Gradually

     add 4 cups of beef broth, stirring constantly to create a gravy. Season the gravy with "Brisket of Love" 

     seasoning to taste.

9.  Add gravy to brisket and shred beef further to distribute flavor.

10. Cover pan with foil and return pan to oven and heat at 325 for about 45 minutes or until sufficiently 

       warmed.

11. Serve over garlic mashed potatoes or with your favorite rolls. Yum!

French Canadian Split Pea Soup

 

With Easter coming upon us, it's always nice to have a good split pea soup recipe on hand to make use of that left over Easter ham. This is a recipe shared with me by my sister Gina with a few changes. I've tried a number of different recipes over the years but this is my favorite. I think I especially like it because it isn't quite as thick as some I've tried in the past, and the flavor is delicious. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

1 pound dry green split peas

1 meaty ham bone

1 cup chopped onion

(optional) small bundle of fresh thyme

1 generous teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sliced carrot

1 cup chopped celery 

2 slices of bacon

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Rinse peas. In kettle mix peas, ham bone, onion, Better Than Bouillon, salt, pepper, thyme bundle, and 8 cups of water. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1&1/2 hours, stirring often. 

Remove ham bone and chop meat. Return meat to soup, add carrots and celery. Simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. Cook bacon till crisp, drain and crumble. Stir bacon, cream, and butter into soup, heat through. Makes 8 servings.

New England Clam Chowder

This is a delicious soup I found on Epicurious. It is the best homemade clam chowder I've come across and is excellent as a cup of soup with a elegant meal or as a bowl of soup for a yummy lunch. They call for russet potatoes but I often use red potatoes instead. The russets do help to make the broth a bit thicker but I like the flavor of the red potatoes a bit more. If you like the broth a bit thicker but want the flavor of the red potatoes, simply add 1/3 cup flour instead of the 1/4 cup in the recipe.

 

 

Yield

Makes 8 (first-course) or 4 (main-course) servings

Ingredients

1. • 3 8-ounce bottles clam juice
   • 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
   • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
   • 3 slices bacon, finely chopped
   • 2 cups chopped onions
   • 1 1/4 cups chopped celery with leaves (about 2 large stalks)
   • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
   • 1 bay leaf
   • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
   • 6 6 1/2-ounce cans chopped clams, drained, juices reserved
   • 1 1/4 cups half and half
   • 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Preparation

1. 1.  Bring bottled clam juice and potatoes to boil in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
   2. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onions, celery, garlic and bay leaf and sauté until vegetables soften, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes (do not allow flour to brown). Gradually whisk in reserved juices from clams. Add potato mixture, clams, half and half and hot pepper sauce. Simmer chowder 5 minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Chicken Soup

 

 One of the most comforting soup around is Chicken Soup. Whether served with noodles, rice, dumplings, or Matzo balls, it never fails to soothe. This is the closest I can get to writing out my recipe. I make it each time to taste and according to what I have on hand.

 Ingredients

 Left over rotisserie chicken or 2 baked large chicken breast, with bone in and skin on

2 to 3 tbls. olive oil 

1&1/2 cups diced onion

1&1/2 cups diced carrot

1&1/2 cups diced celery 

1&1/2 cups peas

8 oz. sliced mushrooms, optional

5 cloves of garlic, divided

16 cups water

12 tsp.(or to taste) Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor

2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Kosher salt to taste

Course ground pepper to taste

Egg noodles, rice, or package mix for matzo balls

 

Directions

Saute onions, celery, and carrots in olive oil for about 6 minutes in a large soup pot. (If using dried herbs, they should be added with the vegetables when they are sauteing.) Add 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic and saute for another minute. I place my precooked chicken, skin, bones and all,  in a large colander and put it in the pot with sauteed vegetables, making sure to have the vegetables to the side of the colander. I use the colander so I am able to remove the chicken from the vegetables without worrying that the chicken will fall apart when I remove it from the pot. If you don't have a large enough pot, you can just put the chicken in the pot and remove the chicken as best as you can without leaving pieces behind. I then pour the water over chicken and vegetables, bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Remove chicken and then remove all of the meat from bones and skin and return to the pot. Now is the time to add the Better Than Bouillon to the pot, along with the peas, fresh herbs, and sliced mushrooms if you are using them. I simmer for another 15 minutes and then season to taste with added fresh garlic, salt and pepper, and sometimes additional bouillon.