Food Friday: Fresh Onion Dip!

 In the past whenever there has been a function that required chips and dip, I have gotten a pint of sour cream and a packet of French's Onion Soup Mix, stirred them together, refrigerated for a few hours for the flavors to meld, then served to repeated acclamation. It was not something I thought up but every time I have served it people have raved about it.  It is nice and salty and full of fat so it is bad for us on at least two fronts, but it does taste yummy.

WELL...a few years ago my sister made some Fresh Onion Dip that I loved. It was lovely and light flavored, not too salty, really it was just right and a joy to eat.  So, since we were asked to bring chips and dip to a funeral reception, I decided to try it.

This is what I did;

Got out the Ninja Express food processor (a gift from my sister!) and chopped half a sweet onion.  The Ninja Express makes a nice onion-y slush which was perfect.  Not quite a slush but finer than dicing by a long shot.

In a bowl I placed 24 ounces sour cream, 2 Tablespoons onion slush, and 1 Tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken flavor.  I stirred it up then tried it with a Lay's Wavy Potato Chip.  It tasted pretty good but was possibly a bit too mild so I added another tablespoon of onion and Better Than Bouillon.  That might have been too much of the Better Than Bouillon.  Well, I like salty.

The next day I stirred the dip again and tested it again with another potato chip.  This time it tasted great!  So, I will serve this batch to our family then make a fresh batch for the funeral.  

24  ounces( but can  use1 pint) sour cream
3 Tablespoons very finely chopped sweet onion
2 Tablespoons Roasted Chicken Flavor Better Than Bouillon

Mix together in large bowl and refrigerate for several hours then put in serving bowl and enjoy.  It is good with chips but even better with fresh vegetable sticks and slices.

As usual, not a stellar photograph, but I think you get the point!

Munchie Monday: Quick and Easy Corn Pudding/Corn Bread

Corn bread is something many people love. I have not been notably fond of corn bread.  Usually it is dry and crumbly.  I do not like that unless I have some really good chili to actually crumble it into. 

We had company coming for lunch (the missionaries, both seniors and young elders).  I was making black bean chili and sweet potato soup...both new recipes.  So, why not try a new corn bread/corn pudding recipe.

The one I found was on I Wash, You Dry blog.  It turned out pretty good.

For myself, I have to say it is more corn bread than corn pudding because it was cooked in a 9 by 13 pan. I think if I make it again, I will use a 2-quart casserole.  Just for texture's sake.  Of course, it will need to cook longer at lower heat, I think, if I do it in that size dish.

This is a picture of the dish when it was just recently removed from the oven.  I pretty much had to try it to see if it was edible.  Since it was, we served it to the missionaries!

The ingredients are Jiffy Corn Bread Mix, eggs, drained whole kernel corn, creamed corn, melted butter, sour cream and shredded cheese. Very likely to clog up your arteries.... Since I made it virtually the same as the I Wash, You Dry folks, I refer you to them for the actual recipe.

The only thing I did differently was that I cooked it Saturday evening and let it cool overnight.  The next day I heated it in the oven while the 60 Minute Rolls were baking.  The pudding developed a more crispy exterior.   I think I would like it even crispier.  Still, it did taste good just as is.  It would probably be fabulous with bits of jalapeño in it.

Munchie Monday: Surprise Food Success--Quick and Easy

We had one smallish head of broccoli in the refrigerator.  Plus some heavy cream, eggs, pie crust, and some homemade French onion dip.  Being on a lazy streak

, I decided just to put them all together and bake them.



SO...this is what I did.

In a large bowl, mix 4 eggs, 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream, less than one cup homemade French onion dip (1 pint sour cream mixed with one packet Lipton's French Onion Soup Mix), and 1-plus cup of minced broccoli (Dear One likes broccoli quiche as long as he cannot really distinguish the broccoli from the rest of the ingredients...).

Place in a pie-crust-lined deep pie dish.  Pour mixture carefully into the dish.  Sprinkle over the top a little more than one cup shredded cheese.  In this case it was Tillamook extra sharp cheddar (3/4 cup) and Tillamook smoked medium cheese (about 1/4 cup).

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes.  In our oven this was not quite cooked so I turned off the heat and let the quiche sit there for another half hour  without removing from the oven then removed from the oven.  Very well cooked.

Dear One really liked it.  I had a tiny piece and liked it, too.  I call it a roaring success!

Munchie Monday: Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Last week Dear One told me that National Chocolate Cake Day was coming up.  That was news to me.  In the last month Elder A had his 79th birthday.  I made this chocolate sour cream cake then. It was quite popular in the office.  Elder A took the leftovers home for his birthday supper.  The next day he came back and said it was VERY popular there, too.

So, since I ALWAYS pay strict attention to what Dear One suggests (sadly, not...but this time I did...) and since he asked me to make this cake so we can share it with some elderly church members we visit at home, I went ahead and did it yesterday, on National Chocolate Cake Day.  He then suggested that I record the recipe somewhere I could find it again. Hum, I wonder if that means he likes the cake?!

So here it is:

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

1 cup butter
1/3 cup powdered unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter and flour a fluted bundt pan.

Set the oven preheating to 350 degrees F.

In a smallish saucepan place the butter, cocoa, salt, and water.  Using a long-handled wooden spoon, stir over medium heat until completely combined and smooth with all butter melted.  Set aside to cool a bit while you mix the dry ingredients.

In a large bowl (I like stainless steel bowls), place the flour, sugar, and baking powder.  Whisk together well.


Pour in about one-half of the cocoa/butter/water/salt mixture and stir well with the wooden spoon.

Add remaining cocoa mixture, scraping out pan with rubber spatula, and stir until the batter is smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time and stirring well after each egg.

Finally, add in the sour cream and stir until completely combined.  Using a rubber spatula, carefully spoon into the prepared bundt pan, scraping the bowl clean.  Don't waste anything!

Place pan in over and bake for 35-45 minutes.

Use a toothpick to check for doneness at 35 minutes.  Leave in longer if necessary.


Remove from oven and let cook on rack for 15 minutes or so.  Using a thin spatula gently release the cake from the edges of pan, then flip over onto the serving plate.  Let cool completely then drizzle on glaze or chocolate fudge icing.

This is the cake after taking big chunks to the church friends:


Cake shortly after I asked Dear One if the cake was okay:



I will that that as a "Yes!"

Food Friday: At Last, Really Soft Sugar Cookies

Dear One likes soft cookies.  Almost everything I make turns out not to be soft.  Finally I have found a recipe that actually lives up to its billing.  This recipe is from Monica at The Yummy Life.  You WILL want to go to her website!  She has created KIND nut bar copycats.  I spent ages there looking at those recipes, and so many others!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies Cut-Outs

•  5-1/2 cups  flour

•  1 teaspoon baking soda

•  3/4 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon if using salted butter)

•  1 cup sour cream, room temperature

•  1 cup unsalted butter, softened

•  2 cups sugar

•  2 eggs

•  1 teaspoon vanilla

•   

•  FOR FROSTING (makes 1.5 cups of frosting):

•  3 cups powdered sugar

•  3 tablespoons butter, softened

•  1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

•  4-6 tablespoons canned evaporated milk

•  food coloring (optional)

 In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, & salt; set aside. In second large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the sour cream and butter at low speed; add sugar, eggs, and vanilla & mix until combined. (It's okay if it's a little lumpy as long as no butter chunks are visible.) Gradually add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture, mixing until well combined. Dough will be sticky. (If cookie dough is too thick for your mixture to handle, you can stir it by hand with a wooden spoon.) Divide dough onto two pieces of plastic wrap; flatten dough, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled, 1-2 hours. (Make ahead tip: Dough may be made to this point and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Big, fat, SOFT sugar cookies!

ROLL, CUT, & BAKE COOKIES: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.  Generously flour your counter or work surface to prevent dough from sticking. Rub flour on the rolling pin. Put one of the chilled pieces of dough on top of the floured surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with more flour. Starting at the center, roll the dough out to one edge; return to the center and roll to the opposite edge. Continue rolling until dough is an even 1/4" thick all over, sprinkling with additional flour, if needed, to avoid sticking. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut out dough shapes. Transfer dough shapes to baking sheets. Continue rolling dough, cutting shapes, and adding to baking sheets until they are filled.  Bake 2 sheets at a time for 8-10 minutes, rotating and switching pans half way through cooking time. Bake them just until they are baked all the way through but haven't started browning on the bottom. If a soft textured cookie is desired, it's very important not to over bake them.  Transfer hot cookies to a baking rack to cool completely. 

 MAKE FROSTING:

Combine powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla, and half of the evaporated milk in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine ingredients on a low speed until its' a thick paste consistency and all of the lumps are gone. Gradually add remaining milk and continue mixing on medium speed until frosting is a smooth, silky, spreadable consistency. If it's still too thick, add more milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time until it's desired consistency. Mix in food coloring, if desired.

People really liked the frosted cookies.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies!  I did not count them but there were at least 50 cookies I am sure.  I used a washed-out soup can for the cookie cutter...then remembered I had purchased a cookie cutter.  Oh well.  It will turn up soon I am sure, since I am on an organization/clean-up kick.  At least I was this morning before coming to the office. I might have run out of steam by the time we get home though...