7 Layer Fiesta Dip

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  • 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
  • 1 container (16 ounces) sour cream
  • 1 package taco Seasoning Mix
  • 1 package (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, (2 cups)
  • 1 cup prepared guacamole
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • Tortilla chips
  • Spread refried beans in shallow serving dish.
  • Mix sour cream and Seasoning Mix in small bowl until well blended. Spread over refried beans.
  • Top with layers of cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, onions and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes 8 cups or 64 (2-tablespoon) servings.

Best Tomato Soup Ever from Ree Drumond

WU0508H_best-tomato-soup-ever-recipe_s4x3.jpg.rend.snigalleryslide.landscape1 medium white or yellow onion
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
Two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
One 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
1 or 2 tablespoons veggie base
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sherry, optional
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

To begin, dice the onion. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Throw in the onion and cook until translucent.

Now dump in the diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the tomato juice.

Next – and this is important – in order to combat the acidity of the tomatoes add 3 to 6 tablespoons of sugar. Now, you’ll want to start on the low side, then taste and add more as needed. Some tomatoes and juice have more of an acidic bite than others. (For what it’s worth, and I realize it’s not worth much, I use 6 tablespoons of sugar.)

Next, add 1 or 2 tablespoons chicken base to the pot. I added 3, and it wound up being a little too much.

Now you can add lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine, then heat almost to a boil. Then turn off the heat.

Add in the sherry if desired. Stir in the cream. Add the basil and parsley and stir.

Serve the soup warm!

Pancotto (Tuscan Bread Soup)

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  • 1/2 pound (250 grams) stale white bread (Italian style loaf), crusts on
  • tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • small carrot, finely chopped
  • celery stick, finely chopped
  • clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • pinch salt
  • pinch chili flakes
  • teaspoon dried chile (or chopped fresh chile)
  • cups (1 liter) water or veggie stock 
  • 3/4 cup (80 grams) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
  • Handful of fresh parsley
  1. Roughly chop the bread into chunks, pass under some cold running water quickly to soften (but not soak), and crumble into pieces. Set aside.
  2. Add the olive oil to a large casserole or soup pot, and gently saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the chile and water and bring to a boil. Add herbsLet simmer gently until the vegetables (in particular the carrot) are cooked through and the broth is fragrant, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the bread and cook until the soup has become thick and creamy with the appearance of oatmeal, about 10 minutes. Stir through half the cheese and remove from the heat. Let sit a further 5 to 10 minutes, covered, before serving in shallow bowls with the rest of the cheese sprinkled on top, some herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Serves 4

 

Caesar Salad Dressing

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2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I like the brand Maille)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust to your liking.

By Jennifer Segal, adapted from Gourmet magazine
Servings: Makes 1-1/3 cups

Fettuchini with Braised Kale

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1 pound kale (about 2 bunches), large center ribs and stems removed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Finely grated Parmesan cheese

Rinse kale. Drain; transfer to bowl with some water still clinging.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add kale and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add cooked spaghetti to kale mixture in pot. Add lemon juice and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid; toss to combine, adding more liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry. Sprinkle spaghetti with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Maman’s Cheese Souffle from Jacque Pepin

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6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more to butter a 6-cup gratin dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups cold whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 extra-large eggs
2 1/3 cups grated Swiss cheese, preferably Gruyere (about 6 ounces)
3 tablespoons minced fresh chive blades

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter a 6-cup gratin dish, and set it aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour, and mix it in well with a whisk. Cook for 10 seconds, and add the milk in 1 stroke, and mix it in with a whisk. Keep stirring with the whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to a strong boil, which will take about 2 minutes. It should be thick and smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the salt and pepper. Allow about 10 minutes for the white sauce to cool.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl, and beat well with a fork. Add the eggs, the cheese and the chives to the cooled sauce, and mix well to combine. Pour into the buttered gratin dish and cook immediately, or set aside until ready to cook.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the souffle is puffy and well browned on top. Although it will stay inflated for quite awhile, it is best served immediately. Yield:4 servings

Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Eggs, food and wine

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1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound medium asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large eggs
6 cups baby arugula
3/4 cup freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)

  • In a small bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, toss the asparagus with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the asparagus over high heat until tender and charred in spots, about 5 minutes; keep warm.
  • Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. Working in batches if necessary, cook the eggs sunny-side up until the whites are firm and the yolks runny, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  • In a bowl, toss the arugula with the lemon vinaigrette and transfer the salad to plates. Top with the asparagus, fried eggs and cheese shavings and serve at once.

beer-cheese pimento – from being dead is no excuse

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8 oz. grated extra-sharp cheese *
8 oz. red rind cheese (colby) or mild American cheese, grated *
2 cloves fresh garlic
1-1/2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup beer (not “lite”)
Several splashes of Tabasco
4 oz. jar diced pimientos
Mayonnaise to taste and to make spreadable +/- 2 tbsp.

Using a food processor, blend the above ingredients.  Chill.  This always improves with age.  Makes 1 quart.

First time I made this is used 1/2 tbsp salt it was WAY TOO MUCH, try starting with 1/4-1/2 tsp.  if it is too salty add 2 tbsp sour cream and more tabassco

NOTES: *  I used 16 oz sharp cheddar and it was fine.

Tomato Pie, AZ Chris

1 9 inch pie shell
1/2 onion, chopped
6 or 7 Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup basil, sliced
2 cups grated cheese, (combination of mozz., parmesan, feta, gruyere, cheddar…)
3/4 cup Greek yogurt, (or sour cream)
1 tsp. hot sauce, (or ground chipotle)
salt & pepper

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1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.

2. Cut tomatoes into quarters and seed. Lightly salt the tomatoes and then put them meat side down on paper towels to drain out liquid. Let them sit for 15 minutes. Then chop.

3. Sprinkle the bottom of the pie shell with chopped onion. Spread the tomatoes over the onions. Spread remaining onion and basil over the onions.

4. In medium bowl, mix together the cheeses, yogurt, hot sauce or ground chipotle, salt and pepper. Mixture should be the consistency of a gooey dough. Spread over the top of the vegies in the pie shell. Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes.

Notes: This is really yummy!

This recipe lends itself to a multitude of additions or substitutions. I added chopped sweet red pepper and smoked paprika. Poblanos, cumin, cilantro would be great too. Anything that goes with tomatoes!

Any mixture of cheeses would be good, but I would make cheddar a very small part. Due to the liquid nature of the tomatoes, cheddar would add too much additional liquid (oil). I used mozzarella, queso fresco and about a 1/4 cup of cheddar which was a litlle on the bland side. Gruyere would be really good! Feta would be excellent – but doesn’t melt much so make sure it’s well mixed.

Notes from Mary: This is almost identical to my recipe except it just calls for parmesan and
cheddar mix, along with a little minced rosemary. I like the gruyere idea.
Also, mind calls for sliced tomatoes rather than quartered. Tomatoes merge
with other ingredients. Does it do the same with the quarters and slices
easily?

Lazy Chiles Rellenos, Ree Drumond

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8 whole Roasted, Peeled, And Seeded Green Chiles
1-1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
5 whole Large Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne.
Cut chilies in half and add a single layer of chilies on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Top chilies with half the grated cheese.

Repeat with another layer of chilies and another layer of cheese.
Pour egg mixture all over the top.

Place into a larger baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Pour in 1/2 inch of water and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until completely set.

Cut into squares and serve with warm corn tortillas!