Yummy, yummy dip

There are two versions of this dip. There is the recipe as it was given to me (which is really good). And then there is the version I made, which was also quite yummy. It also seems pretty versatile - you can toss in whatever other add-ins you like.

Version 1:

1 8oz package cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
1 small can diced green chiles
8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded

Beat cream cheese and sour cream together until creamy, mix in other ingredients. Bake in bread bowl or casserole-type dish at 300 (or 320 depending on how hot your oven runs) until warm and slightly melted. Eat with crackers, bread, veggies, whatever floats your boat.

Version 2: (or how I actually made it)

1 8 oz package neufchatel (1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1 c. sour cream (the "lite" kind)
5 small roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
4 oz sharp cheddar
3 oz mild cheddar
1 oz smoked bacon gouda (totally optional)
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp chili powder
black pepper to taste

Follow the rest of the directions. Obviously I added a few extra/different things to compensate for the fact that I didn't have enough sharp cheddar or any diced chiles (do you know how expensive those suckers are out here! it's insane!)

I took the dip to work and ate it with triscuits. Yum.


-Thyme

Tomato and corn pie

This week we got a massive tomato (seriously, it was like 2 lbs or so), and a few ears of corn, so I thought - hey, I just saw a recipe that uses these things. I'll just point you to the recipe at smittenkitchen.com rather than rehashing it here 'cause her pictures are so much better than I could have ever done, but here's what I did differently (because heaven forbid I follow a recipe exactly). I sliced my tomatoes in strips, rather than leaving them in whole slices, although I did seed them and let them sit in a colander for a few minutes to drain a bit more. I also added some minced garlic, and used parmesan and mozzarella cheese instead of sharp cheddar ('cause that's what we had). And I forgot to brush the butter on the crust. Oh, well, it turned out good. It was almost too tomato-ey and the lemon/mayo mixture was pretty strong, but by the time I had it for leftovers a day or two later, it was perfect. I highly recommend it.

Thyme

Pesto Potatoes

I made my first attempt at pesto this week. And even though I didn't have pine nuts (or any nuts, actually) it turned out pretty darn good.

Pesto

1 cup or so of fresh basil leaves
olive oil
parmesan cheese
garlic

Put all of that in a food processor, and pulse it until it's all mixed together. Play with the amounts of olive oil and parmesan until it seems like it's the consistency you want it. Oh...the smell...it's like heaven. The only thing I wish I'd done differently is made more

So then, here's what I did with it:

4 or 5 potatoes, sliced
1 cup swiss chard, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
pesto
mozarella cheese

I just layered all of this together and baked it in the oven for about an hour or so. Our oven is kind of screwy, so I'm not sure exactly what the temperature was or how long it was in there for (we'll guess 350ish for about an hour). Next time I'd probably boil the potatoes a bit first so that they were partially cooked which would cut down on oven time.

Thyme

Bruschetta

I learned something today - bruschetta refers to bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil, not just the tomato topping that I've thought it was. Apparently there's been a bit of a linguistic shift, and now both the bread and the topping can and are referred to as bruschetta, but purists would say it's just the bread part. But definitions aside, here is one heck of an appetizer, or at least my version of it.

Bread (any kind of good crusty bread/baguette will do - it works good with bread that's just a touch stale)
olive oil
fresh tomatoes
garlic
fresh basil
touch of salt

Slice the bread about 1/4 inch thick or so, brush it with olive oil and broil it for just a minute or so on each side in an oven or toaster oven until it's all browned and toasty.

Chop the tomatoes, add a glug of olive oil, some minced garlic, freshly chopped basil, and just a little bit of salt (I did like two turns or so of the salt grinder). Let the mixture sit for a bit to let all the flavors really meld, and then scoop it onto the bread and eat it.

Thyme

Our new favorite way to eat yellow squash

Sorry, no pictures. Mostly because these have been mid-week meals, which means it's all about just getting it on the table and in our mouths. Anyway, we've gotten several yellow squash in our deliveries of late, and this is the surefire way for all of us to enjoy it.

Slice up the squash, fry it up in some butter (either the real stuff, or olive oil, I don't think margarine would give as good a flavor), toss in a chopped tomato, some basil and garlic. Add a little bit of the pasta water (you know, the water that the pasta has been cooking in) to help make it into more of a sauce. Serve it with pasta (we've liked it with the whole wheat rotini pasta) and lots of parmesan. Quick, simple, nutritious (mostly) and highly adaptable.

Thyme

We'll call it Tomato and Beet Greens Pasta

Okay, so no one else has posted yet, but I'll go ahead and step up to the challenge. We got our latest farm delivery this week and in it was more broccoli, green onions, and making it's debut - beets! Complete with greens. Plus I had three lovely tomatoes fresh from my backyard that needed using. So here's what I came up with.

2 1/2 tomatoes (there would have been three full ones, but the ants got to them)
1 beet top with greens (I'm saving the beets for something else)
1 green onion
1 tbs or so minced garlic (I have the pre-minced stuff on hand)
red pepper flakes
olive oil
parmesan cheese
1 head broccoli
whole wheat penne pasta

I chopped the tomatoes, beet greens, and green onion and sauteed them in the olive oil with the garlic. I saved the actual green leafy part of the beets until everything else had kind of broken down, but I tossed the harder red parts in earlier. I also added a bit of oregano and some red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick. Basil would probably be good, too, but I didn't add it this time. At the end, I also added some parmesan cheese (fresh would have been much better, but I only had the fake grated kind).

While all of that deliciousness was cooking, I boiled some water and cooked about a half a box or so of whole wheat pasta, penne-shaped. When that was about 2/3 done, I added some chopped broccoli and let it cook with the pasta until done. Drain, stir in the sauce, serve and add more parmesan.

For all that we're kind of sick and no one had much of an appetite, we thought this was yummy. Plus, it was very pretty and colorful. I'd take pictures, but it's already mostly been eaten and let's face it - leftovers never look as good. Also, I'd like everyone to take note of how hard I tried to post amounts - I can't promise I'll be this good in the future. But this was pretty simple, so I managed.