Jalapeno Popper Dip

This dip is all the flavor of a jalapeno popper without the fuss of having to stuff and fry them.  Serve with Fritos Scoops, or if you want to be a little healthy, thick cucumber slices and bell pepper wedges.

8 oz light cream cheese
1/2 c mayo
4 oz shredded monteray jack cheese
1/4 c + canned jalapeno peppers, drained
1/4 c + canned diced green chilies
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c panko crumbs

Turn oven to 400.  Either with a hand mixer or in the food processor, mix the cream cheese, mayo, jack cheese, jalapeno peppers and green chilies.  Taste and add more peppers if not spicy enough.  Spread in  a glass pie plate sprayed with Pam.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top, then the panko, pressing down lightly into the cream cheese mixture.  Bake for 20 - 25 min until golden and edges are bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Banana Cupcakes with PB Frosting

This is a great recipe for using up that one extra banana that goes mushy before you can eat it.  In fact, the mushier the banana, the better taste in these cupcakes!  The frosting is AMAZING and can be used on lots of other cupcake bases - use your imagination :)

For 15-16 cupcakes:

6 Tbsp butter, room temp

1 1/4 c sugar

1 large very ripe banana

3 eggs

1/2 c buttermilk - I use Saco powdered buttermilk, which would be 2 Tbsp powder and 1/2c water

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 c flour ( + 1 or 2 Tbsp if your batter seems thin)

2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

PB Frosting:

4 Tbsp butter, room temp

4 oz cream cheese, room temp

2 - 3 c powdered sugar

1/2 - 3/4 c smooth peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350, and line 15-16 baking cups with liners.  Give each liner a spritz of Pam to ensure that the cakes don't stick.  

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the banana and mix to break up.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sugar up in between eggs.  Add the buttermilk and vanilla and combine.  Mix in the baking powder and salt, then add the flour in 2 additions, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl in between.  If the batter seems thin, add 1 or 2 Tbsp flour.  Fill the pans 3/4 full and bake for 18 - 22 min.  They are done when no batter sticks to a toothpick inserted in the middle.  Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting:  in the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter until creamy.  Add the cream cheese and combine.  On low, beat in 2 cups powdered sugar.  Taste and check consistency.  If not sweet enough or if not thick enough, beat in another 1/2 cup or more of powdered sugar.  Finally, mix in the peanut butter and taste.  You can always add more PB :)    Either spread or pipe lots of frosting onto each cupcake when cool.  I store the cakes in a container on the counter and the frosting in the fridge, then frost each cupcake as I need to.

Spicy and Creamy Collard Greens

For the greens:
4 slices of bacon, diced
1 -2 large bunches collard greens, tough stems removed
1 large or 2 smallish spicy peppers cut into thin stips, such as Anaheim, Italian Long Hots, etc. use your favorite heat level
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 oz cream cheese, either regular or low fat
splash of dairy, if needed
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, optional
alt and pepper

After removing the tough stems from the greens, slice them into strips. Put them into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat slightly and cook the heck out of them, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy; remove to paper towels. If there is a lot of fat rendered, pour off some leaving 1 Tbsp in the pan. Add the peppers to the pan and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. If the greens aren't done, turn the peppers off. When the greens are done, use a slotted spoon or tongs to pull the greens out, let drip, then add to the peppers pan. Heat over medium to evaporate some of the water. Add the cream cheese and stir to melt and combine with the greens and peppers. If the cream cheese isn't mixing well, add a splash of dairy to help combine. Add the parmesan cheese if using. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the crispy bacon bits over the top just before serving.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Baguette

This looks so pretty sliced and arranged on a platter.  You can mix up the herbs in the filling to go with whatever else you are serving.  I tried two types of filling - a goat cheese vs. a ricotta cheese filling.  I like the taste of the goat cheese and the fluffiness of the ricotta filling.  Make both of you can't decide!

I made these the night before my fiesta, and the bread wasn't soggy the next day.

1 baguette - cut the ends off, then cut in half.  Use a serrated knife to carefully cut out the squishy center, leaving a thin layer attached to the crust.  I cut from both ends, pulled out what bread I could reach, then used a chopstick to push out what I couldn't get to.

Goat Cheese filling:  This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
4 oz goat cheese, room temp.
4 oz cream, room temp.
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
2-3 green onions, both white and green parts finely minced
1-2 Tbsp. milk or other dairy liquid for thinning
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in bowl and mash together with a fork.  Add very small amounts of the dairy liquid at a time - just enough to help the ingredients combine.  I used an off set icing spatula to get the filling as far in the baguette as possible, again going from both ends.  Another idea would be to put the cheese mixture into a pastry bag/ziplock bag, cut a largish piece off the corner and fill the bread that way.  Once filled, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Use a very sharp serrated knife to slice the bread so filling doesn't squish out and the bread isn't mangled.

Ricotta Cheese filling: This amount only filled one half of the baguette, so double it if you aren't making another filling for the other half
1/2 cup FF ricotta cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
assorted chopped herbs - I used basil and parsley, a large handful of each
Possibly some dairy liquid, depending on how moist the ricotta is
salt and pepper

Follow directions above under goat cheese filling.  Only use dairy liquid if the mixture is difficult to combine.  You don't want to end up with soggy bread.

Other filling ideas:
Rosemary and raisin
Basil, diced pepperoni or salami and Parmesan cheese
Blue cheese and chive  - would go great with buffalo wings!
Caramelized onions and thyme
Kalamata olive and feta cheese with oregano or marjoram

Comment with your filling ideas!  If you don't want to make it, I will and report back to you ;)