OK, it’s almost New Year’s Eve and someone invites you to a party. You need a quick and easy thing to bring along. Voila! This dip! Bacon. Cheese and more cheese. A little bit of salsa. And did I mention the bacon. Dip in crackers or tortilla chips. Serve Warm if you can, but also works at room temperature. Enjoy!
And now for something completely different! I’ve often been asked to bring Ranch Dip/Dressing Mix over to Germany for friends as they don’t have the packets of Hidden Valley Ranch, but it’s really easy — and I think better — to simply make your own. So here it is, a recipe for Ranch Dip and Dressing Mix. The full recipes for Salad Dressing and for the Dip are actually written here too. Lasts about a year, if you actually don’t use it up in the first weeks that you have it in the pantry!
Sunshine in jars! Every year, I fall in love with Meyer Lemons all over again. They are beautifully sweet yet tart, a little bitter, and oh so juicy. Because they are mostly only available in these parts in winter, I try to make them last as long as possible with jams and jellies, curds and sugars. So here we have two of those things: jam and curd. Very delicious for breakfast or tea, add a bit of curd to yogurt or even a vinaigrette. Delicious.
Today is National Cheese Lovers Day. Again, a WTF “holiday” made up by the promote cheese eating association, but while were all here, I might as well share my recipe for easy stove-top Mac + Cheese (only with a sillier name). Believe it or not, it uses American cheese for part of it (mostly because of the emulsification factor). If you can’t get get American, a mild Fontina will do. If you happen to be in Germany, “Butterkäse” is a good substitute. The cheddar makes it kick-ass though (if you aren’t a cheddar person, a young Emmentaler or Grueyer will do the trick). Best part of this recipe: takes all of 22 minutes to make, which is pretty much long it would take you to make the “out of the box” (blech) kind, so you might as well go with a good one. Peas are optional, but not in my world.
Happy 2018! And with the new year came the cold and snow. And no, I am not complaining because I like the snow. Last night we got 16 inches of the stuff and today we are in the deep freeze. You know that that means? Comfort food! Last night I made this lovely stew: Red-wine braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs, with Root Veggies. Some of the ribs were so big that they could have been mistaken for mini-pot roasts. Super tender and flavorful! Nom nom nom!