Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip

Seven weeks down and five to go before it’s back to school for Miss. Maisie.  We can’t believe how quickly summer is passing and honestly none of us are looking forward to it being over and returning to the school year schedule.  One of the things that we’re really enjoying this summer is our time relaxing out on the dock, sipping our cocktails and snacking on appetizers, such an enjoyable way to spend summer evenings.  So of course when it came time to search out a recipe on our assigned Secret Recipe Club blog Colie’s Kitchen, we were on the lookout for appetizers. 

 

There were many recipes on Nicole’s blog, both appetizer and non-appetizer which caught our attention and were in the running for this month’s recipe.  I mean how delicious do Southwest BBQ chicken, Southern fried corn, Avocado mozzarella salad, or bunuelos sound?  I mean seriously, difficult choices.  But then there were two recipes which really sparked the debate on which to make and it came down to either Nicole’s cold Jalapeno popper dip or her hot Jalapeno popper dip.  I mean it’s Jalapeno popper dip two ways!  We adore, ADORE, the taste of jalapeno poppers as evidenced by two of our other favorite recipes, Jalapeno Popper Soup and our Totally Outrageous Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich, yes we do love our jalapeno poppers!  In the end it was the hot dip which won the coin toss and it was made for the ladies of book club.  Now you’d think that some hot spicy dip would be too much for the ladies who read but let me tell you, they were scraping that serving dish clean, licking their lips and asking for the recipe.  Needless to say the dip was a huge hit and super simple to make and thus, has been added to the make-again-and-often recipe list. 

 

We did of course change Nicole’s recipe a bit.  Her recipe calls for a mix of cheddar and parmesan cheese and we thought that we had both in the house but when we were preparing the dish we found that we were out of cheddar and only had about a 1/3 cup of parmesan so we went with what we had and that was mozzarella.  We also added crumbled bacon and that was a very last minute decision.  Seriously, we had put the dish in the oven and two minutes in, pulled it out and added on some bacon.  Not sure what possessed us to do that, but it sure was delicious.  Check out Nicole’s recipe or use ours, either way, if you’re a jalapeno popper lover, you won’t be disappointed. 

 

Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip (Adapted from here)

 

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced jalapenos, diced (use diced chilies for less heat)

• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

• 1/3 cup crumbled cooked bacon

Preheat oven to 375F.  In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, mozzarella cheese and the diced up jalapenos.  Lightly grease a baking dish (I used a shallow 1.5 qt. oven safe dish) and spread the jalapeno cheese mix evenly.  Top with the shredded Parmesan cheese and bacon.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top.  Serve hot with crackers or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Chipotle Stuffed Mushrooms 
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Grilled Pizza Sandwich
Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup 
Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata
Chicken Satay with Sunbutter “Peanut” Sauce
Asian Pork Chops
Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries
Zesty Zucchini Skillet
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Curried Deviled Eggs

We’ve been on a bit of a deviled eggs kick here in the Cook Lisa Cook house as the eggs are a super simple delicious, ready to grab bite, for a meal or a snack.  They’re also a nice treat along with our Chipotle Stuffed Mushrooms to enjoy with a drink on these hot summer afternoons when we’re kicking back and relaxing on our dock doing nothing but looking out at the water and listening to nature.  We’ve continued to enjoy the Sriracha Deviled Eggs but this week decided to change things up a bit and made some awesome Curried Deviled Eggs.  Again, super simple to make and ready to eat at a moment’s notice. 

Curried Deviled Eggs

• 12 eggs
• 4 TBS. mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. hot Jamaican curry powder, plus extra for dusting at finish
• 2 TBS. mango chutney, minced finely if chunky
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• Himalayan salt to taste

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs to the pot and bring the water back to a full boil.  Allow the eggs to boil for 30 seconds. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low so that it’s just at a simmer.  Cook for 11 minutes. Using a large slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the hot water and place in a bowl of ice water.  Allow the eggs to cool for at least 15 minutes before peeling under cool running water.

Once the eggs are peeled, slice in half and remove the yolks to a bowl and place the hollowed out whites on a platter.  Using the tines of a fork, mash the yolks.  Add in the mayonnaise, curry powder, mango chutney and pepper.  Combine until smooth and add salt to taste.  Place the yolk mixture in a piping bag or Ziploc bag fitted with a star or round piping tip.  Fill each egg white with the yolk mixture.  Dust with curry powder.  Serve cold.

Enjoy!

Sriracha Deviled Eggs

We can hardly believe that it’s May already and Maisie’s summer break begins in just 2 weeks!!  One of our favorite appetizer items which always seems to show up at summer parties, are deviled eggs.  We have made them on a few occasions but honestly, they were never any good.  For some reason other people’s eggs always taste wonderful and ours have been just bland and nothing special.  Well all that has now changed since we found Sid’s recipe for Sriracha deviled eggs aka Tates Hell on her blog, Sid's Sea Palm Cooking.  This month for Secret Recipe Club we were assigned Sid’s blog and let me tell you, she is one lady that loves to cook and entertain.  She host’s monthly Tapas nights, cooks for her boat club and prepares numerous senior lunches, all in addition to just general cooking. 

When we first perused her blog we really were drawn to a number of her Danish dishes, including her Frikadeller with ground turkey, Kro pork with grapes and Rødgrød med Fløde.  Then there were a few recipes, also Danish, which we’ve set aside to make for the holidays when we allow some special treats into our diet.  Check out these tasty treats which we’ve tucked away, kringle weinerbrod, mazarin tarts and adorable marzipan fruits.  In the end though it was the deviled eggs which called our name and we’re delighted that they did as this recipe is kick-a$$ fabu!  We really love not only the wonderful flavor of the eggs but the nice hot spiciness too.  No more will we be limited to enjoying deviled eggs only when others chose to make and share them, now we can enjoy delicious Sriracha Deviled Eggs anytime we desire.

We buy local free-range eggs, which are often just gathered minutes before we purchase them, aren’t the colors just gorgeous!  Unfortunately super fresh eggs aren’t good to hard boil as they’re near impossible to peel, no matter what trick or techniques you employ.  So, since we make hard boiled eggs every-single-week, we always try to have an extra dozen or two on hand as working with week-old eggs makes for wonderful and easy peeling. 

 Sriracha Deviled Eggs (adapted from here)

• 18 eggs
• 3 TBS. Sriracha Sauce
• 5 TBS. mayonnaise  
• 1 tsp. Sambal Oelek, or more to taste
• fresh ground pepper
• Himalayan salt 

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs to the pot and bring the water back to a full boil.  Allow the eggs to boil for 30 seconds. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low so that it’s just at a simmer.  Cook for 11 minutes. Using a large slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the hot water and place in a bowl of ice water.  Allow the eggs to cool for at least 15 minutes before peeling under cool running water.

Once the eggs are peeled, slice in half and remove the yolks to a bowl and place the hollowed out whites on a platter.  Using the tines of a fork, mash the yolks.  Add in the Sriracha, mayonnaise and Sambal Oelek.  Combine until smooth, adding more Sriracha and Sambal Oelek to taste.  Place the yolk mixture in a piping bag or ziplock bag fitted with a star or round piping tip.  Fill each egg white with the yolk mixture.  Place a dot of Sriracha on the top of each egg and dust with freshly ground pepper and salt.  Serve cold.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Grilled Pizza Sandwich 
Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup 
Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata 
Chicken Satay with Sunbutter “Peanut” Sauce 
Asian Pork Chops 
Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Check out the new SRC blog for more exciting recipes from past reveals

An InLinkz Link-up

Mom’s Curried Chicken Salad

My Mom has been making a curried chicken salad for years and as she’s been raving about how wonderful it is, I decided to give it a try…but of course I made a few little changes, but what else is new.  This Curried Chicken Salad is a little different from my Curried Grilled Thai Chicken Salad but just as delicious.  My Mom often makes this recipe with leftover turkey so perfect for your Thanksgiving leftovers.  This is just one of those recipes which can be tailored to what you have in hand or to your tastes.   

As I’ve been avoiding carbs lately, I’ve been enjoying this Curried Chicken Salad as pictured, atop a thick slice of fresh tomato and wrapped in a leaf of Romaine lettuce, so basically an awesome lettuce wrap…Delish!!

Mom’s Curried Chicken Salad

• 1/4 cup sour cream (I prefer Breakstone sour cream)
• 1/4 cup real mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann’s mayonnaise)
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 tsp. Jamaican curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
• 3/4 tsp. spicy brown mustard (I prefer Gulden’s mustard)
• 1 TBS. fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS. finely chopped mango chutney (I prefer Raffetto Chut-Nut Colonial Chutney)
• 1 lb. cold cooked chicken, diced (I prefer my leftover “Rotisserie” Chicken)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, whites and greens
• 1 large peeled apple, diced (I prefer Granny Smith apples)
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup finely diced celery
• 1/4 cup golden raisins 

In a large bowl mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, curry powder and cayenne.  Add the mustard, lemon juice and chutney and combine well.  Add the diced chicken, green onions, apple, almonds, celery & raisins and toss to mix.  Cover and refrigerate.  This is best made a day in advance so that all the flavors can come together.  Serve cold on a salad or in a sandwich.

Enjoy!

Curried Grilled Thai Chicken Salad

I know that it seems like I’ll never stop posting about the meal I made when friends Lisa, Doug & Briana came to visit, eat and play almost two weeks ago.  I’m telling you the food was delicious, Grilled Thai Chicken and it’s perfect complement, Thai Cucumber Salad with cukes fresh picked from the garden.  Then to satisfy my rib cravings, Chili Maple Mustard Ribs and my still un-posted chocolate dessert recipe which will post on Monday, July 9 as my Secret Recipe Club entry, well the meal all around was just delicious.  I did have quite the leftovers though and I easily froze the ribs but with the Grilled Thai Chicken I decided to make it into a curried chicken salad using flavors to compliment the marinade already grilled onto the chicken while using ingredients I had already in my pantry.  I made the recipe up as I went along but I’m so pleased that I had the sense to write it down as I went along as this chicken was absolutely wonderful and a huge hit with both Eammon and I.  I know that I’ll be making this salad again even using plain grilled chicken breasts if I don’t have leftover Grilled Thai Chicken breasts because this salad was the bomb!

I would have had this recipe posted sooner but between Maisie’s always busy schedule and the fact that I have been suffering with a major sinus infection and a wicked ~going on five days already~ migraine, well just staying up and out of bed with my eyes open is a huge accomplishment for the day when I can do it…but trust me, this recipe was worth the wait and I hope that you’ll give it a try.

Curried Grilled Thai Chicken Salad 

• 3-4 leftover Grilled Thai Chicken breasts, small dice (or leftover grilled skinless, boneless chicken breasts)
• 1/2 c. Hellmann’s real mayonnaise 
• 1/2 c. sour cream (I prefer Breakstone Sour Cream)
• 2 TBS. Major Grey chutney 
• 1 TBS. Jamaican curry powder 
• 1 Granny Smith apple, small dice
• 1/4 c. golden raisins 
• 2 TBS. finely minced cilantro
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 TBS. unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

In a large bowl mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chutney & curry powder.  Add the diced chicken, diced apple, raisins & cilantro.  Using a large spoon, mix everything together until well blended.  Top the chicken salad with the toasted almonds and Coconut.  For myself, I served the chicken salad on full leaves of romaine lettuce so that the whole thing could be rolled into a little wrap.  For Eammon I took the entire serving above, lettuce and all and put it onto some toasted multi-grain bread and he enjoyed it as a sandwich.  So many options and all delicious.

Enjoy!

Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

I was very excited this month when I received my Secret Recipe Club assignment as I was assigned Amy’s A Little Nosh, a blog which I have followed for a long time and one where, when I have my act together, I participate in her weekly Tastetastic Thursday blog hop.  Since I’ve been a long time reader of Amy’s blog it didn’t take me ages and ages to find a recipe that I wanted to make as I already had a few of hers saved in my “need to make” file.  For some reason most of the recipes included using chicken like her Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs, Sweet and Sour Chicken and the one I chose to make, Amy’s Chicken Salad.  Part of the reason I chose Amy’s Chicken Salad was, I was asked by Maisie’s gym to make lunch for the judges at a gymnastics meet the gym was hosting and they happened to request chicken salad on croissants so what better time to try out a new recipe.

One thing that I really liked about Amy’s recipe was that she made it sound adaptable to whatever added ingredients you’d choose to include.  I have to say that this chicken salad was the hands down best chicken salad I’ve ever eaten and it only got better the second day once all the flavors really came together.   I really loved the sweet little bites of apple and cranberry and the little added cinnamon crunch of the cashews was always a nice surprise.  The combination of yogurts, sour cream & mayonnaise gave a creamy richness and because I used some honey yogurt, just a touch of sweetness.  This is now my go-to chicken salad recipe and I know that this summer it will be served time and time again in wraps, sandwiches and atop salads.

Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad (Adapted from here) 

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless white meat “Rotisserie” Chicken, cut or pulled into small bite-size chunks
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries 
• 1 large Fuji apple, peeled, seeded & cut into 1/8-inch dice
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cinnamon cashews
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 
• 6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
• 6 oz. honey Greek yogurt
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 8 oz. Hellmann’s real mayonnaise 

In a large bowl mix the yogurts, sour cream and mayonnaise together.  Add the chicken, dried cranberries, apple, cinnamon cashews and poppy seeds and mix together.  Enjoy immediately or for even better flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Broiled Sushi

I love being a member of The Secret Recipe Club and each month I’m excited to receive my Secret Recipe Club assignment to see who I’ve been assigned.  Just as in months past, as soon as I received the email from our Group ‘A’ hostess Jane, which contained all the information for my assigned blog, I was off stalking it.  This month I was assigned Lisa’s Sweet as Sugar Cookies which is a wonderful blog filled with dozens and dozens of sweet treat recipes as well as some main dishes.  I looked at so many of Lisa’s bar, cookie and ice cream recipes and there were just dozens that I wanted to make but because of Maisie’s allergies she can’t really eat most of the sweets and the fact that neither Eammon nor I really need to be eating sweets right now I decided to look at the main dish recipes.  Once I saw Lisa’s recipe for Broiled Sushi I knew that I had found my recipe. 

I’ll bet that it was less than four hours from the time I opened the email containing my assignment to the time that I served this meal.  As it worked out I opened the email late on a Sunday morning and as I didn’t have any plans for meals that day and the fact that I had everything I needed to make this in my pantry and freezer…well it was meant to be.  I got my mushrooms and sushi rice soaking and I pulled a package of imitation crab meat from the freezer and got that defrosting and then I was good to go.  This dish came together in no time at all and Eammon especially adored it and ate it for meal after meal until he finished the entire dish.  Surprisingly for me, I didn’t change Lisa’s recipe at all, I made it exactly as written and when I make it again, which I will, I wouldn’t change a thing…well maybe I would make one of her wonderful looking sweets to enjoy after the Broiled Sushi.  Oh and if you’re turning your nose up thinking sushi = raw fish well not in this dish, as there’s nothing raw, just wonderful flavors so give it a try.

In a large bowl mix together the mushrooms, crab meat, sour cream and mayonnaise.

Spread a layer of sushi rice in a baking dish.

Sprinkle the rice layer with furikake.

Add the crab & mushroom mixture and it’s ready for the broiler.

Bubbly and lightly browned, fresh from the broiler.

Furikake and roasted laver (Gim).  I keep both the sheets and the individual packets of Gim in the house.  The sheets are when we eat at home and the small packets I send with Maisie for snack at school and at the gym.  To see our no-mess way of cutting the sheets into neat little squares, click here.

Broiled Sushi  (from here)

• 10 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water until rehydrated and then chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs. imitation crab meat, shredded
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• furikake (Japanese rice seasoning)
• 3 cups cooked brown sushi rice 
• Korean roasted laver (Gim)
• Sriracha

In a large bowl combine the chopped mushrooms, crab meat, sour cream and mayonnaise and stir to combine  Spray a 9 x13-inch Pyrex with cooking spray and spread the sushi rice in an even layer.  Sprinkle with furikake seasoning. Spread with the crab meat mixture. Put under the broiler for about 10 minutes until the top begins to brown. Serve with Sriracha.  Scoop into pieces of Gim, and eat.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Crab Cake Stuffed Mushrooms

The reason that I call these Crab Cake Stuffed Mushrooms is because I use the exact same recipe to make crab cakes but I like these better as I’m adding the mushroom and I’m not frying anything.  If you choose to make these into crab cakes just leave out the mushroom and with the filling, pat it into cakes, dust lightly with flour and fry in a hot skillet drizzled with oil.  Fry until browned, 4-5 minutes and then carefully flip to fry the other side until golden.

Using a tablespoon I fill the mushrooms really full with the filling and then I sprinkle on some paprika.  These are ready for the oven.

Crab Cake Stuffed Mushrooms

• 24 oz. mushrooms
• 1 pound crabmeat, picked clean of shells
• 22 Ritz Crackers, crushed finely
• 3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Hellmann’s real mayonnaise 
• 1 TBS chia seeds, stir into 1/4 cup warm water and allow to hydrate and form a gel (or substitute one egg)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard 
• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• Paprika

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

Clean the mushrooms, remove the stems and with a spoon scoop out the gills.  Set aside the stems and gills for another recipe, (soon to be posted.)  In a large bowl, except for the mushroom caps, mix together all the ingredients.  Using a Tablespoon fill the mushroom caps nice and high with the filling.  Place the filled mushrooms on the prepared baking pan and dust with paprika. 

Bake for 20 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and the top of the filling is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Copycat “KFC” Coleslaw

For the most part I am not a fried chicken lover and on my own I don’t ever choose to visit KFC but Eammon does enjoy their chicken and I have found that I am quite fond of their coleslaw.  Since I’m not going to run to KFC every time I’m in the mood for some creamy coleslaw I had to figure out a way to get my fix when the craving strikes so after a little search of the internet I was happily making coleslaw at home that tastes spot on to the original.

I am not linking to a source because you can find this recipe all over the internet.  Give it a try as it really does taste just like the coleslaw you’ll find at KFC. 

Copycat “KFC” Coleslaw

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 TBS lemon juice
1 1/2 TBS white vinegar 
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 cups finely chopped cabbage (about 1 head)
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
2 tablespoons finely minced onion

Make sure cabbage and carrots are chopped up into very fine pieces (about the size of rice).

Combine the mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and beat until smooth.  Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion, and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!