Cranberry, Carmelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Dip

Ok, once again I know that I'm very behind on my blogging because I made this as an appetizer months ago for Thanksgiving. It was really yummy and kind of Thanksgiving-y due to the cranberry factor, but since you can use fresh or frozen cranberries this can easily be made any time of year.......like, say, March!

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
4 oz. package goat cheese, room temperature
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

In a mixer, combine the cream cheese and goat cheese. Beat until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and mix until well incorporated. Spread into the bottom of a baking dish. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute until softened. Add sugar and mix well. Continue cooking to carmelize the onions. Lower the heat slightly and stir every few minutes. This should take about 10 minutes. Once the onions are carmelized, remove them from the skillet and set aside. Add the cranberries, water and sugar into the same skillet. Stir to dissolve sugar. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until cranberries pop open and are softened, about 5 minutes. Once mixture thickens, add the balsamic vinegar and return the onions to the skillet. Stir well, add the pecans, and then let cool. Just prior to serving the dip, spoon the cranberry mixture on top of the cheese mixture. Serve with crackers for dipping.

Nutter Butter Truffles

I'm sure you've guessed based on the name alone that these are DELICIOUS! Luckily they're so rich I can only have one (or maybe two!) at a time because otherwise I would be tempted to eat the entire batch in one sitting!

1 package cream cheese, softened
1 package Nutter Butters (less about 5)
Semi-sweet bakers chocolate, melted

Place Nutter Butters in a food processor and crush finely. Mix with cream cheese. Form into 1-inch balls and dip in melted chocolate. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Cool completely in the fridge.

Feta Walnut Dip

I've served this now at several get togethers--it's the perfect food for entertaining because it's very easy, can be made in advance, and is super flavorful and delicious!

1 large clove garlic
1 cup walnut halves
1 1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Serve with pita wedges or pita chips.

BEVOrzo Salad

This was another recipe from the Star-Telegram article on tailgating foods (hence the UT inspired name) and it was so good! It's not really your standard "tailgating" food, and it takes a little more time and effort than my usual football foods, but it was delicious and I'll definitely be making it for dinner again soon (no football watching required)!

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 red onion, 1 inch diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2/3 cup olive oil, divided
Zest from 1 lemon
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
8 oz. orzo
1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced white and part of green
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 oz. crumbled feta
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 425. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper with 1/3 cup olive oil; coat evenly. Place mixture on a large sheet pan and roast for 40 minutes, turning once with a spatula. Make the dressing by combining the remaining olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and add hot orzo to the dressing. After roasting, add the vegetables to the pasta. Let cook to room temperature. Add green onions, pine nuts, feta and tomatoes. Check the seasonings. Keeps well in the refrigerator. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Green Dip

I found this recipe in an article the Star-Telegram did during college football season on favorite tailgating recipes. It's definitely easy to make and yummy, so it gets the football snack seal of approval at our house too.

1/2 cup Mrs. Renfro's Hot Green Salsa
1/2 cup milk
4 oz. low-fat feta
Brick of cream cheese, softened
4 or 5 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Pour into a bowl and garnish with more cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips and veggies for dipping.

Lime Meltaways

We recently had an unprecedented FOUR straight snowdays--and these were legitimate snowdays where the roads really were terrible and we were pretty much trapped in our house. I had to do something to entertain myself, so I spent a lot of time cooking and baking (and then eating, and eating some more!). These were one of my snowday treats and I think they're perfect because they even kind of look "snowy"!

12 tablespoons ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Cream the butter with the powdered sugar. Beat in the lime zest, lime juice and vanilla. Mix the flour, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet (it took a while for this to really start to resemble dough). Roll the dough out into a 1 1/4 inch log. Wrap in plastic and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch thick slices and place them onto a baking sheet, 1 inch apart from each other. Bake until just lightly golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 4 minutes. Dredge the cookies in powdered sugar to coat.

Source: closetcooking.com