Aunty Lyn's Queso

Oh man, y'all, I LOVE queso. Of all sorts, but especially my Aunty Lyn's. I haven't had it in forever because it makes a LOT, but since we had family in town over the holidays, I made some to share. It's super easy, so quick, and SO yummy.

Aunty Lyn's Queso

• 1 box velveeta regular
• 1 box velveeta Mexican
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 lb breakfast sausage, browned & drained (I use the spicy kind!)
• pickled jalapenos & juice to taste

Melt everything together either on the stove or in a slow cooker. Over the stove, be careful that the cheese doesn't get burnt to the bottom of the pan -- this happened to me and it was UNPLEASANT to clean up. 

Get LOTS of scoops chips because this makes a lot of delicious queso. 

xoxo,
janie from scratch

French Onion Dip from Jane B

So, I haven't actually made this, but my aunt did and my mom tried it and said it was AMAZING. So I will share with yall :) It's supposed to be similar to the onion dip you make from the little packet from the supermarket. Hope you like! 

French Onion Dip

• 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

• 2 pounds onions, chopped fine

• Salt & Pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne Pepper

• 1/4 cup water

• 2-1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup mayo

Melt butter in 12-in. skillet over medium heat. Add onions, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper & cayenne & cook stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent ~ 10 min. Reduce heat to med-low & cook until onions are golden ~ 10 min.

Add 2 Tbl water to skillet & cook, scraping up any browned bits, until water is evaporated ~ 5 min. Add last 2 Tbl H2o & cook until onions are caramelized ~ 5 min. longer. Remove from heat & add Balsamic vinegar. Put onions in med. bowl & let cool 10 min.
Add sour cream & mayo; stir to mix. Season w/salt & pepper to taste. Refrig. at least 30 min to allow flavors to blend.

Here's Jane B and my dad's sister, Aunt Marion and me!

Coq au Vin Dinner Party

A few weeks ago I had some of my friends in Ft Lauderdale over to help me check-off one of my 2012 goals: making Coq au Vin from scratch. My parents actually had both volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (which I have since adopted and brought to Ft Laudy with me), so I had ALL the recipes on hand for my dinner! But I had to do some menu planning  to make my dinner party EXTRA fabulous :)

After menu planning and spending nearly a FORTUNE at Publix, I got to work in the kitchen! To be quite honest, none of Julia Child's recipes (that I've made anyways) are that difficult or take that long. When I made Beef Bourgionon in the spring, it really didn't take ALL afternoon, but there were a lot of steps. The same thing for Coq au Vin. All-in-all, it maybe took 2 hours, but there were a lot of steps. Nothing complex, just a lot of steps. I set a gorg table, and used my favorite plates EVER (still) I got from John & Juan a few Christmases ago.

I decided on an app I made for the Orlando gays awhile ago: Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese & Figs. It's seriously SO easy and so delicious. And I randomly bought honey-flavored goat cheese at Publix that day, and I drizzled a little honey on top instead of the fig jam, and it was AMAZING! The boys LOVED them. (And so did I!)

I also made a delish Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail which was so refreshing on a Saturday afternoon!

We had a green salad, which was easy and delicious. I mixed arugula and spinach, topped with some cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced red onions and a honey-balsamic vinaigrette:

Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinager
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Mix first 3 ingredients, then stream in olive oil while whisking. Add salt & fresh-ground pepper to taste. (Okay, yes, I went there with the "fresh-ground pepper"... but honestly, it makes a big difference in recipes where the flavors are simple and easy.) This has become my go-to dressing for everything, it's just THAT good.

You can KINDA see the salad in this shot of the table.

Then we had the Coq au Vin, which was simply amazing. Julia Child makes some GOOD FOOD. I made some mashed potatoes (from scratch of course) and bought a few baguettes at the store (I would've made them but didn't plan enough in advance!), and our meal was complete with LOTS of red wine.

For dessert, I made Vanilla Panna Cotta with chocolate whipped cream. The easiest dessert but it tastes amazing and if you put it in classy glasses it looks REALLY fancy!

So that leaves me with ONE item left on my 2012 food hit list: croissants. I have 2 months and I feel pretty good I can find another group of friends to grin and bear it while I make some croissants.

Go out there and have a fun party and cook some good food!!

Ranch Oyster Crackers

My mom has made these ranch oyster crackers for literally decades, and I've seen the recipe popping up in one way or another on pinterest. We're having another potluck tomorrow at work so I whipped up a batch because they are so quick and easy. And always a HUGE hit!

Ranch Oyster Crackers
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix
1/4 cup oil (I used vegetable, but the original recipe calls for Popcorn Oil--you can find it next to the popcorn kernels)
1 package oyster crackers (I got the 14 oz Publix-brand box)

In a ziplock bag, mix the oil and the oyster crackers together until they are combined well. Then sprinkle in the ranch seasoning mix and shake shake shake until it's fully mixed.

A lot of the recipes online call for you to bake them, but my mom just lets them sit for a few hours.

ENJOY!

Sausage Balls

This recipe isn't from pinterest (shocker!), but it is an oldie and a goodie! My mom used to make sausage balls for as long as I can remember, and I LOVE them. I also make these for work potlucks, movie nights (shout out to the Estates crew!), pool parties, tailgates, brunches, pretty much any time I can make these, I will. They're ridiculously easy to make, but I recently found a new trick that makes them even EASIER... my KitchenAid! (Okay, so I found this tip from pinterest.)

Sausage Balls
1 package breakfast sausage (I get the spicy kind, you can get the regular stuff, but you probably don't want to get the syrup flavored sausage)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Bisquick

Put all ingredients in your mixer with the paddle attachment (the one you make cookies with).

Mix until incorporated. (You might want to lock the top part down.) It takes a few minutes so have faith, all the Bisquick will mix in!

Action shot!

If you don't have a mixer, you can do this part with your hands. I used to do it this way! I always let the sausage set out for a bit before, because my hands would get really cold.

Then form into balls (I forgot to take a picture.. oops.) And place on a non-stick baking sheet with sides maybe an inch apart (they don't expand much). You want one with sides because these give off quite a bit of grease and you don't want it all over your oven floor. Also, don't try to put these on aluminum foil to spare yourself a greasy cleanup--they stick and it's a hot mess trying to get them off!

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a cookie rack covered with some paper towels (again, more grease). These are amazing warm, but also good at room temperature or cool! I just really love them, so I'll eat them any way I can get them. :)

Cheese Truffles

The second yummy I made this weekend was Cheese Truffles. I made them because my roomie is vegetarian, and I didn't want him to feel left out with the Pancetta Crisps. These are also super easy and super yummy! I found this recipe in some magazine a long time ago. Officially, it's a Tillamook Cheese recipe, but it's totally okay if you don't use Tillamook cheese. :)

Cheese Truffles 
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallot
4 ounces Jack cheese, broken into chunks
4 ounces White Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, broken into chunks
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy or cognac (I actually used Grand Marnier, and it was fine!)
1 tablespoon finely minced celery
pinch cayenne
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (don't use panko)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Heat oil in small frying pan and saute shallots until soft. Set aside to cool.

Place cheese, butter & brandy in bowl of food processor. (I used a Vitamix blender, because out of all the crazy kitchen appliances we have in this house, we actually do NOT own a food processor!) Pulse until mixture is smooth.

Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in shallots, celery and cayenne. Chill in fridge 1/2 hour or until firm.

In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs and parsley. Using a teaspoon, form balls and roll in breadcrumb mixture. This makes about 20-24 truffles. Serve (to your vegetarian friends) at room temperature!

Thanks to John & Juan for the beautifulest plates EVER :)

Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese & Figs

Gosh, I must be the WORST blogger in the world. But I made some yummies this weekend that I MUST share with you.

So my crew had an impromptu dinner party Saturday night, and I had to bring an appetizer. I've been eying this recipe for awhile, especially over the holidays, but never found the perfect occasion to make it. But I decided a small gathering of close friends wouldn't judge me if it went terribly wrong. So I made it! And it was a big hit! And, the best part, it's SO easy to make.

Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese & Figs
(I'm gonna give you the recipe for 12, but I made 16. However many you want to make, just get that many pancetta slices.)
12 thin pancetta slices (I had to go to the deli counter, don't get them TOO thin, though!)
12 arugula leaves
12 teaspoons goat cheese (softened)
fig jam or preserves (so I couldn't find this in Publix, but I bought some extra dried figs, blended them with water and honey and made my own fig "preserves")
6 fresh or plump dried figs, halved (I cut them in half lengthwise -- if that makes sense -- so the pretty side shows)
chopped fresh thyme
fresh ground pepper

Lay the pancetta slices on a rimmed baking sheet (I actually used a rack inside a half-sheet pan, like I make bacon, to let the grease drip down). Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes. You want the pancetta to be crispy, but not burnt. Keep an eye on it! Cool pancetta slices. To assemble, get one pancetta crisp, spread with a little fig "preserves", top with a leaf of arugula, then a teaspoon of goat cheese, and finally lay the fig on top, pressing down a little to secure into the cheese. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and ground pepper.

 
ENJOY!

[Side note about the photo--there was an incident involved my camera over New Years so it's now in the camera graveyard. Therefore, until I decide to shell out for another camera, please enjoy these sketchy iPhone photos!]