Herb and Cheese Sweet Peppers

Here's something that won't take too long, but it'll be gone rather quickly.  It's a new item for our traditional crudite platters that start to bore me after a while...

You'll need a bag of 30 (or so) mini sweet peppers.  These are easily found at Costco for $3.99, or you can grab a bag at most grocery stores.

You'll also need 18 oz. of semi-soft chevre (goat cheese), 1/4 C snipped chives, freshly ground black pepper, and some basil to garnish.

And then, the easy part?  Mix up the cheese, chives, and pepper to taste.  Clean and cut the peppers in half, lengthwise, and stuff the cheese mixture inside.  Garnish and serve.

So simple, but at least it changes up the look of your platter, and they taste great, even for those less than fans of goat cheese!

See?  They're in the middle back of my platter!  You have to hide them otherwise they're gone ASAP!

Hot Caprese Dip

The best part about making a hot Caprese dip is that it's so easy, and it combines everything you like about a Caprese salad in a nice, warm dip.

The problem?  Tomatoes are so juicy and it's just not a terribly pretty dish.  Also?  It's so cheesy (not necessarily always a bad thing) that it's difficult to serve without making a mess.

It is still super flavorful, though, and it's a nice change.  I might still prefer doing the skewers, though, just because it serves up more neatly.

Ingredients:
10 oz fresh mozzarella, chopped into cubes
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and juiced
3 T freshly chopped basil, plus more for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat over tne 375
2. Combine all ingredients into your dish
3. Bake for 14 minutes, then broil for 3 to make a nice bubbly golden top.
4. Serve immediately with crostini or toast

Ashton's Artichoke Dip

Ashton fits in our freezer!

I'm very lucky to have such amazing assistants.  I'd like to take a moment, though, to thank my most frequent kitchen assistant, Ashton, for posing for countless pictures for all of your enjoyment.  Chances are if you've caught a piece of body or hands in a photograph, they certainly weren't mine.

So, in honor of my great assistant, I will share her secret family recipe for an AMAZING artichoke dip.  (I apologize in advance to her family for letting the cat out of the bag.  But not really...)





Ingredients:
2 C mayonnaise
2 C Parmesan cheese (powdered)
2 cans of water packed artichoke hearts
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
5+ garlic cloves, pressed (the more the merrier!)
~1 C shredded cheese of choice to melt on top

Directions:
1. Combine mayo and Parmesan cheese
2. Drain and chop artichoke hearts.
3. Combine artichoke hearts with garlic and parsley.
4. Mix everything together.
5. Sprinkle extra cheese shreds on top.
(We had a 4 cheese Mexican mix plus some left over mozzarella.  We just threw it all on there.)
5. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.

I used my stoneware for this, since it holds the heat so nicely.


Any pie dish, Pyrex, or other oven safe dish is acceptable.


Regardless, everyone will RAVE about about it and there will be NONE left over.