Recipe

Triple Cheese Hot Taco Dip

By Jessica

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Taco dip.

The old classic.

Hands down one of my favorites.

AAaaand after a little experimenting I think I just brought it to a new level.

You guys, it was so good!

You see, we were invited to watch Sunday’s football games at a friend’s house and of course I had to bring something. I always do. My first thought was wings, but pulled pork was already on the menu and I thought the group, and my own tummy could benefit from something that wasn’t meat based.

Chuck gave me a dirty look when I asked if I could make taco dip sans meat, then raised an eyebrow when I said I’d replace it with black beans. I decided to do it anyway, and I have never been happier with the result. He was in love with is. All of the other guests were happy with it as well. We were left with only a small scoop of leftovers, because you know no one wants to be that person and take the last scoop.

I think it was the two layers of cheese that did it. I mean really, cheese is the way to a man’s heart after all. Maybe it’s just food and I made that up, but I’m going with it because cheese is amazing.

Sorry for the terrible phone photos but it was night time, with apartment lighting and I didn’t expect it to be post worthy after the first attempt. Maybe someday I will make it again and take good photos, maybe.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Triple Cheese Hot Taco Dip

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 cup sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 package taco season (3 tbsp homemade)
1 (16 oz) jar salsa
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz Monterrey jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1/4 cup sliced black olives

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a 8×8 pan combine re-fried and black beans and spread out into a smooth layer.
In a bowl combine sour cream, cream cheese, and taco seasoning, stirring until well combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the beans.
Next sprinkle 4 ounces of sharp cheddar and 4 ounces of Monterrey jack cheese.
Spread the salsa on top next and again top with 4 ounces of sharp cheddar and 4 ounces of Monterrey jack cheese.
Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown and the edges bubble.
Let stand 5 minutes and top with shredded lettuce and black olives. Serve warm.

Stromboli 3 Ways

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I have always been a fan
of finger food. You know, things that have everything contained in a nice
little hand held vassal. It’s especially good if it’s cheesy, and dip able. Stromboli
is one of those types of things. I love making it for pot lucks, and camping
weekends because you can make it ahead of time wrap it in foil and then heat it
up when you are ready to eat.

Stromboli traditionally is
a type of turnover that is usually filled with cheese, Italian meats, and made
with Italian bread dough. Most of the time in the US you can find it with mixed
Italian meats and provolone, or mozzarella and pepperoni.

Just before Christmas (I know
I’m behind, things get busy) Chuck went up to hunting camp and I thought I
would make him some of these. The thing is that I wanted to try something a
little different than the usual, and then got a bit carried away. I ended up
with three awesome fillings, traditional meat and cheese, cheeseburger, and
vegetarian. I’ll admit the vegetarian one was mostly for myself to break off a hunk
of, and the boys didn’t appreciate it as much as the others, but it was still
good, especially dipped into a steaming cup of marina.

For all three of these I
used this pizza dough recipe.

Triple Meat & Cheese Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

6 oz pepperoni, sliced
thin

6 oz Salami, sliced thin

6 oz ham, sliced thin

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

½ cup grated parmesan

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Preheat the oven to 375
degrees. Roll the pizza dough out into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches).
Layer the meats and cheeses, leaving about a 1 inch border. Roll the dough up
into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with
the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter
if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Broccoli Rabe &
Roasted Red Pepper Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

1 bunch broccoli rabe,
chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive
oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

1 (12oz) jar roasted red
peppers

1 tsp salt

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Blanch the broccoli rabe,
then strain it and pat dry. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the broccoli rabe, and sauté
until it begins to wilt, about 3-4 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste,
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches). Spread the cheese over the dough,
leaving a 1 inch border. Layer the roasted red peppers, and broccoli rabe over
the cheese. Sprinkle the entire thing with salt. Roll the dough up into a log,
folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with the seam down
on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter if
desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Cheese Burger Stromboli

½ lb lean ground beef

½ cup diced onion

½ tbsp flour

½ cup beef broth

1 cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup diced pickles
(optional)

1 cup shredded cheddar
cheese

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

In a large skillet brown
the ground beef over medium high heat, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onion and
cook for another minute, until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in the flour
until well combined then add the broth and tomatoes. Continue to stir and cook
until the liquid reduces and a thick sauce forms. Add pickles if desired, and
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13inches). Spread the cheese over the dough
leaving about a 1 inch border. Pour the beef mixture over the top and spread it
evenly. Roll the dough up into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you
go. Place the roll, with the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top
with a bit of melted butter if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is
golden and fluffy, about 30 minutes.

What are your favorite Stromboli fillings?

Venison Breakfast Sausage

By Jessica

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Hunting is a huge part of our lives here in the ginger home. Not only did I grow up in a hunting family, but Chuck did as well, and because of this venison makes up a large part of our diet, over the years we have developed a large number of recipes this is one of my favorites.

…

Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

In an attempt to start the year off right I am trying to get my self to eat breakfast regularly. If you have been around here for a while your probably getting sick of hearing this. I can never seem to keep myself on track with breakfast, it’s just not my thing, but I keep trying.

This time I made some awesome muffins to help out. They go great with my morning tea so I have been able to keep myself motivated with these little babies, plus they are super healthy, and pretty easy to make. Once they are gone though I will have to think of something else (I am taking suggestions).

These are also man approved. Chuck stole a bunch for a trip to hunting camp back in December, and they were well received.

Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins

3 over ripe bananas

1 cup oats, pulsed in a food processor to create a textured flour

6 tbsp whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup half & half

1 cup Greek Yogurt

2 eggs

2 tbsp real maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, and spices in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mash the bananas with a fork, then stir in the half and half, yogurt eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients until smooth (you may want to use an electric mixer). With a spoon carefully blend in the blueberries. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased muffin tin until the batter nearly reaches the top of the cup. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. The muffins should begin to brown and be firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the pan.

20 Minute Chicken Noodle Soup

By Jessica

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Did you survive? I know not everyone got all of last week off, however I did and getting up for work yesterday, aka the first Monday of the year was hard.

I persevered though and I have to say I’m a little excited to get back into the swing of things. I like routine, and I need that routine to make some new habits this year.

But we aren’t here to talk about goals today though, we are taking a break from that to talk about my second favorite soup (this one is my favorite, yes I know they are basically the same).

Chicken soup is one of the best things ever especially this time of year. It’s not quite winter, but it’s not quite fall still, meaning that its damp, muddy, cold, and it seams like there are a million little illnesses flying around. Soup is comforting, healing and so perfect for this time of year.

This is my favorite version of the classic. It’s super quick and easy which makes it perfect for a weeknight meal, or a quick pick me up after a rough day. For me a delicious homey, and healthy soup followed by a steamy cup of peppermint tea is exactly thing to take away any stress.

I used whole wheat noodles to keep it clean, but regular egg noodles would work just fine as well. You could also use rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken as well, roughly 2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken will work just fine, simple add it a minute or two after the egg noodles. If you do use store bought rotisserie chicken you may want to add any salt at the end because it can be high in salt content already.

20 Minute Chicken Noodle Soup

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 lb chicken cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp pepper
salt to taste
6 cups, low sodium chicken broth
1/2 lb whole wheat egg noodles
handful chopped parsley

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium high heat, add in the onion, carrots, celery and cook for 1 minute, until the onion becomes translucent.
Add in the chicken and continue to cook until it becomes opaque roughly another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the broth and noodles and bring it to a simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
Stir in the parsley and adjust the seasonings before serving.

Recipe

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