New Year’s Eve was never a huge deal in our house when I was a kid.  Except that we always had soda, chips, and dip.  Which was really unusual in our house to have.  So as an adult, I do the same.. except I think I have a little more fun with it, by making homemade chips.  These are super addictive and WAY more yummy than any that come in bag.   This seasoning blend is great on popcorn too or any time you would use a premade ranch seasoning blend.  I’ve even roasted thin potato slices and it’s great on those too! 

HOMEMADE SOUR CREAM AND ONION SEASONING BLEND (AND CHIPS!)

Sour Cream and Onion seasoning blend:
3 T buttermilk powder
2 T onion powder (toasted onion powder from Penzey’s is my favorite)
1 T garlic powder
1 T dried dill weed
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar

To make potato chips:
Potatoes, gold or russet, sliced thinly
Oil, for frying

Have a bowl of water standing by.  Slice the potatoes using a madoline or a thin blade on a food processor, place the slices in the water as you work so they don’t turn color.  While they are soaking (this removes the starch so they get crisper) whisk together all the seasoning ingredients and place in a shaker.
Heat oil to about 350 degrees using a fryer, or a dutch oven with a couple inches of oil.
Working in one batch at a time, remove some potato slices and dry well on a tea towel.  Fry for a couple minutes until lightly golden brown.
Remove to a wire rack set over a cookie sheet and let oil drain off for a minute.  Place in a bowl and gently toss with seasoning.
Repeat with remaining batches.

Sour Cream and Onion Seasoning Blend (and Potato Chips!)

January 11, 2016

by Holly

Category Appetizers / Dips / Snacks

Ingredients

Sour Cream and Onion seasoning blend:

• 3 T buttermilk powder
• 2 T onion powder (toasted onion powder from Penzey's is my favorite)
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 T dried dill weed
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar

To make potato chips:

• Potatoes, gold or russet, sliced thinly
• Oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Have a bowl of water standing by. Slice the potatoes using a madoline or a thin blade on a food processor, place the slices in the water as you work so they don't turn color. While they are soaking (this removes the starch so they get crisper) whisk together all the seasoning ingredients and place in a shaker.
2. Heat oil to about 350 degrees using a fryer, or a dutch oven with a couple inches of oil.
3. Working in one batch at a time, remove some potato slices and dry well on a tea towel. Fry for a couple minutes until lightly golden brown.
4. Remove to a wire rack set over a cookie sheet and let oil drain off for a minute. Place in a bowl and gently toss with seasoning.
5. Repeat with remaining batches.

I love popcorn.  I know it’s not considered a dessert but in our home we eat it for dessert pretty often.  One way to make it even better is by popping it with infused oil.  Rosemary is my favorite and once you try this you’ll agree.  It is so addictive.  We’ve had a number of different poppers, including a fancy pot with crank on top to stir but a plain ol pot will do just fine.  If you want to air pop your popcorn you could do that and just drizzle with the oil when it’s done popping, but cooking the kernels in the oil really gets the flavor in there.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make popcorn.

ROSEMARY POPCORN

For Rosemary infused olive oil:
1 cup olive oil
3 to 5 rosemary sprigs

For popcorn:
1 cup popcorn kernels
1/2 cup olive oil
sea salt and/or grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil and rosemary in a small pot over medium high heat.  Once it reaches a simmer continue to cook for 5 minutes.  Let cool and strain.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To pop popcorn pour 1/2 cup rosemary oil in a large pot.  Place over medium heat and add a couple kernels.  Cover pot and wait for both kernels to pop.
Once they have all popped you know the oil is hot enough.  Remove popped kernels and add the 1/2 cup of kernels and cover.  Shake occasionally until kernels have stopped popping.
Drizzle with additional rosemary oil and sprinkle with sea salt and /or grated Parmesan cheese.

Rosemary Popcorn

June 5, 2014

by Holly

Category Appetizers / Dips / Snacks

Ingredients

For Rosemary infused olive oil:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 to 5 rosemary sprigs

For popcorn:

• 1 cup popcorn kernels
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• sea salt and/or grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Heat the oil and rosemary in a small pot over medium high heat. Once it reaches a simmer continue to cook for 5 minutes. Let cool and strain. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. To pop popcorn pour 1/2 cup rosemary oil in a large pot. Place over medium heat and add a couple kernels. Cover pot and wait for both kernels to pop.
3. Once they have all popped you know the oil is hot enough. Remove popped kernels and add the 1/2 cup of kernels and cover. Shake occasionally until kernels have stopped popping.
4. Drizzle with additional rosemary oil and sprinkle with sea salt and /or grated Parmesan cheese.

I recently taught a cooking with herbs class and I knew hummus had to be on the invite list.  Hummus is kind of my go-to snack when we have company.  I always have cooked chickpeas in the freezer that I cook from dried beans pre-measured in 1 cup amounts. It is incredibly easy to change the flavor of since chickpeas don’t have a strong flavor.   I don’t normally have tahini on hand, but if you do and prefer, you can substitute that for the sesame seeds.  Tahini is just ground sesame seeds, which you can make in your food processor, and while to stuff from the store shelf is smoother than I can get, I think the texture of my hummus is fine.
You could do many different combinations of fresh herbs, or even throw in a couple spoons of fresh basil pesto which is one of my favorite ways.
Hummus isn’t limited to just being a dip, you can also use it for a spread on sandwiches or wraps (I particularly like it paired with warm naan bread!).

HERB HUMMUS
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
2 T sesame seeds
2 T sour cream
3 T  lemon juice
3 T olive oil
1/2 cup fresh baby dill
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Place everything in the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and puree until smooth.  Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or rice crackers.

Herb Hummus

May 19, 2014

by Holly

Category Appetizers / Dips / Snacks

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
• 2 T sesame seeds
• 2 T sour cream
• 3 T lemon juice
• 3 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh baby dill
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• .

Instructions

1. Place everything in the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and puree until smooth. Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or rice crackers.

Have you ever bought something only to say.. hey, I could make that.  Well, I do that A LOT.  It has become a bit of a hobby I suppose.  The good thing is no matter what it is, the homemade version pretty much always tastes as good if not better.  And knowing exactly what went in it and being able to adjust the flavor to our liking? That makes it way better in my book.  This was a quick experiment and quickly a favorite.  The first attempt was too good to fiddle with.  And the flavor only got better a day or two later.  Serve on sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, in pasta, pasta salads… or with a spoon.  Not that I would know about that…

MARINATED MOZZARELLA

1 1/2 cups olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used a mixture of basil and parsley)
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2-1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
pinch black pepper
1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed

Combine all ingredients except mozzarella in a large jar, cover and shake to combine.
Add mozzarella, cover, and refrigerate.

Marinated Mozzarella

April 21, 2014

by Holly

Category Appetizers / Dips / Snacks

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used a mixture of basil and parsley)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
• pinch black pepper
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except mozzarella in a large jar, cover and shake to combine.
2. Add mozzarella, cover, and refrigerate.

So I guess there’s some big competitive sports game coming up? Eh?  I did not grow up in a home where sports were a focus.  So luckily I married a man who could care less about men chasing a ball, hitting each other, then slapping each other on the behind.  🙂  Recently we were eating out a restaurant for dinner as a family and they happened to have a football game on a TV playing.  My 6 year old looked at it for a minute then exclaimed “What are those silly men DOING?!!”
But in case you are a football fan I wanted to share these 2 tasty recipes which (I would imagine anyways!) would make a great superbowl snack.  Or if you live in a home like mine… a tasty treat when you take a break from playing “Mermaid Island” or putting on a puppet show! 🙂

Using cornstarch in the batter keeps the cauliflower poppers crispy, and by using the cauliflower raw they won’t get mushy inside either.
You can add more heat easily in both recipes by increasing the hot sauce in the cauliflower batter, and the chipotles in the dip.
Just remember the dip will get a tad spicier as it sits.  I like to make it at least an hour to overnight before serving if possible.

ROASTED KALE CHIPOTLE DIP
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely crumbled kale chips
1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped (about 1 to 2 T)
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.  Cover and chill briefly.

CAULIFLOWER POPPERS
1 cauliflower, cut in florets
1/2 cup corn starch
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
few dashes hot sauce, more if desired
Oil, for frying

Whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a medium bowl.
Add the lemon zest, water, egg, and hot sauce.  Whisk until smooth.
Heat a couple inches of oil in a wok or cast iron skillet with high sides over medium high heat. (Or deep fry).
When oil is hot dip the florets in the batter and carefully drop in oil.  Work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the oil.  Flip once during cooking, when golden brown remove from oil and drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet or paper towel lined plate.
Repeat until done.  Serve hot.

Recipes by My Stained Apron

Cauliflower Poppers and Roasted Kale Chipotle Dip

January 22, 2014

by Holly

Category Appetizers / Dips / Snacks

Ingredients

ROASTED KALE CHIPOTLE DIP

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup finely crumbled kale chips
• 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped (about 1 to 2 T)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

CAULIFLOWER POPPERS

• 1 cauliflower, cut in florets
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 egg
• few dashes hot sauce, more if desired
• Oil, for frying

Instructions

Make the dip:

1. Whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Cover and chill briefly.

Make the poppers:

1. Whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a medium bowl.
2. Add the lemon zest, water, egg, and hot sauce. Whisk until smooth.
3. Heat a couple inches of oil in a wok or cast iron skillet with high sides over medium high heat. (Or deep fry).
4. When oil is hot dip the florets in the batter and carefully drop in oil. Work in batches so you don't overcrowd the oil. Flip once during cooking, when golden brown remove from oil and drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet or paper towel lined plate.
5. Repeat until done. Serve hot.