Easy Cioppino Recipe!
I found this incredible seafood mixture at Costco a couple weeks ago that was screaming make me into a killer Cioppino! After searching for and taking information from about 5 different recipes here is my finished product. I knew this was a hit when hubby asked when I would be making it again…
- 2 – 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 cup dry white wine
- 1 Jar Clam Juice
- 1 cup organic vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 (35-ounce) can whole tomatoes with basil, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 “Fresh” frozen package seafood from Costco (Mussels, Calamari, Scallops & Shrimp)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Garlic bread for dipping
Preparation
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes); cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 ~ 20 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 – 2 tablespoons of oil; swirl to coat. Add frozen seafood mixture to broth mixture. Cover and cook 15 ++ minutes or until all seafood looks cooked. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.
Spinach Artichoke Florentine Dip
This incredible and easy Dip comes was inspired by a wonderful chef Rosie! She made her version for a group gathering and I swear I turned my back for 10 minutes and it was gone! I recently found her recipe tucked away in a very safe place and thought it was time to resurrect. I made it this past Friday night for Girls Poker night and while my cards were very cold this dip was HOT!! Hope you enjoy~
2-8oz pkg cream cheese- softened
1/2 c mayonnaise
2-3Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
1c grated parmesan cheese
1 c Shredded Mozzarella
3 cloves garlic, minced
1- pkg frozen chopped spinach- thawed, drained & squeezed dry
1-14oz can artichoke hearts- drained & chopped
- Preheated the oven to 375º
- In a mixing bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients until blended
- Stir in the spinach and artichoke hearts
- Spread into a baking dish and cover with foil
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Remove the foil and bake for another 5-7 minutes
- Serve warm with crackers or pita chips and enjoy!!
- Yields approximately 16+ servings
Avocado Goat Cheese Dip w/ homemade pita chips
This incredibly easy and DAMN good recipe is from Paula Dean. This recipe was on her Food Network Show, Paula’s Home Cooking Show ~ The Garden Get Together Episode. It could not have been more perfect for my Dad’s Birthday outdoor extravaganza party. By the end of the night there was nothing left of this other than an empty bowl!! It was a hit and personally I liked it with the Toasted pita chips.
- Avocado Goat Cheese Dip – DAMN tasty
- 1 Bag Tortilla Chips or Toasted Pita Chips
- 3 ripe avocados, peeled pitted and cut into chunks
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more, if needed
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pita Chip recipe: I use pita bread from Trader Joe’s and cut into triangles
Spread pita triangles on a sheet tray ~ Coat with olive oil and salt to taste. Bake in the oven until crisp and slightly toasted. Chips will need to be rotated a couple times while baking.
In a bowl combine avocados, garlic, cumin and salt. Use an electric hand mixer to mix ingredients together. Add lime juice, cream cheese and goat cheese pulsing until smooth and blended well. Add a bit more salt, if necessary.
** we doubled this recipe for the party **
Yummy Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
This was one of those recipes where it was love at first site. I came across this in the Bristol Farms Real Food Magazine and knew this one would be a winner. Not only was I intrigued by the unique flavor combination but I also loved how simple this was. I wanted to especially give this one a try to decide whether it was worthy of sharing with the peeps and well it was for sure! I will make this one again and again!!
The following recipe serves about 6 – 8 if they do not go back for seconds or thirds {{LOL}} they will…
3 lbs of Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ dice / cubes
1/2 Cup of UN-Salted Butter
3 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
4 oz Cream Cheese , room temperature and diced
2 Tablespoons Chipotle Chile’s in adobo sauce, Chopped fine
To Season: Kosher or Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water (20 plus minutes). Drain well. Return potatoes to pot and cook, stirring for a minute over medium heat to “dry out” the potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking or “drying out”, warm butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned (a couple minutes) Stir in the cream to heat through.
Crush with a potato masher until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, chipotles and cream mixture. Stir to blend well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm and Enjoy.
20 Unusual Uses for Honey
Found this interesting tid bit of information while cruising online and thought it was interesting and fun to share – Thanks to the Huffington Post’s very own Anna Brones a travel and food writer.
Superpowers and parasitic cleansing?
Honey, who knew?
It was brought to my attention last week that September is in fact National Honey Month. Honey gets an entire month all to itself? Why yes, it certainly does.
Turns out that Americans consume 1.5 pounds of honey per person annually, and there are more than 300 types of honey in the United States alone. That’s impressive, and we figured that if honey gets to be honored all month long, the least we could do is give you 20 different uses for it. Enjoy!
1. Put it on your lips
Did you know that making your own lip balm is as easy as tracking down some almond oil, beeswax and honey? Sure is. Makes you feel a little guilty about that $10 version you picked up at the health food store yesterday, doesn’t it?
2. Make your own honey moisturizer
If you’ve got a handful of sweet smelling herbs — think lavender — laying around and ready to be used, why not use them for your own homemade honey lotion? Warm honey over a saucepan until it gets to a liquid consistency. Pour honey over herbs and cap tightly; the ratio you want to use is 1 tablespoon of herbs per 8 ounces of honey. Let sit for a week and then mix 1 teaspoon of liquid into an 8 ounce bottle of unscented lotion.
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2 new (to me) Paso Robles Wine Discoveries
A couple of weeks ago a few of us girls decided it was time to hit the “wine” trail. So we headed North to Paso Robles for the weekend. Since we had all been there many times in the past we decided to get out of our “winery” comfort zone and do some tasting at some new places. So glad we did! We hit 7 new (to us) wineries all together that weekend but a couple of them really stood out.
My favorite of the weekend! Thanks to an introduction from another great winemaker extraordinaire, Victoria Schmitt of “Volatus ~ http://www.volatuswine.com” is Aron Hill Vineyards (www.aronhillvineyards.com). Talk about timing! Ours was incredible ~ as they just opened their new tasting room on Highway 46 the very day we showed up. WOHOO lucky US! I must say it was love at first taste. I am not sure what she does to her Paso Juice but she nailed it. From the first sip I knew “Judy” (AKA owner incredible) and I were going to be very good friends! This small family vineyard produces wines that sucked me in from the very first sip! Their wines are big, full bodied, deep in color and full of rich fruit. The varietal that I can still taste is the “Primitivo”2005 Estate Grown Cabernet. OH MY that one could easily become a dangerous addiction!
Here is an excerpt from their website stating their philosophy and I LOVE IT!!!
Wine Making, like life, is a collective effort. At AronHill it begins with Intention, Patience and Passion, We join our hands and our hearts to create our wines. Together we arrive at the bold and luscious varietals we proudly present as the jewels of AronHill. Expertise and friendship link us in our mission to create the best wines the grapes will allow. Each bottle is a work of art and beauty. We strive to make wines that everyone can enjoy and by sharing them to “behold the heart of another.” French Proverb
If our wines can enliven your heart, awaken your palate, tantalize your taste buds and stir your passions we have accomplished our purpose.
Sincerely,
The Team at AronHill

The Second Winner of the weekend was Caliza (www.calizawinery.com) a small boutique winery located on Anderson Road. This winery is perfectly located next to a Paso giant called Booker. Caliza has a relatively small case production but let me tell you there is nothing small about this place ~ their wines are big and very tasty. While we tasted all 5 varietals they were offering 2 of them really stuck with me: “Sidekick” which is a white blend of Roussanne and Viognier and “Cohort” which is a red blend consisting of Syrah, Grenache, Primativo and Petite Sirah. The Sidekick is what I would say a perfect summer wine. The blend of flavors will pair nicely with my raft in the pool on a warm summer day. The Cohort ahhhh the Cohort this little gem is well good… anytime! This is one big wine that you can enjoy now with a big bad steak or in a few years with yet another big bad steak! Both were excellent and I am looking forward to visiting them again and again!

Girls Weekend!
Chili Chipotle Cornbread bake ~ YUM

CHIPOTLE CHILI CORNBREAD BAKE
My friend Stacy who is an amazing cook knows that I have been on this Chipotle kick lately. This recipe is one from her from her Secret Personal Favorites Collection and I am so DAMN happy she shared this with me. I cannot begin to tell you how easy and yummy this is. This one does not disappoint and I am already planning to make this again… and again… and yes again
Chipotle Chili Cornbread Bake
Ingredients:
1 medium green bell pepper (I also added a red bell pepper as well)
6 green onions with tops, divided
1 lb (450 g) 90% lean ground beef
1 can (16 oz or 398 mL) chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 cup (250 mL) chunky salsa
2 tbsp (30 mL) Chipotle Rub or finely chopped whole chili in sauce
1 pkg (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)
1 container (8 oz or 250 mL) sour cream
1 egg
1 cup (125 mL) shredded cheddar cheese (optional to some but mandatory for me)
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced (optional)
Directions:
1. Coarsely chop bell pepper using a Food Chopper. Thinly slice green onions, separating white and light green bottoms from tops. Reserve 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the onion tops for garnish.
Listed below are 2 cooking options: I personally used a skillet but you can use a dutch oven or if you have stoneware based on the instructions listed in #2b and it works just the same
2a. In a skillet cook beef and pour off juices. When beef is cooked add peppers and onion bottom. Cook together for a few minutes. Then add beans, salsa and chipotle seasoning. Mix together and let simmer for a few minutes.
**OR**
2b. In Deep dutch oven or stoneware combine bell pepper, onion bottoms and beef; mix well. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 7-9 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove baker from microwave using Oven Mitts; carefully pour off juices. Add beans, salsa and rub to beef mixture; mix well. Cover; microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until hot.
3. Meanwhile, combine muffin mix, sour cream and egg in batter bowl **(optional add a well chopped chipotle chili in sauce to the mixture) mix well. Scoop muffin mixture evenly over chili; Microwave, covered, on HIGH 7-9 minutes or until center of cornbread springs back when lightly pressed. Sprinkle cheese over cornbread, if desired; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with reserved onion tops and tomato, if desired.
Cooking options: I removed the mixture from the skillet and put it into my baking dish then I did a layer of cheese before the final touch of the cornbread mixture.. Baked it at 400 for 15 – 20 minutes or until the cornbread was golden brown.
*** You could also substitute Turkey for beef and it is just as yummy!!
Thanks Stacy – you can share your Personal Favorites with me anytime!!
Wines for the Top 10 Tough to buy for peeps!
This great list was passed on to me from a great wino and talented writer; Natalie Maclean and well it was just too good not to pass along to everyone!!
New York, November 18, 2010 — “Wine is one of the few presents that makes both the giver and the receiver look good,” says Natalie MacLean, the red-nosed e-sommelier behind www.nataliemaclean.com, one of the largest wine web sites. “You look like you spent a bundle on the gift (even if you didn’t) and the recipients are happy that you think they know something about wine (even if they don’t).”
“When you give wine, doubles are fine, there are no wrong sizes and you can always find something good in stock,” MacLean adds. “Vintage gifts will get anyone into the holiday spirits.”
Natalie’s Top Ten Gift Wines for Your …
1. Hairdresser: For the person who combines humor and optimism every time she styles your mop. Go for a light, gulpable wine like a dry rosé. It’s versatile and fuss-free-a great quaff for your coif.
2. Psychiatrist: Of course, he’ll analyze whatever you give him so choose a wine that’s all about balance. Easy-drinking pinot noir is medium-bodied yet packed with flavor. Surprise him with a large-format bottle, like a magnum. Big thinking means big progress for you. This wine also works for psychologists, marriage counselors and bartenders.
3. The Boss: Pick too pricey a wine and your boss will think your last raise was too much; go cheap, and she’ll think you lack judgement. Focus on a label with a lot of white space since that makes the bottle look more expensive. A castle in the distance also works, but avoid fluffy animals.
4. Personal Trainer: Think a muscular, robust red would work? Hold that position. Instead, try riesling: this light white wine pairs well with a health-nut diet of salad and seafood, plus it’s low in alcohol. You can also give it to Pilates instructors, yoga masters and Tai Chi coaches.
5. Financial Planner: You and he both know it’s going to take decades before your portfolio recovers after the crash of 2008. With that long-term view, vintage port makes the perfect gift. This fortified wine from northern Portugal, with its long aging potential, will be around for both of you into your retirements.
6. Travel Agent: She’s been everywhere and seen everything, so go local with your choice of wine. Even better, if you live close to the winery, get the bottle signed by the winemaker.
7. Teacher: If you can’t find a suitably obscure wine with a Latin name, there’s always cream sherry. It’s the tipple of Oxford dons, not to mention the centerpiece of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story The Case of the Amontillado.
8. Mail Deliverer: Go for a winery that’s consistent year after year in producing a wine that can be enjoyed in snow, rain, sleet or hail. Try an Australian shiraz or Argentine malbec.
9. Mechanic: Yes, there’s a wine called Red Truck, but try to be more imaginative. Why not give a wine made by Mario Andretti in California or Ferrari in Italy?
10. Online Date: So you’re on your second or third rendezvous with the person you met on eHarmony or Dating.com. If you’re not sure yet whether marriage is a possibility, try something middle-of-the-road, like merlot. Yes, it’s the soft jazz of wine, but until you know, play it safe.
And after all that shopping, don’t forget yourself: even Santa’s little helpers need more than milk and cookies. Try something with high-alcohol like Italian Amarone or Rhone syrah: these big reds easily drown out tone-deaf caroling and pair beautifully with tired feet.
For Natalie’s favorite wineries, tasting notes and recipe matches for all the wine types mentioned above, please visit: http://www.nataliemaclean.com/blog/view/2010/11/18/top-10-wines-for-holiday-gifts/133541
Jodycakes Rocks!
Our very own Jodycakes has been written up over on Culture Map Houston. It’s a GREAT write up with some tips on how to bake Vegan and at the end of the write up, there is even a video. If that’s not enough … she’s even sharing one of her recipes for Pumpkin Spice Vegan Cupcakes with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting.
Such a great article … and video … I miss you Jodycakes!










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