Bruschetta Dip. Great for Parties.

bruschetta finished, photo by jenny macbeth

Bruschetta Dip. Great for Parties.

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

WOW your friends with this cool and easy dip. It’s awesome for picnics.

This yummy idea was inspired by, Monica Sieber from Pittsburgh, PA. Thanks girl. We love it!

You’ll Need:

3 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes

2 (8 oz.) bricks of cream cheese

8-10 garlic gloves, crushed

1 cup of fresh basil, chopped

2 Tablespoons of balsamic glaze

3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

Let’s get started…

Slightly drain the diced tomatoes.

Chop up the basil. I just love chopping fresh herbs. It makes our house smell so divine. Even our bunnies come running out to the kitchen to see what I’m making.

In a large bowl, toss in the tomatoes, basil and crushed garlic.

Add in the balsamic glaze and olive oil. Season with some sea salt and fresh ground pepper and mix.

Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of an eight inch round dish, or any type of shallow serving platter. Pour your mixture over the top of the cream cheese.

Slice down a baguette loaf. No need to toast the bread or bake the dip. It’s ready.

Hint: This dip tastes better the longer it sits, so you can prepare it the night before.

YUMMY!

Any cool ideas? Please share because this girl likes to eat.

Citrus Bluemoon Summer Ale Pasta Salad

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

This is definitely a unique and delicious pasta salad if I do say so myself. That, or it’s the two beers I drank whilst making this. Ha!

Tip

You can prepare everything in advance, however, mix it right before serving. Not sure why, but it tastes best the first day.

You may not want to use all the dressing. I suggest you gradually pour it while mixing your salad. You can decide how much is enough.

You’ll Need

1 cup of Bluemoon Summer Ale
3 tablespoons of shallots, minced
1 teaspoon of finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons of EVOO
1 pound of your favorite pasta, I used Rotini
1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, seeded and chopped
1 cup of Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can of oranges, drained
1 cup of Mozzarella cheese, grated
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Let’s get started…

Grab a beer or seven, and turn on Pandora.

The Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk the beer, shallot, orange zest, honey, mustard and oil. Or, if you have a shaker, that would be best. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste. This can refrigerate up to three days. I wouldn’t push it any longer. Homemade dressings can get funky, awfully quick. Especially, without having the added preservatives.

When I use tomatoes in salads, I remove the center with a spoon. This helps to keep your salad from getting watery.

If you do not have time before serving, chop up everything ahead of time and store in your refrigerator. Right before serving, toss all your ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly pour the dressing over the top and mix it all together carefully.

Top it off with Mozzarella cheese.

Done! This salad does not take much time at all. Particularly, while drinking a beer.

You can also add in spinach or other vegetables. Play with it!

I would love to hear from you. Contact me because this girl likes to eat.

#gl2e

Holy Moses White Ale Potato Salad

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Featured in Taste of Home Simple & Delicious

This potato salad and the Kale salad are great for hot, outdoor picnics because it does not call for mayo. It calls for beer. And, who doesn’t like beer? I’m not a potato salad fan, but I have to say, “I really love this.”

I’m not a fan I guess because most people use Miracle Whip, and I’m always hesitant to eat a mayo based salad on a hot day, especially, when it sits out for more than an hour. This salad has a longer picnic-table-shelf-life.

Let’s get started…

You’ll Need:

1 (24 oz.) bag of Fingerling potatoes

4 cups of baby arugula, or chopped kale

1 (11-12 oz.) package of grape tomatoes (or cherry)

2/3 cup crumbled bacon

6 green onions, diced (about 1 bunch)

1/2 cup of chives , diced

 1 (4 oz.) package of Gorgonzola crumble cheese

Dressing Ingredients 

1 package of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

 1/2 cup of white ale style beer  (drink the rest)

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Prep

You can cut the potatoes anyway you wish, however, I like cutting them at an angle. It makes it look more fancy, I think.

Boil the potatoes in a little sea salt for about 6-8 minutes, or until ‘fork’ tender. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes boil, chop up your chives and green onions.

For the bacon, I bought a big bag of Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon, and have been keeping it in my freezer.

You can cut the tomatoes in half if you like, but I think it makes the salad soggy. Not to mention, it’s more work.

Whisk your dressing ingredients together. Very important: Consume the other 1/2 of the beer. Cooks don’t waste!

In a large bowl, toss in all the ingredients with the Gorgonzola cheese. If you do not like the blue taste of Gorgonzola, use feta. Feta gives the salad a milder taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss.

Tip: If you use baby arugula, you can get everything ready the day before. However, wait to toss it before you serve it. The arugula can become wilted. Kale is more hearty and can withstand sitting overnight in the refrigerator.

Secret Ingredient: I used Holy Moses White Ale by Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Chicken Pasta

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Discovery! I was cleaning out my refrigerator and found a brick of cream cheese. The expiration date was approaching next week, so I thought, “I need to use this up. But, er, how?”

I opened a bottle of beer and by the time I finished, I thought, “Let’s melt it down and pour it over pasta.” Since I have 20, 10 for $10, boxes of pasta.

You’ll Need:

Whatever you like. Seriously. I pulled out a few items, tossed it in a pot and Voilà ! Fantastico ! (I’m starting to make up my own words). Hungry, I didn’t think that this was going to be a blog post. I didn’t measure out the ingredients, and there are no photos of the preparation. However, when I was finished, I realized that it was really good and kicked myself in the arse.

I Used:

1 pound of pasta, cooked to taste.

A bag of frozen broccoli

Oil cured black olives, pitted

Shredded Chicken, precooked. I had two breasts leftover. Or, use canned chicken. Why not?

A handful of cherry tomatoes

Some diced parsley

About 5 cloves, squished or chopped – whichever you prefer.

A bunch of green onions, chopped, and included some of the green stems

Balsamic glaze

Salt and Pepa

How I prepared it…

I cooked and drained the pasta. In the same pasta pot, I put in the green onions, garlic and cream cheese over a medium heat until the cheese melted. I added in the pasta and all other ingredients, minus the balsamic glaze. I used the glaze as a garnish by drizzling a little over the pasta. I served it up warm with a crusty bread and beer.

All good things can only come from cleaning out your refrig.

Have you put everything-but-the-kitchen-sink in a pot and it turn out Fantastico? Please share because this girl likes to eat.