Salsa

***Kelsey's Signature Salsa***

4-6 tomatillos, husked and cut in half

4 plum tomatoes, cut in half

2 cloves garlic

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded

1/2 white onion

2 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

Vegetable oil for brushing

Brush tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, and onion with vegetable oil and place on hot grill. Rotate as needed to ensure grill marks on each side. Allow vegetables to cool, and place all in a food processor with the chipotle pepper. Pulse until mostly puréed but slightly chunky. Stir in seasonings to taste.

French Bread

In a mixing bowl add:

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 TBSP yeast

1 TBSP sugar

Let the yeast activate and get bubbly, takes just a few minutes. Then add:

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1/2 TBSP salt

3 cups flour

Turn on the mixer with the dough hook and let mix until a smooth dough forms and the sides of the bowl are clean. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Then punch the dough down and let rest another 15 minutes. Do this a total of three times.

Turn the dough out onto a flour surface and roll into a rectangle. Then roll the dough up like a jelly roll, folding the ends in and pinching the seams together. Place on your baking sheet and cut 4-5 lines across the top. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until double in size. Brush with a beaten egg before baking 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Carmelized Sweet Onion Dip

This recipe can be found at OurBestBites.com.

4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large sweet onions)
1/2 T butter, melted
1/2 T olive oil
3 oz cream cheese
4 T sour cream
3 T mayo
1/2 tsp Worcestershire
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp garlic powder

The first step is to carmelize the onions.  You can certainly do this on the stovetop by tossing the onion in butter and olive oil in a sauté pan.  The recipe I found gave the following instructions on how to do it in the oven. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place onion in a heavy dutch oven or heavy bottom pot with a lid and toss with butter and olive oil.  (I used a stoneware pot with a lid, and it worked fine, although it took a bit longer.)  Cover pot and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes until a caramel brown color.  You might want to decrease oven temperature after about 45-60 minutes to 350 degrees and stir every 15 minutes to avoid burnt edge bits, but I didn't have a problem.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Place cream cheese in a microwave safe mixing bowl and heat for 15 seconds until warmed enough to be easily stirable.  Add sour cream, mayo, Worcestershire, salt, thyme, and garlic.  Sir to combine and then mix in carmelized onions. 

You can certainly eat right away, but the recipe suggests to chill overnight before serving to help develop the flavors.  Yields about 1 1/4 cups.

Note:  The recipe on OurBestBites.com called for 3 T cream cheese.  Not sure if it was a typo or not.  I used 3 oz, and it turned out great.  The recipe also called for low fat cream cheese, low fat sour cream, and low fat mayo.  I just used whatever I had on hand, whether low fat or not.

no ordinary week in the city

Call me a party pooper...I can handle it, but I've never been a "fan girl" of something to the degree that I would dress up like a certain character on Halloween, let alone on a random day of the week. It's spring in Utah, not fall, yet the streets have been packed with strange sightings.

Comic Con has come to Salt Lake.

Everywhere I look there has been something that on the average day would be picture worthy, yet this week has been very commonplace. I did manage to get video footage of Hello Kitty personified to send to my dear friend Jill, but today, I decided I better get a sampling so that people would actually believe me.

Not exactly sure what this guy is...

But the Trax stops proved most fruitful in strange encounters:

Where you took distracted by the creepy clown to notice the chainsaw-wielding nose-picker seated next to him? Don't worry, you weren't the only one.

In other news, happier news...

Saturday was spent at the homestead with the family. Dutch oven enchiladas, Easter egg hunt in which I hid the eggs so well that my teenage nephews finally gave up on the last five eggs, and generally relaxing and enjoying the time. 

I learned how to drive the four-wheeler:

But my favorite photos of the day were of Little T talking his Poppa into getting on the trampoline with him:

That little guy's diet consisted of Peeps, fruit snacks, M&Ms, and Diet Coke today to the dismay of his mother, but Aunt Kelli, Uncle Lance, and Poppa couldn't help but give into his sweet requests.

And for my Aunt Vicki...I was so tired the other day after work that I did indeed go down to the food court for dinner because I was in no mood cook. And it was delightful. :)

Biscoff No-Bake Cookies

In saucepan, combine the following:

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

Bring to a boil, and boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and add the following:

1/2 cup Biscoff spread

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

Stir until combined and smooth. Then fold in 3 cups of quick oats. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto parchment paper and allow to set up and cool.

Sweet Pie Dough

For One 9-inch crust

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 sticks cold or frozen butter, cut into cubes

4 - 6 TBSP ice cold water

Instructions:

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Pulse a few times to mix. Then add in butter cubes and pulse until crumbly. 

Add one TBSP of water until dough just comes together, do not over mix. Pat into a disk with plastic wrap so to not work too much with your warm hands.

Chill for at least 15 minutes before rolling out.

Place pie dish on preheated baking sheet for best results. To bake just pie shell, bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes with weights. Remove weights and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.

Weeknight Cheddar Biscuits

These tasty biscuits can be made in under 20 minutes and are supposed to be similar to Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

1 c. flour
1/2 T baking powder
1/2 T sugar
1/2 T garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt + 1/8 tsp kosher salt
6 T butter
1/2 c. milk
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Melt 4 T of the butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking pwder, sugar, garlic, and 1/4 tsp of salt.  Whisk until well combined.  Add butter and milk and whisk until flour is wet.  Add cheese and fold in with a spoon.

Drop heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 T butter and add parsley and remaining 1/8 tsp salt.  Stir with pastry brush.

Remove biscuits from oven, brush with melted butter.  Eat.  Approximately 9 biscuits.