Summertime Condiments

Divas cannot eat the same dishes over and over.  We need variety!  We need excitement!  We need Bloody Mary Catsup!  These summertime condiments spice up the seasons never ending burgers and dogs.

Bloody Mary Catsup

3/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup horseradish
2 tsps. hot sauce
1 tsps. celery salt
1/2 tsps. Worcestershire sauce

Spicy Peanut Catsup

3/4 Catsup
1/3 cup peanut butter
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. chile paste
1/4 tsps. each coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cayenne

Five Spice Catsup

1 cup catsup
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsps. five spice powder
S & P

Sriracha Mayo

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Sriracha
1/4 cup relish

Peppercorn Shallot Mayo

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 chopped shallots
1 tbsp. each cracked peppercorns, tarragon

Juice of 1/2 lemon
S & P

Spicy Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Soup

The word for this elegant soup is savory.  I served in in little cups ahead of Christmas dinner.  Many want the recipe.  I'll decide who gets it after I open their gifts!  😘



1/2 onion, chopped

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled & diced

1 can of pumpkin

1 Tbsp. Coriander

2 tsp. Cumin

1 Tbsp. Fennel seeds

2 tsp. Oregano

1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper flakes

Chicken stock

1 cup cream

Spicy Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Soup

Sauté onion in a bit of olive oil.
Boil potatoes in water or chicken stock until soft.
In batches, put onion, potatoes, and pumpkin in a blender until smooth.
Return to pot, add spices, and simmer.
Add cream, stir, and serve warm.

Cranberry Glazed Cocktail Meatballs

These are so perfect for holiday entertaining.  They always get rave reviews and they always disappear.  Serve in a pretty bowl or out of your 3-seater crock pot.

Cranberry Glazed Cocktail Meatballs

1 bag frozen meatballs

1 can cranberry sauce

1 jar of chili sauce

1 jar peppered jelly

Pour the meatballs into a crock pot.

Mix the rest of the ingredients up in a pretty bowl.

Pour the cranberry mixture over the meatballs.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Mix well before serving to your guests.

Make it a meal:  Serve with assortment of sundry appetizers.  Divas love to nibble on lovely things.

Wine:  Pinot Noir or Zinfandel

Chunky Creamy Tomato Soup

This is a pretty easy recipe and cold divas can enjoy hot soup for many nights afterward.  I don't like things too sweet, so you can adjust the amount of sugar up to 6 Tbs. depending on your taste. I use just a bit to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

Chunky Creamy Tomato Soup

1/2 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 bottle (46 oz.) tomato juice

3 Tbs. sugar

2-3 chicken bouillon cubes

pepper

1 cup sherry

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

basil

parsley

Saute onion and garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven until soft.
Add tomatoes, tomato juice, bouillon, and pepper.
Add sugar.
Stir and heat almost to a boil.
Turn off heat.
Add sherry then cream.
Sprinkle with basil and parsley.

Options:  Add in corn or white beans.

Make it a meal:  Serve with a darling grilled cheese sandwich.

Wine:  Chianti or Gamay

Clam Chowder

There are many recipes out there for New England Clam Chowder.  This one is tried and true and simple.  You might want to make a double batch, because this one's a crowd-pleaser.  The chowder is quite rich and thick, so you might want to only serve it to your guests in a small cup rather than a bowl. 

Clam Chowder

4-6 strips of bacon

3 cans clams

2 cups diced potatoes


1 1/2 sticks of butter

 3/4 cup wheat flour

1 1/2 cups light cream or half and half

1 can evaporated milk (low-fat works)

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

a few sprigs of thyme from your herb garden

Drain the juice from the cans of clams into a pot and add the potatoes;  cook until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon, crumble, and set aside.
Drain most of the bacon grease, then add celery and onion;  cook until tender.
In another large skillet, melt butter and slowly add the flour whisking until you have a smooth roux.
Add softened vegetables.
Whisk in cream and evaporated milk slowly; heat through, but do not boil.
Stir in clams just before serving--they don't need much cooking.
Stir in vinegar.
 Garnish with thyme.

Options:  Toss in some cooked lobster and shrimp to make it a seafood chowder.

Make it a meal:  Serve as a main dish with fresh, sourdough bread or as an appetizer ahead of Chicken Chardon (see recipe).

Wine:  Chardonnay

Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

These are a lovely little treat.  Sweet potatoes have oodles of good stuff in them nutritionally.  Just a touch of bacon adds, well, bacon flavor!  Mix a little aioli (minced garlic, mayonnaise, olive oil, and lemon juice) for dipping if you like.  We just had them as a side with sliders.

Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

1 Sweet potato

3-4 slices of bacon

Cut potato into pieces the size of steak fries.
Cut bacon pieces in half lengthwise.
Wrap the bacon around each potato slice.
Place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Flip pieces over (I use tongs), and bake another 15 minutes.

Make it a meal:  Serve with sliders and Fancy Tomato & Cucumber Salad (see recipe)

Wine:  Chardonnay

Chicken Chardon

This dish is rich and lovely.  Divas love both in their food and men.

Chicken Chardon

1/2 stick butter, melted

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lemon, juiced

Sliced mushrooms

2 lbs. chicken (can be breasts or thighs)

1 cup bread crumbs

Garlic powder

Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Salt & pepper

Pour butter, garlic, and lemon juice at the bottom of a baking dish.
Layer mushrooms on top.
Mix bread crumbs, more garlic powder, and cheese in a shallow bowl.
Whisk egg, salt & pepper, and a bit of water or milk in another bowl.
Dredge chicken first through egg mixture then coat with bread crumb mixture.
Place chicken atop mushrooms.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Make it a meal:  Serve with sautéed spinach.

Wine:  Chardonnay or Savignon Blanc

Sweet & Sour Meatloaf

Ooh, this is tangy!  The recipe calls for tomato sauce instead of ketchup.  Yuck, ketchup.  My entire family loved this one.  There were no leftovers. It was a little fall-aparty.  Next time I may make this and cook it the day before, so it has time to set up.

Sweet & Sour Meatloaf

1 lb. hamburg

1/2 lb. ground lamb

1 egg

2 shallots, chopped

1/2 roasted red pepper, chopped

1 cup tomato sauce, divided

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Salt & Pepper

2 Tbsp. vinegar

2 Tbsp. mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar


Mix the meat, egg, shallots, pepper, and 1/2 cup tomato sauce.
Season with salt & pepper; press into a loaf pan.
Combine the rest of the tomato sauce, vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar.
Make sure sugar dissolves and pour over meatloaf.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Make it a meal:  Serve with wild rice and roasted asparagus.

Wine:  Beaujolais or Pinot Noir

Shrimp Scampi Dip

This is like eating shrimp scampi without carbs.  Not that I pay much attention to that, but out there somewhere are divas watching their waistlines.  Not me.  I ate this for breakfast.

Shrimp Scampi Dip

8 oz.  cream cheese (or Neufchatel if you must)

12-16 medium shrimp, cooked and chopped roughly (I like big chunks)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste

1/3 cup white wine

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup sour cream

4 Tbsp. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. parsley

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

 Oil a 9-inch baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.

Pop the shrimp in a pan.
Add wine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Heat lightly.
Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, parsley, 1/4 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.
Spread mixture into the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella. Place into oven and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and golden, about 10-12 minutes.

Make it a meal:  Serve ahead of Chicken with Saucy Cranberry (see recipe)

Wine:  Chardonnay

Spicy Shrimp Appetizer

This recipe comes from an unlikely source, my friend Lord Byron.  He can grill, but doesn't.  He knows how to make a salad, but doesn't.  I'm not really sure what he eats day-to-day, but he sure can make a fantastic shrimp appetizer.  I've made a few creative changes.  I omit his call for bacon and use real butter instead of margarine.  He leaves the entire shells on--and eats the shells!  This diva doesn't do that.  I also put his precise measurements for spices here, but divas don't pay much attention to those either.  Just shake and stir, baby!

Spicy Shrimp Appetizer

1 ½  lbs. raw shrimp, shelled

½  lb. butter

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 ½ tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. basil

¼ tsp. thyme

1 tsp. pepper

½ tsp. oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbs. Old Bay Seasoning

½ tsp. hot sauce

Place the shrimp in the bottom of a pretty baking dish.

Simmer all the rest of the ingredients for a bit.

Pour butter mixture over shrimp.

Bake in the oven for 7 minutes or so until shrimp is pink.

Make it a meal:  Serve ahead of any BBQ items.

Wine:  Chardonnay

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Rich, sweet, healthy--or at least not too unhealthy.  These are things divas adore.  This mousse pie is another.  And easy.  Really easy.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

1 can pumpkin

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg to taste

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, softened

1 graham cracker pie crust

Mix the pumpkin with the spices.
Add the yogurt.
Mix well and pour into pie crust.
Freeze for a few hours.
Move to refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.

 Make it a meal:  Dessert is a meal, darling.

Wine:  Coffee with Irish cream

Creamy Corn Salad

This is the perfect accompaniment to any Mexican dish.  I served it last night with my Creamy Burrito Casserole (see post).  Is that too much creamy for one dinner? This diva says impossible!  I adapted this from my latest Cooking Light magazine.  Theirs calls for Cotija cheese.  Say what? It's something close to Parmesan or Romano. 

Creamy Corn Salad

1 can of corn

2 pinches sugar

1 small scoop mayonnaise

3 squeezes lime juice

3 shakes chili powder

1 shake coriander

1 dash salt

3 pinches Parmesan cheese

Saute corn with a bit of olive oil and the sugar.
Add mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, coriander, and salt; stir.
Sprinkle cheese over corn.
Serve warm, room temperature, or cold!

Make it a meal:  Serve with above mentioned burrito casserole and skip a green vegetable tonight.  You can make it up with a big salad for lunch tomorrow.

Wine:  Chardonnay goes nice with creamy.  Another option is a Spanish red like Tempranillo. 

Pan Bagnat

Oooh, what a lovely name for a sandwich.  Just assemble, wrap, and refrigerate.  Simple!  Divas are complicated, so simple food is a must.  This is the perfect picnic food.  The real Pan Bagnat is made with tuna.  Mine is made with deli roasted chicken, but turkey, or ANYTHING will work.  Also the traditional sandwich has hard-boiled eggs, but I didn't feel like making those today. 

Also I made mine with a multi-grain baguette, but a sourdough round would do nicely.

Busy Divas Pan Bagnat

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

4-ish Tbsp. olive oil

sliced roasted chicken

1 baguette

chopped onion (mine are pickled--see recipe)

sliced red roasted pepper (from a jar is easy)

sliced tomatoes

oregano

Optional:  capers, olives, artichoke hearts

Whisk the vinegar and mustard, then add some olive oil. 
Cut the baguette in half; remove some of the bread to form a cavity.
Layer the chicken slices, onion, and red pepper.
Drizzle some dressing on top.
Add some tomato, then some more dressing.
Top with oregano.
Cover with the other half of the baguette, slice, and wrap each part in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 3 hours up to overnight.

Make it a meal:  Serve with Spicy Bean Salad (see recipe).

Wine:  Beaujolais

Corn Dog Muffins

So, I'm not a big corn dog eater, but it's Fathers Day and Father is a fan.  The rest of the menu included greasy ribs and baked potatoes with lots of butter.  Hold the salad.

Corn Dog Muffins

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

a couple of hot dogs (I like Hebrew Nationals)

Make the mix.
Grease some mini muffin tins.
Pour mix into the empty spots.
Cut the dogs into about 1 inch pieces.
Squish the dogs into the middle of the batter.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool for 5 minutes before trying to remove.

Make it a meal:  Serve ahead of Creamy Burrito Casserole (see recipe).

Wine:  Champagne!

Creamy Burrito Casserole

My husband loved this.  He went back for thirds!  Make this on a rainy Sunday and have it for lunches all week.  Ole!

Creamy Burrito Casserole

1 pound hamburger 

onions, diced

1 package taco seasoning (I prefer to make my own)
 
3 large flour tortillas
 
1  can refried bean

shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup sour cream

Optional:
1 tomato, diced
sliced olives
 

Brown hamburger and onions. 
Drain off grease. 
Stir in taco seasoning, refried beans. 
Mix soup and sour cream in a pretty bowl. 
Put 1/2 sour cream mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish. 
Tear 1 1/2 of the tortillas in small pieces and spread over sour cream mixture. 

Put 1/2 the meat mixture on top of that.

Add a layer of cheese.

Repeat the layers.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. 

Options:  Top with tomatoes and black olives and garnish with guacamole.

Make it a meal:  Serve with a small side salad.

Wine:  Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec

Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Eggs

These are lovely appetizers.  They are rich.  Divas love rich!  They are a gorgeous breakfast.  Bring these to your next garden party and they will disappear quickly.  

Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Eggs

Hard boiled eggs

Mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard

Real bacon bits

Shredded cheddar cheese

Mash the egg yolks with everything else. 
Stuff into the empty spot in the whites.  Duh.

Make it a Meal:  These are already a great breakfast on their own. 

Wine:   Champagne

Spicy Bean Dip

You can, of course make this as spicy or mild as you like.  Being a Busy Diva, I like mine SPICY.  Hot stuff is what I'm about.  Make it healthier by using fat free ingredients, just watch the amount of sugar in those products.  Busy Divas don't want to become Diabetic Divas.

Spicy Bean Dip

1 can refrained beans

1/2 brick cream cheese

2 glops sour cream

Some chopped up jalapenos

hot sauce--I pour it on

smoked paprika

garlic powder

cumin

chili powder

oregano

1 handful shredded cheese (I like Monterey  Jack for this recipe)

Mix everything except the cheese together in a pretty bowl.
Transfer it all to a pretty baking dish.
Spread the cheese on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Serve with some nice tortilla chips or crackers.

Make it a meal:  Serve ahead of Chicken with Saucy Cranberry (see recipe) and green beans.

Wine:  Something red like a nice Cabernet Sauvignon

Chicken with Saucy Cranberry

The ingredients sound weird, but this easy recipe is tangy, sweet, and saucy.  This saucy diva also appreciates the nice presentation.  And did I say easy?  Serve it up with some mashed potatoes your man whipped up, and get the sauce all over. 

Chicken with Saucy Cranberry 

1 lb. chicken breast

1/2 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1/2 bottle (or a bit less) Thousand Island dressing

A pinch each of paprika, parsley, dried onion

Lightly grease a baking dish.
Place chicken in dish.
Salt & pepper if you wish.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a pretty bowl.
Pour mixture atop chicken.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Uncover and bake another 15 minutes until chicken is done.

Make it a meal:  Serve with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach.

Wine:  Tough call.  When in a pinch, go with Chardonnay, of course!

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

It's been rainy and icky lately.  I had some leftover chicken and needed a bit of spice in my life.  This easy casserole did the trick.  I does taste a lot like buffalo wings without the skin and fat.  If you're not worried about fat (which I should, but don't)  top with some nice crumbled blue cheese.  If you're REALLY not worried about fat, top with bacon.

 Buffalo Chicken Casserole

3 cups leftover chicken, diced

3 Tbsp. hot sauce (I used a combination of chipolte and habanero hot sauces)

1/2 package of whole wheat penne, cooked

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 brick cream cheese

1/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing

1 cup cheddar cheese

Mix the chicken and hot sauce in a pretty bowl.
Add the pasta, celery, cream cheese, dressing, and 1/2 the cheddar.
Spoon mixture into greased casserole dish.
Top with remaining cheddar.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Make it a meal:  Serve with a nice side salad or green beans.

Wine:  A nice hearty red like Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, or Malbec

Salmon & Caviar Pasta

Is there anything more mouthwatering to a diva than caviar and champagne? Divas take every opportunity to serve their guests caviar. Divas just need to be wary of sampling too much of the beluga while preparing the meal. The champagne needs watching, too. Divas like to cook with wine, but only occasionally does some make it into the food.

Salmon & Caviar Pasta

1/2 lb. angel hair pasta

1-1/2 cups cream

2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped, sauteed in olive oil

a few fresh chives, chopped

6 oz. smoked salmon pieces, cut into strips

2 oz. caviar


Cook pasta according to directions. Divas like al dente.
Drain and keep in colander.
Combine cream and sauteed onion in a saucepan over medium high heat.
Simmer 2 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in remaining ingredients and serve over pasta.

Make into a meal: Serve with warmed spinach.

Wine: Oodles of Champagne