If you've never tried grilled Mexican street corn (elote), go ahead and make a note that as soon as you're able to light up the grill again it needs to be on your list. If you're lucky enough to live in a place where grilling in January doesn't mean brushing the snow off the cover first, by all means, treat yourself to some grilled corn earlier. Something about grilled corn and snow just doesn't seem to go together. Maybe that's just me.

Winter doesn't mean you need to deprive yourself of the amazing combination of flavors in Mexican corn, though. It's prime dip season, and adding this Mexican Corn Dip to your repertoire can only be a good thing. 

I paired it with Tostito's Hint of Lime, which pretty much rendered me helpless against polishing off way too much of it. When I finally cut myself off of the chips, I kept thinking about how good the dip itself was, so I just ate more of it plain.... This is what happens when you make things solely for the purpose of trying out a recipe and no one else is around.

Minus the mayo, it's pretty healthy as far as dips go, so it's the perfect thing to enjoy while watching the games without ruining your new year's resolution quite yet. I think using Greek yogurt would taste fine if you're really trying to take the healthy aspect up a notch (obviously skip the Tostito's if that's the case).

Enjoy!

Mexican Corn Dip

Recipe from Damn Delicious (originally adapted from Closet Cooking)
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    5 ears corn, shucked and rinsed
    1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
    3 tablespoons mayonnaise
    2 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese (or feta), crumbled
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    1 teaspoon chili powder, or more, to taste
    1 clove garlic, pressed
    Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1.     Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn kernels and cook until slightly charred, about 6-8 minutes (a cast iron skillet works great for this). Stir the kernels and add jalapeño. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2-3 minutes.
2.     Stir in mayonnaise, cotija, cilantro, chili powder, garlic and lime juice.
3.     Serve immediately.

Whoever invented pesto was really onto something. I typically stick to basil pesto, but recently I've been on a Cosi kick (not sure how widespread that chain is), and they have the most amazing sun-dried tomato spread. I could eat it on anything. I'm thinking about it now, and I'm honestly getting hungry as I type.

So, I decided I'd make my own sun-dried tomato pesto spread, and proceed to eat it on delicious bread and then use it as a spread for one hell of a grilled cheese sandwich. Everyone has different opinions on how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. I change it up depending on the recipe I'm making, but I usually butter the bread (not the pan), use shredded cheese, and heat the pan over medium low so it can slowly get a nice crunch to the outside while getting the perfect melty cheese inside.

The pesto couldn't be easier to make. You just toss everything in the food processor and pulse until it's done. If you use fresh sun-dried tomatoes you will need to add 1/4 cup olive oil, but if you're just purchasing a jar of sun-dried tomatoes (which is what I did) they come pre-packed in olive oil.

It's a grown up grilled cheese that kids will like too because it tastes slightly like my pizza grilled cheese, just without the pepperonis. I used the Swiss and Havarti grated blend from Trader Joe's for the cheese, but you could also use mozzarella. Some of the other  mild white cheeses would work as well. This should be your lunch tomorrow.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Makes roughly 1 cup 
 

Ingredients
8-8.5oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (or 1 cup fresh sun-dried tomatoes)
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
*If using fresh sun-dried tomatoes, add 1/4 cup olive oil.

Add the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, basil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until well-combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you are using fresh sun-dried tomatoes, add all ingredients except the olive oil and pulse together prior to adding the EVOO. Once ingredients are combined, slowly add the olive oil and pulse until smooth. You do not want the spread to be liquidy, so use your judgment to pulse until it is spreadable and combined.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Makes Two Sandwiches

Ingredients
Four slices thick white or wheat bread (sourdough works well)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (optional)
3/4 cups shredded Havarti cheese or six slices of fresh mozzarella
4 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto 
1 tablespoon softened butter


Heat skillet/pan over medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of bread, making sure to cover the whole surface. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto on the opposite side of two of the slices. On the remaining slices, spread a thin layer of mayo on the non-buttered side (this is optional, but you're already eating a super cheesy grilled cheese sandwich, so why not go all out and make sure it's the best grilled cheese sandwich?).

Place the two slices with the tomato spread buttered side down into the pan. Sprinkle on cheese generously. It's ok if some falls into the pan, it will sear into the outsides of the sandwich and make an even more delicious crust. Lower the heat to medium-low. Cook about 2-3 minutes, or until sides have turned golden brown. Flip the sandwiches and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slice and serve immediately.

*A tip for getting gooey melted grilled cheese sandwiches is to grate your own cheese and bring it to room temperature before adding it to the sandwich. I did not do that here, but I recommend it for amazing grilled cheeses.

I'm pretty sure in the south it's a sin to change your grandmother's pimento cheese recipe. This is especially true when your grandmother is like mine and incredibly particular about the way she makes pimento cheese. She uses Duke's Mayonnaise, Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar Cheese and diced pimentos. In her world, don't even think about subbing in Hellmann's or low-fat mayo. She also would never understand why someone would use another cheese when Cracker Barrel is so delicious.

So, it is with slight shame that I offer my sincerest apologies to my grandmother...I altered the family recipe. 

In an attempt to keep the most important elements of the recipe I still use the Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar, Duke's and pimentos. I see no reason to change that since I, too, seem to be very particular about my pimento cheese ingredients. I just enhanced the original recipe a bit by adding sharp white cheddar, cream cheese and a dash of cayenne pepper. Cream cheese adds a level of creaminess (shockingly) that makes it even more wonderful with crackers or grilled on sandwiches. You don't need too much since the mayo is also in there, but even a little bit makes a noticeable difference in flavor. I've used the plain and cracked pepper sharp white cheddar varieties. If you like pepper you will love the cracked pepper, but you can go ahead and omit the extra that is in the original recipe. The cayenne gives it an extra little kick to complement the creaminess of the cheeses. 

For those of you not from the south, you may think adding mayo to shredded cheese is disgusting. My brother and I don't like mayonnaise on its own, and my grandmother once compared that to not liking cheese (not at all comparable). I still don't like mayo by itself, but I do like mayo and cheese. How's that for compromise?

This is top notch pimento cheese. You will probably have to pry yourself away from it. I can't count the times that I've finished off a batch of pimento cheese with a few friends only to then have it sink in that there are two whole blocks of cheese in there. Whoops. I've also included this recipe in my Breakfast Sandwiches post, but I felt it deserved its own space here.

Enjoy!

Homemade Pimento Cheese

Makes a full serving, feel free to cut this amount in half

2 8-ounce blocks Cracker Barrel Cheese, one Sharp White Cheddar, one Sharp Cheddar, grated
2 heaping tablespoons diced pimentos (not sliced!)
1 to 2 ounces cream cheese, softened*
1/2 cup Duke's mayo
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Grate the sharp white cheddar and sharp yellow cheddar cheeses together in a bowl. Do not buy pre-grated cheese, as these cheeses come with a waxy coating on the outside and will not melt as well (or taste as good). Throw remaining ingredients into bowl, and blend gently with a spatula, forks, spoons, or whatever you have on hand until completely incorporated. Store in the refrigerator, and remove at least 15 minutes before you are ready to serve. Pimento cheese is delicious on crackers, veggies, burgers, sandwiches, pretzels, etc. (yes, basically everything).

*Adjust amount of cream cheese and mayonnaise to suit your personal preference. If you prefer a creamier and tangier cheese use slighly less mayo and 2 ounces cream cheese.

In my humble opinion, there is absolutely nothing better than good, southern food. I think the overall explanation is that we southerners use everything in excess. No southerner ever cooked keeping in mind the old saying, "Everything in moderation." Nothing is in moderation in southern cooking. Nothing. That's why it's all so delicious. I also believe there's a great deal of love put into southern cooking (yes, an excess of love if you will). It's the kind of love only a grandmother could produce. I think that's why nine times out of 10 your grandma will make it better. It doesn't matter what "it" is, your version will not be as good.

That brings me to my grandmother's pimento cheese recipe. Let's be real: adding mayonnaise to cheese is excessive. But my grandma makes pimento cheese ALL the time. I doubt there are many occasions when she doesn't have a batch of it in her fridge. I foolishly waited 21 years of my life to try pimento cheese despite this occurrence. I will never know why. Thankfully I broke down and decided to have it on a burger last year. Talk about life-changing. Now I've had pimento cheese on everything. Sandwiches, burgers, mac and cheese, tater tots, etc...as you can see it's quite the healthy lifestyle change.

Maybe you're not a southerner. Maybe you've never tried pimento cheese. Maybe you think the idea of combining cheese and mayo is disgusting. But then again, maybe there's a part of you that thinks you could add a little southern spice to your life and it's at least worth a shot. After all, it's only three ingredients and southern food is all the rage these days in the foodie world.

That being said, my grandmother has very specific thoughts about these three ingredients. She may never have used exact measurements for the recipe, but there are a few finite rules to making her pimento cheese: it must be Duke's Mayonnaise, Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar (gold package), and diced pimentos (no brand, just don't get sliced). No, this is not any sort of endorsement. I wish. It's just tried and true southern cooking.

Let me know if you have any great ways to use pimento cheese that you think I probably haven't tried!

Grandmother's Pimento Cheese

1 10-oz package Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Duke's Mayonnaise
1-2 tbs diced pimentos

Combine grated cheddar, mayonnaise and pimentos in bowl. Mix with a spoon (or clean hands) until thoroughly combined. Add mayonnaise or more pimentos to suit your taste. Store in refrigerator.

Pimento cheese works well in all sorts of foods. Swap out regular cheese for pimento cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. Fill celery with it. Use it as a dip with chips. Top burgers with a tablespoon or two when they come off the grill. The list goes on.

To make a grilled cheese (as pictured), slather the outsides of two pieces of bread with butter. Spread pimento cheese on non-buttered side of one piece. Top with the other piece, keeping the butter on the outsides. Place on a pan over medium heat and flip to desired brownness on each side. Grab napkins. Slice and enjoy!

Has anyone heard that Dr. Pepper Ten radio commercial that asks all these questions starting with "Have you ever...?" The gist of the commercial is that women are supposed to answer "No" for this list of questions because we do womanly things and those are manly things. Blogging about bacon is apparently on the man list. Oh please!

Here's my "manly," brief blog about bacon. I love bacon. I love bacon on pretty much anything and everything. Bacon and eggs, bacon on cupcakes, chocolate covered bacon, bacon in pasta, scallops wrapped in bacon, filet mignon with bacon (red meat, extra man points!), cheddar bacon burgers, blts, etc. One last thing, I really love bacon in dips. Especially this hot and cheesy bacon dip.

The dip is super easy, and it so delicious. I'll be honest, I would sit there and eat a dip I thought was just average for 20 minutes without thinking twice (I'll blame it on the salt in chips). However, this dip is WAY above average. In fact, it is one of my new favorites. Prepare to be hooked!

Sorry the pictures aren't great. I have yet to find a good way to take pictures of dips. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

Hot and Cheesy Bacon Dip
Recipe from Heather Likes Food

1 C Mayonnaise

1 C Sour Cream

2 C Grated Monterrey Jack Cheese

1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic from the fridge)

1 tsp dried tarragon, rubbed between your palms to release some of the oils of the herb

a few dashes Chipotle Chili Powder, more if you like it spicy! (I used Cayenne Pepper since I didn't have this on hand - just a dash or two)

Preheat Oven to 400°

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and transfer to an 8×8″ baking dish. Bake for 15-20  minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with chips, veggies, or bread. 

Note: I got a little cheese crazy and added it on top as well the most recent time I made this (pictured). This makes the top very oily. I think the Parmesan is fine to do this with (what I did the first time), but the Monterrey Jack is not.

As if I didn't already spend too much time looking at pictures of food, Pinterest came along and took things to a new level. This gem of a recipe is straight off of Pinterest, and oh my is it good. I think it probably is one of the more time consuming artichoke dips because of roasting the garlic and the "homemade" flatbread pieces, but it's worth it. I also didn't particularly like the brand of flatbread I bought, so I know for a fact regular chips are great with this as well. Note: there is no spinach in this artichoke dip.

I've made this dip twice already to rave reviews. It's super cheesy (in a good way), and the panko on top brings an extra little crunch. Within 5 minutes of serving it people had quickly eaten off all of the panko, and were asking for more of "that crispy stuff on top." I don't quite know how you'd go about adding more panko unless you managed to pry this dip out of everyone's hands to pop it back in the oven, but make sure you don't skimp on it.

If you're like me, you like quick dips that can be made with < 5 ingredients in under 30 minutes. This dip is not one of those. However, it's very simple and people will be begging for the recipe. It's a tradeoff. Enjoy!

Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Dip with Baked Flatbread Sticks

Recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon

Serves 5 to 7

Ingredients:
flatbread sticks:
3 sheets whole wheat flatbread, cut into 1”x4” sticks
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
artichoke dip:
1 head garlic, top sliced off
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
8 ounces marscarpone, softened
1/3 c light mayonnaise
½ cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

topping:
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon parmesan, grated
1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Brush the strips of flatbread with the oil and sprinkle with the smoked paprika.
3. Line the strips onto two baking sheets (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown around the edges.
4. Set aside and allow to cool.
5. While the flatbread cools bring the temperature of the oven up to 375°F.
6. Place the head of garlic onto a small piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Loosely wrap the foil around the garlic and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the garlic cloves have softened completely and slightly browned.
8. Carefully squeeze the clove into a bowl and discard the peel.
9. Mash the cloves into a paste and stir in the remaining dip ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Stir the mixture until fully incorporated.
11. Scoop the dip into a 3 cup baking dish of your choice and set aside.
12. In a small bowl toss together the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the dip filled ramekin.
13. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
14. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with whole wheat flatbread crisps.

This is from when I made it the first time at night. I liked how the flatbread sticks looked more than I liked the points.

It's amazing the number of dip recipes I have bookmarked compared with the number I have on this blog. I would say I bookmark about 75 percent of the dip recipes I come across, yet I probably only make about five percent of those. I have no idea why. I think it's possible I forget about them when my brain is either focused on dinner or desserts. Poor, poor dips. At least they win me over in the beginning.

I think it's about time I change that, though. Dip is so easy to whip up, and who doesn't love a great dip recipe? Even when people don't want dip at a party they always end up going in for at least one scoop..in my case I'm usually hooked after this point. This cheddar beer dip is nothing fancy (though calling it cheddar ale spread does move it up a notch or so), but it's a simple, solid dip recipe. I found that I liked it best when it had been refrigerated a bit, but I'd eat it either way. I also think pita chips or something of the sort would be delicious with this. Enjoy!

Cheddar Ale Spread 

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

8 oz. cream cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2½ cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup beer (pretty much anything but a light beer)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I substituted 2 teaspoons dried)

Combine the cream cheese, mustard, cheddar cheese, cream, and salt in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds, add the beer, and continue processing until very smooth. Pulse in the parsley until just dispersed.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You will want to take it out an hour before serving if you do refrigerate.

One of these days I'll take a food photography workshop, for now I just plop the chip in there and act like it does something for the picture!

I feel that with the Superbowl coming up, and because I happen to have the recipe for the best dip ever created,  it is my duty to share it with you. I tried this for the first time in my friend's apartment the other day and was instantly hooked.  I've looked around on other blogs and apparently a lot of people make some variation of buffalo chicken dip. Still, I've got a feeling this one is the best. I have no reason for thinking this, I just can't imagine tasting a better one. I read on one blog that it was "truly impossible to take a picture that does it justice but you just had to trust that it's great"--I  couldn't agree more. I guarantee this dip will be a hit at any Superbowl party, make it!

Ingredients
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
2 10 oz containers canned chicken breast, drained
1 1 oz package dry ranch mix
1 16 oz package shredded cheese (I think cheddar or monterrey jack blend works best)
1 cups buffalo wing sauce-hotness at your discretion, I like medium

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, or any other oven-safe dish you have around that size.
With your hands, mix together the softened cream cheese, chicken breast, and ranch mix in a medium sized bowl. Add buffalo sauce until color is bright orange. You may add more or less depending on how strong you would like the buffalo flavor to come through. Transfer mixture into casserole dish and smooth evenly. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top and place in oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and inside is hot. Eat immediately.

(This dip is great with Frito Scoops!)