Jalapeño Popper Dip

 Saturday is Game Day in this household.  While I could care less, The Boyfriend plans his entire weekend around these 3 to 4 hours; jumping up off the couch, yelling "go go go go....YEEEEEAAAH!!!!!" with his fist in the air, occasionally punching said air. I don't get the attraction to sports,  but I get to use his game time as an excuse to make yummy snacks like Jalapeño Popper Dip, so I guess Game Day is win-win.

This dip has been a hit two weeks in a row. We had some friends over for last weekend's game, and I spent all day in the kitchen making tons of food. Nothing else got touched but this dip - and it was gone within 10 minutes. It's sure to clog your arteries, but hey - it's Game Day!

In addition to the jalapeños, I added a poblano pepper, which is a very mild pepper in terms of spice.  It adds amazing flavor, without adding additional spiciness.  I like to keep things more on the mild side (I'm a wimp!) so I de-seeded the jalapeños.  You can spice it up a bit more by keeping the seeds in for one or more of the jalapeños.

You can also make this ahead of time. Just prepare the dip and store in the fridge in an air tight container (or you could freeze it for up to a month). On the day of just sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and bake.

 

Jalapeño Popper Dip
Serves 4-6

Recipe adapted from: The Rachel Ray Show

Ingredients:
2 large jalapeños
1 poblano pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon oil
8-ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (or any kind of bread crumbs you like)

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425. Coat peppers with olive oil and roast until softened and blackened. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
2. Once cooled enough to handle, remove the blackened skins from the peppers and discard. Chop the peppers.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, cheese, and chopped roasted peppers.
4. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with the the bread crumbs.  Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 15-18 minutes. Serve with nice crunchy, crusty bread or tortilla chips.

5. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple-Pear Sauce

Hello Fall, I fought your arrival as long as I could, but here you are with your apples and squash...and...I...can't...resist.

My good friend Anna over at Put Up With Me volunteers at The Portland Fruit Tree Project, a super cool non-profit that organizes groups of volunteers to pick fruit from local trees. Half of the fruit is donated to local food banks, and the other half is divided up amongst the volunteers.  I was the lucky recipient of several pounds of Asian Pears from Anna's latest harvest.  She used her pears to make an Asian Pear Sorbet.  You should check it out.

I'd never had an asian pear before.  They look like a pear, they taste like a pear, but they have the texture of an apple! It is very surreal and delicious.

 

I decided to make an Apple-Pear sauce, in the crock pot. It's super easy to make; chop up the fruit, add some cinnamon, some water, throw it in a crock pot, and cook on low for about 6 hours. Then puree in a food processor or blender and voila! 

You can use any firm pear you like if asian pears are difficult to find (they can get pretty spendy too).  

Cinnamon Apple-Pear Sauce

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
4 large tart apples (I used Honey Crisp)
8 small firm pears (I used Asian Pears)
1/2 cup water
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tbs cinnamon
1/8 cup brown sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Peel the apples and pears
2. Slice (making sure to remove any seeds and tough core pieces) and put in crock pot.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and let cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Once fruit is soft and breaking apart, remove from heat and allow to cool.  Then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.
5. Enjoy!