Cheers,
Merry Christmas!
Cheers,
Author: T.W.O.
Spinach Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt
Everyone loves a good artichoke dip! Whether it be at a dinner party, football tailgate, holiday party or Superbowl – it is usually a top crowd pleaser. As the holidays are coming our way, the calories increase and so does appetites! So we decided to put a little spin to the traditional Spinach Artichoke dip and make it with Greek yogurt! This is a much healthier option, but don’t be alarmed – the flavor has not been lost! Try it at your next get together!
Spinach Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients:
– 8 cups fresh spinach
– 2 clove garlic, minced
– 2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
– 1 ½ – 2 cups mozzarella, shredded
– 1 cup Chobani Greek yogurt
– 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375⁰ F. Spray 1 1/2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Blanch spinach. Squeeze excess water.
3. In a bowl, mix together spinach and garlic. Add artichoke hearts, 1-cup mozzarella, Greek yogurt, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Mix well.
4. Place mixture into prepared casserole dish, layering in the cheese. Make sure to keep some for the top – it’s the best part! Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Serve hot or cold along with your choice of dipper.
Cheers,
Cranberry Orange Bread
This past weekend was filled with baking and holiday cheer! One of the items we baked was Cranberry Orange bread. It is an easy recipe that will have your guests in awe and wanting more. The orange zest and juice gives this bread a moist texture as well as a refreshing flavor. Its the perfect holiday gift or treat this season!
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
-2 cups flour
-1 cup sugar
-1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
– 1 teaspoon salt
– ½ teaspoon baking soda
– ¾ cup orange juice
– 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
– 2 Tablespoons shortening
– 1 egg,
– 1 ½ cups fresh Cranberries, coarsely chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix together orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg using a KitchenAid mixer or handmixer. Mix well. Stir flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. (T.W.O. used a food processor to chop the cranberries.)
3. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely.
Orange Rosemary Fish en papillote
Orange Rosemary Fish en papillote
Ingredients:
-⅓ cup orange preserves
– 1 cup white wine
– ⅓ cup water
– 4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
– 1 orange, peeled & sliced into wedges
– 3 large fish fillets*, cut in half
– Salt & Pepper
– Rotisserie twine
– Parchment paper
*T.W.O. used rockfish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Combine orange preserves, wine, water, 2-3 springs of rosemary and ½ of the orange slices in a sauté or sauce pan over medium heat and stir.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Meanwhile, cut 3 large squares of parchment paper.
5. Place the fish (2 halves/paper) onto the parchment paper. Add a spring of rosemary and 1-2 slices of oranges. Baste the fish with the orange glaze. Wrap the fish up in the parchment paper and secure with rotisserie twine. Repeat process for the 2 other filets.
6. Place the fish into the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Plate and serve while hot!
Guinness Pot Roast
Pot Roast…doesn’t sound that exciting, but it can be when you add Guinness to the ingredients and slow cook it for a couple hours! T.W.O. made this dish for the UCLA vs USC game a couple weeks back. Go Bruins! Check out how to make this easy and one-pot recipe.
Guinness Pot Roast
Ingredients:
– 1 medium size boneless pot roast
– 3 14.9 oz cans Guinness (the extra one in the pack is for you!)
– 1 16 oz can pepperoncini
– 4 cups water
– 2 packages Lipton Onion Soup Mix
– Montreal Steak Seasoning
Directions:
1. Season the pot roast with Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides.
2. In a large pot, sear each side of the roast for 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat.
3. Once the roast is seared, add the onion soup mix, 3 cans Guinness, water and peperoncinis.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 3 hours and watch the liquid level. If it starts to get low, add more water or Guinness.
5. After a couple of hours of cooking, turn heat off and serve with your favorite dish. Mashed potatoes would be highly suggested!
Cheers,
Tuscan Kale Soup
Tuscan Kale Soup
Ingredients:
– 1 Tablespoon olive oil
– 1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
– 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
– 1 (32 oz) box low-sodium chicken broth or homemade broth*
– 4-5 cups kale, chopped and packed
– 2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted canned tomatoes
– 1 (14.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 – 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 4 minutes.
2. Add broth, kale, tomatoes and carrots and cover. Cook about 10 minutes.
3. Add beans and cook on low for 30 minutes.
4. Serve hot.
* Homemade broth – we hard boiled a chicken carcass for 45 minutes with bay leaves, celery, sweet onions, garlic cloves, salt pepper and 8 cups of water. Reduce heat to low and cook for up to 3 hours.
Thanksgiving Recap
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays since it’s always filled with family, friends, great food and adventures. This year we also had amazing weather, so we got to go to the beach and take advantage of the outdoors. Here are some photos that capture our fun 5 days at home with our family. (Video trailer included at the bottom)
VIDEO HERE
Name that Apple
With Thanksgiving this week everyone is scrambling to get their grocery shopping done and the house ready for the guests. Forget anything….I am sure you did. What about name cards? If you did, don’t stress. T.W.O. has the perfect and affordable name cards you can use on your Thanksgiving table. You can even pick up some of the supplies while at the grocery store. Check out how we made these fabulous gold apple name cards.
Supplies:
– Apples (T.W.O. used Granny Smith apples)
– Gold spray paint (or any other metallic color depending on color scheme)
– white paper
– scissors
– pen
A San Francisco Treat
T.W.O. spent a weekend in San Francisco with family this past weekend to celebrate the arrival of BP3. We arrived on Friday and enjoyed a lovely meal at our favorite French restaurant, Gamine, located on Union Street in the Marina. We were greeted by the owner, Stefan and sat at our favorite table. The bistro style restaurant is the perfect cozy atmosphere for a cold SF Fall night. The chicken and lamb stew are amazing dishes and make sure to start with the French Onion Soup. Warning – do not ask for ketchup…you will offend Stefan!
Saturday was a beautiful day spent outside running around the city. It wasn;t a complete day without a bridge run and a trip to Le Marais Bakery on Chestnut. Later that evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner later that night with family and ended the weekend with a baby shower in Tiberon. It was one weekend that goes in the books – simply the best!
Happy Travels Ahead,
Honey Glazed Chicken
It’s simple, flavorful and anyone can do it. Honey Glazed BBQ Chicken. T.W.O. loves sharing fast and easy recipes that will spice up your week day dinners. This recipe involves three ingredients and will be great for a main entrée, topping to a salad or even sliced in a sandwich. Grab your bbq tongs and lets start grilling.
Honey Glazed Chicken
Ingredients:
– 4 chicken breast
– ¼ cup organic honey
– 1-2 Tablespoons Lawry’s Season Salt
Directions:
1. Preheat your bbq.
2. Sprinkle the Lawry’s Season Salt on both sides of the chicken.
3. Spread the honey on the chicken making sure you reach all the surfaces.
4. Once the bbq is ready, add the chicken to the grill. Cook for 20 minutes or until done. Halfway through cooking, spread honey on both sides to create a second layer.
5. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute. Plate and enjoy!
T.W.O. 