Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: May 2011 - Spinach Dip

I love that we had two delicious spinach dips at Iron Chef...one hot (by Angel) and one cold (by Rachel). They were both different...and delicious.

Rachel easily took the Presentation prize...her spread was gorgeous. I just love dips in bread bowls...they look great, and after all the dip is gone...you get to rip apart and eat the bread!!!

Spinach Dip

• 1 pkg. Knorr Vegetable Soup mix (peas removed)
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 cup mayo
• 1 pkg. 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• French bread bowl, hollowed out (save inside and cut into cubes)
• Veggie sticks and/or pita chips

1. Combine sour cream and mayo. Add vegetable soup mix, without peas, stir to combine. Add spinach and mix well.

2. Store dip in refrigerator until ready to serve.

3. For service, spoon dip into hollowed out bread. Serve with additional bread chunks, assorted veggie sticks, and/or pita chips

courtesy Rachel Quinton

Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: May 2011 - Spinach Artichoke Dip

Angel always brings the good stuff...like warm Spinach Artichoke Dip with homemade tortilla chips...

yum, yum, yum, yum...

This rivals the dip at the Lux...I could've eaten more...but didn't want to look like a pig!! (oink, oink!)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place gralicin small baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven 20-30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins.

3. In an 8x8-inch baking dish, spread the roasted garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cream cheese.

4. Cover and bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm.

courtesy Angel Anderson

Iron Chef Miami: October 2009 - Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini

This is another amazing entry from our Iron Chef Miami competition for October, submitted by Heidi Tyler. Its a GREAT appetizer (I ate, like 4 of them...so make lots!! And then invite me over!!)

-

Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini

-

3 TBS fresh lemon juice

2 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 large tomato, finely chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 TBS chopped fresh mint

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

-

1. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add tomato, onion, parsley, and mint; gently toss to coat.

-

2. Top each crostini with about 2 rounded teaspoonfuls of tomato mixture. Sprinkle with feta. Serve.

-

Note: This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead; just cover and store in the refrigerator.

-

To make crostini:

-

Preheat oven to 350. Stir 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 garlic cloves, pressed. Brush 1 side of a sliced French bread baguette (slices should be about 1 inch thick). Bake, garlic side up, 10-12 minutes until lightly toasted.

-

courtesy Heidi Tyler

Iron Chef Miami: October 2009

So, a couple weeks ago, three of my girlfriends and myself were lounging around a pool...

...isn't that a GREAT way to start a story?

Don't you wish you were lounging around a pool?

I suppose I shouldn't admit that that was our occupation for the day..."pool loungers".

After all...I work very hard to dispel the "housewife" myth of lazy ladies who hang out in yoga pants all day and play on Facebook and have housekeepers and nanny's that do any actual "housewife" stuff. That's why I prefer terms like "homemaker"...or better yet..."domestic goddess"...

...of course, there isn't another activity that is more "goddess-like" than lounging around a pool with your girlfriends, sipping lemonade and eating fresh-cut fruit...

...but still...

ANYWAY...we were lounging and chatting and LAUGHING (which is my favorite part)...and talking about how we needed more stuff to do (yah right)...and we came up with this GREAT idea to host our own Iron Chef competition...

...we'd invite a few other choice ladies and have a monthly mini cook-off on the second Monday of every month, and choose a secret ingredient to "star" ...something easy and accessible to make great...

So today was our FIRST EVER Iron Chef Miami competition...and the secret ingredient was "tomatoes". We had GREAT entries...and after tasting some delicious entries, we voted, and crowned Tina Fabiano as our Iron Chef for October!! She won with her Capellini Caprese!! It was AWESOME!!

Doesn't everything look delicious?

This is Crock pot Chicken Tortilla Soup by Melodee Cooper. We topped it with tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, and pepper jack cheese. Best of all...it was a Weight Watchers recipe!!

This is Tina Fabiano's WINNING entry, Capellini Caprese. She puts capers in it...which makes it amazing.

Heidi Tyler made Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini. So good...I ate four...

This is my entry...Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons...which I got from a recipe I found in Family Fun magazine a few months ago. It is WAY delish!!

We had a GREAT time...we tried everyone's dish and graded on presentation, originality, and taste. Then we tallied the points and named an Iron Chef!!

I'm posting all the recipes here on my blog!! So dig in!! Enjoy!! And we'll see you next month when I host our next Iron Chef competition...featuring "pumpkin"...