Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese Dip

I love recipe swaps. It is a wonderful thing to be given a blog and told to make a certain recipe. Even better - when I get to pick the recipe that I get to make from the blog. Jenna is a lot like me. She didn't start cooking until college and has had mishaps of her own. I love that she is a woman on a mission in the kitchen. She has a wonderful eye for recipes and I honestly had a hard time picking which recipe to make - thank goodness I took my phone into a department store while waiting in a thirty minute line to return a gift. It did not take me long to decide that I positively would be making these bites. 

This recipe sounds more complicated than it is - and the pretzels are absolutely delicious. The beer cheese dip I adapted a tiny bit to fit my tastes. The garlic, beer, and cheese perfectly blended together and the whole really was greater than the sum of the parts. The Steelers may have been a man down on Sunday, but this recipe definitely did score. For fun, I leave you with a picture of our mayor making good on his bet loss. 

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl tebowing - fulfilling his bet with Denver mayor. 

Pretzel Bites

Ingredients 
4 tsp active dry yeast 
1 tsp white sugar 
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 
5 cups all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup white sugar 
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1 1/2 tsp salt 
2 Tbsp butter, melted 
1/2 cup baking soda 
4 cups hot water 

Directions
In a bowl dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Set aside. (Mixture should become foamy, if it doesn't your yeast may be bad or your water too hot) 

In the bowl of a standing mixture fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugars, and salt on low speed. Turn off the mixer and pour the yeast mixture and melted butter into the bowl. Turn the mixer on and knead for 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth. If the dough is too dry, add extra water, a tablespoon at a time. 

Lightly oil a large bowl. Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a ball. Place the dough ball in the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and allow to rise for one hour (*or until double in size). 

Towards the end of rising, preheat oven to 450 degrees and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper and cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the hot water and baking soda. 

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough and then knead with hands for one minute. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide dough into 12 even portions. Roll each portion into a snake then cut the snake into bite size pieces, about 1 1/2 inches in width. 

Dip the pieces in the baking soda water and place on the baking sheet (dab the pretzels with a paper towel if they seem too wet) then sprinkle with kosher salt. 

Bake for 7-8 minutes, until browned.

Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients 

6 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup good quality beer  
1/2 tsp garlic powder 
1/2-3/4 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Microwave cream cheese for 30-45 seconds until very soft. Stir in the beer, horseradish, and garlic powder. Microwave again for 30-45 seconds. Add the grated cheese and stir until smooth, microwaving again if necessary.

Source:

Pretzel Bites - Adapted from Allrecipes.com and Sunny Side Up in San Diego 

Beer Cheese Dip - adapted from Jenna’s Cooking Journey, originally seen in Sunny Side Up in San Diego 

Broiled Tomatoes With Feta Cheese

I love my phone. If I could marry it, I would. I annoy my husband with how often I am on it. I like to catch up on blogs, read the latest news, and search for new apps in the marketplace. I used to search for recipes online, which would take forever...then I found the What's For Dinner app. I am in love. I type in the meat or ingredient that I am looking to use, it searches the web, and brings up a pretty little list of all of the recipes that fit the criteria I enter. It will be perfect for all of the produce that I will buy in the summer. 


Summer doesn't just bring produce. It brings bike season too. For me, this means weekend outings on the motorcycle for my husband. Not that I mind. I actually enjoy the one-on-one time with DJ and enjoy taking him to the park to play or for a walk around the neighborhood. I made this recipe while DJ was napping one day and it was just me. I typically don't cook with feta cheese, but I had some in the refrigerator after the first recipe swap, along with plum tomatoes that needed to be used up ASAP. This was quick, simple, and delicious. The only change I will make the next time is to try dipping the tomato in the Italian dressing first. I have the feeling that it will help the seasonings and cheese adhere better to the tomato. I will have to try it out and update this entry based upon my results. Overall, the perfect quick little snack...thank you, What's For Dinner app. We are going to be wonderful friends. 


Ingredients
6 plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Italian dressing
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
Preheat broiler to high. 


Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper to taste, Italian seasoning, and feta cheese. Drizzle evenly with 1/4 cup Italian dressing. 


Broil 3 inches from heat (this was the top rack for my oven) two to three minutes or until the cheese starts to turn a golden shade of brown. 


Source: Southern Living, MyRecipes.com

Algerian Flafla

Time is precious. Perhaps the only thing more precious than time is family. Combine the two, and you don't get any more important in my book. Family time is something that I treasure. Spending time with my husband and little man comes first. Perhaps it is all of the news lately about teenagers dying from sudden cardiac conditions, the same thing that my husband has (four heart attacks to date he has survived) and deals with every day, that makes me feel lucky to have that time with them. Anything that I can do to give someone else a break to be able to do the same is a no contest situation in my book. When it comes right down to it, you aren't able to get that time back. There is no greater showing of friendship or reliability, in my honest opinion, than that.

When Jessica of The Jey of Cooking was looking for guest bloggers to help cover for a few days so she could have some family time, I emailed her right away to see exactly what I could do to chip in. I told her that I would put together a whole low sodium meal from appetizer to dessert to help her out. As she already knows from her Heart Smart Round Up, I love to research meals and show that eating a certain way does not mean having to go hungry. In this case, I will feature a low-sodium menu.

Enough chatting, on to the food. Today's low sodium appetizer is Algerian Flafla. Say what? Bell pepper salad might sound a little more familiar...and appetizing. This reminded me of bruschetta except with the addition of roasted peppers. It was simple, delicious, and was together in no time at all - which is perfect for getting out of the kitchen and spending time with the ones you love. If you are having spring get togethers or just spending quality time, have a tray full of these sitting out and watch the magic as they disappear!

Ingredients

3 green bell peppers

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 roma (plum) tomato, diced

Directions

Preheat the broiler on high. Cut peppers into quarters and place on baking sheet. Bake until the skin is spotted black and the peppers are soft, 10 to 15 minutes, turning the peppers once if necessary.

Remove peppers from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Peel off the skin and chop the roasted peppers into half-inch pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and turned translucent. After about 5 minutes, add the garlic, salt, and pepper; stir in the chopped peppers and tomato. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomato is soft and the mixture is well incorporated, about 5 minutes.

Source:  Jacqueline Senouci, AllRecipes

Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks

If my husband were able to marry a food, it would without a doubt be anything Italian. He loves Italian food. Spaghetti, lasagna, you name it...he'll devour it. When it comes to our preference in foods, my husband and I are complete opposites. I really don't like Italian food. I blame it on years of pre-packaged (nasty tasting) Italian "meals". Being the good wife and mother that I am, I plan one night each week that has an Italian dish. I will actually eat a little bit of whatever I make, but usually end up taking the sauce and soaking it up with breadsticks. Enter these delicious little things. I saw these on Food Network, and I love (be sure to say it with a southern accent) Pah-la Deen so I knew that these breadsticks have to be fantastic. I actually have cousins that live in the vicinity of the Paula Deen house and restaurant. I always threaten that I am going to come down and we are going to dinner there, but it never ends up happening.

These breadsticks are fluffy and delicious. The combination of the salty bacon and the garlic salted cheese is wonderful. Be sure to try these with any soup, salad, pasta, or even by themselves. You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients

• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt or powder
• 12 slices bacon
• 24 (4 1/2-inch) long sesame breadsticks (1 package)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the Parmesan with garlic salt and set aside. Cut the bacon slices in half so they are approximately 5-inches long. Wrap each bread stick with 1 slice of bacon, starting at 1 end and ending at the other. Place wrapped bread sticks on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is browned. Remove from oven and immediately roll bread sticks in cheese mixture. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Source: Paula Deen, Food Network

BLT Roll-Ups

I would love, love, love to host a holiday party. However, with my craptastic stove, that is just not a possibility. When I asked my sister-in-law what I could bring to Christmas, she said to bring an appetizer. The first place that I went to was Annie's Eats. That's when I found these BLT roll-ups. They were perfect. The tomato and lettuce made for a wonderful, festive presentation. I did not include the ranch dressing, but they were great as is. The best part, they were gone in ten minutes flat. Hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

BLT Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
3 8- or 9-inch flour tortillas
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-2 tbsp. Ranch dressing
6 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used turkey bacon)
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, diced
Ranch dressing for dipping, if desired

Directions:
Lay all three tortillas out flat on a work surface. Combine the cream cheese and 1-2 tablespoons Ranch dressing in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Divide between the tortillas and spread in a thin, even layer over each. Sprinkle a third of the bacon, lettuce and tomato over each tortilla. Starting at one edge, roll each tortilla up tightly into a spiral shaped log. Slice each log into 1-inch sections, and serve with Ranch dressing for dipping, if desired.

Source: Annie's Eats, adapted from Chomping the Big Apple