You guys. It’s almost that time of year—the time of year when that thing happens on the TV. And everyone freaks out about it and gets super excited. It has something to do with football.

Oh yes, the Super Bowl. Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not the biggest football fan. Although, I must say, since I watched all 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights in the past few months, I’ve developed a respect for the game. And Tim Riggins. For those of you who don’t know who Tim Riggins is, I’m sorry. He’s basically the most gorgeous man on earth. Anyways.

Let’s talk food. Football food. My friends (and Tasty Kitchen members) Three Many Cooks always have fun and tasty recipes, so when I came across a Shrimp Ceviche Dip with avocados, I knew I had to make it! (If this amazing dish sounds familiar, it’s because it was part of Pam’s Day of Deliciousness over at the ranch.)

Let’s get started, shall we?

Shrimp! Peeled, de-veined, and shells removed.

Throw them in a pot/pan of boiling water and cook them for a few minutes until they are cooked through.

Remove the shrimp from the skillet and lay them on a paper towel to absorb the water. I seasoned them a bit with some lime juice and salt just for good measure. It was the right thing to do!

Give them a rough chop, so they are cut into bite-sized pieces.

Chop up some cucumber too and throw the shrimp and cucumber into a bowl.

Next comes the avocado! Cut it into a similar size as the shrimp and cucumber and add it to the bowl.

Same with the green onions!

Once all that is in the bowl, add in some ketchup. If ketchup’s not your thang, you can totally use salsa instead. I made it both ways and both ways were delish! One tastes more like a tradition shrimp cocktail, and then other more of a Mexican ceviche.

Add some Tabasco sauce for kick. I used the chipotle Tabasco because it’s my all time fav!

I added a little extra because I wanted a kick.

Throw in some freshly squeezed lime juice and a touch of olive oil. Give it a good toss to combine. Taste it and adjust salt if you need more, and then it’s go time!

Serve it with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!

A huge thank you to Pam, Maggy, and Sharon from the incredible food blog Three Many Cooks for such a fun game day recipe!

Printable Recipe

Tortilla Chips with Shrimp Ceviche Dip

by ThreeManyCooks on July 19, 2011 in Appetizers, Cold Dips July 19, 2011 AppetizersCold Dips

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: -

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

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A seafood dip packed with fresh Mexican-style flavors.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Cooked Salad Shrimp, Halved If Larger Than A Small Dice
• 1  Medium Seedless Cucumber, Cut Into Small Dice
• 2  Avocados, Cut Into Small Dice
• 8  Medium Scallions, Sliced Thin
• ⅔ cups Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Tabasco Sauce
• ½ cups Lime Juice
• ¼ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Tastes-Like-Fried Tortillas Or A Bag (16 Oz. Size) Tortilla Chips, To Serve

Preparation Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with Taste-Like-Fried Tortillas or tortilla chips for dipping.

Makes 1 heaping quart.

 
 
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Gaby Dalkin is the young lady behind What’s Gaby Cooking, a food blog that’s bursting at the seams with incredible recipes and food photography. She’s a personal chef and professional recipe developer, and if you follow her on Twitter, you’ll soon discover her two-fold obsession: guacamole and cheese. She has small feet, a large heart, and a smile that can light up the whole building. We’re pretty stoked to have her here.

 
Last summer, I ran across this recipe for The Ultimate Mexican Hot Chocolate from member Sharon and filed it away in my Tasty Kitchen recipe box waiting for cooler, hot chocolate weather. Anything with “ultimate” and “chocolate” in the title is a must-do on my list. I like me some chocolate, man. At first glance, I thought this recipe was a hot chocolate for sipping, but this hot chocolate, with subtle hints of cinnamon and chili, is a thicker consistency and meant for dipping, not sipping. But you can bet I thought about sipping it. Pretty darn good, y’all.

Sharon shares on her site, Cheesy Pennies, how this dipping chocolate is the perfect companion for churros. I’m on a brief hiatus from the churros and the doughnuts or anything resembling the such right now, so I chose strawberries for dipping. Plus, strawberries and chocolate? Yeah. A no-brainer. But, if you and churros are still friends, get yourself some and get to dipping right away.

Let me show you how easy the road to the Ultimate Mexican Hot Chocolate is.

You’ll need a few things: milk, masa harina, Mexican chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate chips—see note on full recipe below), cinnamon stick, salt ancho chili powder (optional), and vanilla.

As Sharon explains in the full recipe listed below, both the masa harina and Mexican chocolate can be found in Latin markets or in well-stocked supermarkets.

Begin by heating the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles begin to appear around the edges.

While the milk was warming, I chopped the chocolate. Mexican chocolate has a little cinnamon added, and, depending on the brand, possibly a chili powder of some kind. I found some at my local grocer. Latin markets should have a selection of this chocolate, too.

Once the milk is warmed, add in the masa harina and chopped chocolate.

Whisk until combined, and chocolate is melted.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. I watched carefully at this point, stirring occasionally to avoid scalding. The mixture will begin thickening up as it simmers.

Next, add the stick of cinnamon, as well as a pinch of salt and ancho chili powder. My pinches were kinda biggish (probably about 1/16 teaspoon). Whisk again to combine.

Simmer for about 5 minutes. The mixture should be thickening up quite nicely at this point.

Once thickened, remove from heat, then stir in the vanilla. The recipe calls for a dash of vanilla. I’m sure I added at least a teaspoon.

At this point I was ready to forget all about the strawberries and just eat it from the spatula. Such a wonderful aroma!

Serve the chocolate with churros, doughnuts, strawberries, bananas, pound cake, graham crackers, pretzels, apples, or whatever you think goes well with chocolate.

(Shhh … don’t tell, but I tried it with a corn chip. I did. And it was a good thing.)

Many thanks to Sharon from Cheesy Pennies for sharing this dipping (or decadent sipping) chocolate with us. I’m thinking this will be making a reappearance around here real soon—especially when my churro/doughnut hiatus is over.

Printable Recipe

The Ultimate Mexican Hot Chocolate

by Cheesy Pennies on May 10, 2012 in Drinks, Non-Alcoholic May 10, 2012 DrinksNon-Alcoholic

See post on Cheesy Pennies’s site!

0.00 Mitt(s) 0 Rating(s)

Prep Time: -

Cook Time: 15 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2

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Thick, rich, and oh so indulgent, this is a warm and wonderful way to end a meal: a hint of cinnamon, a pinch of pepper, and chocolate! An insanely good dip or a sinfully good sip—you decide!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 1 teaspoon Masa Harina
• 3 ounces, weight Mexican Chocolate, Chopped Or Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (See Note)
• 1 stick Cinnamon Or 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• Pinch Of Salt
• Pinch Of Ancho Chili Powder (optional)
• Dash Of Vanilla

Preparation Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edges. Stir in masa harina and chocolate, and whisk to combine until chocolate is melted. Allow to come to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer, add the cinnamon sticks/cinnamon, salt, and chili powder, and whisk again. Simmer for 5 minutes, until nicely thickened. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and serve immediately.

Notes:
Masa harina is corn flour, used to make tamales. Mexican chocolate has a little cinnamon flavor in it already. Both of these ingredients can be found in Latin markets or in some well-stocked supermarkets.

 
 
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

 
This Raw Cauliflower Couscous recipe shocked the heck out of me. When I first looked at the list of ingredients, I thought, “Okay, I like all of these things. But raw? Shouldn’t I roast them or something?” It turns out that Tasty Kitchen member Spontaneous Hausfrau knew what she was doing when she grated cauliflower (a first for me) and tossed it with more veggies, olives, capers and a light dressing.

If you’re holding tight to your New Year’s resolutions, this is a salad to put in your meal rotation. Even if your resolutions already stood up and walked out the door as soon as you encountered the first decadent cupcake (and who could blame you?), I beg you to still give this a try. I think you’ll be as surprised as I was.

Here is everything you’re going to need. Well, and a little salt and pepper.

Grate the cauliflower to form lovely little shreds of cauliflower. This is the coolest part and I’m still wondering why I never thought to do this.

Finely dice some carrots and red bell pepper. You want the pieces to be little so that they don’t overwhelm the delicate pieces of cauliflower.

Chop up some fresh basil and parsley and toss them into a bowl with the cauliflower, carrots and red pepper pieces.

Drizzle in a bit of olive oil, then add some finely diced sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives. This is where the punch of the flavor comes from.

Add some fresh lemon juice for some tang.

And some lemon zest for extra flavor.

Chop some capers and toss them into the bowl. I’m always tempted to add extra capers because I’m a bit smitten with their flavor. Is it strange that I like to eat them straight? Okay, there’s no need to answer that.

Season with salt and pepper, stir everything together and serve it up. It’s that easy.

Thank you to Sally for this delicious recipe. Be sure to check out Sally’s blog, The Spontaneous Hausfrau, for more of her inspired recipes.

Printable Recipe

Raw Cauliflower Couscous

by Spontaneous Hausfrau on September 22, 2012 in Sides, Vegetables September 22, 2012 SidesVegetables

See post on Spontaneous Hausfrau’s site!

4.50 Mitt(s) 4 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: -

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

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A crunchy, raw salad full of vegetables and zesty flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Cauliflower, Shredded
• ½ cups Carrots, Finely Diced
• ⅓ cups Red Pepper, Finely Diced
• 4 Tablespoons Basil, Chopped
• 4 Tablespoons Parsley, Chopped
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Sundried Tomato, Finely Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Kalamata Olives, Finely Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Capers, Minced
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss until combined. Chill for at least 1 hour to let the flavors combine.

 
 
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Dara Michalski is a doll and a sweetheart who clearly knows her way around the kitchen. She blogs at Cookin’ Canuck, where she shares her flavor-packed recipes and fun, engaging writing. The photography’s pretty incredible, too.

 
Oh boy. I’m bonkers excited about these sandwiches, ya’ll.

When I first saw Joy post them I thought: That needs to happen in my kitchen. I mean, two whole onions reduced to caramely goodness and paired with melty cheese? Count me in.

Then, when Erika mentioned that Laurie had shared the recipe here on Tasty Kitchen, I knew I had to make if for ya’ll. It was a totally non-selfish decision.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these fancy grilled cheese sandwiches: butter (of course), olive oil, onions, salt and pepper, sugar, thyme (fresh or dried), beer or white wine (or beef stock if you’re not one for using alcohol), bread and Gruyere cheese.

Start by prepping your ingredients. Slice the bread.

Grate the Gruyere.

Slice the onions about 1/4-inch thick.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven.

Once the butter/olive oil is nice and hot, add the onions. Give ‘em a stir so they’re coated in that buttery goodness.

Add the salt, pepper, sugar and thyme.

Give it another good stir.

Cover the pot and let cook until the onions are soft and wonderfully golden brown, stirring occasionally.

You could stir less occasionally than I did if you’re obsessed with evenly browned onions.

Add the wine/broth …

And scrape up any pieces of onion that stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.

Now it’s time to assemble and cook your sandwiches!

Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Butter four slices of bread on one side. Place a slice on the skillet, buttered side down. Sprinkle on a bit of the shredded cheese. Top with half of the onions and more cheese.

Put a second slice of bread on top, buttered side up. Repeat with a second sandwich.

When the underside gets nice and crispy and browned, flip the sandwich and continue to cook until the other side is beautifully golden and the cheese is melted.

Eat immediately—just don’t singe your mouth in your eagerness to consume.

Even though Reuben dislikes onions—and French onion soup in particular—he admitted that these sandwiches were pretty good, and, if he did like onions, he would probably love these. High praise from an onion despiser!

Many thanks to Jessica of Portuguese Girl Cooks for coming up with this incredible sandwich, and to Laurie for sharing this crazy-good recipe. You should definitely check out Laurie’s blog Simply Scratch for more irresistible food. Excuse me while I attempt to tear myself away from her Fudgy Peanut Butter Bars …

Printable Recipe

French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

by Laurie - Simply Scratch on December 5, 2012 in Main Courses, Sandwiches December 5, 2012 Main CoursesSandwiches

See post on Laurie - Simply Scratch’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 4 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 2

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French onion soup in grilled cheese form. This is what heaven tastes like!

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Butter, Plus More For Buttering Bread
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 whole Medium Yellow Onions, Sliced 1/4 Of An Inch Thick
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves
• 3 Tablespoons Beer (beef Stock Or White Wine Can Be Substituted)
• 4 slices Sourdough Bread
• ½ cups Grated Apple Smoked Gruyere Cheese (or More If Desired)

Preparation Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add in the onions and stir so they are coated in all the fat. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Stir and add in the salt, pepper, sugar and thyme. Stir, cover the pan with a lid and let cook. Stir occasionally until the onions are soft and deep golden in color. Reduce the heat if you notice the onions are browning too soon.

Add in the beer, scrape any bits that accumulated on the bottom of the skillet, and then remove them off the heat.

On a preheated griddle or large skillet, place a slice of buttered bread (butter-side down) and top it with a little shredded smoked Gruyere. Add half of the onion mixture and then more of the cheese. Top with a second slice of buttered bread (butter-side up).

Flip when the bottom is crispy and golden; repeat on second side.

Cut in half and serve.

Recipe adapted from Portuguese Girl Cooks, via Joy the Baker.

 
 
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Newly-married Erica Kastner shares her wonderful recipes and amazing food photography on her blog, Cooking for Seven. She also writes about crafts and posts more of her beautiful photography in her personal blog, EricaLea.com. There really isn’t much that this amazing young lady can’t do, and we’re thrilled she does some of it here.

  I don’t know about you, but I’ve eaten so many sugary goodies lately that I’m fairly certain I may spontaneously combust into a cloud of sugar at any given moment. So, I thought it was time I take a little break from my sugary friends and give some love to something a bit more […]

  It is the new year and I know we’re supposed to be eating lots and lots of salad, but I just can’t get excited about salad for every meal. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good salad, but sometimes I want something more. Like this Quinoa Spinach Mac ‘n Cheese from Carrie Burrill. […]