Artichoke Dip

When ever we prepared for a party at our house, our children were recruited to help. We gave them  a “work station” in the kitchen, where we set them up with a recipe and the ingredients. Needless to say, when the guests raved about a particular dish, they would proudly announce that they made it. We appreciated their help, and knew we could not have done it without them. They also appreciate learning to cook, especially when they went away to college. 

Serves: 10-12 
8 oz  Artichoke hearts, well drained

1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 

½ cup sour cream  

½ cup mayonnaise

8 oz cream cheese, softened 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1- 2  jalapeno rings, diced (optional) 

Place all ingredients in a food processor, and puree them until smooth (do not over blend).

Place in a shallow, serving dish ceramic and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Plate with bagel chips. 
As seen in the  Country Comfort Cookbook series

Tuesday's Tip ~ Perfect Chicken EVERY time!

Living with a chef lets me take advantage of spontaneous  cooking classes. Here's one lesson I am glad I paid attention to!
 2- 3 lbs  whole chicken cutlets
1/4 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Take grill pan and place on stove top and turn heat on high.  In the meantime using a pastry brush, brush cutlets with olive oil.  Generously salt and pepper top and bottom of each cutlet.  Once done, your pan will be very hot.  Place cutlets in the pan and leave for approx 2 minutes until it's "marked" ( you will see the marks from the grill pan) Turn over and marked the other side of each cutlet.  Note: chicken will not be fully cooked.  Place marked chicken in a large roasting pan and set in preheated over, cook until you see liquid running out of the cutlets  (do not turn). This takes approx. 30 minutes or more.

Bleu Cheese Dressing and Dip

¾  cup Sour Cream

½ tsp Dijon

½ tsp Salt

1/3 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 1/3 cup Mayonnaise

4 oz Bleu Cheese , Crumbled

¼ - ½ cup Buttermilk*

Combine everything in a bowl.  *If using as a salad dressing add the buttermilk and stir until you achieve the desired consistency.  If using as a dip, omit the buttermilk. Refrigerate