Greek Baked Tomatoes

These tomatoes are a great, super easy, healthy dish. Serve the tomatoes with crusty Italian bread as an appetizer or alone as a side.

Greek Baked Tomatoes

Adapted from My Kitchen Affair

Ingredients:
Medium tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Parmesan cheese
Feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices (about 1/3 inch thick). Place the tomatoes on baking sheet that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano and Parmesan cheese over tomatoes, to taste. Add about 1 tsp. feta cheese to top of each tomato and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 5-10 minutes.

Tip: I usually turn the broiler on at the end for a minute or so, until the cheese starts to turn golden brown. You can really play around with the ingredients. Try using fresh Parmesan instead of the feta. Or fresh basil and mozzarella. The possibilities are endless! 

 

Italian Salad

 

Italian Salad Recipe

From Good Cheap Eats

Ingredients:
2 heads romaine lettuce, rinsed
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad.

For dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk dressing together until well blended.

The Great Dip Off

Football season is in full swing! My husband and I both grew up in Pittsburgh so, of course, we're Steelers super fans. My husband thinks he's on the team. My neighbors hosted a football "dip off" this weekend. Even though they're rival fans, we decided to join the neighborhood celebration of dip. I decided to make two different recipes. First, I made my buffalo chicken dip. This was an easy one because people usually go crazy for it, but I make it ALL THE TIME. I also wanted to try a new recipe. My mom recommended Liptauer Dip. I was a little leery about the recipe, but my Mom swore that it's completely addictive. She said she used to pray for leftover dip then eat it by the spoonful, straight out of the fridge. Of course, with this kind of enthusiasm, I just had to see what it was all about. I have to admit, it was delicious, but I think the buffalo chicken dip will always be my favorite!

Liptauer Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. caraway seeds
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
Pumpernickel bread bowl (I used sourdough instead)
Extra pumpernickel loaf

Mix cream cheese, butter, sour cream, dry mustard, paprika, salt and caraway seeds using mixer. Fold in green onions. Hollow out bread bowl and cube the bread you removed and the extra loaf of pumpernickel. Put dip mixture inside bread bowl and serve with bread cubes.

Shea's Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Adapted from Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup hot sauce
1 cup blue cheese dressing
5 oz. crumbled blue cheese
2 cups cheddar cheese

Cook and shred chicken (I usually just cook it in a pan with a little butter and chicken broth, but you can cook it any way you like). In a 9x13 baking dish, combine cream cheese, hot sauce, blue cheese dressing, blue cheese crumbles and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese. Add shredded chicken. Stir until well mixed. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tips: You can substitute ranch dressing for the blue cheese, but I've been told that the blue cheese is much better than the ranch and blue cheese haters will never be able to tell the difference. You can also substitute light cream cheese, cheddar cheese and blue cheese for a healthier option and serve it with carrots and celery.