Pumpkin Pie Dip

The current WC Ingredient Challenge ingredient is Pumpkin.  Yum!

I didn’t want to do a traditional pie, bread or muffin, so I went searching for something new and different.  I found this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Dip on RecipeZaar.  It was wonderful!  I even used fat free cream cheese and you’d never know it.  The dip was wonderfully smooth and creamy.  It was so delicious and perfect with a side of granny smith apple and ginger snaps.

INGREDIENTS
8oz. Cream Cheese
2C. Powdered Sugar
1 15oz. Can Pumpkin Pie Mix
1t. Ground Ginger
1t. Ground Cinnamon
Assorted dippers

DIRECTIONS
Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add pie filling, cinnamon, and ginger, beating well.

Cover and chill 8 hours.

Serve with gingersnaps and apple slices (or dippers of your choice).

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Husband Rating – N/A – “Bella made this for a picnic, and with real cream cheese…so I couldn’t eat it.”

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Grandpa’s Favorite Deviled Eggs

Today is my Grandfather’s 80th birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY POP POP!  We had a small family picnic in a local park and I decided to make one of his favorites – deviled eggs.

Whenever I make these, I never measure the ingredients (it’s one of those recipes that you’ve been making so long that after a while you just add the ingredients without thinking), but knowing I was going to blog about them, this time I measured.  Just for you!

INGREDIENTS
1doz. Large White Eggs
3T. Mayonnaise
1/2T. Dark Brown Mustard
1T. Sweet Relish
1/4t. Garlic Salt
Smoked Paprika

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add eggs, remove from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes.  Drain and allow eggs to cool completely.

Peel eggs and slice in half.  Put yolks in a separate bowl and whites on a plate.

Add mayo, relish, mustard and salt to yolks and stir to combine completely.

Put yolk mixture back into the whites (I like a more rustic look, but if you want to use a piping bag and tip, to make it look pretty, go ahead) and sprinkle with paprika.

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Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Should have made more, they are eaten so fast!”

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Seafood Nachos

Today’s blog post comes from a special guest … my Dad!

While in Cape Cod last week he and my Mom saw a description for seafood nachos on the menu board in a cafe at Wood’s Hole.  They didn’t eat there, but he took the recipe home and recreated them this past weekend.

Holy moley, were these tasty!  I could have eaten the entire plate myself!  So good that I just had to share them on here.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2lb. Sea scallops, cleaned and coarsely chopped
1T. Olive Oil (or butter)
1/2lb. Shrimp (he used pre-cooked) cleaned, de veined, also coarsely chopped
1/2 Bunch green onions, sliced
1lb. Shredded plain Havarti cheese
1 Bag white corn chips
Salsa & Sour Cream (to serve on the side)

DIRECTIONS:
Barely cook the scallops in butter or olive oil.  (Of course multiple of taste tests were necessary.)

Spread seafood pieces, green onions and grated cheese over two single layers of chips and heat through (@350) to melt the cheese.

Serve with salsa and or sour cream on the side.

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Guacamole

This is Hubs’ favorite snack – with tortilla chips, of course. I leave out the tomatoes and double the garlic. Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS
4 Avocados
1 Lime, juiced
1 clove Garlic, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 small White Onion, finely diced
1 Jalapeño Pepper, finely diced
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS
Remove meat from Avocados, discarding pits and skin. (To safely remove pit, hold avocado firmly in your hand and hit the pit with your sharp knife. The pit will stick to the knife and expose the meat. To remove pit from knife, take two fingers and slide them down the blade, toward the pit, and pinch off the pit. It should come off easily). Add lime juice immediately, so the avocados don’t brown.

Add onion, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic and S&P. Mash with fork or potato masher. Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chips.

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