I've never made bread before {unless you count banana bread} so with all the Instagram posts of people making bread during quarantine and remembering I have several packets of {coveted} yeast in my pantry, I decided to give it a go with Bon Appetit's Shockingly Easy No Knead Focaccia for Easter dinner. The bread is deceptively easy with just a few simple {yet hard to get lately} ingredients, and even though there is a wait time {I started making it Saturday afternoon for Sunday dinner} the active steps are so easy it'll make you wonder why you'd ever buy a loaf of bread in the first place {ok, not entirely true, but it was really easy - follow along in the link for step by step videos if you'd like}. While it wasn't the prettiest pan of focaccia, it was fluffy and tasted deliciously salty and was the perfect snack to munch on while waiting for the rest of dinner to cook. I froze what was left into sandwich size pieces and they are perfect heated up for a few minutes in a 300 degree oven to use for sandwiches or just snacking. If you have some packets of yeast and lots of flour lying around, I'd highly recommend trying this - but beware you'll want to eat the entire pan in one sitting :)
Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia
Ingredients
1-1/4oz envelope active dry yeast {about 2 1/4 tsp}
2 tsp honey
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tblsp Morton kosher salt
6 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands
Flaky sea salt
Instructions
1. Whisk yeast, honey, and 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water in medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. It should foam or at least get creamy - if it doesn't your yeast is dead and you should start again.
2. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
3. Pour 4 Tblsp olive oil into big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator {make sure it's bigger than the dough you have now - it's gonna rise!}. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size {it should look very bubbly and alive}, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
4. Generously butter 13x9 baking pan {for thicker bread} or 18x13 rimmed baking sheet {for thinner, snacking bread}. Pour 1 Tblsp olive oil in center of pan. Keeping dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over the center of the bowl. Give bowl a quarter turn and repeat process 3 more times. You want to deflate the dough while you form it into a rough ball. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in dry, warm spot {in front of a sunny window, on top of a preheating oven, etc} until doubled in size, at least 1.5 hours and up to 4 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 450. To see if dough is ready, poke with finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indent. Lightly oil your hands. Gently stretch out dough to fill pan or sheet. Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, like you're aggressively playing the piano, creating deep depressions in the dough. Drizzle remaining 1 Tblsp olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
6. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20-30 minutes.
adapted from bon appetit
let it rise!
xoxo,
stephanie marie
So you're probably wondering what that winning dip was from DAP XIV and I have to admit I was selfish in making something that I knew I would really want to eat. My coworker sent me several ideas {I like to get everyone involved} and after much deliberation on what looked delicious, I settled on Pinch of Yum's Homemade Cheesy Chili Dip. It was super simple to put together {I didn't start making it until about noon} and the longer it sat and simmered, the more I couldn't stop eating it {I was afraid I wouldn't have anything left to bring to the party!}. This dip is something you can graze on all day long as long as you keep it warm and with the votes declaring it the winner, you can be confident in whipping this up for your next get together - or for just a random Sunday afternoon snack! :)
Homemade Cheesy Chili Dip
Ingredients
1 lb ground pork sausage
1 heaping Tblsp taco seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne
1- 14oz can black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
2 Tblsp butter
3 Tblsp flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheese {I used Mexican blend}
fresh cilantro and green onion
Instructions
1. In large skillet, brown sausage until golden brown and crumbled into small pieces. Drain off excess oil. Add taco seasoning, cayenne, black beans, salsa, and water if it needs more liquid. The consistency should be like a thick chili.
2. In separate sauce pan over medium high heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir to form a paste. In little bits, pour in milk whisking after each addition. The sauce will thicken up gradually - continue whisking and simmer until sauce is thick enough to stick to back of a spoon. Stir in cheese until melted.
3. Add cheese sauce to the chili in the skillet. Mix until well combined. Stir in green onions and cilantro, and top with more cilantro for presentation.
4. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
Makes about 6 cups dip.
Adapted from pinch of yum
xoxo,
stephanie marie
My coworker had made this super simple and delicious cheese ball shaped like a pumpkin for our Halloween potluck, so when tasked with bringing an appetizer to our family's Thanksgiving party, I immediately asked my friend for the recipe. I was surprised with how simple it was to put together the night before, and when I handed over the Dorito covering task to Christian and my mom on Thanksgiving, it turned out absolutely perfect. If you're looking for something simple, cute, and surprisingly delicious for a fall holiday party, look no further than this perfectly themed appy :)
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Ingredients
16oz soft cream cheese
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tblsp minced onion
2 Tblsp salsa
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp minced jalapeno
Doritos
Stem of 1 bell pepper
Instructions
1. Blend cream cheese, cheddar, onion, salsa, cumin, & jalapeno with hand mixer until combined. Scoop into plastic wrap then use wrap to shape into 5 inch round ball.
2. Chill at least 2 hours, or overnight.
3. To serve, roll in crushed Doritos until completely covered, then top with bell pepper stem. Serve with chips or crackers.
adapted from the food network
xoxo,
stephanie marie
I know you're just dying to find out what the 3rd place dip at DAP this year was, so here you go! I made this Three Cheese Bacon dip, and if you're a bacon lover, this one's for you. I found it on Lovely Little Kitchen, which is fast becoming a favorite site, and it was so quick and easy to throw together. It's loaded with bacon and lots of cheese - how did this not win?!?!? There definitely was not much left by the end of the game which is always a good sign, and if you're looking for a crowd-pleasing dish to make for your next get together {why is football season so far away?!?!?} look no further than right here.
Three Cheese Bacon Dip
Ingredients
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions, sliced thinly {reserve 1 tsp for garnish}
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled {reserve 1 Tblsp for garnish}
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus 1/4 cup more for topping
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, salt, pepper, garlic, bacon, and cheeses.
3. Put in oven save baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake 30 minutes. Top with remaining bacon and green onion and serve with crackers, potato chips, etc.
adapted from lovely little kitchen
xoxo,
stephanie marie
This year at Thanksgiving I was tasked with bringing the relish tray. Not knowing quite what that was, I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and on the phone with my mom trying to come up with the greatest relish tray anyone has ever seen :) I settled on 2 types of olives, 2 types of pickles, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and sliced celery with pimento cheese spread from Met Market. If I may say so, it was a pretty damn good display :) At the risk of being pigeon-holed, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be asked to make this one again. Who needs turkey and stuffing when you can have veggies and cheese spread?!?!? ;)
xoxo,
stephanie marie
For DAP this year, there really wasn't any question of what I was going to make. Once I found this recipe for Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip, I was sold. I mean, a dip made out of one of my favorite meals?? Count me in. Unfortunately, the morning of the Superbowl the server went down for How Sweet Eats, so I had to kind of wing it with just throwing everything into a bowl, popping it in the oven, and hoping for the best. Luckily, it turned out pretty great {3rd place!} and since I kept going back for more, I'm making this one for my next get together ASAP :)
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip
Ingredients
12 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz can diced green chiles
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
cilantro
4 green onions, sliced
Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. In bowl, mix together cream cheese and cheese until creamy and combined. Stir in chicken, paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Once combined, stir in green chiles, garlic, and enchilada sauce until mixed.
3. Spread dip in baking dish, top with more cheese if desired, and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is gold and bubbly.
4. Remove dip from oven and cover with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions. Serve with tortilla chips.
adapted from How Sweet Eats
xoxo,
stephanie marie
I went back and forth a hundred times trying to decide what to make for Dip-a-palooza this year, but nothing seemed good enough until I remembered one of the most delicious and addictive dips I've ever had - the Newsome "Green Sauce". It's Matt's dad's recipe, and they bring it out at almost every function at their house. It was easy to put together (and gave me an excuse to use my mini-food processor) and the comment I got the most at DAP was how "fresh" it tasted. With yummy, fresh, and green ingredients, it was the perfect compliment to the heavy and cheesy dips on the table. So much better than 4th place :) Thanks Erin and Matt for sharing the recipe!!
Green Sauce
Ingredients
2 avocados
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (mine was huge, so I only used half)
1/2 cup plain Green yogurt
1 cup Salsa Verde
handful cilantro, chopped
Instructions
1. Put all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, or on tacos or burritos.
xoxo,
stephanie marie
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