Chinese Sweet and Sour Dip

Perfect Pairing: Easy Entertaining

Last weekend we had Baby Lam’s shower at our house.  It was absolute perfection!

Eight of my friends and family helped host and I was just overwhelmed by the time, effort and love that went into the shower. 

Our inspiration for the nursery has been Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”.  

I think this translates into maps, adventure and travel!  So we used the same theme for the shower for our “Little Traveler”.  Of course the food had a global theme and each dish had a corresponding country and flag. 

Everything was delicious and looked fantastic on the serving table.

While my incredible hostesses did all of the work for the shower I did contribute my new favorite appetizer, Chinese Sweet and Sour Dip.  I have been making this for a few months and it is always a hit.

Disclaimer, I totally realize that there is nothing even remotely authentic about this.  It is just darn tasty.

The base is cream cheese (always a good start) and it is topped with a combo of peanuts, veggies, cilantro, crunchy water chestnuts and soy sauce.  Then the whole thing is drizzled with sweet and sour sauce and served with crackers.

I don’t know why but this stuff is truly addictive. 

If you are looking for an easy appetizer to serve before the big Thanksgiving meal, here you go!  I know it is on our menu!  It is easily doubled if you have a large crowd. We are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year and can’t wait to celebrate with our family in our new home.

If you are still planning your Thanksgiving menu, here are some of our absolute favorite Thanksgiving staples. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Creamy Goat Cheese, Pesto and Burst Tomato Dip

Perfect Pairing:  Crackers

Summer!  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.  I am soaking up every minute because I am already panicking that it is almost July.  Wait!! I was going to do so much more in June!  

I am lucky enough to live at the lake this summer until we close on our new home at the end of July.  I’m not going to lie, it doesn’t suck living and working here.  I pinch myself daily looking at the beautiful views. 

A TGIF cruise is a favorite summer tradition.  We load up the pontoon with friends, food and drinks.  We set sail (motor) into the sunset with some chill music and enjoy the appetizer buffet in front of us.  Heavenly.

This appetizer is perfect for a TGIF cruise or any appetizer night.  A layer of whipped goat cheese is topped with prepared pesto and finished with burst cherry tomatoes.  Drag a cracker through all of it and you have an incredibly flavorful summer app. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Spaghetti Squash Frittata

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Spring Roll Salad

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Raisin Bran Muffins (these are ALWAYS in the fridge in the summer)

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Corn and Avocado Salsa

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Grilled Ranch Potato and Sausage Packets

Perfect Pairing: 8-cup glass measuring bowl

Friends!  Are you still with me?!  If you are, bless your heart. 

So… I have been majorly slacking on my little passion project, Perfecting the Pairing.  Let’s be honest, all of 2016 has been a bust, but the last two months have been ridiculous with ZERO posts.  I have a good reason!  Life has been bananas!  Wonderful, but bananas.  

In the last month Chris accepted a job in Iowa, we sold our condo in the city (closing soon), I started working remotely (it was an answered prayer to keep my job), we celebrated our one year anniversary, and we moved in with my parents until we close on our new home in Bettendorf, Iowa.  We kind of feel like our lives have been turned upside down but we are absolutely overjoyed with the exciting changes happening.  We are going to miss Chicago so much (especially our friends… and the restaurants) but we can’t wait to open the next chapter in IOWA.  If you follow this blog at all you know how much I love the lake where my parents live, so living there has not been a hard adjustment! 

Now that life has normalized a bit I am anxious to start blogging again!  These days I get to cook on a regular basis for more people and have access to all of my mom’s fun kitchen gadgets/serving pieces/spices/etc.  I have ZERO excuses!

The warm weather makes me want to grill all the time. Grilled foil packets are a quick and easy dinner with minimal clean up.  Everything is mixed together (potatoes, green beans, shallots, and pre-cooked chicken sausage) to make a complete meal.  The whole shebang is seasoned with ranch seasoning and red pepper flakes and thrown on the grill. 

So simple!

I pre-cook the potatoes for a few minutes in the microwave to speed up the grilling process.  I use my favorite 8-cup glass measuring bowl.  This is a must-have tool in my kitchen.  I use it all the time. 

 

Perfecting the Pairing is back!  

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  We got married! #LamsInLoveForever

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grilled Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Greek Turkey Burgers

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pickle Dip (I just re-discovered this recipe and make it all the time.  Now I add a spoonful of hot pepper jelly!)

 

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Creamy Shrimp Dip

Perfect Pairing: Crackers and Cucumber

Making dreams come true! 

That was a bit of a red herring.  This Creamy Shrimp Dip is good but will not make dreams come true.  Now, Disney World…. That is a place that can actually make dreams come true!  I just got home from a trip to Florida.  Among the highlights were lots of relaxation time on the beach, seeing dolphins almost every day, locally grown strawberries, and ample reading time with a palm tree view.  My husband’s highlight was watching his team, the Detroit Tigers, at Spring Training.  My favorite part was spending a day at the happiest place on earth, Magic Kingdom.  I was so excited to share my favorite place with Chris. 

We had an incredible day.  The weather was perfection!  I insisted on making the most of the day.  We were some of the first people in the park when it opened and we stayed until the final fireworks.  I think we just beat the spring break crowd because we were able to do every single attraction on our (my) list and only waited for about 30 minutes, tops. 

In addition to the must-do attractions, there are a few mandatory food stops.  We had the famous Dole pineapple whip (Chris said he liked my impossibly light version better!) and a Mickey shaped rice krispy treat. 

I can’t wait to go back!

So this Creamy Shrimp Dip won’t make your dreams come true, but it is so easy and tasty!  The creamy base is sour cream and mayonnaise, light is fine.  Crunch is added with cucumber and green onion.  Flavor comes from a hit of horseradish, lemon, and a healthy dose of fresh dill. 

Delicious with crackers or cucumber slices. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Impossibly Light Pineapple Whip

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Slow Cooker Calico Bean Bake

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Turkey Meatball Sandwiches

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thai Chicken Pasta

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Mushroom Flatbread with Pesto, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic

Perfect Pairing:  Girls' Night

A couple weeks ago Chris was out of town for the night on a mini “bro-cation”.  For the record, he did not call it this, that is 100% me.  He headed to Champaign/Urbana to watch the Fighting Illini play.  

That meant I had a night by myself at home.  I was going to miss him, but I was also going to make the most of it by making it super girly.  I was going to make the girliest thing I could think of for dinner, enjoy a mini bottle of champagne, and watch a chick flick that featured Bradley Cooper as a chef.  I was pumped.

I formulated my plan for a girly dinner as I perused the grocery store.  What is girlier than flatbread with goat cheese?  I mean, it is actually just pizza, but we call it flatbread so it sounds classy.  If I was making pizza for my husband it would most definitely have some kind of meat on it.  If I am making it for me it is going to be overflowing with mushrooms.  Chris is not a huge fan, so this was the perfect time to go fungi-wild. 

Instead of traditional pizza sauce I used a basil pesto.  So much flavor!  I always keep pesto in the freezer, it is a great ingredient to have on hand.

The sautéed mushrooms are finished off with a caramelization of balsamic, and then the whole flatbread is dotted with tangy goat cheese. 

So good.  So girly.  Dudes, if you want to make and enjoy this flatbread…. No judgement here!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Brussels Sprout and Pear Salad with Bacon and Candied Pistachios 

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Chocolate Sauce

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Butternut Squash Risotto

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Oven Roasted Salmon in Lemon Broth with Pea Puree

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Roasted Garlic Herbed White Bean Dip with Basil Tomatoes

Perfect Pairing: Ritz Chips

I am officially in the Christmas mood!  The odd warm weather in Chicago during December has made it difficult to feel that cozy Christmas feel you get in the weeks leading up to the big day.  Over the weekend we headed to my parents’ house, AKA Christmas wonderland.  My mom does a fantastic job of decorating the house, inside and out.  My husband was there for 5 minutes and said, “I am officially in the Christmas spirit!”.  

We did a LOT of cooking over the weekend.  I think we made about 6 dozen cookies, 15 loaves of bread, 2 lasagnas, caramelized bacon (more on this in the future) and 7 batches of homemade noodles.  Every year my dad and I make these homemade egg noodles for chicken and noodles, which we enjoy with our extended family.  We serve chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, starch on starch.  It is odd, and amazing, and the ultimate comfort food.

We listened to non-stop Christmas music.  We also wrapped presents.  Correction, Chris wrapped presents and I put bows (we call this foof in our house) on them.  My mom is the BEST gift wrapper around.  She truly has a gift.   See what I did there?

We also worked on our menu for the next couple of weeks.  Per usual, there is an appetizer night scheduled.  Who doesn’t love appetizers and a glass of wine?  It is my favorite kind of meal.  Roasted Garlic Herbed White Bean Dip with Basil Tomatoes is the perfect addition.  Not only is it delicious and light, it is quite festive if I do say so myself.  All sorts of red and green happening here.

If you would like a shortcut you could skip making your own hummus (but really don’t skip that) and top store-bought with the tomato and herb mixture.  While you are at it, roast multiple heads of garlic.  They are great to have on hand for salad dressings, mixing in mashed potatoes, or as a straight up spread on crostini.  

This dip was quite tasty served with Ritz Chips.  Those things are too tasty for their own good.  I am not sponsored by them in any way, I'm just a fan.  It would also be great with pita chips or your favorite cracker. 

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year with your loved ones!  I cherish this time with my family celebrating the birth of our Savior and reflecting on the year.  This one was pretty special me! 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Mustard Pork Chops

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Fruit Slush

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: German Sugar Cut-Out Cookies (pictured above!)

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Flatbreads with Thyme, Honey, and Sea Salt

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Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, and Pesto Pizza

Perfect Pairing:  Leftover ingredients

Meet my new favorite pizza. 

So many good things on one crust!!  Admittedly, there is some prep work that goes into this because you are roasting squash and caramelizing onions.  I recommend doing big batches of each, and use them in other dishes.  Allow me to provide some ideas.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash Risotto

Autumn Salad

Kale, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Spicy Chipotle Sauce

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tahini Salad

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized Onion Dip

All Purpose Breakfast Casserole (squash would be delish in this too)

Customizable Bread Bowl Breakfast

I actually made this pizza because I had already planned on making Butternut Squash risotto, so I just roasted extra squash. 

You top premade crust with pesto.  Store-bought is just fine!  I had lots of homemade pesto for this recipe because my mom and I had just made 10+ batches for the freezer.  Her basil plant was legit out of control.  I buy 10 leaves of basil at the grocery store for $2 and she has a forest of the stuff.  I have zero sunshine and the opposite of a green thumb, so no chance of me growing any myself.

A generous layer of caramelized onions.

An adorable photobomber.

A layer of roasted squash.

Top with some cheese...

And bake!

So stinking good, my friends. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thanksgiving Menu

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grandma Rosie's Applesauce

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Apple Cake with Warm Caramel Sauce

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

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