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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Special, Special K Bars

Perfect Pairing:  Pantry clean-out

Way back when I was in college and living in the sorority we had a very exciting week once a semester called study treat week.  I am not sure study treat week helped us study for finals, but I am pretty sure it helped keep on that college “insulation” that tends to happen.  These were not healthy treats.  They usually included pizza rolls and other frozen novelties as well as our house mom’s famous scotcharoos.  It didn’t help the whole insulation issue when they were put out late at night.  Recipe for trouble, all around.

If you talk to any of my sisters about the food at the house I think ALL of them would mention the scotcharoos.  They would also probably also mention the super weird jalapeño chicken that inexplicably had insane amounts of cream sauce and Fritos.  College was healthy.  Anyway, the scotcharoos.  They were ridiculous.  These Special, Special K Bars remind me of those college treats.  You noticed the extra special in the name right?   These bars are extra special because I added coconut and toasted pecans.  Side note, when I was a little girl I named my cat Special.  Poor cat. 

I was on a mission to clean out the pantry when I made these, so when I ran out of Special K I added some rice cereal.  Feel free to do that as well!  Just another texture in the mix.  If you don't have pecans, use whatever nuts you have in your pantry.  Everything is topped with chocolate and peanut butter.  Theyyyyyy didn’t suck. 

This is a great recipe to use the “sticky ingredient trick” I mentioned on this Payday Bar recipe post.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Burger Sauce

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Chilaquiles

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Pecan Pie Bars

Perfect Pairing:  Room temperature

Growing up I was convinced I did not like pecan pie.  It was served at every Thanksgiving, but I only had eyes for the pumpkin.  I actually thought I didn’t like nuts in general.  I think I was just trying to be cool like my big brother.  All of the adults raved about pecan pie so I decided to give it a shot one year.  Whoa.  Revelation.  It is amazing!

I was intrigued when I came across this Pecan Pie Bar recipe.  I liked the idea of a shortbread crust and making them in a 9x13 so they would serve a crowd.  I followed this recipe with no changes, except I did not top them with whipped cream.  These were incredible.  I think they are better than traditional pecan pie.  My parents agreed, and that is saying something since pecan pie is their favorite dessert of all time.

I kept them fresh in the refrigerator, but they were definitely best served at room temperature.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Honey Beer Chicken

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Tart
 

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Salted Roasted Pecans

Perfect Pairing:  Chocolate Sauce

These little guys are a good thing. 

They are great to have on hand in the freezer.   I would suggest buying the pecan halves at Costco or Sam’s.  They are much cheaper in bulk.

Salted Roasted Pecans are great on their own, would be fabulous on a cheese plate, or wrapped up as a hostess gift.  I paired them here with chocolate sauce and ice cream, which is a no brainer!  I have also used them on top of a yogurt parfait, and tossed in a spinach salad with pomegranate aerils, dried cranberries, and this dressing.  Delicious!

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Morning Glory Muffins

Perfect Pairing: Spring loaded scoop

Last spring I had breakfast at a local diner where instead of toast you could substitute a morning glory muffin.  I thought that sounded nice, so I tried it out.  I absolutely loved it!  I studied it thinking I wanted to try to recreate it at home.  Turns out, morning glory muffins are a real thing and this place did not make them up, and there are many recipes for them online. 

I found a recipe that sounded closest to what I had at the restaurant and gave it a shot.  They were equally delicious!  These muffins are filled with good stuff like shredded carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts, and coconut.  The diner muffins had a crunchy sugar topping so I added that to my version along with some rolled oats on top.

Using a spring loaded scoop is the fastest and most efficient way to get the batter into the tins.  I have talked about my love of these scoops here, here, here…. Oh, and here.  I like them a lot.  

 

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Perfect Pairing:  Shallow dish

The final Thanksgiving side dish I am going to share is Sweet Potato Casserole.  Honestly, this could pass as dessert.  I know a lot of people put marshmallows on their sweet potatoes, but in my family we top them with streusel.

This is my grandma Rosie’s recipe.  She loves anything sweet, so these are right up her alley.  True story, I have seen Grandma put Equal on her spaghetti.  While I am not going to try that anytime soon, the sweetness of this side dish is just perfect. 

I like to make this recipe in a shallow dish so there is more surface area for the streusel.  That way everyone gets a little bit of the crunchy topping. 

I have one more Thanksgiving recipe to share before the holiday.  It is a dessert of course!   I won’t be sticking with tradition on this one.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Pork Loin (or Turkey) Crostini with Green Apple, Mango Chutney, and Brie

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Patatas Bravas

Click "Read More" for the recipe... 

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Lemon Orzo Salad

Perfect Pairing: Summer Songs

I made this salad for my family over vacation and it was a hit.   The almonds give it a little crunch, cranberries a little sweetness, and the lemon dressing keeps it fresh.  Quick, simple, delish. 

I like to cook my orzo in chicken broth to give it some depth, but that is optional.  You can certainly use water or veggie broth if you are keeping it vegetarian.

It has been awhile since I provided some tune suggestions.  Overdue!  Below are my personal songs of the summer.  I have listened to each of them an obnoxious amount of times.  I just got a new car that lets me plug in my iphone.  Life changer.  

Make Me Crazy, Brett Dennen and Femi Kuti – No surprise I like this one, it has a great reggae feel to it.

Addicted, Morgan Page and Greg Laswell – I’m addicted to this song.  On repeat.

Pressing on a Bruise, Brad Paisley and Matt Kearny – I am on a major country kick this summer.  Can’t get enough of it!

Springsteen, Eric Church – My dad introduced me to this song.  That was a new experience!  I was proud of him.  Side note for the ladies…. Notice Eric in the hat and sunglasses at towards the end.  That alone makes this worth watching.  Smokin.  I’m a sucker for a guy in a ball cap.

Don’t Ya, Brett Eldredge – He’s not hard on the eyes either…

 

Cold Chicago, Humming House - I hate thinking about Chicago being cold, but this song is so fun.  It is hard to not tap your toe to this one.

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Salted Peanut Bars

Perfect Pairing:  Foil

This is another family favorite that we have been making for years.  They are the perfect combination of salty and sweet and crunchy and chewy.  I believe the recipe came from a Pillsbury bake-off pamphlet 15+ years ago, but I was not able to find the original source online.

The crust is almost like a chewy shortbread made with brown sugar.  That is topped with either salted peanuts or mixed nuts, your preference. 

Then the whole thing is drizzled with a butterscotch sauce. 

They are fabulous.  They are also hard to get out of the pan.  UNLESS you use the perfect pairing of foil!

You can see that they lift easily out of the pan on the foil, leaving a clean pan!  I get excited about things like this.

They also come off the foil easily for slicing.  You’re going to love them!

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Overnight Muesli

Perfect Pairing:  Favorite toppings

I used to do a lot of international travel with my job and became a bit of a hotel breakfast buffet connoisseur.   The European buffets especially intrigued me.  Broiled tomatoes for breakfast?  I can get on board.  Blood sausage?  Never.  They always had a large selection of deli meat and cheese with hard rolls and butter.  That was pretty standard.  The buffets usually had muesli as well.  I was a huge fan of that dish. 

According to Wikipedia, Muesli is "a popular breakfast meal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts.  It was developed by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital.  It is available in a packaged dry form, ready made, or it can be made fresh."  I guess that is why it is often called Bircher Muesli.  Thank you Wikipedia!  I often wondered that.

I always assumed muesli was filled with cream (and maybe it is at the hotels), but I realized I could make my own version with very little fat and it still tasted like it was doused with rich cream.  Rolled oats are soaked overnight in fresh orange juice and water.  The next morning I add a grated granny smith apple and fat free Greek yogurt.  The yogurt is what makes it creamy and rich.   I love making muesli at the beginning of the week and enjoying it all week for breakfast.  It is a super healthy breakfast that is also very filling.  It is a refreshing change from hot oatmeal, if that is your standard.

You can top off muesli with a variety of toppings like berries, coconut, pecans, walnuts, almonds, honey, peaches, bananas, raisins, etc.  My favorite combination is berries, honey, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries. 

 

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Basil Slice and Bake Crackers

Perfect Pairing:  www.WTSO.com

I don’t know about you, but all of the Cyber Monday/Week commercials/e-mails/banner ads last week made me feel like a chump for not taking advantage of the deals.   Ack!  YES!  I DO want to save gobs of money and take advantage of free shipping! 

It is just barely December and I have major guilt about not having my Christmas shopping done.  Amazon.com, stop pressuring me.  

Early December also means full swing party planning mode.  I have a few get-togethers scheduled this month and I have a running list of possible appetizers to make.  These Basil Slice and Bake Crackers are perfect for holiday parties.  They can be made way in advance and frozen until party day.  Slice and bake what you need right before the party.  They smell crazy good while they are baking.

These savory homemade crackers are packed with good stuff like parmesan cheese, pesto, fresh basil, and nuts. 

After making the dough you divide it in half and roll each half in plastic wrap and freeze until you are ready to bake the crackers.

 Basil Slice and Bake Crackers are the perfect pairing for a glass of wine!  

A couple of years ago I heard about www.WTSO.com, a discount wine website.  They only sell one wine at a time at a discount of 30% - 70%.  They always offer free shipping when you buy the minimum amount, which is usually about four bottles. 

My dad is a tough guy to shop for, but my brothers and I have had great success with WTSO gift certificates for his birthday and Father’s Day.  He enjoys looking at the different deals and has ordered some amazing wines.  I happen to know a few of the orders went through on his smart phone while out on the combine. 

WTSO.com gift certificates could be the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for your loved ones this holiday season.  Fortunately, there is no need to worry about cyber Monday deals, they are always discounted!

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Pumpkin Pecan Shortbread

Perfect Pairing:  Caramel Sauce

Most families have Thanksgiving dinner down to a science and the menu does not vary much from year to year.  I think this is especially true for desserts.  Obviously, pumpkin pie is always on the menu and in my family we always have pecan pie as well.  I went my entire childhood thinking I did not like pecan pie.  I took a bite a few years ago and realized I was really missing out. 

Pumpkin Pecan Shortbread is like the bar-cookie-child of pumpkin and pecan pie.  I absolutely love shortbread, so I was crazy about this dessert.  If you are not the pie-baking type bring this would be the perfect dessert to bring to Thanksgiving.  It is super simple to make and very tasty.

The Perfect Pairing for this dessert is store bought caramel sauce.  I am not a fan of super sweet desserts, so I prefer just a tiny drizzle but it definitely adds something to the bar cookie.  I recommend serving the caramel on the side so everyone gets just the right amount for their tastes.

I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving! 

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Autumn Salad

Perfect Pairing:  Help from the grocery store

The alternate name for this salad was Maple Roasted Butternut Squash, Thyme Mushroooms and Roasted Chicken Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Cranberries.  While informative, it proved to be bit of a mouthful.  I decided to stick with Autumn Salad.

I am a bit of a sandwich and salad snob.  Lunch meat on bread just does not do anything for me.  I need to have something exciting on it like caramelized onions, sriracha aioli, sprouts, etc.  You get the idea.  Apparently I think things like caramelized onions are “exciting”.  Don’t judge.  The same thing goes with salad.  I like to add lots of different vegetables, textures, and flavors without adding a lot of fat and calories from cheese or fried toppings. 

This Autumn Salad is chock-full of good stuff.  The ingredient list may look long but chances are you have a lot of this in your kitchen already.  Often salads feel like a warm-weather thing but this salad is perfect for cooler weather.  It is almost comfort food.  I kept all of the components separate and ate the salad for dinner over a few days.  I looked forward to dinner each night!  The maple roasted squash would actually be a great side dish on its own. 

The Perfect Pairing for this salad is to take some help from the grocery store.  Buying pre-peeled and cubed squash, cleaned and sliced mushrooms, and rotisserie chicken will cut down on some of the prep time.  When I made this my plan was to use rotisserie chicken but they were out.  So annoying.  I actually had to cook my own chicken.  You could also use your favorite store bought dressing if you don’t want to make your own.  Yum!  I think I will be making this again very soon!

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Un-Recipe Files - Candy Corn Mix

I feel like I have been slipping with the fall/Halloween themed recipes this year.  Here are a few items from last year that may be perfect for this week’s Halloween parties.

Halloween Candy Bark 

O’Henry Bars

Pumpkin Taco Dip

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Weenie Roast Ideas

Light Pumpkin Cheesecakes

I am definitely in a Halloween mood after this weekend.  I went out to the suburbs and did a little trick or treating with my niece and nephews.  The cutest hippie and skeleton I have ever seen.  I didn’t get a picture of the ninja.  He was pretty cute too!

The kids were able to get a jump start on the trick or treating by going around to participating local businesses. I think they need some training on trick or treating best practices.  They were picking gummy teeth over Snickers and Smarties over Reese’s.  They’ll learn.

I have mixed emotions about candy corn.  I have no desire to eat it by itself but absolutely love it when it is paired with something salty like popcorn or peanuts.  So this un-recipe file is obviously nothing new or innovative, but just a reminder of what to do with the candy corn that always shows up this time of year. Mix it with salted peanuts or salted mixed nuts and it becomes the perfect pairing.

My mom mixed up a canister of candy corn and peanuts and put it out with a little tag for the workers at their new house.  She said they emptied it an afternoon so she refilled it and the same thing happened the next day.  There is just something addictive about that combination!

Happy Halloween!

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