Angie Windheim

Many have asked and now I’m sharing my famous artichoke dip with the masses. Enjoy!

I’ve been making my own version of an African peanut soup for years. It’s easy and so yummy and now I’m sharing the secret…

How to Make Angie’s Amazing Tomato and Peanut Soup | eHow.com.

It may sound silly, but I’ve gotten a lot of praise for my bean dip. My family absolutely LOVES it.   I almost decided not to share it, but, hey, it’s better to spread the joy 🙂  I’ve posted the recipe on eHow. Give it a try!

Is your garden cilantro taking off like mine? Cilantro can bloom out quick, so start harvesting. I plan on purchasing another start this week so I’ll have some to add to my tomatoes, onions and peppers later this summer. Bring on the salsa! But, until then, Jennifer turned me on to a great recipe for your cilantro, Thai Noodle Salad.  

The salad is refreshing and has quickly become a favorite make-ahead meal for baseball nights. I was chowing down the other night and another spectator said, “Oh my. Look at her salad. It’s so pretty!” I couldn’t stop laughing. Maybe I’ll bring her a bowl to the next game!

You can use shrimp or chicken (rotisserie chicken works great as does baked and shredded chicken breast). It keeps well in the fridge for that night and the next. And, it’s pretty healthy. Yu-um. I’ve made it strict to the recipe and with some change ups as noted in (_). Both are fantastic.

Ingredients: 

12 oz to 1lb package angel hair (or thin spaghetti) pasta

3 cups shredded napa cabbage (or hearts of romaine)

4 large carrots, shredded (or broccoli slaw)

1 small green bell pepper, chopped (or just 3 reds)

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 bunch fresh green onions, chopped

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

2 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds (skipped these)

8 ounces frozen cooked shrimp, thawed and

drained (or shredded, cooked chicken)

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons tahini

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

5 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Break pasta into small pieces (thirds) and add to boiling water; cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cabbage, carrots, green, red and yellow bell peppers, cilantro, onions, and shrimp.

2.

In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, tahini, rice wine vinegar and sweet chile sauce. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Ten minutes before serving, toss the sauce with the cabbage mixture until evenly coated. Garnish with black sesame seeds.

The dilemma: Grandma is hosting Easter potluck and asks that I bring a “cooked vegetable.” Whoa. A cooked vegetable? Time to get creative. Well, I just opened trusty What Can I Bring? Cookbook, by Anne Byrn (aka The Cake Mix Doctor).  I picked the Spinach and Feta Pie recipe. Yu-um. It had all the magic of spanakopitas with a lot less work. I chose to make the feed-a crowd version that filled up a 9×13 pan. Everybody loved it.

Over the years my mom has gifted me with the Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook, the Cupcake Doctor Cookbook and most recently the What Can I Bring? Cookbook, all by Byrn.  I have made many of the recipes in all three books and have not been disappointed yet.  A super bonus of all of them is that you get tips on how to store, tote and reheat (if necessary).  I love that.  

Some favorites from the What Can I Bring? Cookbook are: 

• Spinach and Feta Pie
• Fleurie’s Caramalized Onion Spread
• Hot Chile, Cheese, and Corn Dip
• Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Chicken Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
• One-Pan Cheese Danish

The kids sports and activities have kicked into high gear the last several weeks, so it’s back to the crock pot.  This one is easy, yummy and can be served in shifts as kids and husbands return from practices and such.  I use the Costco pork “buns” that come in a 3 pack and are individually wrapped. I keep them in the freezer and  you don’t even need to thaw them before putting in the crock pot.

1 2lb boneless pork loin 

1 can S&W pinquito beans w/ spices

1 chopped jalapeno (fresh or jarred)

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cayenne

1 tsp ground red chili pepper

Tortillas (I’m really liking the new Mission Life Balance medium-sized tortillas)

Topping suggestions: Shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado and Tapatio

Put pork loin, beans with juices, jalapenos and spices in slow cooker.  Cook for 8 hours on low. Remove pork, shred it (should just fall apart) and mix back into slow cooker.

Warm tortillas one at a time in non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Keep warm in foil if not serving immediately.

Using slotted spoon, put pork mixture onto tortillas, add desired toppings, close burrito and eat!

I grabbed the basics of this recipe from allrecipes.com.  Boy, did the steaks come out tasty. I marinated New York cuts, but I think any cut would work. I plan to try flank steak next time and make fajitas. I marinated my steaks for about 6 hours with great results, but over night would be even better. Try to keep some leftovers to slice up and have with your eggs the next morning — yummy!  One more tip: be sure to check out the “Angie’s Sweet Red Potatoes” as a possible side dish. 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/8 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp Dijon-style mustard

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic

In a gallon-size, sealable plastic bag, combine all ingredients. Close bag and shake. When mixed, add up to 2 lbs steak and refrigerate overnight. You should move bag around from time to time to make sure marinade is soaking into all of the steak.  Barbecue or broil to desired doneness.

Oh, I think I finally nailed the good ol’ steak and potatoes. We don’t eat a lot of red meat, but every once in a while the craving strikes. I decided to change it up a bit this time and got a great result.  Be sure to check out the steak marinade recipe as well. The steak got rave reviews from my whole crew.

1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1/8 pieces

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 Tbsp butter, melted

3 Tbsp honey

1 tsp dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat 11×13 inch glass pan with cooking spray. Combine melted butter, honey, and dry mustard in a large bowl.  Toss potatoes and onions in bowl until coated.  Spread mixture evenly in glass pan, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil, toss potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more. If desired, turn oven to low broil for 5 minutes or until potatoes look lightly browned.

I am always on the hunt for new appetizers. Seems like you’re always being asked to add an appetizer to the table for football games, Bunco, etc.  I’ve recently grown bored with some of my standard crowd pleasers, so obviously I needed to change it up for New Year’s Eve.  I tried this dip out of my What Can I Bring? Cookbook, by Anne Byrn.  Oh, this is now on my short list of food fantasies. I can practically taste it as I’m writing.  We had a major pile of food to get us through to midnight, but this is what had the flavor to keep bringing me back to the kitchen. No matter how very full I was, I came back for just one more cracker full of the onion spread.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 10 to 12

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

4 cups sliced yellow or red onions (3 medium-size. I used 2 yellow and 1 red for color)

(1) 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Bagel chips, sturdy crackers, or pita crisps, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Place butter or olive oil in large frying pan over low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until they caramelize and turn a golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let onions cool for about 10 minutes.

Place cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, cayenne pepper and salt in food processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse until smooth, 5 to 7 times. Scrape onions into processor, and using short pulses, combine with cream cheese mixture until onions are evenly distributed but still in small bits, 5 to 10 seconds.

Taste for seasoning, adding more if needed.

Spoon spread into serving bowl and serve with bagel chips, sturdy crackers or pita crisps.

You can refrigerate if not using right away, but allow to come to room temperature before serving.

In my house, we like it spicy! Ben (age 11) is now trying to keep up with his dad on the “how many jalapenos can you eat in a row without crying?”  The kid has no respect for his tongue…even after a disastrous encounter with a red chile pepper at PF Changs. He was very upset because he couldn’t taste the rest of his meal. I warned him, but, whatever!  Anyways, I found a recipe on WeightWatchers.com, and with a few modifications, made a great meal. I just love it when you try something new and then know that you’ll make it again ’cause it was so yummy. Brian said it was very similar to some Vietnamese “Pho” that he’s tried.   Oh, and the leftovers were fantastic heated up the next day.  Hope you enjoy it…

6 oz vermicelli

2 tsp peanut oil

4 medium green onions (green and white parts, divided and chopped)

1 medium jalapeno, minced (I used jarred jalapenos with the seeds)

1 Tbsp powdered ginger (could use minced ginger root)

12 oz sirloin, trimmed of fat and diced

6 cups, fat-free, sodium-free chicken broth (can use fat-free beef broth if preferred)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup frozen peas, baby size

Salt to taste

Cut or break noodles into 3-inch pieces, set aside.

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add white portion of onions, jalapeno and ginger and saute 1 minute. Add beef and saute until browned al over, 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and soy sauce and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Add noodles and peas and simmer until noodles are just tender, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add green portion of green onions, cilantro and pepper sauce. Serve hot.

Serving tip: I used a slotted pasta spoon to get the noodles and meat into bowls and then a soup spoon to add broth on top. Much easier than trying to catch those noodles with a regular spoon 🙂