Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges and Spicy Garlic Sriracha Dip

It seems to be my new habit that when I’m not sure what to make for dinner, I curl up in the recliner with my iPad and scroll through the Tasty app, waiting for something to catch my attention. Thus it was that I found this potato wedges recipe. The dip recipe I found via Google search. I don’t really like dipping sauce with potato wedges so I found something I knew Jeff would like.

The recipe
Wedges: Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges from tasty.co.

Sauce: Spicy Garlic Sriracha Dip from mostlyhomemademom.com. She really buries the lead and puts the recipe way down the page so, for expediency, I will just include it here:

2 cups mayonnaise
2 tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp dried, minced garlic
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp curry powder

In a medium bowl combine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Ingredient changes
The recipe didn’t specify what kind of potatoes to use so I got baking potatoes, expecting to get nice big wedges. This was one of those eyes-are-bigger-than-any-bowl-you-have scenarios. Next time I try wedges, I’ll get regular white potatoes so that the wedge slices are more reasonably sized.

As for the sauce, I couldn’t find dried, minced garlic so I just used garlic powder… I just watched the video again to see what they actually use and it’s garlic powder. I can’t decide if I want to face-palm or eye-roll.

Quick aside, I’m going to have to buy a spice rack for no other reason than all the new spices I had to buy for these recipes.

Ease (or not) of prep
Both recipes fall into the dump-stuff-in-a-bowl-and-stir category so they were pretty easy to put together. Egg wash is always messy but I’m pretty sure I would gladly trade a little mess for a faster meal.

I have a few glass jars kicking around so I used one of those to store the dip. Easy peasy.

The Boyfriend Test: Pass and pass
Jeff said the wedge breading was really flavourful and the dip wasn’t too spicy but still pretty good. Well, he didn’t actually say that in particular. It went more like this:

Me: How is it?
Jeff: Good.
Me: How’s the wedges?
Jeff: Really good.
Me: You like the breading?
Jeff: Yeah, it’s good.
Me: How’s the dip?
Jeff: Good.
Me: Spicy?
Jeff: Not really. Good though.

He’s a man of few words but they’re usually the right ones.

Picky Eater Test: Fail and not applicable
I, on the other hand, wasn’t a big fan of the wedges. I think I’m not a fan of chili flakes so they overwhelmed my palette. I’m a big fan of potato wedges though, and I like the idea of Parmesan cheese in the breading, so I’ll likely look for another recipe to try.

As for the dip, I think pepper is spicy so I didn’t even try it.

This dip has inspired me to try making my own dressings and sauces. My aunt makes an excellent homemade Caesar dressing and Jeff’s brother made a delicious Alfredo last weekend. Jeff enjoys a hearty garden salad so perhaps the first one I’ll try is a balsamic vinaigrette. Now to find a recipe… to the internet!

Pull-Apart Cheesy Pesto Bread

I begrudgingly admit that I occasionally enjoy this new cooking excursion we’ve embarked upon. Begrudgingly! As in, we’ve found a few amazing recipes that have been permanently added to our meal rotation. The only problem is, I’m running out of ideas. I was raised on meat and potatoes so now that I’ve made soups, pastas, a roast, and sliders, I don’t really know what else to make. With the age-old question of what to make for dinner in mind, I stumbled upon this recipe while scrolling around on the Tasty app. Bread? Good. Cheese? Good. A handful of ingredients, most of which I already have? Sold.

The recipe
Pull Apart Cheesy Pesto Bread from tasty.co.

Ingredient changes
I was puzzled by the “strong flour” ingredient so I Googled it. The best source I found said it’s a British term and, in Canada, that refers to all-purpose flour, so that’s what I used. I also accidentally forgot to add the olive oil soooo… *shrug emoji*. Lastly, I didn’t measure the pesto sauce, I just poured some in a small bowl and figured I would add more if necessary.

Ease (or not) of prep
I’ve seen recipes that say the dough must rise for hours or even overnight, so no thanks. This recipe calls for the dough to rise for an hour when mixed, and then an hour again after the balls have been formed; that seems much more manageable. I normally don’t bother with recipes that require hours of prep time but this little how-to video made these look too good to pass up. Besides waiting on the dough, this recipe is pretty easy. I just set timers and then went to do something else  (like try not to eat all the freaking delicious old cheddar cheese I bought at Fortinos).

The Boyfriend Test: Solid pass
Jeff said these were delicious. I believe he also belongs to the school of thought that says, you can’t go wrong with bread and cheese. He’s playing a video game while I write, so I asked if he had anything to add. He said, “Because you made it, that makes it all the more special.” He’s such a sweetie! *blush emoji*

Picky Eater Test: Pass
I also really liked these. I could eat bread and cheese forever so homemade, warm bread and cheese can only be good. I found they got cold quickly so don’t let them sit for too long. I’ll probably add a bit more cheese next time. I also think they might benefit from a sauce on the side, for those who are so inclined.

It’s a good thing these was so delicious. I made this dish as an appetizer and I’m about to unwittingly blunder with the main course…

Super Bowl Sunday!

Disclaimer: I don’t like sports. I don’t mind the occasional live game but I don’t enjoy watching sports on TV. I know, I know, I’m a bad little Canadian who doesn’t like hockey but… *shrug emoji*. With that said, Jeff wanted to invite my folks over for the game so I agreed and told my mom to bring her crochet. I also wore the only sports apparel I own – a Blue Jays tank top, just to elicit an eye roll from my stepdad (mission accomplished). This was one of the rare occasions when I looked forward to making food and I had a couple ideas in mind. The Awkward Yeti has a comic that brilliantly sums up how I feel about the Super Bowl:

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip

Jeff’s sister-in-law makes this every time the family gets together. She gave me the recipe some time ago but it took me forever to make it. I’ve made it twice in the last three weeks even though it has one of the worst steps I’ve ever performed when cooking.

The recipe
– 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
– 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
– 3/4 cup Franks Read Hot sauce
– 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
– 2 8oz packages cream cheese

Boil chicken until fully cooked. When finished, shred chicken into small bits (Don’t chop. I used a cheese grater or a fork and knife). Soften cream cheese. Add Ranch dressing, hot sauce, shredded cheese, and chicken. Mix well. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Serve with Tostitos Scoops.

Ingredient changes
This dip is easy to eat a lot of so I used reduced sodium old cheddar cheese and light cream cheese.

Ease (or not) of prep
Remember how I mentioned this dip has one horrible step? That would be shredding chicken. What the crap is that?! Either you stand there with a knife and fork pulling it apart or you use a cheese grater, which works faster but not necessarily better. It took me at least half an hour to do this! Jeff’s sister-in-law has started using a KitchenAid standing mixer but I found that made the chicken too fine so I guess I can’t complain when I do it the hard way. Regardless, shredding chicken is for the birds *smug emoji*.

Boyfriend Test and Picky Eater Test: SCORE!
Jeff said the dip turned out just like Stacey’s and he ate a quarter of the dish himself so he’ll never go hungry when I make it. I am not a fan of spice so it took me a couple tries to get used to this dip but I really like it. The predominant flavours are chicken and cheese so the spice is not overpowering. The fact that I have to shred chicken by hand means I won’t make this terribly often but I’ll gladly make a meal of it when it’s on the menu at Stacey’s house.

Mozarella Sticks

The recipe
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks from allrecipes.com.

Ingredient changes
Jeff and I were the only ones eating these so I made less than the recipe called for. I used 6 cheese sticks (cut in half), 1 egg, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup bread crumbs to make 12 mozzarella sticks.

Ease (or not) of prep
Put bread crumbs in a baggie? Easy. Mix egg and milk? Simple. Wrap cheese in egg rolls wrappers? Piece of cake. Deep fry? Good thing my mom was here!

I don’t have a deep fryer so we used an old pot. My mom my pretty nervous about not having a deep fryer so when the oil crackled loudly, she removed it from the heat to calm it down. In the end, we and the kitchen survived unscathed so we must have done something right.

The Boyfriend Test: Pass (the ball!)
Jeff enjoyed these quite a bit. He said the were cooked perfectly. Really though, you can’t offend Jeff with breading and cheese.

Picky Eater Test: Soft pass
I found the egg roll wrapper a genius way to stop the cheese from exploding but I also found there to be a bit too much of it once it’s rolled up. The outside was crunchy and the inside was soft but not unpleasantly so. Next time I make these, I’ll fuss with them a bit and try to cut away the excess. I’ll also go a little overboard on the breading because I didn’t find them to be overly flavourful. My next mission will be to find a good dip to accompany them.

Taquitos (sort of?)

My mom threw some ingredients together and this is what came out. I use the term ‘taquitos’ loosely because I’m not sure how they’re actually made since this and the ones Jeff gets from 7 Eleven are my only experiences with them (and those 7 Eleven ones are dubious at best).

The recipe
– 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
– 1/2 cup finely chopped assorted peppers
– 1/2 cup cooked chicken
– 1 tbsp scallions
– 2 cloves fresh garlic
– Joseph’s Lavash wraps (or whatever wraps you prefer)
– shredded cheese, whatever kind and amount you prefer

Sautée ingredients in frying pan on medium heat, greased with your choice of olive oil or cooking spray. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Roll mixture into wraps with cheese. Stick rolls with toothpicks to keep them closed. Dribble tops with tomato sauce or salsa and sprinkle with a bit of cheese. Bake at 400º for 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

Ease (or not) of prep
Of all the things we made, this was probably the easiest, even though it had the most steps. No shredded chicken or threat of burning down the kitchen so that’s a win.

The Boyfriend Test: GOAL!
Jeff actually likes the taquitos that sit on those spinning heat trays at 7 Eleven so he loved the superior homemade version. I like recipes like this where I can easily kick up Jeff’s with spicy salsa or sriracha while leaving mine nice, plain, and pain-free.

Picky Eater Test: Pass
I only tried a bite because I was pretty full of dip by this point, but they were quite good. They were flavourful and, as with all the dishes we made, cheesy, so I was happy.

My mom also brought a veggie platter but, as you can see in the picture, most of that foolishness is still on the table. For dessert, we had a fruit plate. There’s still a lot of dip left over but Jeff and I will make short work of that. Don’t ask me what teams were playing or who won, but feel free to ask me about any of these recipes!

What are your favourite party foods? Any recipes out there I should try next time?