Ranch Dip

You know what happens when you attempt to make ranch dressing and it ends up being too thick? You pretend like you were actually making ranch dip, hence the title of my post and name of my recipe.  Before my youngest daughter decided she loved vegetables, she didn't, and we recommended she eat them with ranch dressing, and it worked.  She has loved ranch and vegetables ever since.  I promised her homemade ranch dressing, and finally I made it.  Of course my ranch dressing really was ranch dip, but hey that is a forgivable mistake right?  It isn't is it?  Okay, well then we'll make ranch dressing next time.  This dip is really good with vegetables, like those commercials for a certain hidden ranch dressing where everyone is eating cauliflower like popcorn and they have vegetable eating contests.  Potato chips are really yummy with this dip too.  

 Ranch dip and vegetables, great Summer time snack.

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek Style Yogurt
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 Avocado Oil (Olive Oil can be substituted)
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
2 tablespoons Fresh Dill
5 Small or 3 Large Green Onions
2 cloves Garlic
2 teaspoons Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

 Cut the greens onion, parsley, and dill, press the garlic and mix all of these with salt.

 Lets add the yogurt, sour cream, and avocado oil, stir.

 The flavor wasn't right yet, so add pepper, and Worcestershire Sauce, stir.

 Still not right add smoked paprika and hot sauce, stir.  Perfect!

 Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Dip your favorite vegetables and potato chips.

Enjoy!

Ranch dip

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek Style Yogurt

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/4 Avocado Oil (Olive Oil can be substituted)

1/4 cup Fresh Parsley

2 tablespoons Fresh Dill

5 Small or 3 Large Green Onions

2 cloves Garlic

2 teaspoons Hot Sauce

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Process:

Cut the greens onion, parsley, and dill, press the garlic and mix all of these with salt.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Hoisin Sauce

Chinese food is another of my favorite ethnic cuisine's to cook. It help's that we have a Chinese teenager living with us, to give me his honest opinion about how far off the mark I was with authenticity.  I bought a frozen duck from Costco, my very first attempt at preparing duck and also my first time eating it too.  I wanted to have sauce with the duck that any self-respecting Chinese family would serve with Peking Duck.  Hoisin seemed to be my best bet for authenticity and I had all the ingredients on hand already.  This is a super easy recipe to prepare. 

This is a bottle of yummy Chinese goodness, just waiting to be put on your Peking Duck.
Don't worry, I'll show you how to make Peking Duck in another post.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Smooth Peanut Butter
1 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar (Dark Brown Sugar can be substituted)
2 teaspoons Brown Rice Vinegar (rice Vinegar can be substituted)
1 Clove of Garlic
2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
1 teaspoon Hot Sauce (I used my homemade hot sauce, recipe found here)
1/8 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

 Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

 You now have Hoisin Sauce!

Pour into a squeeze bottle or lidded container.

Enjoy!

Hoisin Sauce

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Smooth Peanut Butter

1 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar (Dark Brown Sugar can be substituted)

2 teaspoons Brown Rice Vinegar (Rice Vinegar can be substituted)

1 Clove of Garlic

2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Seed Oil

1 teaspoon Hot Sauce 

1/8 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Process:

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into a squeeze bottle or lidded container.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are David's favorite part of the chicken.  He had requested chicken wings as part of our February menu and I finally got around to making them.  Chicken wings are a yummy iconic Super Bowl snack, I think, I'm not sure.  We don't watch any sports at all, I married a nerd.  Most of the chicken wings are fried and then tossed with a spicy sauce and served with a bleu cheese dip.  My wings are baked, not fried, and I used my homemade hot sauce to flavor them.

 Don't these look delicious?

Ingredients for this recipe are:

4 lbs. Chicken Wings

1/2 cup Favorite Hot Sauce (I used my homemade hot sauce, recipe found here)

1 tablespoon Butter

Salt 

Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 Fahrenheit

 Remove chicken wing tips.

Pat the chicken dry.  

Place the chicken wings on aluminum foil lined sheet pan.

 Cook butter, hot sauce, salt, and freshly ground pepper over medium flame until mixed and melted.

 Bake chicken wings for 45-50 minutes.

 Toss chicken wings and sauce in large bowl.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Wings

Printable Recipe Found Here

4 lbs. Chicken Wings

1/4 cup Favorite Hot Sauce

1 tablespoon Butter

1/4 teaspoon Salt 

1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 Fahrenheit

Remove chicken wing tips.

Pat the chicken dry.  

Place the chicken wings on aluminum foil lined sheet pan.

Cook butter, hot sauce, salt, and freshly ground pepper over medium flame until mixed and melted.

Bake chicken wings for 45-50 minutes.

Toss chicken wings and sauce in large bowl.

Enjoy!