Dippity Do Dah

Janet here:

Like Rachel, I don't give two hoots about football or the Super Bowl. (See her post here about the event as an excuse to make nachos. Hah!) But others in my family — namely the males — care about such things so I liked to make watching the game a little special. It was a chance to gather together in front of the fire and nosh on some specialty goods (i.e. stuff that wasn't around the house that often the rest of the year like all the Doritos you could ever want and soda, something I rarely bought for our kids.).

Typically we'd have some kind of dip and then make-your-own subs, a favorite of S and G. I can remember going shopping with S and how excited he was as a little boy to pick out the chips and the sub makings. It's really a happy memory for me.

Our dips back in those days were fairly straight-forward because "strange" items like onions or veggies were not popular. Now, I'm happy to report, the palates have grown up with the boys. I made this spicy bean dip over the holidays and it was scarfed up in minutes. It's super easy.

What's your favorite go-to dip for family and friends?

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Spicy Black Bean Dip
makes about 2 cups

ingredients
canola oil
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 teaspoons canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
salt to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
about 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

method
In a medium pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauces, and saute until the onions are softened. Add the beans and 1/3 cup water. Simmer until the water evaporates, about 5 minutes. Cool for a few minutes.

In a food processor, process the bean mixture until coarsely mashed. Add the lime juice, chipotle chilies and salt. Puree until smooth.

Add the sour cream, jalapeno and cilantro. Pulse until just incorporated. Season to taste and then serve it up with chips and veggies.

Food for Thought Thursdays: Our Illustrator Can Cook!

John here: Before Rachel got pregnant, I knew two truths about pregnant women: they are hormonal and they are picky eaters. Rachel’s always been hormonal, I have tools for navigating that, but the food issue had me nervous. I can’t eat pickle sandwiches for dinner, I just can’t. Rachel did have a pickle phase but it was short lived and stayed mostly to eating them out of the jar and not in weird combinations like with ice cream or something else ridiculous. I could deal with that and I did. While I was expecting the worst from my beloved pregnant wife, sneaking yummy snacks so as to not be too hungry when her urge for okra or uncooked rolled oats kicked in, she was busy building a formidable hunger and unending desire for the staple food of her pregnancy: Hot Wings. Whoa…. Am I the luckiest man alive or what? Not only is my beautiful partner emotionally consistent with her roller coaster hormones, but also she craves my favorite food! HA to all of you other schleps running to grocery stores in the middle of the night for a jar of pickled beets! We live within walking distance of a great wing spot that has done the brunt of the work feeding Rachel, but last night I made her hot wings as a labor of love and joy and to show her my undying gratitude for carrying and supporting our child through the last seven months. She is the best partner I could ask for, and I really can ask a lot sometimes.

Creamy Orange and Chipotle Hot Wings
serves 2

Ingredients
10 whole chicken wings (makes 20 hot wings)
1 12-oz, bottle of Frank's Red Hot hot sauce
1/4 stick of butter
1/2 an orange
1/3 7-oz. can chipotle peppers (about 4 peppers plus juice), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 pint buttermilk
salt and pepper
olive oil
celery, cut into sticks
blue cheese dressing (or dipping sauce of your choice)
Up to 1 T. brown sugar (or more, if you like sweet sauce)

Method
Wash chicken wings. Divide each wing into two pieces (this is easy to do at the joint). Steam wings for 30 minutes. Lay flat in a baking pan and chill until cooled (roughly 30 minutes). While cooling, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Season wings with salt and pepper before tossing with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until skin is crisp. Immediately start on your sauce. Pour the Frank's into a sauce pan with the chipotles and their juice. Grate in the zest of your 1/2 orange and squeeze in its juice. Add garlic, butter and brown sugar. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly. When ready to serve, stir in buttermilk. Add wings to the sauce and toss before serving.