Nothing kicks off a Superbowl party like a spicy appetizer dip...especially one that includes beer!

I love southwestern flavors like cumin, coriander, and oregano. Roasting the veggies brings out the sweetness and the charring adds a layer of smokiness. Oven roasted onion is a fantastic contrast to the raw spring onions.

When the sharpness from the beer and lime juice, mild heat of paprika, chili powder, and turmeric is blended into a creamy sour cream and cream cheese base with a kick of cayenne, you have a delicious first course that pairs perfectly with cold beer, good friends, and Superbowl Sunday!  

Corn chips make the perfect bed for this appetizer dip. But you could use any type of tortilla chip, Dorito, or even pita chips. If you want to add a healthy crunch, serve with sweet bell peppers and celery sticks!

Spicy Roasted Pepper, Garlic And Beer Southwestern Dip

Printable Recipe

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: approximately 2 cups

Ingredients

-1/2 orange bell pepper

-3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

-1/4 wedge of large onion

-1/2 tablespoon olive oil

-salt and pepper to taste

-4 ounces cream cheese, softened

-3/4 cup sour cream

-2 tablespoon beer

-1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

-2 pinches salt

-1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

-1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

-1/2 teaspoon paprika

-1/2 teaspoon chili powder

-1/4 teaspoon turmeric

-1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

-1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

-2 tablespoon green onions plus more for garnish

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Place vegetables on a sheet pan.

3.  Drizzle oil over vegetables. Massage evenly into each one.

4.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5.  Roast until they start to char and the garlic is fork tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. 

6.  Blend cream cheese and sour cream in the food processor bowl.

7.  Peel charred skin off of bell pepper and squeeze garlic out of skin.

8.  Add pepper, onion, garlic, beer, and lime juice into bowl. Pulse a few times, then blend until combined.

9.  Sprinkle in the next 9 ingredients. Pulse until combined well.

10.  Spoon into a bowl and stir in the green onions so you don't pulverize them.

11.  Garnish and serve with corn, tortilla, or pita chips.

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Out of the kitchen studio comes another work of art in a bowl! This is a cross between chicken tortilla soup and white bean chili, dished up in clay bowls that my dad used to serve roasted oysters from the grill in :) As temperatures drop, why not Create More of those warm comforts that you crave in winter?

I thought these were the perfect rustic vessels to carry this thick, creamy, spicy meal.

The white beans give your palate the feel of chili, while the spices and crushed tortilla chips offer a sense of chicken tortilla soup.

I’ve eaten tortilla soups with a tomato paste and those with a heavy cream base. I’ve also had thinner chicken stock versions. I was going for chicken chili rather than a red sauce variety and I wanted a creamy smooth texture. Thick homemade chicken stock is packed with layers of flavor compared to canned. Then, I added cream of celery soup. That lent the consistency I desired and was a terrific pairing with the green chilies.

This chili is layered with oregano, cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes, along with lime juice, and white wine, sweet onions in the mix, and topped off with a sprinkle of spring onions and lime tortilla chips. I love green snippets of onions on the surface of soups and other Mexican fare.  

I use the lime flavored tortilla chips for my chicken nachos as well, because I love the lime and salt combination. Use whatever type of corn chips you prefer.

Creamy Chicken, Lime And White Bean Chili

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Servings:  4 to 5

Ingredients

-3 tablespoons olive oil

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-1 teaspoon ground cumin

-1 teaspoon ground coriander

-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

-2 cups chopped onion

-pinch of salt

-1/3 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio)

-juice from 1 lime

-2 cups chicken stock (I used homemade but you can use canned)

-1 10 ¾ ounce cream of celery soup

-1 ½ cups chicken, chopped

-1 – 4 ounce can green chilies

-1 – 15 1/2 ounce cannelloni white kidney beans with juice

-1/3 cup heavy cream

-dollop of sour cream (optional)

-spring onions for garnish

-lime tortilla chips or your favorite variety

Directions

1.  Heat oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven.

2.  Add next 4 ingredients. Stir for about 30 seconds to release the fragrant oils. Keep stirring and be careful not to let them burn.

3.  Toss in onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.

4.  Pour in wine and deglaze pan for about 5 to 10 minutes, until alcohol evaporates.

5.  Add lime juice.

6.  Then chicken stock. If you’re using fresh and it’s been refrigerated or frozen it can take a few minutes to dissolve. If you’re using canned, just stir to heat through.

7.  Add celery soup. Bring to a boil and whisk to dissolve.

8.  Turn down to medium. Add chicken, chilies, and beans. Cook for about 20 minutes to heat and meld all of the flavors together.

9.  Pour in the cream and continue cooking for about another 10 to 15 minutes to thicken.

10.  Serve with sour cream, a bit of onions, and crumbled tortilla chips.

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I was stacking meat, cheese, and veggies between 2 slices of bread and cooking them in a butter coated skillet long before I heard the name panini. Whatever you call it, this sandwich delivers on sweet, smokey, succulent, and spicy between a crunchy salty Portuguese roll.

Thanks to frozen sweet cherries that are delicious, you can Create More of this sandwich all year long, not just during the summer!

I first ate smoked turkey over the holidays a few years ago. Then I discovered horseradish cheddar, which is a fantastic pairing with the smokiness and fruit. The ruby colored ripe cherries gently pop on your palate with sweet and tangy flavor.

And then the mayo is creamy and fruity from the wine and rosemary's piney scent is fantastic with a sweet sauce.

Try a bourbon barrel red blend or cabernet that has smokey warm tones from the barrel, jammy fruit, cherry, and violet notes. You could also go with an Oregon or Washington state pinot noir for something lighter with a high concentration of tart cherry and earthiness.

Horseradish cheddar creates an interesting kind of heat at the back of the palate and through the nose as opposed to the tip and middle of the tongue. While my first bite proved that I was right on with this combination, I had miscalculated on just how slippery the cherry halves would be when pressed against the turkey and cheese and squeezed between the bread. A few went overboard into the butter pool, which I quickly rescued and placed back inside when the sandwich finished cooking.

The fix for this is simply to carve out tiny wells in the top or bottom of the bread. Then secure the cherry cheeks flush with the bread. Problem solved!

I had stocked up on cherries when they were on sale so I had plenty to play with. But this gourmet sandwich is worth going to the store today and purchasing some fresh or frozen sweet cherries so you can reward yourself with a panini for your lunch break :)

Smoked Turkey, Horseradish Cheddar And Cherry Panini With Red Wine Rosemary Mayonnaise

Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Servings 1 sandwich

Ingredients For Sandwich

-1 tablespoon butter

-1 Portuguese roll

-6 to 8 cherries, cheeks cut off (or frozen cherries, sliced in half, no need to thaw)

-1 slice horseradish cheese

-2 slices smoked turkey

-fresh basil leaves, enough to cover cheese ( I used cinnamon basil but sweet would also work)

Ingredients For Red Wine Rosemary Mayonnaise

-2 tablespoons mayonnaise

-1/2 tablespoon dry red wine (bourbon barrel red blend or a Pinot Noir)

-1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

Directions For Sandwich

1.  Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. I like iron frying pans because the bread gets crunchier.

2.  To keep the cherries from slipping out of the edges of the sandwich when you're pressing on the panini dig out little holes from the top of the bread and place a cherry cheek in each one.

3.  Layer on the cheese against the bread and then the turkey and basil leaves.

4.  Place the sandwich in the pan and press down as it cooks to seal everything together. When it browns on the first side, after about 10 minutes, flip it over and brown the other and cook until the cheese melts, another 5 to 10 minutes.

5.  While the sandwich is cooking whisk together the mayo and wine.

6.  Then stir in the rosemary.

7.  Spoon into a small bowl.

8.  Slice the sandwich in half and serve with the mayo as a dipping sauce.

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As a right-brain soul, originality is everything, so it may sound crazy but I’ve been resisting repurposing content. See, I had this wild notion that viewers might be turned off by seeing the same content in more than one place even if it was in multiple forms.  

I saw this tactic as copying, which is an evil 7 letter word. If a visitor landed on my blog and read my posts then traveled onto Amazon and saw a collection of them for sale or read an Ezine article, only to stumble upon an audio or video containing the same information, wouldn’t it seem like I wasn’t delivering unique content?

Now, after some serious cyber voyeurism of the experts who have more years in the internet trenches than I do, I’ve changed my perception. Delivering my art and message across various mediums empowers people to receive information in their own way, on the platform of their choice. Ecommerce opens up another exciting avenue for artists to Create More and share your work on a variety of products.

Here are 5 reasons you need to get over it and start re-purposing:

1.   Never Get Bored – If you’re like me, and get bored easily, you’ll enjoy how fun it is to play with different formats. So rather than expressing your artistic voice in text everyday, get into character and record a playfully professional audio recording. Or, kick it up to a wild level, dress up, and act out your latest blog post for a special YouTube feature.

2.   Keep It Fresh - If you’re having a blast performing, your viewers will have fun watching. Multiple methods keep it fresh for your market.

3.   Each piece of art has its own personality. Which platform represents the tone of your current masterpiece? Animate the story of your art, like painting and photography with video. Take advantage of the phenomenal ebook opportunity or a sketch blog to showcase your talent.  


4.   Experiment – No matter how many webinars, teleseminars, books, or blogs you sift through for tips, tricks, and tactics, you’ll still need to trial and error it by putting your style in front of the camera, on the screen, and on the page, to see what works best. Focus on the triumph, not the trial and on fun, not frustration as we artists tend to feel about technology.

5.   No Limits – There’s no right or wrong way, only your way. Portray your personality on as many platforms, to as many people as you want. Think of the World Wide Web as a blank canvas, the computer your palette , and the mouse your brush…Now splash your brand’s persona out in different directions, using as many colors as you desire!

While the innovation and code which fuels these amazing online tools are left-brain creations, right-brainers possess the power to mold and shape them into a marketing engine that delivers a custom designed experience to dazzle your spectators.

Were you concerned about sacrificing originality when repurposing content OR am I alone in this crazy notion and it never crossed your mind?

Come along and join the Create More movement so we can all stay up to date on the latest creative branding maneuvers!

   

Welcoming birds into your yard is a labor of love and a lesson in humility. Agile and adaptable, I'm in awe of how they forge through life with amazing ability.

Faced with humans cutting trees that send nests crashing to the ground, or the force of Mother Nature blowing their homes down.

Crows gobble up eggs as soon as they are laid.

Mom and dad fight to defend each clutch, but still a high price is paid.

From the mockingbird that choruses all night long,

To the robins who begin their melodies at dawn.

From the thrashers teaching their young to hunt for prey,

To the cardinals deciding it's time to push their babies away.

Birds leave an indelible mark on your heart.

Every time they feed a beak full of food to their babies, who rapidly grow up and quickly depart.

When wild birds warm up to you and become feathered friends,

An unusual bond and treasured trust begins.

How are you Creating More natural areas for wildlife in your yard? Please share in the comments below!

Join other artists through the Create More Movement by clicking right here :)