Savory Pineapple Cream Cheese Dip

 

Last night I had some girl friends over for a tropical themed potluck.  I was pretty excited to try out this recipe – I only hoped it tasted as great as it looked!  It was actually very easy to throw together.  I’d recommend making the dip the night before so it retains the domed shape – then top it the next day with the pecans to give it the pineapple look.  It just had a hint of pineapple – I think next time I’d add in some chopped dried pineapple to give it a little more sweetness. But I think it was a success!

Savory Pineapple Cream Cheese Dip (adapted from The Healthy Foodie)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped
• ¼ orange bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 t whole grain mustard
• ¼ t black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper
• 75-100 pecan halves  

Directions:

1. Cut the top off your pineapple – chop a few leaves off the back side so it will lay flat on the serving plate.

2. Whip cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes. 

3. Squeeze the juices out of the pineapple and add to the cream cheese mixture along with the rest of the ingredients.  Continue mixing on low until incorporated.    

4. Create a dome shape on your serving platter with enough space for the pineapple top.  Cover with press & seal wrap and refrigerate until the next day. 

5. Toast your pecans in the oven for a few minutes. Let them cool to room temperature.

6. Take your serving platter out of the fridge and top with the pecans, adding layer by layer until it is completely covered.  Place your pineapple top on the plate and add crackers and veggies for dipping.

Perfect to serve with a piña colada!

Shrimp Stir Fry with Homemade Peanut Sauce

 

We had shrimp and lots of veggies in the fridge, so a few nights ago I threw together this stir fry!  It was super easy – and we had plenty left for the next few days (I need to learn to portion better when cooking for two…although the leftovers were delicious).  Feel free to use any combination of your favorite vegetables, substitute for other meats, or take out the shrimp to make this a vegetarian-friendly meal. 

Shrimp Stir Fry with Homemade Peanut Sauce (adapted from Averie Cooks & Rasa Malaysia)

Ingredients:

• 15-20 medium shrimp, deveined, tails off
• 3 – 4 cups of mixed vegetables, chopped (I used about a handful of each: white onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots,  and snap peas)
• 1 14-oz. can whole baby corn, drained
• 1 8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup peanuts
• ½ cup Jasmine rice
• 2 T olive oil
• ½ cup chunky natural peanut butter
• ¾ cup coconut milk
• 2 T Thai red curry paste
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the rice according to the cooking instructions. 

2.  Add the peanut butter, coconut milk, red curry paste, and apple cider vinegar to a saucepan and whisk together.  Warm it on low heat and continue to whisk. 

3. Meanwhile, drizzle a large skillet or wok with olive oil.  Add your mixed veggies and let cook for 3-4 minutes.   

4. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt & pepper and add to the vegetable mixture.  Cook until shrimp is opaque and vegetables are tender.

5. Add the rice and egg to the mixture, mixing so the egg gets scrambled.  Pour the peanut sauce in and combine until everything is coated. 

 

I actually was expecting the red curry paste to be spicier than it was – I liked the flavor of it, but it really wasn’t very spicy at all.  You could add a bit of Sriracha or red pepper spice if you want your peanut sauce to have more of a kick.   

Bern’s Steak House – Tampa, FL

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to celebrate my birthday at Bern’s Steak House the past several years.  It’s such a fun experience to get all dressed up and enjoy the phenomenal food.  

 

 

 

Bern’s has been recognized as one of the top 10 steakhouses in the country, and they boast the largest wine cellar in the whole world!

It looks pretty unassuming from the outside, and honestly the interior looks pretty dated to me.  But the quality of the food they serve is so fantastic – if I had to choose one place to eat for the rest of my life, this would be it.  

There are 8 ornate dining rooms, but no matter what day of the week you go, it is always busy (make sure you make reservations).  We were seated and given some time to look through the extensive wine list – the enormous book at the tables is actually the abridged version!  

 

We chose the 2008 Feudi Di San Gregorio Primitivo – a red from the Campania region of Southern Italy.  Our waiter poured it into a decanter and made sure our glasses were full throughout the meal.  It paired perfectly with our steaks – online it’s described as having a tart cherry and currant flavor with a bit of mocha and cloves, and pepper.  I’m hoping I can pick some up at Total Wine since it’s probably my new favorite.  

Despite Bern’s being pricier than we’re used to spending, it’s actually a really great deal compared to most high-end steakhouses.  Every entrée is served with soup, salad, a baked potato, onion rings, and fresh vegetables.  Many other restaurants charge for your steak then make you add each side a la carte.  I always end up with two meals when I eat at Bern’s, even if I get the smallest size steak.  

I ordered the 8 ounce Filet Mignon and Lance had the 14 ounce Chateaubriand.  Before our soups were served, we were brought cheese toasts to snack on (I actually wasn’t as impressed with these as the rest of our meal).  

Their homemade French Onion Soup Au Gratin is so delicious.  It is served nice and hot with garlic and spelt toasts.  

Next comes the Steak House Salad – which this time seemed even larger than normal.  They have their own farm in Tampa where some of the vegetables are grown.  You can choose from 10 of their house-made dressings – their  bleu-cheese is delicious.  The greens were topped with celery, avocado, sprouts, egg, carrots, onions, cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, red peppers and hearts of palm.  It tastes so fresh! 

 

On a normal day, I would have been full after the soup and salad.  But then they came out with the main course! I knew I wanted to save room for dessert, so I saved more than half for leftovers the next day.  The dry-aged steaks are so juicy and flavorful.  And their onion rings are the best you’ll ever have – thin and crispy, not at all greasy. 

 

We took a tour after our dinner – we’ve done it before, but we needed a few minutes break before heading to dessert!  We still had some wine left, so they let us bring our glasses with us.  You walk through the kitchen to see behind-the-scenes as dishes are prepared.   

Then they lead you through the gigantic wine cellar to see their vast collection.  It’s arranged like a library with numbered shelves.  Some of the bottles are the last on Earth – and some are valued in the tens of thousands of dollars! 

 

After our tour, we headed to the Harry Waugh Dessert Room upstairs.  When you make dinner reservations, they automatically make you reservations for dessert as well.  The booths, which look like oversized wine barrels, are made from California redwood wine holding tanks.  Each table is equipped with a sound system that lets you pick your station – the best is the live pianist!  You can request a song to play by picking up the phone.  

 

There are about 50 dessert options, so it’s a difficult decision to make.  In the past, we’ve loved the Bananas Foster, which is prepared for two and flambéed tableside.  This time, I picked the Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle and Lance had the Trio of Liquid Center Cakes.  

Mine was super rich and decadent – I brought half home to enjoy later.  Lance’s was very tasty, but we actually didn’t notice a liquid center in any of the three cakes, and despite being different flavors, they all tasted about the same.   

 

Our waitress brought out a little pastry cup of whipped cream with a candle to celebrate my birthday! 

 

I thought it was funny that the to-go bag had a little poem: “Since my meal has been replete, I’ll conserve what I couldn’t eat, to serve myself another time, or feed that dog or cat of mine.”  I don’t know what kind of crazy person wastes their Bern’s leftovers on their pets, but we had another equally wonderful meal at home the next night! 

 

Bern’s Steak House is located at 1208 South Howard Avenue, Tampa, FL 33606 and is open Sunday – Thursday 5pm – 10pm and Friday – Saturday 5pm – 11pm.