Creamy basil pesto dip from scratch

Mmm, don’t you just love fresh basil? It’s definitely one of my favourite herbs and I’m pretty sure I could eat pesto for months and not get sick of it—especially fresh, homemade pesto! Perhaps the only thing I love more is sushi, which I’m munching on while writing this lunchtime update.

I wish I could say that this basil was from my own garden, but alas I seem to be struggling to coax anything to grow except for my two gorgeous zucchini plants. Ah well. Summer has been taking its time arriving in Australia, so perhaps there is time yet for oodles of home-grown veggies and herbs!

This basil pesto dip was so easy to whip up before having guests over, and tasted great the next day too. The best part is that it isn’t made from pre-made pesto, so you have control over all of the ingredients and can adjust them to your taste. Enjoy!

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Edited: November 6th, 2011

100th Recipe: Chocolate Stout Cake

Isn’t it funny how things happen sometimes? A couple of weeks ago I simultaneously noticed that I was approaching my 100th recipe on the blog and that I was preparing to yet again make this cake for my roommate’s birthday. This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe, and once you have it in your repertoire, you will never need another chocolate cake recipe ever again. I promise. Anyway, I was flipping through my cookbook and came across the “real” recipe that I had originally torn out of an Elle Canada magazine, and it was like a classic glass-shattering moment in How I Met Your Mother: something clicked. The credit for the recipe was from Smitten Kitchen, one of my all-time favourite food blogs, and certainly one of the most well-known ones, too. But previous to Smitten Kitchen, I don’t think I knew of or cared about any food blogs, and definitely hadn’t ever thought of writing for my own! So somehow, this little recipe and my curiosity as to who could create such a masterpiece of a cake were the beginning of and the inspiration for all of the food blogging I’ve done to date. Um, and yeah, that’s just how freaking good this cake is.

It’s so good that, if you are a devout Three Cheeses reader, you may already be aware of the fact that I’ve blogged about this cake here. I’ve been meaning to make this cake and take “proper” photos of it to give it the justice it deserves. So, thanks to my roommate’s patience for allowing me to spend an extra half hour fussing over photos and lighting and details before letting him dig into his own birthday cake (welcome to the food blogger’s curse), I give you: chocolate stout cake, recipe 100!

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Edited: May 12th, 2011

Caramelized Onion Dip

This recipe should probably come with a giant, “Warning: You will eat all of this in one sitting!” sign. So before I start gushing about this amazing dip, consider yourself warned.

Then again, the warning sign kind of says it all, right? This dip is to die for. Creamy and onion-y, savoury with just that little bit of caramelized sweetness—it’s a bit of perfection, my friends! I suppose some may call it a “French Onion Dip,” but I feel like that would be misguiding. This dip is all about the caramelized onions… and anything that lets me caramelize onions to within an inch of their life has got to be amazing! It’s best made with a very, very thick brand of sour cream—don’t stint and get anything fat-free, it just won’t be worth it.

This great dip will be a hit at any event! Most notably, my mother-in-law-to-be made it for our engagement party, and somehow we had leftovers—which we devoured for the rest of the weekend. My what a weekend that was! Enjoy responsibly!

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Edited: April 6th, 2011

The Best Yam Fries Dip

You may have noticed my recent post about homemade baked yam fries, and in it you will have noticed that I promised to share my yam fries dip recipe as well. Ironically, I perfected this recipe before I perfected the fries themselves—I do so love my dips and sauces! After much fiddling, I have created this sauce, which is tangy and smooth and altogether wonderful paired with homemade yam fries. It would also be a great dip for veggie sticks in general.

Without further ado, enjoy!

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Edited: October 15th, 2010