Hot Honey Peach Dip

Whipped feta dip is a creamy, savory appetizer that you can make in just about 15 minutes. This easy recipe combines feta cheese and simple ingredients for a smooth, party-perfect dip. Serve this quick whipped feta with pita chips, fresh vegetables, or crusty bread for a crowd-pleasing snack. You will love how simple it is to create this flavorful dip for your next gathering. 

You'll need:

12 oz Feta Cheese
10 oz Plain Greek Yogurt
2-3 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon Juice - a whole lemon juiced
2-3 Cloves Roasted Garlic - chopped finely

Salt and Black Pepper - to taste
1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
2 Peaches (diced)
Honey or Hot Honey to drizzle on the top to your liking

4 oz Prosciutto Italiano - fried crisp and chopped

3 oz Pistachios - chopped finely

Optional garnish of parsley, dill or oregano - to your taste
Pita Chips, Hearty Crackers or Fresh Vegetable Spears

The original recipe insisted on using a whole block of feta cheese and grate it finely.  That may be true but I was in a hurry and used crumbled feta.  It's not completely creamy but it is perfectly fine.  Add your feta to your stand mixer (this is not a blender recipe).  Add the yogurt, EVOO, the juice of one full lemon, roasted garlic (chop as finely as you can or use garlic flakes if you need to).  Put on a pinch of red pepper flakes then add salt and black pepper to taste.   

Mix this very, very well in your mixer and get it as creamy as you can.  Set this aside and fry your prosciutto over medium heat until it crisps.  This is a very quick process - one not to be left alone but they are is so much more flavor if you crisp this ingredient.  Drain on paper towels then chop finely.

Chop the pistachios into a small crunchy pieces.

Wash the peaches and dice them into very small bits.  If you are making this in advance, you'll need to add the juice of a lemon in the peach container to keep them from browning overnight. 

To assemble this dish, bring out your favorite serving tray then spread the feta dip down in a thin layer.  Top this with the peaches, prosciutto, and pistachios

Just before serving, drizzle this with honey.  I used hot honey and it is a total home run. 

Serve with pita chips, your favorite hearty cracker or even vegetable spears.  

You can make this the day before your event and layer it on the day of or even take it in small ingredient containers and assemble on site!  My first words on the taste test were "OH SNAP"!  I hope you like this as much as we did!

Zucchini and Tomato Capellini

 

This fresh pasta dish is a burst of summer flavor and it's so simple but totally delicious.  Fresh zucchini and cherry tomatoes are the perfect combination when sauteed in a buttery garlic sauce.  This dish uses just a handful of ingredients and can be ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes. The addition of fresh basil takes this dinner over the top!

You'll need:

1 stick of butter
3 zucchinis sliced into rounds
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 lb cherry tomatoes 
1/2 cup of freshly chopped basil
1 lb capellini pasta (angel hair pasta works too)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 hearty pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Shredded Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Add the pasta to boiling water and let it cook until almost tender, Reserve the pasta water.

Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.  Add the zucchini and cook on both sides until the slices start to brown.  Add garlic and then the tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and let that cook over medium low heat until the tomatoes start to burst and get saucy.  Add 1/4 cup of the basil and combine.

Transfer the pasta with tongs into the skillet of vegetables and add the remaining butter to the skillet.  You may need to add some of the pasta water for consistency.  When the pasta is cooked serve the dish with the remainder of the fresh basil sprinkled on top.  I had some Parmesan Cheese on hand and I sprinkled it on top - LOVED it - hope you do too!