Zippy Dippy - Adobo Dip

I'm not much of a chef, but every now and then, I get inspired. My inspiration today was a Mom's Night Out Potluck. A friend had passed along a dip recipe a few months ago. Since I like extreme cooking (making something for the first time to serve to other people), the Adobo Dip seemed to fit the bill. So I'm home from the party now and the dip was a hit. Several moms were camped out chowing down and praising the spicy, tangy, smoky, yummy-ness that was my offering. So, I share the recipe with you:

Adobo Dip

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
3 medium scallions, trimmed and sliced thin
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 small chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced to a paste, plus 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon grated zest plus 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime

Combine all the ingredients in medium bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for at least 40 minutes; serve cold with tortilla chips. The dip will keep refrigerated for 2 days.

The chiles are sold in the Mexican Food section at the market.

Virtual Town Hall - Healthcare

I'm over on The Los Angeles Moms Blog today participating in a Virtual Town Hall on the topic of healthcare. Each one of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog sister sites is contributing. Check us all out!

Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs, Cops and Neighborhood Watch

Ah, Summer. My favorite season and one of the reasons I moved to LA....Endless Summer! Back in New England we call barbecues "cookouts". Whatever you call them in your neck of the woods, they usually always include hotdogs. Hot dogs are loved by people of all ages, convenient to eat, and quite tasty. As I prepared for this post, I decided I really wanted to provide my readers with some facts that cut the mustard: Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat more than an estimated 7 billion hot dogs - enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times! Hot dog fans here in Los Angeles are known to garnish their franks with chili, but less than 40% surveyed actually reported using the savory topping. Though thousands of miles apart, those surveyed actually noted similar tastes to Chicago (where I was just a couple of weeks ago) residents with a preference for mustard (77%), ketchup (58%), relish (57%) and onions (56%). Finally, mustard was ranked as the topping of choice among both men (80%) and women (75%), while onions ranked second with 55% of men and ketchup ranked second with 60% of women. Interesting. I prefer my hot dog topped with spicy brown mustard.
I'm going to be frank with you, Oscar Mayer asked me if I'd be interested in having a cookout featuring their hot dogs and, by the way, they'd sponsor it. "Yes, yes, yes!" I said "And I have the perfect occasion." I'm captain of my Neighborhood Watch and we were planning our next meeting with some of my town's finest. Nothing brings the neighbors out like the news of a free neighborhood cookout and I knew the supply of wieners would be safe with about ten cops on hand. Neighborhood Watch (NW) is an excellent program and I strongly suggest everyone have a program on their block. NW isn't just about crime prevention. It's about knowing your neighbors, being involved with your community, watching out for each other (we have a number of elderly residents who live alone) and coming together in times of natural disaster. Be aware, be prepared and participate in civic life!
When I was in Chicago a couple weeks back, I was able to ketchup with the WienerMobile in person. You can follow the adventures of the WienerMobile and the Hotdoggers who occupy it by going to their their blog HotDoggerBlog.com. I'm sorry, but you gotta just crack up when you see the WienerMobile rolling down the street at you. But, hey, any chance to smile is a chance I'll take!
Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs come in a pretty wide variety. I particularly relish the ALL Beef Bun Length ones. Because what is more annoying than bun overage? I mean really....You know you've been there. The Bun Length Hot Dogs solve that issue. I also learned that at Oscar Mayer "hot dogs" are really an umbrella term that includes "weiners" and "franks" under it. There are so many varieties, just go pick your favorite to put in your pun bun here. We had a successful neighborhood cookout, fed the men and women who serve us so bravely and enjoyed a glorious summer evening. All American and all good.