Football Party Beer & Cheddar Dip

Image courtesy Nealey Dozier, The Kitchn

When you think of football, food also probably comes to mind. From pizza to wings to beer, the unhealthier the food, the better it tastes on game day! Whether you're hosting a party or attending someone else's on Sunday, this beer & cheddar dip (courtesy of The Kitchn) is sure to please! After all, it's the best of both football food worlds--beer and melted cheese!

Beer & Cheddar Dip

Serves 4-6

1 cup (8 ounces) evaporated milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

10 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup amber beer

2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bacon crumbles and green onions, for garnish (optional)

Pretzels, pretzel bread, or crudités, for serving

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together evaporated milk, eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and half of the shredded cheese. Once the cheese sauce begins to warm, add the beer and cornstarch-water mixture (aka the slurry). Whisking frequently, gradually add the remaining cheese and cook until the sauce reaches desired thickness, about 10 - 12 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Keep warm over lowest heat setting, stirring frequently, until ready to serve. Garnish with bacon crumbles and green onions and serve with pretzels, pretzel bread, or crudités.

What are your favorite Super Bowl snacks and recipes?

Cold & Flu Season Kitchen Essentials

"Tea for two" by Naama ym is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Whether we want to think about it or not, cold and flu season is right around the corner. When you’re not feeling your best, the last thing you want to do is leave the house. So while you’re healthy, make sure you stock up on these sick day essentials, courtesy of The Kitchn, so that you’re back to health as quickly as possible!

The Drink Essentials

Herbal Tea: Make sure your stash is well-stocked, as herbal tea is probably the #1 go-to drink for most of us when we get sick. Black and green teas are nice too, but don't soothe the throat quite as well.

Honey: Tea by itself is fine, but tea with honey is extra soothing...

Lemons: ... and even more so if you add a squeeze of lemon. In fact, why not just go ahead and make this ginger honey and lemon tonic? The shot of whiskey in the recipe is optional, but highly recommended. (Trust me.)

Ginger and/or High-Quality Ginger Ale: You'll want fresh ginger for the tonic above, or to make any one of these stomach-soothing teas. You may also want to pick up a bottle or two of high-quality ginger ale — the kind made with real ginger, not just ginger flavoring and sugar — when you're feeling like a little light carbonation would be helpful.

Orange juice or oranges: Give yourself an extra shot of vitamin C with a glass of orange juice, even better if it's freshly-squeezed. (But hey, you're sick! Do whatever is easiest.)

The Food Essentials
Chicken soup: It's not all in your head; there's scientific proof that chicken soup really does help soothe cold symptoms, so buy a few cans for your pantry, or make and freeze a big homemade batch. Looking for the perfect soup recipe? Try one of these → 5 Soups to Soothe a Cold and From Chicken Noodle to Egg Drop: 10 Soothing Broth-Based Soups.

Applesauce: An essential part of the BRAT diet, applesauce is low in fiber but has lots of calories, so it's easy on a delicate stomach.

Bread for toast: Keep a loaf of sliced bread in your freezer, and you'll be so glad you have some bread around when you can't keep anything else down.

Quick-prep frozen meals: If your stomach isn't the problem and you're just wallowing in a head cold, quick-prep frozen meals (like these Trader Joe's recommendations) mean you can get some food in your system fast. You can also reheat one of these excellent freezer meals.

Your favorite comfort foods: This is different for everyone. What makes you feel good when you're sick? Maybe it's something from childhood, like mashed potatoes or a bowl of ramen noodles. Whatever it is, pick it (or the ingredients to make it) up the next time you go to the grocery store.

Do you have any secret cold and flu fighters?

5 Home Items You Don't Actually Need

"Alessi Dinnerware" by Didriks is licensed under CC BY 2.0

You’re in the home goods store looking for items for your apartment. You’re surrounded by everything from towels, to cutting boards, to “as seen on TV items.” So what things do you truly need and which things should you never spend money on (Hint: You’ll never need the “as seen on TV” items)? Apartment Therapy offers this advice:

Top sheet — Are you hip to this trend? I'm on board (Teresa is too). Forgoing a top sheet has made zero difference in my sleeping comfort, but a major difference in my laundry load and morning bed-making time. I'm a convert.

Place settings for 12 — Every registry will encourage you to stock up, but don't do it. Chances are, if you're ever expecting 12 people at once, there will be ample notice to arrange to borrow or rent enough china and silver. And in the (probably long) interim between your epic dinner parties, you won't have to devote storage space to your huge collection of dishware.

Specialized cleaning products —Every cleaning line wants to convince you that you need to buy many different lotions and potions to get each specific part of your home clean. An extra-strength disposal bomb to get it lemony fresh? Why not just try a lemon? Or...VINEGAR.

Matching nightstands or lamps — Of course retailers will try to convince you to shell out for two instead of one, but don't blindly buy what you might not need. Ask yourself, do both sides of your bed need the same storage? The same lighting situation? Do you even like the look of a matching set? If the answer is no then you're probably a candidate for an unusual nightstand.

ALL the knives — Why buy a set and let the store choose which knives you get? Pare down your collection to the ones you know you'll use and love. (Hint: you probably just need a chef's knife, paring knife and bread knife, says the Kitchn)

What apartment items do you have that you wish you didn't spend the money on?

Maximize Your Kitchen Space

"counter space!" by Maggie Hoffman is
licensed under CC BY 2.0

Regardless of the size of your apartment’s kitchen, it seems like there is never enough space for cooking, not to mention storage. If you are especially pressed for space to cook, storing your kitchen utensils in an organized and efficient way is paramount. Get creative with maximizing the space in your kitchen with these storage ideas from The Kitchn:

Add shelving anywhere you can: When space is at a minimum, you have to make the most of whatever you can find. That will likely mean adding shelving or a hanging cabinet to spaces that might otherwise go unused. Just make sure you have stylish storage containers if you opt for open shelving.

Hang your pots and pans: By storing your pots and pans vertically, you’ll free up cabinet, shelf, and drawer space for more pantry storage. We’d much rather see a beautiful Calphalon or All-Clad pan than a box of cereal or a bag of chips.

Make use of your cabinet doors: The inside of your cabinet doors are a woefully underused resource. Use them for storing spices or small kitchen utensils to free up even more space for larger items.

Put even narrow spaces to use: Think an awesome skinny storage rack is out of your reach? Think again! Find out how you can easily DIY a rolling pantry that is designed to fit whatever space your kitchen has to offer.

Organize in tiers: A simple and inexpensive addition, risers in your cabinets will not only make use of the vertical space on your shelves, but they’ll help you know what you already have and avoid buying duplicates.

Add a cart: If you have more space near your oven than you do in your pantry, keep a rolling cart with all your essential items at hand. You can move it around to wherever you’re cooking or stash it away when you have guests over and need more floor space.

Don’t forget about the space under your cabinets: Steal a trick from woodworking workshops, and affix lids to the bottom of your cabinets to keep jars of your most used items handy. Just be sure your cabinet is sturdy enough to hold the jars when they are full.

How do you make the most of the space in your kitchen? Share your tips with us!

Setting Up a User-Friendly Kitchen

Photo courtesy Erika Tracy

When you first move into a new apartment, one of the first things that makes you feel at home is to preparing a meal. In order to do this, you need to set up your kitchen first. How can you do so in a way that is conducive to cooking? Apartment Therapy offers these tips for putting together a ready-to-use kitchen.

1. Organize. Arrange the pantry, tools, dishware in a way that works for you. Use containers for pantry staples that are appealing to you even if your kitchen isn't.

2. Deep clean. Before loading the cabinets with your belongings, give their interiors a good scrubbing. Cabinet exteriors are often wiped down but the inside might be overlooked. Clean the floors (even under appliances) and the appliances themselves. By deep-cleaning the kitchen when you're setting up home, you'll make it a truly fresh start.

3. Accessorize. See those nice woven baskets in the photo above? They aren't expensive or hard to come by, but they contribute to making that kitchen something special. Same with the vintage rug and curtains. Pick out storage and decor accessories that will help make your kitchen lovely even if the bones aren't what you would choose given a blank slate.

4. Use it. Eating out every night and leaving your kitchen unused isn't going to make it feel like a loved space. Instead, put it to use! Choose quality ingredients and cook meals with care at home and you'll see that even just doing that can make a kitchen feel better.

5. Go freestanding. If lack of storage or counter space is what's holding your kitchen back, make it lovely by repurposing a freestanding piece of furniture. Both kitchens pictured above are fine examples of this move. Even the tiniest of kitchens probably has someplace you can work this in, even if it's just a small wall-mounted shelf.

What’s something you must to have in your kitchen before you’re ready to cook in it?

So You Think You’re A Foodie? 10 Items Every Foodie Should Own

Photos (L-R) courtesy US Department of Agriculture, Lars Plougmann, Andrea Goh

You scoff at Easy Mac and Ramen, you know the best spots in town to eat, and you have even tried re-creating things you have eaten at a restaurant in your apartment…does this make you a foodie? Maybe, depending on how good cooking actually is. If you’re serious about creating your own dishes at home, according to Whole Green Love, you must own the following items:

Immersion blender. You need one. I’d have to say we use ours four days a week or more. We use it to blend smoothies, puree soups, make homemade fruit snacks, among other things. I have even used it to make dog treats. I’ve heard people say, “Well, I have a blender.” I would probably kill myself trying to blend hot soup in batches in a blender. With an immersion blender, you don’t need a traditional blender. Plus, it’s WAY easier to clean. 

Butter. I think I put this on my list because I got super anxious today when I noticed the only butter we had in the house was what was left in the butter dish. I need way more than that on hand to feel comfortable. I am currently soaking oats in a butter, coconut oil, and yogurt mixture. Lyla and I made cookies last night with butter, and we cook just about everything in it when we aren’t using coconut oil. It’s a great high temperature cooking fat. And let’s be real – the flavor is amazing. Kerrygold is a wonderful option and is easy to find in stores.

Coconut oil. While I’m talking about fat, coconut oil is a must have in any foodie kitchen. It goes great in smoothies, and I find more and more recipes that I’m using it in. The last few body products I’ve made included coconut oil. It’s not only moisturizing for the bod, but it’s nourishing as well. It’s antiviral, antifungal, and contains a wonderful saturated fat called lauric acid, which is known to increase your HDL (good cholesterol). Find a great source here.

Mason jars and glass food containers. Last year, I rid our kitchen of any food storage containers that were not glass or BPA free. We had some old containers our cabinet that were warped and stained, and I just wasn’t sure if they were BPA free. As more research comes out, they still aren’t sure if BPA free products are keeping us completely safe. Because of that, stocking your kitchen with glass food storage containers is so important. We still have some plastic containers, but I’m careful that we do not heat food in them. Plastic still serves us well when we need to keep food in our chest freezer. Glass just doesn’t always work well for that.

Eco-friendly cleaning supplies. The kitchen is a dirty place. We are always in the kitchen and as soon as you clean up and leave, you are back in there again preparing the next meal. I’m not an antibacterial freak in general, but I like to use a cleaning product in the kitchen that can disinfect with after I’ve handled a big ol’ raw chicken. I use this for cleaning the sink to get rid of grime and keep it squeaky clean, and I made this natural spray to use as a disinfectant. You can find tea tree oil here. Ready made cleaning products can be found here.

Bone broth. Easy to make and a serious superfood, bone broth is a staple in our kitchen. We use it in soups, I drink it straight, use it when cooking grains, and I include it when cooking a roast for extra moisture. If you buy part of a cow, you should have gotten the soup bones which is what you need to make broth. If you don’t, ask your local butcher. The other ingredients are inexpensive kitchen scraps that you likely already have. Here is a recipe to get you started!

Nourishing Traditions. Basically the bible for real foodies, this book includes wonderful non-mainstream guidelines for nourishing your family. It also includes some great recipes to get you on the right track. Click here to check it out.

Quality olive oil. Two things about olive oil: not all oliveoils are created equal and there are many reasons you should stop cooking with it. It is, however, a perfect topping on already cooked veggies, drizzled on top of soup, used as a salad dressing, or in dips, and it contains some excellent fats and nutrients that we need.

Stainless steel pots and pans. Non-stick pans contain toxic coatings, which leach from the pan to your food during the cooking process. Stainless steel, cast iron, and enamel-coated cast iron are better options for fabulous cooking without the toxins. It is possible to season your stainless steal pans in order to create a non-stick surface. Read more about that here.

What items would you add to this list? What are your favorite DC kitchen stores? Share your comments below!