TNO, yo

Troy Night Out time again, kids! Yep, another month has come and gone...already. Where does life go? We're not up to a whole lot in the shop this time around. No big sales, but there's a bunch of new art for sale (both on the walls and in the gallery), new onesies and t-shirts for kids, Laura from Birds are Beautiful brought in some incredible new merchandise, I've been busy with jewelry (no new sewing this time around, unfortunately), my mom brought in a few new kid's items and some new jewelry...the list goes on and on. Tonight we'll be serving the two staples: Caramelized Onion Dip and Sundried Tomato Dip, plus a new staple, Salsa Verde Dip. I made the Salsa Verde Dip for last month's TNO and it was a hit. People loved it. I'll include the recipe at the end of this post. Oh! And I shouldn't forget the Jalapeno Popper Dip. Not sure about this one yet, as it's the first time I've made it and it's chilling in the fridge. That wonderful flavor exchange thing that food does overnight, the thing that just makes everything taste so much better, is working in my favor, I'm sure. We shall see. In addition to the dips, we'll have Pat's amazing brownies (get there early because the brownies FLY out of there quickly), some fruit breads, veggies and dip, and various other munchies. Ben will be manning the wine, in his usual post. We're featuring paintings by Joseph Yetto and Alee Corbalis in the gallery. I'd like one of each of their paintings, please! Great stuff.

That should cover it. Come on out tonight! If you've never attended a Troy Night Out event before, you're in for a treat. Not sure if the weather will hold, but it's worth a shot. And next month's TNO is officially named "Kid's Night Out", so bring the whole family in March.

Here's the Salsa Verde Dip recipe. So simple. Make it in your food processor or blender and try not to gobble it all up before you serve it. I can only imagine how amazing this would be on fish or chicken, or smeared all over a burger. Mmmmmm.

Salsa Verde Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 jar of tomatillo salsa (you can use anywhere from 7 0z. to a full jar, depending on how loose you want the dip to be)

1 bunch fresh cilantro

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Ground cumin

Garlic powder

Lime juice

Roughly tear up the cilantro with your hands and put it in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a few times until the cilantro is minced into little pieces. I use the stems, too, because they actually have more flavor than the leaves. Don't worry, no one will notice. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl, and use as much or as little of the pepper, salt, cumin, garlic powder and lime juice. I used a generous sprinkling of pepper, salt, cumin and garlic, and the juice of 1/2 of the lime. If you like it limier, use the whole dang thing. It's your call. Blend the ingredients until smooth and test the flavor. Adjust your seasoning according to your preference...if you want more of a sauce to serve over meat, add more salsa. If you want a thicker dip, only use about 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar. Pop that baby into a serving bowl and chill it. And watch everyone fall in love with you when they devour it. It's that good.