This one is fun.
I absolutely love dips and appetizers. LOVE them.
What’s that I call myself? Appetizer whore?
Right.
So, here’s the story. I make spaghetti all the time. When I say “spaghetti” I mean real spaghetti – like with tomato meat sauce. I can’t stand pasta with plain tomato sauce. It’s just too naked for me. I guess I need more substance; more depth.
I’m high maintenance. Well, only occasionally.
So many times after making my spaghetti, we have tons of sauce leftover, and I put it in a covered pyrex dish and it disappears into the fridge-of-neverending-leftovers-that-nobody-wants-to-touch-because-leftovers-aren’t-fun. You know what’ I’m talking about, right??
All of a sudden we have “nothing to eat”. Why the hell did I invest in all that pyrex??
God forbid somebody eat something they had the day before. I personally love leftovers.
So, this concoction came from a pyrex dish full of spaghetti sauce, pepperoni I had from making pizza last week and a hankering to make something new.
For all of you, of course.
Ingredients
- 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (plus more to sprinkle on top)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided in half
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce with meat (you could always use jarred sauce and add browned ground beef)
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Muenster cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded (or sliced, doesn't matter)
- Pepperoni slices (as much as you like)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Mix the cream cheese, tsp of Italian seasoning and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a bowl; spread in a 9x11 glass baking dish.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce over the cream cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese, Monterey Jack and Mueunster over the sauce.
- Layer the pepperoni slices and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly and the pepperoni is starting to get a little browned around the edges.
- Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or whatever you want to dip it with!
If you’re on Atkins, you’re good to go here.
Just eat it with a spoon.
Yep.
A spoon is good enough.
Oh, y’all.
How I love summer.
It’s warm, fun, I get to grill out all the time, get a tan, etc. Also, everybody seems to be consistently in vacation mode (I need one ASAP by the way).
And, I don’t have to freeze my ass off every time I walk out the door. I sooo hate to freeze my ass off. I’m definitely a summer/beach/pool/hot weather/not freeze my ass off type of girl.
So, in celebration of summer, I made y’all -
Watermelon Salsa.
Yep.
Aaaannnddd can you guess a certain little green pepper that happens to be a shining star in this beautiful concoction?
Ok, I know you know.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb watermelon, diced
- 1 large ear yellow sweet corn, grilled and shucked (or one small can yellow or white corn)
- 2 jalapeno peppers, diced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp vinegar
Instructions
- Combine everything in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Eat.
- P.S. - Grill the corn - it makes such a difference!
Aw, y’all know me so well.
My spicy little sidekicks.
Here lately, I have developed a sort of obsession with salsas. It’s like I want to make them every which way I possibly can. Maybe I want to be a master of all things salsa.
Like, if I want to really wanted to conquer salsas AND margaritas at the same time – could that be called Salsaritas?
Is that a restaurant – because I’m getting the feeling there is one. I probably should shut my mouth.
As long as it has jalapenos, all of the other ingredients just add to it and make it what it will be in the end. Wanna see a trend?
Here’s my Black Eyed Pea Salsa, Shopeg Corn Pico, and Crab-Mango Pico.
I’m thinking this is my favorite so far.
I’m sure I’ll think of more.
xoxo
I have a quick post for y’all today. It’s easy peasy and it’s just in time for summer, which happens to be my favorite time of year.
I would love for it to be 90 degrees all the time, and the ability to lay at the pool/beach at will every day of the week.
And limitless margaritas.
On the rocks.
Salt? Why, yes, please.
I hate the cold, if you don’t already know. It sux.
It sux bad.
These, however, do not.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1 pkg Fudge Stripe Cookies
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine the cream through salt in a mixing bowl and churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
- Spread ice cream onto one cookie; top with another cookie.
- Roll sides in sprinkles.
- Serve or freeze.
Easy, right?
Told you.
Y’all make these.
I’m getting a margarita.
Recently, I was contacted by Yummly on behalf of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise to participate in their 100th birthday celebration.
To celebrate, Hellmann’s has teamed up with celebrity chef Mario Batali to showcase how decades of delicious meals start with real, quality ingredients. So, I had the opportunity to revamp not just a recipe – but one of six recipes made by Mario himself.
Lucky girl, right?
I chose to redo his Salsa Burger, which looks fantastic. I had a few ideas; and you know I had jalapenos in mind. When do I not?
But, this time, it was habaneros that won.
My word.
It’s a freakin’ burger volcano.
Well, actually, it’s fabulous beef burger with Hellmann’s mayo and worcestershire sauce mixed in, topped with habanero cheese sauce, mango pico de gallo and guacamole.
That was a mouthful.
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 ripe mango, diced
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 dash vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt, or more to taste
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 lb. ground round
- 1 1/2 tbsp Hellmann's mayo
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 8 oz. block habanero cheese, shredded (I used Cabot)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 4 burger buns
- 1 stick butter, melted
- Hellmann's Mayo
- Green leaf lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine onion through salt. Mash avocado and add about 2-3 tbsp of the Pico; mix really well, cover and refrigerate.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ground round through garlic powder and form into burger patties. Put in fridge for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle cornstarch over cheese and toss to combine. Bring the milk to a boil over low heat and add cheese; whisk consistently until thickened; about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered.
- Heat a cast iron skill over medium high heat (or you could grill, broil, etc.). Add burgers, with space in between, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Flatten the burgers with a big spatula and flip.
- Cook for another two minutes, or until as done as you want them. Remove from heat.
- Brush butter on all sides of buns and toast in oven for about 2 minutes, until browned.
- To make burgers - on the bottom bun slather Hellmann's mayo generously, followed by lettuce, burger, cheese sauce, pico and finally guacamole.
It’s cracktastic.
And messy.
Now, go here to join the Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon table, co-create a recipe with Mario Batali and enter for a chance to win a seat at the World’s Longest Picnic Table for Hellmann’s 100th birthday celebration in September. As part of the brand’s 100th birthday celebration, Hellmann’s is helping provide one million meals to Feeding America to help the fight against hunger nationwide.
Yes, it’s as delicious as it looks.
Just have plenty of napkins.
xoxo
Summer just (unofficially) started! Yay!! I’m so excited – I hate winter with an unhealthy passion.
I love it when I can throw on a pair of shorts and a tshirt and be ready without having to wear layers, alternate between suffocating in uncomfortable sweaters and freezing to death. I also love food in the summertime – watermelon, berries, basil, squash, and TOMATOES. Juicy summertime tomatoes make the best BLT’s.
Sooo…
What’s better than a BLT?
A smoked salmon BLT, of course. Aaaannndd I added sour cream and dill to my mayonnaise.
It rocks.
Next time I may play around with cream cheese and capers in the mayo.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces fresh honey wheat bread, toasted
- 1 tbsp mayo (not fat free)
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 4 strips bacon, cooked
- Smoked salmon, thinly sliced (amount depends on your preference)
- Tomato slices
- Green leaf lettuce
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Spread mayo mixture on both sides of bread; layer bacon, salmon, lettuce and tomato.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
A regular BLT is always good, of course, but these are amazing.
Am I high maintenance??
Oh snap – what if I mixed the cream cheese/mayo/capers with some sharp cheddar and grilled them on my panini maker??
Alrighty, that’s officially on my to do list, for you, my invisible foodie friend.
xoxo
