To Die For Jalapeno Popper Dip Recipe

You will love this ooey gooey warm cheesy dip with just the right amount of spice. I served this dip with whole grain chips. Perfect!

Jalapeno Popper Dip
recipe via homemade by holman

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup mayo
½ cup red bell peppers, chopped
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded as desired for hotness, ribbed, finely diced
2 cloved garlic, minced
2 T cilantro, finely chopped
2 T lime juice
1 ½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 t Ancho chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and mayo. Add bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and half of the chili powder and cumin. Mix well to combine to a uniform mixture. Spread dip into a baking pan (I used a 1 1/2 quart oval Corningware baking dish but you can use any similar sized baking dish), smoothing into an even layer. Top with remaining shredded cheese, cover with bread crumbs and sprinkle with remaining chili powder and cumin. Bake approximately 30 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with tortilla chips.


Here's the printable link to the recipe: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=13esMt1_ECfq4EK3jmugLIzbLXufk6vBqJ92tW6yKMSg

XOXO-

Grilling --GIVEAWAY--

**GIVEAWAY**

This would make a great Father's Day gift!

Good Housekeeping Grilling

More than 275 perfect year-round recipes

Hearst Books/Sterling Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-58816-714-9

*this book was given to me by the publisher for my honest review*

My Review:

From the Publisher:

Fire up the grill-and everyone's appetite! America's favorite test kitchens and cooking method come together in Good Housekeeping's cornerstone title that serves up more than 275 delectable recipes to prepare both indoors and out. From panini to pizzas to 35 kinds of burgers--plus advice on techniques and informative sidebars--this is truly the complete grilling guide.

~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. US residents only, no PO Boxes.
2. Leave me a comment with your email address.
3. Good Housekeeping Grilling provided by Hearst/Sterling, Shipping provided by Beachbrights.
4. It's that easy to enter! Contest ends Sunday, May, 22nd @ Midnight.

Pioneer Woman's Fettuccine Alfredo

Well, I did it. I made it. Now excuse me while I run to Canada and back to work off the gazillion calories I just consumed. 

I bought the best Parmesan Cheese Walmart carries ;)


I cooked my noodles to perfection and tossed with butter & heavy cream.


I served Pioneer Woman's Fettuccine Alfredo with this salad


and make sure you have a white sangria with fresh fruit.


I used my iPad as a cookbook. This was a first for me.

Would I cook this again? Probably not. Hubby liked it but this is not a meal that we eat often or even once a year. If I am going to eat Fettuccine Alfredo, Olive Garden does a better job and cleans up after.

~XOXO~

*I am linking this to It's a Keeper*

Pioneer Woman's Fettuccine Alfredo

Crabby Patty Cupcakes

I can't bake. Really I can't.  However, little man has been begging for these Crabby Patty cupcakes and today is big man's birthday.  Unfortunately, big man is in Dubai on business, so we celebrated with him in spirit ;)  Any excuse to eat a cupcake, right?

I will say that these can be made to look a lot prettier. I just don't have the skills or patience.

Here's the 411:

Ahoy Matey-

XOXO

Ground Hog Day Cupcakes (Feb. 2nd)

I first saw this idea at The Party Blue Prints Blog but the idea originally came from the great creators at Disney Family Fun.

I can so *see* my friend Kim making these!

XOXO-

Groundhog's day is Tuesday, February 2nd.

Meatball Stroganoff

If I could take decent photographs then this meal would look appetizing (or not). I love to eat Meatball Stroganoff but hate to cook it.  I think it's the feeling of raw meat on my hands and then rolling all those meatballs that I hate so much. Luckily for my butt, I have sensory issues when it comes to raw meat :)


Meatball Stroganoff

1 lb ground beef
3 T A-1
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 T minced onion
2 T milk
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 T oil
1/2 cup chopped onion, fresh
2 T flour
1 can of condensed beef broth
1 (4oz) can mushrooms stems & pieces, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (8oz) package wide egg noodles, cooked & drained

Lightly mix beef, 2 T A-1, bread crumbs, egg, minced onion, milk, salt and pepper. Form 24 meatballs.

In skillet, brown meatballs in oil, remove. Reserve 2 T drippings. Add chopped onion. Cook until soft. Stir in flour. Stir in mushrooms, remaining A-1, broth and meatballs. Simmer, uncovered; 10 minutes.

Stir in sour cream. Heat throughly.

Serve on a bed of noodles. Serves 4-6.

PRINT RECIPE HERE

Happy Comfort Food :)
-XOXO

From Seed to Skillet **GiVeAwAy**

**Giveaway**

From Seed to Skillet

by Jimmy Williams & Susan Heeger

Chronicle Books

ISBN: 978-0-8118-7221-8

My Review:

From the Publisher:

Jimmy Williams learned all about vegetable gardening at the knee of his grandmother, a South Carolina native from a traditional Gullah community whose members were descendents of Caribbean slaves. He pays homage to his family history in this inspiring step-by-step guide to designing and planting a backyard vegetable garden and growing one's own food. With this essential garden manual, home gardeners can learn how easy it is to plan a garden, design and construct growing beds, tend the crop without using harmful chemicals, harvest gorgeous vegetables, and cook a delicious feast using Jimmy's favorite family recipes.

Urban farmer and landscape designer Jimmy Williams oversees his growing grounds, plants edible gardens for clients, and dispenses cultivation and cooking tips, plus vegetable, herb, and fruit seedlings, at three Los Angeles farmers' markets. He grows and sells heirloom tomatoes from seeds that have been passed down from his great-great-grandmother.

Susan Heeger is a long-time magazine and newspaper feature writer with a specialty in garden, design, home, lifestyle, and food stories. She lives in Los Angeles.

**Giveaway**

1. US residents only, no PO Boxes.

2. Leave me a comment with your email address.

3. Book provided by Chronicle Books, Shipping provided by Beachbrights.

4. It's that easy to enter! Contest ends Friday, January 7th @ Midnight.

Resource Links:
YouTube: From Seed to Skillet
From Seed to Skillet Web

A Winner & A Dinner (Italian Bread Salad)

Winner of the Fall Look Book from Style Your Life is...

Thanks to everyone who entered!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the dinner...
Italian Bread Salad

Click HERE for recipe link and printing.

XOXO-

Homemade Gummy Candies - Lego Style!

These little gummy candies are so easy and fun to make (and the kids loved to eat them!).

Gummy Candy Recipe

1 3-oz box of Jello, any flavor

1 box of unflavored gelatin, mine came with 4 small packages to a box, I used 2 pkgs

1/3 cup water
corn starch for light dusting

candy molds, ice cube molds etc.

In a small sauce pan add 1/3 cup of water, 1 3-oz box of flavored Jello and 2 small pkgs of unflavored gelatin. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Turn heat to med-high and dissolve Jello mixture, stirring constantly for about 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool for about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to an easy to pour container (I used a small coffee creamer) and fill your molds. No need to grease the molds.

Let the molds sit for 20 minutes or for faster cooling place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. After they had hardened (or jellied?), I used a clean makeup brush to lightly dust the candies with cornstarch to keep them from being sticky. Hint: The candies will seem hard to get out of the molds but they are really not. You can really pinch them out, they are pretty tough at this point. Don't worry :)

*I found the Lego molds at the Lego store in Dallas last month or you can buy at Lego.com*

~XOXO~

Resource Links:

Skip To My Lou

Lego Ice Cube Trays

Fruit Sushi

Fruit Sushi

1 1/4 cups Rice Chex Cereal

1 cup white vanilla chips

4 rolls Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-ups chewy fruit snacks, unwrapped

12 candy gummy worms

1. Place cereal in a ziploc baggie and crush with fingers to 3/4 cup

2. In med. microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla chips as directed on package until melted and stirred smooth. Add crushed cereal; stir until well coated.

3. Unroll fruit snack rolls. For each sushi roll, spread 1/4 cereal mixture on snack roll to within 1/2 inch of one short side. Arrange 3 candy worms, side by side, on cereal-covered short side.

4. Starting with short side topped with candy worms, roll up each snack roll tightly, pressing unfilled short side of roll to seal.

5. Let sushi rolls stand 5-10 minutes or until firm. Cut each roll into 4 slices.

Recipe can be printed from here.

Their picture is so much prettier.

**A couple of notes:

Max really did not like these. Next time, I will use a natural dried fruit leather or make my own in a dehydrator. I wonder if mashed banana's could be substituted for the rice & white chip mixture and strawberries/kiwi used to substitute the worms? Just some thoughts to make these a little more nutritious. Any thoughts?**

Click for EXCELLENT Cinco de Mayo Recipes HERE & HERE.

~XOXO~

Sugar Pecans

Oh my goodness. Sugar coated pecans. Eat more salads. Eat more pecans.

Sugar-Coated Pecans

Cooking Time: 30min

Prep Time: 5min

1 egg white

2 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup sugar

2 t. cinnamon

heavy pinch of salt

In a bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Add pecans and toss until well coated. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the pecans and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on an un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30min. or until browned.

PRINT

Enjoy!

XOXO

Porch Parties and Sangria Recipe

Porch Parties
by Denise Gee
Chronicle Books
ISBN: 978-0-8118-6580-7

My Review: This book exemplifies porch entertaining with over 50 cocktail and handheld snack recipes. These recipes make entertaining simple, fun and enjoyable. The book is bright and cheerful with great photographs. Approximately every third recipe has a coordinating picture. The book is divided into 5 chapters:

Porch Party Pointers

Convivial Cocktails

Punch with Pizzazz

Think Frocktails not mocktails

Little Bites

For this review I made the Ruby Sangria on page 71. This Sangria proved to be light tasting and refreshing. I recommend this book to anyone wanting simple delicious entertaining. This would also make a cute gift...think housewarming!

Here are the pictures & recipe of my Sangria from Porch Parties:

Ruby Sangria (page 71)

1 (750ml) bottle red wine

1/2 cup brandy

1/2 cup orange flavored liqueur

1/2 cup fresh OJ

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups orange wedges

2 cups red apple wedges

2 cups green apple wedges

2 cups grapes

1 (750ml) bottle sparkling water, chilled

Garnish: with extra of the above fruit threaded on small skewers

Combine the red wine, brandy, liqueur, OJ and sugar in a large pitcher; stir well. Add the oranges, red & green apples and grapes. Chill for several hours.

Just before serving, add the sparkling water.

Pour the Sangria into red-wine goblets filled with ice. Garnish with fruit kabobs, if desired.

Take two aspirin in the morning. Kidding, the book does not really say this!

Enjoy-

~XOXO~

Resource Links:

Chronicle Publishing

Amazon

YouTube

Fried Ravioli

Fried Ravioli

Giada De Laurentiis

Olive oil, for frying
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
1 box store-bought cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated, for dipping

Pour enough olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.

While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.

When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.

Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Link to recipe for printing.

~XOXO~

I am not a food blogger but...

PRINT THIS RECIPE


I am really not a food blogger but my Mom wants to try this recipe, so I promised to post it on my blog. She also requested that I make my recipes printable. So this will be my first attempt at making them printable.  Anything else? Just kidding Mom.

Mini Crescent Sticky Buns

(aka Lazy Maple Crescent Pull-Aparts)

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In ungreased 8- or 9- inch round cake pan, place butter, brown sugar and syrup. Place in oven 2 to 4 minutes or until butter melts. Mix well; sprinkle with pecans.

2. If using crescent rolls: Remove dough from can in 2 rolled sections; do not unroll. Cut each section into 6 slices. If using dough sheet: Remove dough from can, and cut in half; do not unroll. Cut each section into 6 slices.

3. In small bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon; dip both sides of each slice in sugar mixture. Arrange slices over butter mixture in pan; sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture.

4. Bake 17 to 23 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; turn upside down onto heatproof serving plate. Serve warm.

5. You know what comes next...yum.

These are good. Really good. Now click on PRINT THIS RECIPE. I hope it works.

XOXO-