Very Easy Quick and Cheesy Cheese Dip

If you follow my posts here, this recipe will not fit the standard. But if you do any challenges with me you will hear me say 100% of the time that my motto is "progress not perfection" and "moderation not deprivation."  My philosophy is that when we deprive ourselves of the foods we love, we end up over doing it later.  Plus depriving ourselves of the things we love is not a way to live!  My health philosophy is about finding balance - a balance between feeding our bodies the things it needs while also enjoying the delicious things the kitchen has to offer us.

So that being said, during Christmas I was in charge of bringing an apetizer to one of our parties.  I decided to make a cheese dip I've heard a lot about.  It was so easy to make and really was quite delicious.  Ok it was very delicious.  So make it for your next gathering and you will be the talk of the party. It seems like it takes more effort than it really does.  I had tons of friends recommend recipes for this and I ended up sampling from all the recommendations and this is what I came up with.  

Here's What You Need:

32 oz Velveeta block of cheese

14 oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes (I did mild but you can choose based on your audience)

1 lb of lean ground beef (you can also use pork or ground turkey)

Some people also add in a cream cheese to make this even thicker or just use the cream cheese instead of Velveeta so there are a lot of variations you can try out here!)

Fun Fall Snack for Kids

It was my turn to make snacks for preschool this week and this always intimidates me for some reason (just being honest). I guess I just want all of those little people to just love it.  So since it was close to Halloween, I looked up some fun fall snacks for the kids.  I stumbled across this Chex mix and apparently the kids loved it.  I made this and stuck it in some little ghost treat bags. Little One said it was very good and I figure that is a stamp of approval.

Doesn't this look delicious?  The wonderful picture is by a friend who made this yummy treat last night after we talked about the recipe together.  She makes it look so good here I'm about to go make another batch of it!

Here is what you need:

1.  6 C of chex mix

2.  1 C pretzels

3.  6 tablespoons butter melted

4.  1/4 cup brown sugar

5.  1 tsp cinnamon

6.  1 C Reese Pieces

7.  1 C mini marshmallows

8.  1 C candy corn

Here is what you do:

1.  Preheat the oven to 275 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Melt the butter in microwave (well that's how I did it because I'm lazy).

3.  Combine the Chex mix and the pretzels in a large bowl.

4. Pour the melted butter on top of the cereal and combine until evenly coated.

5.  In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and then pour onto cereal mixture until evenly coated.

6.  Spread the cereal mixture onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

7. Allow to cool completely and then mix in the candy treats!

Delicious!  This is perfect to take to a Halloween Party (which is what I am doing this weekend). It is also great for little treat bags for kids. Even better? Let the kids help you make it.  It is a fun recipe that they can help create.

Enjoy!

Our upcoming challenge and YOU are invited! Leave a comment to get more information.

Original recipe taken from:

http://stickafork.net/2012/10/fall-snack-mix/

Sugar Coated Nuts

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Last year was our first Thanksgiving away from family, and quite honestly, more than a little sad.  So I was determined to have a more lively holiday this year.  We invited several other families over to our house who also live far away from home. Our little town home soon overflowed with love, laughter, and little kid squeals!  Just what a good Thanksgiving feast needs :) I had good intentions of taking pictures of my Thanksgiving preparations... aaaannnd I totally forgot!  Good thing, this year I made some tried and true recipes from the blog, with the addition of one new one.  I made turkey meatballs, twice baked potatoes - added a little milk and it worked great!, roasted asparagus, and some honey-glazed carrots.  The carrots ended up not getting syrupy like the recipe suggested, but I just poured off the excess liquid and ended up really liking the hint of sweet / tangy from the honey/vinegar mixture.  They were a hit!  I had hopes of making these babies - but realized I got the wrong kind of dough and I sure as heck wasn't going to go back to the grocery store with all those crazy people!!  I ended up just making a regular pumpkin pie... my first!  The back of the can instructions worked great!  All-in-all, we had stuffing, rosemary yeast rolls, sweet potato souffle, spiral ham and more desserts than we really needed!  But it was all so delicious!! And everything worked out great.  I've always wanted to host Thanksgiving at my house - and this year I did!  Hopefully this will be a new tradition that we can continue. These sugar coated nuts are my grandma's recipe.  I only make them once a year - Thanksgiving.  She always has these out on her kitchen counter anytime we visit between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's really the only thing she makes that I can replicate.  Everything else is going to take some trial and error.  You know, it's hard to follow a "little bit of this, a little bit of that, and you cook it until it looks right" kind of recipe.  But once you master the 'grandma recipe', precious memories are passed down from one generation to the next. Hope you enjoy these tasty treats!  Just be careful because they're ridiculously addictive ;)

Crispy Kale Chips

It seems like it's been f.o.r.e.v.e.r. since we've had a "normal" week around here!  Thankfully, the kale I bought 2 weeks ago stayed fresh in the refrigerator long enough for me to make this yummy treat.  I've heard so much about these "kale chips" and I finally got up the nerve to try them.  They were kinda addictive.  Yes.  I literally ate half the tray while making dinner last night.  Yeah.  Yes.  Yeeeessssss.  Crunchy like chips... a little salty like chips... and none of the guilt of chips.  Try them!  Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised too! (Please pardon the mediocre pictures... they're with my cell phone camera ... is one and a half too young for terrible twos? ;))

Meatball Subs! - Freezer Friendly!

Along with my freezer cooking preps a few weeks back, I made a pan of meatballs for us to have.  These are by far my favorite - and they are so moist and juicy!  This time instead of making them small, I made them about the size of a ping pong ball and cooked them a bit longer.  Last Saturday, we had just gotten back from a trip and were in full "Let's do nothing" mode.  Ever have one of those days?  We literally did nothing all day.  It was great to relax!

Well, I couldn't very well cook could I?  So I pulled out these babies and whipped up some marinara.  Actually, I had planned to have these sandwiches because I had bought some club rolls and shredded mozzarella, but I forgot the sauce!  So I made some really quickly.  I might just start making it this way all the time.  

For the sauce: Take a large can of whole peeled tomatoes.  Add to a sauce pan and use a spatula to break up the tomatoes.  I added a dash of basil paste and 3 cloves of smashed garlic (that I later removed).  You could also add some red pepper flakes, some onion, and/or olive oil.  This is where you can go crazy.  Add some shredded veges to make a pumped up spaghetti sauce that your kids won't know there's veges hiding in :)  I let it simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the meatballs: Pull 6 out of the freezer (or enough for you and your family - 3 meatballs per sandwich).  I defrosted at 1.5 minutes on 30% power. Then cooked them for 2 minutes on full power or until heated through.  

Now it's time to assemble the sandwich!  Slice the rolls almost all the way through and place in a "bed" of foil (this will help when you heat it and also helps the sandwich stay upright).  Put in a little marinara, add 3 meatballs, spoon a little more marinara over the meatballs, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly.  I put mine in the toaster oven for even less work!

These were to-die-for.  Really.  And took no time to make!

Put remaining marinara in the refrigerator (or freeze) until you need to use it.  I used it to make Cinci's Chili on Sunday.  Yes!!


The Verdict
Hello easy peasy sandwich.  You are my new favorite.  Yespleaseandthankyou.

P.s. Make meatball sliders the same way for a quick, easy, and fun appetizer!
P.p.s. Even Little One loved these sandwiches!!

Sweet Potato Fries: Part II

So, here's the rest of the sweet potato fry story - this time I tried a few different things:

1) savory flavor: salt, pepper, and cumin

2) I tried cutting them into disks instead of long fry shapes

3) A hotter oven temperature for a shorter amount of time.

I kept thinking that these would make great appetizers - a dollop of sour cream and some dill.  Oh my. Yum!  This time, I added a dollop of ketchup and indulged in this healthy treat.

Pita Pizzas

This was a surprise hit for our family!  It's a versatile and delicious little bite of goodness.  You have to try these.  Yes, totally go get the ingredients and make them tomorrow! Look how cute they are!  Pardon the weird lighting in the pictures - I guess that's what sticky baby fingers on the camera lens does for you ;)

Turkey Meatballs

My DH doesn't like meatloaf and he didn't dig the turkey meatballs I made for Thanksgiving, so I was hesitant to try these.  They just looked so cute and delicious when I saw them sitting there on this blog post.  I figured I'd sell them as mini burgers.  And it turns out I didn't even have to.  His exact comment: "Meatloaf tastes like this?"  Maybe I might have a shoe in to try some meatloaves in the future!  This blog is so fun.  And her freezer-friendly post made me click right away.  She says "Meatballs are great. I actually defrosted some of these turkey meatballs two nights ago and it was such a perfect little meal when I really didn’t feel like cooking one more thing. I like to freeze individual tupperwares of four cooked meatballs with marinara sauce, and then it’s easy to defrost the perfect amount for one!"  Once I got the check of approval, I'm actually going to make a stock for my freezer for those nights I just don't want to cook.  Yippee!

Lasagna Cupcakes

Hello sweet ones.  Oh how I've missed you.

Life has been... well... life around here lately.  We've moved, so you'll notice different counters and lighting in the pictures. Moving with a little one is no joke and I'm quite sure I don't ever want to do it again.  Boo.  Tiredness all . the . time won out and as a result, we either ate sandwiches or I resorted to the same fall-back recipes that I've posted before or we ate out.  To say that I'm ready to get back into the swing of things is an understatement.  I've never realized how much of a routine / schedule person I am... until I'm off of it.  I think that's a result of Little One himself.  We try to stick as close to a routine as possible.  So, yes, we're ready to get back.  Tonight I had a minor meltdown because dinner was late.  Little One was having 'one of those days' and quite frankly I was too.  I didn't get to make this recipe as originally planned, so I tweaked it a little.  

And look how cute they still turned out!  Think individual lasagna cups!  I'm thankful for a fun and tasty recipe to kick start the cooking off again.  And a heartfelt thank you to my faithful followers who are still hanging on :)

Grape Salad

Okay, this is not what you think of when you see the name "Grape Salad".  It's a sweet indulgence with a burst of brightness from the grapes!  A yummy addition to your summer time picnics :)  The best part is, it's a snap to put together!  Top it with crushed Butterfinger for a tasty dessert treat.

Cheese "Cookies"

This is quite possibly one of DH's most favorite recipes on the planet.  I *try* to make them for all his special occasions... birthdays, father's day... and they're a great "thinking of you" snack too.  His mom made them for him growing up.  I will never forget the first time I had these cookies - at his high school graduation party.  It was the first time I was actually meeting his family and to try the much talked about cheese cookies.  I popped one in my mouth thinking "Oh, they're going to be sweet because they're 'cookies'."  I almost choked because they are buttery, cheesy, and flaky.  Haha!  Since that moment, I've seen them called Cheese Straws when they're out or you buy them in the store.  These are called "cookies" because of their round shape.  So... I tried making them for the first time in college.  I hand shredded a block of cheddar cheese, mixed them diligently, and they were terrible!  I couldn't get the batter to stick together.  I anxiously called his mom to ask what I was doing wrong.  It would have definitely fallen into the "disaster" category.  But, still, he stood by me :)  Haha!  Over the years, I've continued to make the beloved cheese cookies and have fiiiiiinally perfected the recipe to nothing short of a quick and easy and most importantly, reliable, recipe! Hello buttery, cheesy, salty, savory cookies.

Lazy Chicken Nachos

The last time I made the Lazy Chicken Dinner, I used pasta sauce.  This time I used salsa and made it into nachos.  I know it's almost the same thing, but I was so proud of how it turned out I had to repost to make sure you understand just how easy and versatile this recipe really is.

An easy and delicious meal in under 10 minutes.

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Hello late night munchies.  I am so blessed to have married a man who supports my munchies habit.  This time, he suggested it.  We were watching tv and they said something about jalapeño poppers.  DH said "I'd like some jalapeño poppers, cheese sticks, wings, something."  My ears perked up.  "Where's the computer? Let me see what I can find."  My first google of 'mozzarella cheese sticks with string cheese' lead me to these little puppies.  We made them and ate them in the span of 10 minutes.  Yep, they were that good.

I tried to get a good picture of the ooze, but my measly camera wouldn't focus on it.  It was the right amount of goody ooziness.  Mmmm...  be still my heart.