Slow Cooker Reuben Dip

I consider myself a hard worker. So sometimes I surprise myself.

Like the other day, I was a little taken aback with myself when I got extremely annoyed that I had to park down the street from my gym and walk a few extra minutes....to the gym. That's crazy talk.

Just now I restarted the dryer for the third time because I don't feel like folding my laundry. Let's face it, I probably wont feel like folding it at all today and will have had the dryer running for the entire day. Again, crazy talk.

Sometimes laziness just creeps up on me I suppose.

Crock pots are good for laziness. You just throw everything in the pot and wait...

Easy peasy.

Also, I was feeling too lazy to take a decent picture but reuben dip isn't very pretty anyway.

Slow Cooker Reuben Dip

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) jar sauerkraut, drained
1 (8 ounce) package neaufchatel cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded cooked lean corned beef
1/4 cup fat-free thousand island dressing

Directions:

In a slow cooker, combine the sauerkraut, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing. Cover, and cook on high for 45 minutes if you're in a hurry, low for longer if you're not, or just until hot and cheese is melted. Stir occasionally while cooking. Serve with cocktail rye or crackers.

Rosemary Hummus

I would first like to take a moment to thank the men and women who have/are/will serve/ing/ed in the military. Happy Memorial Day!

I love days like Memorial Day...family and friends, cookouts, beer, the pool...it's great. It's even better when it is all done remembering those who have sacrificed their time and their lives to serve in this country.

I couldn't imagine.

For another type of holiday, Christmas to be exact, I attended a little cocktail party and someone brought rosemary hummus.

I had never had it.

It's pretty darn good.

I didn't think to ask where they had gotten it because I just assumed that I skimmed over it each time at the grocery store...my attention span is not all that impressive.

I'm the type of person who goes to the grocery store, with a list mind you (I love lists), and as soon as the cashier grabs my first item for checkout I remember something I forgot...then when I am putting my groceries away at home I remember that other thing I forgot. It always happens.

Well this rosemary hummus that had been on my mind all holiday season is literally nowhere to be found.

I searched for a recipe I could make that does not have tahini because that stuff ain't cheap. Poor college student+ain't cheap= ain't happenin'

I found this one and only recipe and proceeded with caution. It isn't exact, it's not quite the same but I don't hate it. Its good enough!

Rosemary Hummus
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Strip rosemary leaves from stems, discard stems, and place leaves in the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Pour in the garbanzo beans; process until evenly blended.

With food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary. Pour in balsamic vinegar and process until evenly blended. Taste, and add more vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, as desired. Pour in the water and process to make a spreadable consistency. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

These pictures are atrocious.

This dip looks awful.

But I beg of you...please don't judge a recipe by a bloggers poor photography and "making food look pretty" skills.

I have this great ability to make delicious food look ugly.

Call me gifted.

But really...this dip tastes like a bacon cheeseburger. It's actually kind of weird. A good kind of weird though. I made this along with the pizza dip for the super bowl.

Yeah, I can't make decisions when it comes to what to make so it tends to be "all the above". An indecisive overachiever does not make for a great mix.

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip
Adapted from Closetcooking.com

Ingredients:

1/2 pound lean ground beef
6 strips reduced-sodium bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces neaufchatel cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup reduced-fat mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, set it aside and drain the grease from the pan.
Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.

Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper and pour it into a baking dish.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.

Pizza Dip

I saw the midnight showing of "The Hunger Games" last night.

Not surprisingly, the book was better. Always is.

BUT! The movie did a decent job of following the book with a few minor discrepancies. You'll have that.

I recommend the movie...but definitely the book first.

Have I mentioned I love dip? Yeah, I'm sure I have...but seriously I could (and do) often eat dip as a meal. Really nutritious I know but I frickin love the stuff. All kind of dip. Bring it on.

I made this pizza dip for the Super Bowl this year. It caught my eye on Pinterest and I thought it would be perfect for a football game. It's quite tasty but it wasn't until after I made it that I even realized there was no pizza sauce incorporated in the recipe. I find that odd...though it still tasted like pizza. I think I may try to create a recipe myself that includes pizza sauce. So standby ;)

(Also I feel the need to apologize for the photos. My pictures are never really that great but I had about 2 minutes to get any kind of picture before running out the door so there you have it!)

Pizza Dip
Adapted from Afarmgirlsdabbles.com

Ingredients:

2 c. shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
2 c. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 c. grated reduced-fat parmesan cheese
1 c. light mayonnaise
1 c. roughly chopped turkey pepperoni
1/2 c. small diced onion
1/2 c. small diced green pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can (6.5 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
3/4 c. roughly chopped black olives
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus a bit more cracked across the finished dip

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing well to incorporate. Spread into a baking dish - either a large rectangle up to a 9" x 13" size, or a large pie plate. Crack a bit more black pepper over the surface and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly and the top is golden brown. Sometimes I also place it under the broiler for a minute or two to get the top extra golden pretty. Serve with sturdy crackers or sliced & toasted baguettes.

Ham and Cheese Dip

I have a new obsession.

Instagram.

I know.

That man of mine teases me about my new compulsion to take pictures of any and everything. This was definitely the case on St. Patrick's Day.

What can I say? Beautiful weather makes me crazy happy.

I hope everyone else had a good holiday weekend as well!

I love when a recipe I create actually works out.

I'll admit it. This is not always the case.

In fact, last week I concocted what seemed to be a very promising peanut butter granola. Wrong! I burnt it so bad that it was beyond salvageable. Fail.

I discovered my love of food and creating it when I was around 5 and I was taking everything out of my mom's pantry and throwing it into a giant pot of boiling water and calling it soup.

Since that time I have had many fails, and some pleasant surprises. This dip concoction is one that is now a staple for me. Anytime I go to a potluck or some kind of holiday party, this is one of the ones I always like to whip up.

It's a crowd-pleaser and it's simple to whip together. It's my favorite around Christmastime...maybe because of it's festive colors :)

Ham and Cheese Dip
Dame Good

Ingredients:

16 ounces neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1 cup fat-free sour cream
9 oz lean thin-sliced ham, shredded
1 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 oz dry ranch seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Stir together the cream cheese, sour cream and ranch seasoning. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chilled. (I prefer this dip with ritz crackers the best! :))

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Today is Oreo's 100th birthday!

I don't know how I know this. I am not cookie-crazy or anything.

Who am I kidding? If you saw my last post you know I have discovered the birthday cake Oreo's and had a major minor freak-out.

Regardless...Happy birthday Oreo! I may or may not (and by "may not" I mean "without a doubt") enjoy a couple birthday cake Oreo's and a glass of milk for dinner dessert tonight.

I have a very fond "Oreo memory" that I would like to share with you. When I was really young my family and I would go to Golden Corral like everyday or something like that. (I have since decided I am no longer aloud within 100 feet of the place as approximately 11 days ago I went with family and devoured 4 full plates and nearly popped the button of my jeans...) I concocted the same dessert at the end of every single visit. You see, Golden Corral had this ice cream station where they always had super-whipped and super-fluffy whipped cream as well as other standard ice cream fixings. One of those fixings I could never say no to was the crushed Oreos. I would plop a huge cloud of the whipped cream in the biggest bowl I could find and eagerly dump a heaping handful of crushes Oreo's over it and mix it up and devour it as if it were ice cream.

After weeks of doing this, eventually it was done for me as I was shocked to find "my concoction" already mixed together and ready for me at the ice cream station. I proudly declared that day that I was a dessert chef at Golden Corral and invented that very "dessert".

Right.

I wish I had some fun Cookies-n-Cream style recipe to post but the closest thing I got is cookie dough dip.

Like that is a bad thing.

Not that I am one of those people who worries about the raw egg in dough or batter...it is indeed my favorite part of baking...but for those of you who are, this dip is egg-free.

Yep, no salmonella for you.

Me? I'll risk it. Totally worth it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
Adapted from Willowbirdbaking.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (a few people have found this to be too much; if you want, just add a pinch and increase to taste. I add the full 1/2 teaspoon and enjoy it!)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (again, you might want to add this a teaspoon at a time to taste. I add the full tablespoon and enjoy it!)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
water

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the flour, salt, vanilla and chocolate chips. Add water one tablespoon at a time (stirring between each) until the dough reaches cookie dough consistency.

Serve with animal crackers, graham crackers or nilla wafers...Or whatever you shall choose...and dig in!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalapeno poppers might be my favorite food.

Cheese+peppers+fried crunchy goodness=my idea of a good time.

I think I have come clean about my love affair with poppers before...probably when I was talking about my other love affair with cheesecake.

Don't worry, they're both okay with it.

Seriously though...many of my not-so-sober college nights ended with a box of freshly fried jalapeno poppers and ranch from the restaurant that would put chicken fingers, french fries, mozzarella sticks and sour cream all on one sandwhich...

Yes, more like freshman 15,000.

Even now I always have the biggest box of poppers that I can find in my freezer at all times. I know there is this debate...cream cheese or cheddar?

I am personally one who loves the cheddar, but if you could combine both?! Oh my gosh I would be in heaven...

Well I decided to combine both and created this dip.

That's right, heaven awaits.

I frickin love this dip. I would make it everyday if I could but I don't feel that my waistline would appreciate it.

Stupid picky waistline...always wanting to object what my hearts desire.

Dumb.

Make.This.Dip.

Jalapeno Popper Dip
Dame Good

Ingredients:

16 ounces neaufchatel, softened
1.5 cups reduced-fat sharp sheddar
1.5 cups jarred chopped jalapenos
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 large fresh jalapeno, chopped
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F

In a medium-sized bowl combine cream cheese, jarred jalapenos, cheddar, a little bit of salt and pepper and stir until mixed.

Spread the mixture into a 9-in pie pan. Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spray the bread crumbs lightly with cooking spray. Top the bread crumbs with fresh jalapenos.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the fresh peppers are roasted. Serve with crackers or chips.

Lighter Layered Taco Dip

I love dips. I mean really love dips. Sweet, savory you name it, I love it. My only problem with them is how much trouble they get me in. For example, yesterday, after work, I plopped on the couch with a bag of whole grain tortilla chips and some all-natural guacamole. It was only maybe 10 minutes before I realized I had absent-mindedly gone through half of it...darn it.

I have read in the magazines and all that how you are supposed to portion that stuff out, and only sit down with what you intend to eat...but I am always too anxious to begin the "eating process" to think about that.

We have a problem...

But dips are so good! This equals a lot of extra gym time for me. But that's a sacrifice I am willing to make. 1 pound of yummy dip for 4 hours at the gym? I'll take that...I guess.

Fortunately for me, I made this dip a bit lighter. It's not the lightest thing you could be eating on earth...but it is not loaded with fat and calories like many of the origional versions of this dip...I advise you all to make this and dig in...literally.

Lighter Layered Taco Dip
Dame Good

Ingredients:

1 cup refried black beans
8 ounces neufchatel cheese, softened
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1.25 oz dry taco seasoning
1/2 cup salsa
1 small avacado, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups lettuce, shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup all-natural hot pepper cheese (pepperjack blend), shredded
1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar, shredded
3.8 oz can black olives, drained

Directions:

Start to layer your dip in an 8x8 casserole dish. Layer the refried black beans and spread evenly on the bottom of the pan. In a separate bowl, mix the neaufchatel, sour cream and taco seasoning. Stir until combined.

Layer the neufchatel mixture evenly over top of the refried beans. Next layer the salsa, then the lettuce, the avacado, the tomato,  the green onions, the cheeses and top with the black olives.

Its best to refrigerate the dip for an hour or so before serving, so that it sets. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

Hot Reuben Dip

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Thankfully this day falls on my break so I can enjoy some green beer with my friends after I post this and get a good work out in. I couldn't tell you the last time I enjoyed some porch day drinking...oh how I miss being a buckeye...

I saw on someones facebook status a quote that was something along the lines of  "its ok to pretend were Irish on St. Patricks Day.... We pretend we're good on Christmas dont we?"...haha, I thought that was funny.

I am a little confused about how Irish I am...as I have said before my dad's side is German and I grew up thinking I was Irish on my mom's side. Apprently though, my Grandpa (miss you!) took a trip to Ireland some years back to learn about our family heritage and what-not and actually found out we were more Scottish than Irish...

Well, on this day I like to celebrate whatever unknown amount of Irish is in me...Whether it be 50% or 5%, I will still enjoy the Guinness and green treats the same :)

I would consider my friends pretty lucky because I am bringing them this dip and these Irish car bomb cupcakes.

I saw this dip on The Girl Who Ate Everything. Her blog is a must see...I have so many of her posts on my baking/cooking list because it all looks wonderful. As soon as I saw this I knew I HAD to make it...I lightened it a bit because we all know I eat in large quantities, so if I can save any calories by altering the food I will...because as hard as I try...my portions will never get smaller...

The girl who ate everything was right when she said this dip is ugly...but all my food is ugly so dig in! It tastes just like a reuben sandwhich...aka awesome.

Hot Reuben Dip
Adapted from thegirlwhoateeverything.com

Ingredients:

8 ounces neaufchatel cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
4 ounces lean sliced corned beef, chopped
1/2 cup Fat-free Thousand Island dressing
3/4 cup drained sauerkraut
cocktail size pumpernickel rye bread squares

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of Swiss cheese, the dressing and chopped corned beef. Spread in a pie plate or other shallow serving dish. Top with the sauerkraut and the remaining ½ cup of Swiss cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges. Serve on cocktail-size rye bread squares.

Pumpkin Pie Dip

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I sure did. Even now, I am still full. I tried to work out but felt like I was up to my ribs in food so I did what I could. Looks like that turkey weight is going to take some time to get off. I had a blast with my family. I hate how fast it goes. I feel like I never see them and there's always so much catching up to do.

As a family we all go out wednesday night to the bars where I grew up in Troy, Ohio. Shawn got to join in this time. I was so excited for him to come along and meet the family and see how crazy fun we can be. Apparently between taking shots, taking aspirin for a headache and not having dinner, I did not last too long. I was bummed because I feel like I missed out and was a bad hostess to Shawn. Usually, all of us cousins manage to do behave more than the adults and we make fun of how tipsy and funny they are....there's always next year.

I still have like 46839 pumpkin recipes and will be sharing them for those of you who have pumpkin leftover. Even though Thanksgiving is over, pumpkin is year-round for me. I love it. Of course, during the holidays I go a little overboard....

This is a dip recipe I found on a website I like to go to when I am looking for lighter yummy dishes. This is good with fruit or graham crackers. Warning: this stuff can be dangerous..... 0:)

Pumpkin Pie Dip
From Ginas Skinny Recipes

Ingredients:

15 oz can pumpkin

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt (3/4 cup)
8 oz cool whip free (1 cup)

Directions:

Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well. Mix in yogurt. Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Makes about 6 cups.

Rocking Veggie Spinach Dip

I couldn't tell you how many types of spinach dip I've had. I've had it warm, cold with artichokes without artichokes, with tortilla chips or sourdough bread. I love them all but I narrowed down my favorites and took ingredients and ideas from them and made one rocking spinach dip that I just love!

I had been striving for a long time to get it to my liking and get it just right. I personally love it and once had an ex who requested it for his birthday so if you like spinach dip, give this a try! My ultimate favorite is to eat this cold with sourdough bread....mmm...mmm....mmm!

Rocking Spinach Dip
Dame Good

Ingredients:

8 ounces neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonaise
1 packet (1.4 oz) dry knorr vegetable soup mix
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
3/4 cup green onion, chopped
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup reduced-fat Italian shredded cheese
salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, sour cream and mayonaise until completely combined. Add the rest of the ingedients and mix well. Refrigerate a couple of hours before serving. Serve with sourdough bread or tortilla chips.

Lightened Buffalo Chicken Dip

One of Shawn and I's favorite flavor is buffalo. Anytime I find a promising buffalo-anything recipe I try to make it for us. A few months ago I made us these buffalo joes, and you can't beat this buffalo chicken mac and cheese. This dip is a new favorite among Shawn and I. I try to make a bunch for him and freeze it up every couple weeks. It's pretty spicy so feel free to cut back on the hot sauce (we like it hot!). It's great to eat with celery sticks, whole wheat crackers, baked tortilla chips, or one of my favorites sourdough bread (I prefer this with spinach dip: posting to come!).

 Dips is one of the things (among MANY) that I lose control with. I will be 3/4 of the way through a batch and down to the bottom of the bag of tortilla chips before I even realize the damage I've done. Because of this, I gathered different parts of multiple buffalo chicken dip recipes (google it, there's a ton) and lightened different parts up and came up with this bad boy. It's great for football season :)

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Dame Good

Ingredients:

8 oz neaufchatel cream cheese, softened
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup Franks hot sauce (I used hot buffalo)
2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese, reserve a pinch for topping
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 cups (2 breasts) cooked shredded chicken
1/4 cup dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon seasalt
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
 
Add all the ingredients but the chicken and reserved cheese together and mix. Add the chicken and put mixture in the crock pot on low for 2-4 hours. Serve warm and top with blue cheese crumbles. This makes about 6 cups.

COMING SOON

Smore's Cookie Bars

Ricotta Cheesecake with Fresh Raspberries

Lemon Blossoms

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs and Spicy Tomato Sauce

My Rocking Spinach Dip

Cupcake Pebbles?!