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.

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.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers

I was having a crazy moment, most likely daydreaming about my love of buffalo-flavored anything, when I decided to make up a recipe. Most of the time I adapt recipes to my liking or use one as inspiration and put my own twist on it or come up with a great idea and google similar recipes to guide me through my own. But I decided I wanted to make a buffalo chicken burger, without the help of any other recipes or people...except for Shawn. I forced Shawn to help me so that if they were bad I could blame him.

Thankfully, they were nothing short of awesome. Shawn did the grilling because I'm not too good with knowing when meat is done and he did great. Theres nothing sexier than a man working a grill and knowing how to handle his food. Needless to say this was a well-done team effort.

If you're obsessed with buffalo like Shawn and I, check out this yummy dip and this amazing mac and cheese. These recipes DO NOT disappoint.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Dame Good

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup celery, chopped (use food processor for smaller pieces)
1/4 cup hot sauce (I used Franks Hot Buffalo. If you don't like heat as much as I do I would reduce this a bit)
1/2 cup reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup chopped onion
salt, pepper to taste

Burgers:
2 lb ground chicken
1 (1 oz) pack dry ranch seasoning
1/2 cup reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup hot sauce (Franks Hot Buffalo)
1/2 cup celery, chopped (use food processor for smaller pieces)
salt, pepper to taste

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (or whatever is remaining)
8 whole wheat buns
condiments/toppings of choice (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles etc...)

Directions:

Preheat indoor/outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Spray or oil the grill. Mix all of the burger ingredients (chicken, ranch, blue cheese, hot sauce, celery, salt and pepper) and form meat mixture into 6-8 patties.

Cook the burgers about 5-8 minutes on each side. While burgers are grilling, assemble the sauce by mxing all of the sauce ingredients (sour cream, buttermilk, worcestershire, celery, hot sauce, blue cheese, onion salt and pepper).

Assemble burgers to your liking. We put down lettuce, then the burger, then topped the burger with blue cheese crumbles, a dallop of the sauce and tomatoes. We ate them on whole wheat buns.

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?!

Chunky Guacamole with Homemade Lime Tortilla Chips

Does anyone else hate those effortlessly thin and perfectly toned girls that show up in the middle of your workout only to make you feel fat and totally discouraged? This girl came into the gym today and I envied her body, she hopped on the eliptical for 20 minutes without breaking a sweat and then left. Is that all it takes?! Meanwhile, I've been going at it for 40 minutes with 20 to go sweating buckets with my thighs full of chocolate, vodka and buffalo chicken bouncing all over the place. I'm convinced these girls starve themselves because while I do enjoy indulging, and aside from my compulsive baking, I generally eat pretty healthy, reasonably portioned meals but can pack on a pound like nobodies business.

I can't give up food because quite frankly IM HUNGRY! I miss the days when my metablolism was so fast that I couldn't even keep up with it. I could eat whatever I wanted in large quantities and still be too skinny. At the tender age of 22 I'm already suffering the lovely effects of a slower metabolism...this is crap. But don't think I'm going to stop baking up pieces of heaven that temporarily excuse being fat because let's face it, I will die of chocolate shock.

I suppose this story has little relevance to guacamole but it is something to feel less guilty about and I needed a little space to rant. Also, I love mexican food and dips so this makes me happy :) The guacamole is nice and fresh (I'm a sucker for guacamole...and most other dips for that matter) and I love the idea of baking your own tortilla chips. They're easy! Something I have learned with avacados is that when you are working with them, sometimes it is easier to handle them when you allow them to come to room temperature first.

Is anyone else as obsessed with Chipotle's Chips and Guac as me?! This is my homemade take on that :)

Chunky Guacamole
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (1 lime)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced
2 jalepenos, seeded and diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lime juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes, jalepenos, and cilantro. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

Homemade Baked Whole Wheat Tortillas with Seasalt and Lime
Dame Good

Ingredients:

1 package whole wheat tortillas (or corn if you prefer)
1-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime for juice and zest
seasalt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small boil. Zest one lime and add to bowl. Brush each tortilla on both side with oil and lime mixture. Cut each tortilla into about 8 triangles (almost as you would with a pizza. Arrange evenly on a baking sheet. If you have a rack I recomend putting them on a baking rack to that they bake evenly. Sprinkle tortillas with salt. Bake about 15 minutes or until the chips are golden brown on the edges. Remove and squeeze fresh lime juice (from the lime you zested) onto the chips. Allow chips to cool about 5 minutes. (If you want extra crispy chips, turn the oven off when they brown and allow them to remain in the oven for a few minutes)

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro

I am so in love with sweet potatoes. This love affair began when I went to this restaraunt in downtown Columbus called "Tip Top". I ordered the sweet potato fries with spicy mayo and a pot roast sandwich with swiss cheese on a pretzel roll and it was lifechanging. This is now one of my favorite restaraunts because of those two things. It's "Ohio" comfort food at it's finest in a chill, dimly lit hole in the wall. LOVE IT. Anyway, back to the sweet potatoes. Those fries are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. They inspired me to try out different things with sweet potatoes. I often buy them, pop them in the microwave and put plain yogurt and cinnamon on them, its super yummy. I came across this recipe by one of my God's, Bobby Flay himself. Not only are they sweet potatoes, but they include my favorite herb, cilantro. Cilantro didn't know I was having an affair with sweet potatoes before, but its all okay now after making these. Love em, plain and simple :)

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro
From Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes, unpeeled
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Parcook the potatoes: Place in a pot of water and boil until fork-tender; let cool. Slice each potato lengthwise into eighths.

Preheat a grill to medium or place a cast-iron grill pan over medium heat. Mix 1 tablespoon salt, the lime zest and cayenne in a small bowl.

Brush the potato wedges with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on all sides (including the skin) and just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter; immediately season with the salt mixture and sprinkle with cilantro.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! It is very rare that I leave the grocery store without some roasted garlic hummus and lightly salted pita chips. I go to town with those two. I had never even thought about making my own until I was browsing online for ways to use these extra peppers I had and found this roasted red bell pepper hummus. I thought it was delicious. I had some other extra veggies too and bought some whole grain pita pockets and stuffed them with this spicy hummus, tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers. It not only tasted great but felt great in that its virtually guilt-free. The only thing I should warn people about with this hummus is not to plan on smooching anytime after eating it :)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

16 ounces chickpeas
6 ounces roasted red bell peppers
1 jalapeno, seeded, diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper in adobo
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, except olive oil, in food processor until pureed, then slowly add in olive oil.

Let set up for 1 hour prior to serving.

Cinco De Mayo!: Sopapilla Cheesecake, Mexican Brownies, Black Bean Pico De Gallo, Chicken Enchiladas

I love Cinco De Mayo because it allows me to explore the part of me that loves heat and tequila! As I may have said before mexican food is my favorite to eat and make...the spicier the better! I decided to make a little Cinco De Mayo meal for me and my 3 roomates and I must say, even writing this blog right now is a struggle, I AM STUFFED!

I couldn't decide on a dessert...I was torn between brownies and cheesecake...and then I thought DUH! DO BOTH! Oh, and do eat them first :). Dessert should always come first...and last ;)

Sopapilla Cheesecake

I love sopapillas and cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite things, so this dessert is right up my alley. Not only is it FABULOUS, but it's super quick and easy. I actually came across this recipe in an e-mail from Allrecipes.com and boy am I glad they sent it!

Ingredients:

(Ps I don't usually recommend using healthier substitutions in baking because I have learned the hard way that it doesn't always work out well...but this is a recipe that can be tweaked a little bit without consequences)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel, has less fat)
1 cup white sugar (I used a 1/2 cup of a sugar splenda blend)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls (I used a reduced fat kind)
1/2 cup melted butter (I used "I Cant Believe its not Butter" light)
1/2 cup white sugar (I used 1/4 cup of a sugar splenda blend)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth; set aside.

Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each sheet into 9x13 inch rectangles.

Press one sheet into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough, and brush with melted butter. Stir together 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle evenly over the top of the cheesecake.

Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Mexican Brownies

I've had this recipe saved on my Foodnetwork.com for some time just waiting for the right time to use it. I found this recipe intriguing. I think they are wonderful. They have a great texture and the cinnamon and cayenne aren't overwhelming. They give the brownies subtle heat and leave a "warm" after-taste

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon (canela)
1/4 teaspoon pequen chili powder or cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Press the paper into the corners of the pan and lightly grease the paper with butter.

Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat; do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

Add the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack, then use the parchment paper to lift out the brownies before slicing.

Black Bean Pico De Gallo

Fresh, homemade salsa, guacamole or pico de gallo beats the storebought stuff ANY DAY! This is my own personal recipe with some of my favorite ingredients. It is quite loaded so feel free to add in or take out whatever your hearts desire!

Ingredients:

1 red onion, chopped

4-5 roma tomatos, cored and chopped

1 avacado, peeled and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn kernals, thawed

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 jalepenos, cored, seeds removed and chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

juce of 1 fresh  lime

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir well in a large bowl. Chill 1-2 hours before serving.

Chicken Enchiladas

I noticed this recipe had RAVE reviews on Foodnetwork.com so I thought I'd take my stab at it. It was quite successful. They taste as good, if not better, than what you can get at an authentic mexican restaraunt. There is a lot of prep work and takes some time but let me tell you folks...it is well worth it!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions:

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

         I would say it has been a successful Cinco De Mayo. I got to spend a significant portion of my day drinking margaritas and cooking my favorite food. It was a beautiful day so I had the kitchen window open (I love love love doing that). I spent some quality time catching up with my busy roomates and I ate myself into a coma...of which I have not recovered from anymore than when I started this post...oh well...worth it! :)