Funfetti Cake Dip

Dessert dips are dangerous. If they aren’t proportioned, I end up hanging out by the dip and eating it during the whole party while somehow convincing myself that I didn’t really eat anything. I figure, if I only eat one tiny bite at a time and I don’t use a plate, the calories don’t count. That’s true, right?

Well, with this dip, you don’t have to feel guilty! It’s low in fat and calories and I swear you would never know. And for all you cake batter lovers, this tastes like the real deal. But it won’t give you salmonella so it’s even better! It is super sweet so all the kids at my party loved it but it was too much for some of the older women (my grandmother found it disgusting). By the way, when does that happen? What’s the magic age when things start becoming “too sweet”? It’d be nice for my waistline but I’m definitely dreading that day.

I served it with mini graham crackers and animal crackers. Nilla wafers would be good too! It reminded me of eating Dunkaroos when I was in elementary school. I used to eat all of the kangaroo shaped crackers plain. Then I would save the circular ones and use all of the frosting to make a couple GIANT cookie-frosting sandwiches. The good ole days!

Oh, and it has sprinkles. Rainbow sprinkles never fail to make my day better. How can you not be happy when eating something so bright and cheerful? Try frowning and eating sprinkles. I bet it’s impossible.

Funfetti Cake Dip (24 ¼ cup servings – 105 cals) from Eat Yourself Skinny!

·         1 (18.9 oz) box Funfetti cake mix

·         2 cups fat-free vanilla yogurt

·         1 cup lite Cool Whip

·         Fat-free animal crackers

1.       In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, plain yogurt and Cool Whip until completely combined and you see no more lumps.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill for about 4 hours. 

Garnish with additional sprinkles if desired and serve with animal crackers, graham crackers, and/or Nilla wafers! 

Why do sprinkles make everything better?

"Go To" Guacamole

I absolutely love avocados. It’s a combination of the taste and texture… it’s just perfect. I put them on sandwiches with meat and/or eggs. I mash them up or chunk them for use in tuna, taco, and egg salad. I like to fill the space where the pit is with things like the previously mentioned salads, cottage cheese, or other veggies.

So, naturally, I love guacamole. I eat it in tacos and burritos, on nachos, and with chips. Or just a spoon. I also am a firm believer that guac is a great dip that doubles as a wonderful condiment for slathering on sandwiches instead of mayo or eating with grilled chicken, steak, or fish.

After a lot of experimenting, I have found that this is my “go-to” guacamole recipe. I definitely love putting crazy spins on it by mixing in different ingredients on occasion, like corn, peppers, raspberries, mango, pineapple, etc. But this is the base that I use for the majority of my creations. The same rule applies as with my pico de gallo. I generally double the jalapeno and cilantro if I’m making it for myself.

So make this guacamole and feel free to add your own crazy creations!

Guacamole  from How Sweet It Is

·         4 ripe avocados

·         1/2 red onion, chopped

·         1 jalapeno, chopped

·         1 small tomato, chopped

·         1/4 cup chopped cilantro

·         1 lime, juice

1.       Scoop out avocado meat and mash it. Add chopped vegetables to the mix. Squeeze in fresh lime juice. Serve with… anything. 

maybe a green bowl wasn't the best photo choice but it's still delicious!

Pico de Gallo

I love making my own salsas and dips because I can make them to fit my tastes perfectly. For example, with any type of salsa, I generally like more heat and cilantro than most people. I literally cannot get enough of those two flavors. So when I make this pico de gallo for only myself I usually double or triple the amount of jalapenos and cilantro. If I’m making it for a dinner party, I’ll make it as directed and then leave some extra jalapenos and cilantro in a small bowl that I can add to my plate to satisfy my taste buds. It’s perfect!

Pico de gallo is really easy to make. It tastes way better than the stuff you can buy in the grocery store, especially when tomatoes are in season. I also think it tastes better on the second and third days because the garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, and onions meld together and the tomatoes soak up the flavor.

This should definitely be a staple in any Mexican dinner.

Pico de Gallo (4 servings)

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
• 2 chile peppers, mild or hot, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves (no stems)
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

1.  In a bowl combine all ingredients. Let it marinate in the refrigerator at least an hour (I think overnight is best) for best results.

7 Layer Taco Dip

Happy belated Cinco de Mayo!

I went over to Michelle's to do some festive cooking and drinking. This is becoming quite a wonderful habit. I love having a fellow foodie friend :)

We enjoyed a Mexican style feast and quite a few beer-garitas. I wanted to do a post about the beer-garitas but we consumed them before I remembered to take a picture. I guess that means I'll have to make them again. Twist my arm, why don't ya?

Michelle and I :) I look 7 feet tall. I'm not. Heels just make me happy.

the makings of the wonderful beer-garitas.

plate full of Mexican food! fish tacos, 7 layer dip, and beef empanadas!

 This is one of my favorite dips. It's delicious and so versatile! It can be served hot or cold. It can made with or without meat. You can switch up the ingredients based on what you're in the mood for or what you have on hand. For me, this dip always has to have a layer of beans, a layer of sour cream, a layer of salsa, and a layer of cheese. For the rest, I just let my cravings make the decisions. For this version, we decided to add some chicken because we also made a fish and a ground beef dish. We added a layer of guacamole... a very thin layer because all of the avocados were rock hard. You'd think that the grocery store would invest in some quality avocados for Cinco de Mayo weekend, gosh. We added jalapenos, olives, and scallions as our delicious topping choices. We chose to bake both of them because we were in the mood for melty cheese.

If you're not going to bake the dip, you could go with fresh tomatoes and diced avocados instead of salsa and guacamole. However, you decide to make this dip, make sure you serve it with some sturdy chips because it is intensely dense. And delicious. And impossible to stop snacking on.

7 Layer Taco Dip (2 8x8 or 1 9x13 baking dish)

• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 chicken breasts, shredded (optional) (I used precooked because I'm lazy.)
  
• 2 cups salsa
• 16 oz (reduced fat) sour cream (or do 8 oz of cream cheese and 8 oz of sour cream for a more dense layer)
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 3 avocados
• 1 guacamole seasoning packet (yeah, I cheated... whatever...)
• 8 oz of shredded cheese (I used reduced fat Mexican blend)
• 2.25 oz sliced black olives
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 4 oz pickled jalapenos 

1. Preheat the oven to 375. 
2. Mash the black beans in a bowl until it is a mushy but chunky mixture. Spread on the bottom of the dish(es).
3. Mix the chicken (if using) with the salsa. Layer on top of the beans.
4. Mix the sour cream with the taco seasoning packet. Layer on top of the salsa.
5. Mash the avocados. Mix in the guacamole seasoning packet. Spread on top of the sour cream.
6. Sprinkle cheese over the guacamole layer.
7. Evenly distribute black olives, scallions, and pickle jalapenos over the cheese. 
8. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, turn oven to broil, and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is fully melted.
9. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

hard, unspreadable, unripened avocado :(

Michelle is a crazy lady who doesn't like olives.

I want to eat this with a spoon small shovel.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

This is one of my favorite appetizers. I think that might be true of most people.

It's great because it's all the deliciousness of wings without the mess. This never used to matter to me because I had a boyfriend so it was totally acceptable for me to have wing sauce all over my face and up to my elbows because... who was I trying to impress? Well, now that I'm single, I can't just go around looking like a caveman while enjoying party snacks. I figure that I have to at least put on a show of being civilized for a little while. So this means I'll have to step away from the large glasses of gin and saucy finger foods. Or smuggle them into the bathroom in my oversized purse to enjoy in private. Either way.

I love that you can eat this dip on crackers, bread, veggies, chips, etc. My favorite is the celery. I throw a legitimate tantrum if I order wings and they don't come with celery or, even worse, warm carrots. Unacceptable.

This is definitely a staple for any party. With all of the sporting events that are always going on (don't ask me what they are, I only pay attention to the NFL) and graduation parties coming up and summer BBQs that are quickly approaching, I figured this would be an appropriate recipe to share. Or just make it for yourself for a personal party because you're great!

You can experiment with various cheeses and amounts of ingredients but this is my favorite combination. It's not too soupy or too dry. I like to only use blue cheese dressing whereas some recipes call for ranch and blue cheese. I add A LOT of hot sauce. To the point where eating it makes me sweat a little. Like probably more than is in the written recipe because I'm famous for being like... ok, just one more dash... I mean, just like a couple more squirts... well, this bottle is half empty so I might as well just use it too...   I'm probably going to get a stomach ulcer.

Oh, and I make the leftovers into the BEST grilled cheese ever. I'd do a post about that but I've never managed to take a picture before I devour it in like two bites. Sorry, but I knew you'd understand.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

• 4 boneless breasts of chicken (I use the equivalent in chicken tenders because they cook faster)
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder (or anything else you like to season chicken)
• 1 jar/bottle blue cheese dressing (I use Marie's extra chunky or low fat, depending on my mood)
• 1 bar low fat cream cheese
• 1 6-8 oz package reduced fat shredded white sharp cheddar (other shredded cheese can be used)
• 1 bottle hot sauce (I use Frank's)

1. Season the chicken breasts as desired (I use the ones listed above). Saute in a pan until completely cooked through. Let the chicken cool and then shred. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Pour the wing sauce over the shredded chicken and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight (depending on how much heat you want the chicken to absorb). 
3. When ready to assemble the dip, drain the chicken in a strainer. This will ensure that your dip is not soupy. 
4. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Next distribute the drained chicken evenly. Cover the chicken with the blue cheese dressing. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top.
5. Bake at 325 for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and dip is warmed all the way through. 
6. Serve with tortilla chips, baguette slices, crackers, baby carrots, and celery sticks.

cream cheese layer

spicy chicken

blue cheese layer

shredded cheese layer

all baked and ready to be dipped into!

Curried Cream Cheese with Dried Cherries, Pine Nuts, and Green Onions

Back to football Sunday appetizers!

I love conflicting tastes in one dish.  I'm the person who always reaches for the sweet and salty combo. Or sweet and sour. Or sweet and savory. Or hot and sweet.  My taste buds get pretty bored so I find these interesting tastes shock them back to life.

I also love to try things that don't seem like they would go together. I find that I'm usually pleasantly surprised.  For example, chocolate covered potato chips.  I thought it sounded totally bizarre.  So obviously I had to try them.  And thank God that I did because they're also totally addictive.

Well, that's what drew me to this dip.  The sweetness of the dried cherries (it was originally cranberries, but I like cherries better), the bite of the green onion, the spicy curry and pepper jelly, the creamy cream cheese, and the crunchy pine nuts.  My taste buds were anticipating a roller-coaster ride.

That and it's literally everything Tom hates all in one dish.  Everything that I just mentioned that I love about the dip, he despises... other than cream cheese. I told him about it and he simply said, "eewww".  So I figured this should be an appetizer that I make for personal consumption, which is fine by me because it's so tasty that I don't want to share.

This isn't a very football oriented appetizer (sorry!).  But just think of it as a very New York autumn taco dip.  This might be better suited for a wine and cheese party with adventurous foodies. If you're looking to try something really simple and different, give this a shot... maybe your taste buds need to be brought back to life too!  I've eaten it on wheat thins, pretzels, rice cakes, and carrots so far.  All of them were delicious, though the carrots didn't pick up the cherries very well so I had to grab a spoon.  Because the dip has so much going on, it'd be best to keep whatever you choose pretty plain.

Now I'm going to go open a box of wine and enjoy my personal fancy shmancy cheese dip. 

Curried Cream Cheese with Dried Cherries, Pine Nuts, and Green Onions (from Once Upon a Recipe)

·         8 ounces of fat freecream cheese, softened

·         2 tsp. curry powder (or you can use an combination of savory spices like cayenne pepper, garlic powder, cloves, onion powder)

·         2 tsp. ground cumin

·         1/2 cup red pepper or red chile jelly, divided

·         1/4 cup dried cherries (or cranberries)

·         1/4 cup pine nuts

·         1/4 cup green onions, chopped (about 3 green onions)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Place pine nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes.

2.  Combine the cream cheese, spices, and 3 TBSP. of the jelly until smooth.

3.  Spread the mixture into the bottom of a shallow dip dish (roughly 5″ x 7″).

4.  Spread the remaining jelly over top of the cream cheese mixture. Combine the dried cherries, pine nuts, and green onions in a small bowl to mix, then sprinkle evenly over top of the dip.

5.  Chill until you serve. 

 Yeah, it's in a tupperware container.  That's all I've got, okay? Jeez.

Pumpkin Pie Dip

I know this isn't a typical man-pleasing football appetizer.  But I'm by myself this Sunday so I figured I'd make a light girly appetizer.  Girls like football too and sometimes (but only sometimes, I swear) I crave food other than meat and cheese.  And considering it's starting to feel like fall, I am craving anything with apples and pumpkin.

I found a pumpkin pie dip.  Into which you dip apples.  Pumpkin and apple goodness in every single bite?!?! This was a no brainer.

Also, I put the entire dip together as my coffee was brewing.  This recipe has it all... great fall flavors, quick and easy, inexpensive, low fat, and it even freezes well! I only ate it with apples but I'm positive it would be great on other fruit and graham crackers.  This is a very liquidy dip.  I don't mind because I can just dip the apples into it rather than using the apples as if it were a mini shovel to pile the pumpkin concoction into my mouth.  If you wanted a thicker dip, you could add another container of coolwhip, but the pumpkin flavor would be more subtle.  Enjoy this as an alternative to the caramel apple dip that you can buy from the grocery store!

Pumpkin Pie Dip (12 servings – 103 cals) from skinnytaste

• 15 oz can pumpkin
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used a brown sugar Splenda blend)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)
• 6 oz fat free Greek yogurt (I used Chiobani)
• 8 oz fat free cool whip
• cut up apples to dip

1.  Mix pumpkin with brown sugar, vanilla and spices, blend well. 

2.  Mix in yogurt.  

3. Fold in cool whip and chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.

4.  Serve with apples or graham crackers or anything else you'd like!

And this was my lunch today.  That might be pumpkin coffee with half of an apple spice muffin.  And I had leftover pumpkin ravioli for dinner. I am prepared to say that I have an obsession but in no way is that a problem.

Super Nachos

Happy 3rd week of football!  As promised, I have an appetizer recipe.  I actually just finished eating it so I can accurately describe how amazing it was in vivid detail.

Nachos, for me, are probably the most traditional appetizer.  My boyfriend, Tom, is visiting for the weekend and he requested nachos with a creamy cheese sauce so I set out on a search for something that would satisfy his craving and found a recipe for "Super Nachos" by Rachel Ray. I followed her recipe with some adaptations. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef because it's healthier (and was on sale). I used a taco seasoning packet instead of/in addition to her spice recommendations and omitted the jalapeno pepper in the mix. I added a can of Mexicorn to the meat and bean mixture. And I used jarred salsa instead of making pico de gallo because the tomatoes at the grocery store didn't impress me.

Well, they got the seal of approval.  Tom said, and I quote, "These are the best nachos I've ever had". And I'd have to agree.  They were pretty tasty. I credit my heavy hand on the spices because usually we have to add hot sauce to everything and it wasn't necessary with these (but if you don't like the heat, just omit or seriously cut down on the spices). I also used multigrain chips which gave a nice sweetness to counter the spice. I also thought the addition of the corn added flavor to the dish.  The only change I might make to this dish is that if you hate soggy chips, you should probably only put the chips on the outside or switch up the order of the layering of the ingredients.  I put the cheese sauce on first but if you want your chips to stay crispier you might want to put the cheese sauce on last because it's kind of liquidy. I might even cut down the milk in cheese sauce by a half of a cup. However, I don't mind a couple soggy chips because then I can reach for the fork and dig in :)

Also, this recipe makes a ridiculous amount of nachos.  Luckily I recognized this and didn't assemble them all so we have enough to make two more huge batches in addition to the gigantic platter that we just shared as a meal.  I left the recipe as is but if you're not feeding a small army, cut it down or only put together half of it and save half for the next day.

Now I have to go watch the Packers/Bears game.  Everyone should root for the Packers so that I don't start my week off in a bad mood. There's few teams I hate watching the Packers loose to other than the Bears.  At least I'll have nacho leftovers to console myself tomorrow if they lose.

Super Nachos (adapted from Rachel Ray)

• 2 bags of multigrain tortillas

Meat, Beans, and Corn Topping:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 – 1 1/3 pounds of ground turkey
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 packet of hot taco seasoning
• ½ tablespoon of cumin
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 can black beans,  drained
• 1 can of Mexicorn, drained

Cheese Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups skim milk (could reduce by ½ cup)
• 3/4 pound reduced fat pepper jack cheese, shredded, about 2 1/2 cups

Additional toppings to choose from, optional:

•  Sour cream
• Chopped black olives
• Sliced avocado
• Pickled jalapeno peppers

1. Arrange two bags of multigrain tortilla chips on a platter.

2. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, onion and peppers to the pan and saute 2 minutes, then add ground turkey and crumble with a spatula. Season meat with taco seasoning, cumin, cayenne pepper, and Max Hot (or any other hot spices that you like). Cook meat 5 minutes, then stir in beans and Mexicorn and reduce heat to low.

3. In a medium sauce pot, melt butter and add flour to it. Cook flour and butter 1 to 2 minutes over moderate heat, then whisk in milk. When milk comes to a bubble, stir in cheese with a wooden spoon. Remove cheese sauce from the heat.

4. Pour cheese sauce evenly over the massive spread of chips and top evenly with beef and beans and half of a can of salsa. Serve immediately as is or, garnish with your choice of extra toppings (I used the ones listed above).

Nachos, fall beer, and football?  Yes please!

Look at this happy guy.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips

I've decided that, in honor of football season, I'm going to try to post an appetizer every Sunday. I absolutely love snack food and appetizers. There's something about bite-sized food that allows you to eat more than you would have thought humanly possible. I think I could snack all day and never get full.  Considering the fact that I live alone, this could be dangerous. I'll try my best not to sit down and eat a full bag of chips and dip... but I make no promises.

Like this dip. It's okay to eat it in massive quantities because it's made of fruit... right? This fresh twist on salsa is perfect for an end of summer barbecue!  It can be eaten as an appetizer, as a dessert, or as a fruit salad without the chips! The chips on their own are amazingly addictive (I think I ate half of a bag while chopping the fruit). You could make them from scratch if you wanted but I'm such a big fan of Stacy's that I decided not to bother.

As is typical of salsa, it's very easy to make but takes a lot of chopping. I chopped the fruit up pretty small so that each bite could contain a little of each fruit but big enough so that the fruits were still identifiable. This recipe is very easily adapted.  You can use whatever fruit and preserves that you have on hand.  I think the kiwis give it a nice color and the apples give it a great texture. My mom brought it to a party and substituted blueberries for the raspberries and said it was a hit! I made it for a party I was going to so I made a ton but feel free to cut the recipe down for a smaller gathering or a personal snack :)

Also, sorry for the pictures (or lack there of). There was a huge storm on the day of the party so the power was out.  Good thing I opted for a no bake appetizer. And thankfully I managed not to lose a finger during the chopping process even though I was using a knife... in the dark.... while sipping some Pinot Grigio.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips

• 6 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Fiji apples, cored and diced
• 2 8 ounces containers of raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 peaches, diced
• 4 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor (I used raspberry)
• POSSIBLE ADDITIONS: mango, blueberries, pineapple, coconut flakes
• Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips

1.  Chop all fruit as directed.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis,  apples, raspberries, strawberries, peaches and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.