Tequila Jalapeno Crab Dip

I'm so so sorry to those of you who are kind enough to check back for new postings. I know I've been M.I.A. I'm teaching high school again and while I love it, planning and grading occupy most of my time. This little delicious dip has been waiting to be posted for the last three weeks.

I made this tequila jalapeno crab dip for my first Pinterest party. Everyone had to bring some grub and something crafty to make that they had pinned. I've had this dip pinned for awhile and finally pulled the trigger. Result = pure deliciousness!

I made a few changes to the original recipe. I'm not a fan of mayo, so I used sour cream instead. I also added some red bell pepper, doubled the garlic, and used green salsa instead of the Tabasco. It ended up being so damn tasty! My Pinterest craft of bedazzling my iPhone charger however... a bust. You win some, you lose some.

I might consider nixing the sugar next time. The crab meat is sweet and the red bell pepper added an additional sweetness. I'm not sure the sugar is necessary...either way this dip is too good to pass up. Kick ass really.

To make the dip, start by seeding the peppers. Throw some jalapeno, Anaheim, red bell pepper, roma tomato, onion, and garlic into the food processor.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Do they look incredibly pretty? No. In fact, they kind of look like giant cocoons. But don't let their sad and frumpy appearance fool you. These zucchini blossoms, filled with a creamy mixture of goat cheese, cream cheese and herbs, are rich and delicious!

Ryan and I like to go to the local farmer's market in Chico as often as we can. Our most recent visit resulted in a bag of zucchini blossoms, some purple Chinese long beans, and a purple basil plant. The basil is now growing at warp speed in my back yard, waiting to be used for purple pesto (so cool). The Chinese long beans shriveled in the veggie drawer of my fridge before I could think of a way to use them. That's a dollar I'll never get back. And the zucchini blossoms...well we decided to stuff 'em with  cheese and fry 'em.

We decided to try out Giada De Laurentiis' recipe. A few things we did differently: we used herb flavored goat cheese instead of plain, we used milk instead of cream, and we left out the green onions (only because they were forgotten on the grocery list).

They went from delicate flowers to little deep-fried torpedoes of gooey goat cheese. The marinara was the perfect compliment for me. Ryan mixed up some olive oil and balsamic vinegar for his dip of choice.

Coconut Lime Macaroons

These lime macaroons are the perfect baked good for summer. They require only a few ingredients and are super easy to make. The tartness of the lime pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the coconut. I had originally planned to dip the bottoms in dark chocolate...but why mess with a good thing? 

Perhaps, in the future I'll bathe them in chocolate, but for now I love these macaroons just the way they are.

Start with one can of sweetened condensed milk.

Pink Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Our friend's little girl, Donna, turned three-years-old yesterday. I wanted to bring something fun, for her birthday dinner. So I glanced through my kitchen cabinets and came up with these little cuties. They incorporate 3 things, that I know, little girls love: sprinkles, chocolate, and pink!

You'll notice the recipe doesn't follow the traditional one on the Rice Krispies box. I've learned from Ryan's mom that one should always add more marshmallows and more butter. It's a little indulgent, I know. But, unless you're planning on eating the entire batch, it's not going to make that much of a difference in calories. At least that's what I tell myself.

They're cute, they're gooey and they were a hit even with the adults (including those who claim to "not be a sweets person"). The white chocolate adds a nice touch and you can change the color depending on the occasion (for example: green for St. Patty's Day that's coming up).

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

I'm not a traditional sap when it comes to Valentine's Day. I'm not a red rose kind-of-gal, I don't understand adults receiving stuffed animals as gifts, and I can never seem to get past the first bite in a box of chocolates. Please don't think I'm a Valentine's Scrooge. I'm not...I promise. Hey, I was beyond giddy last year, when Ryan surprised me with a five-course meal at a French restaurant. At the same time, I'm not a gal that's incredibly disappointed just relaxing at home on Valentine's Day (screw the pressure to have some big extravagant plans). But I still like to do something small for my man: a homemade card, something chocolaty, just a little something to make him feel extra special. 

Unfortunately this year, some little microbes decided to invade my body on cupid's day and foil my plans. I was sick as a dog all day long. I had planned to make some "oh so romantic" rice krispie treats (Ryan's favorite) for my Valentine, but that didn't happen. Instead he came home to me, curled up in a ball on the couch, in a very pathetic state.

The next day, looking like the walking dead, but feeling much better, I was determined to make at least one batch. Ryan loves rice krispie treats. And by love, I mean, he would eat his weight in rice krispies. If it came down to me, or a lifetime supply of rice krispie treats, he would hesitate. 

As delicious as they are on their own, I wanted to avoid the traditional recipe for rice krispie treats and try something new. I narrowed it down to Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats and Bourbon Caramel Rice Krispie Treats with Dark Chocolate. Red Velvet being the easier recipe, and I being in the aforementioned   weakened state, the red-tinted treats were up first. I will be trying the Bourbon Krispies soon enough. Dessert with booze...yes, please!

It all starts with some melted butter. 

Into the pot goes marshmallows, vanilla, and red velvet cake mix.

The red velvet cake mix creates a beautiful color. Love it!

Cocoa Krispies join the party and the incredibly sticky mess begins. 

Once cooled, cut those bad boys up. 

I tried a heart shape, but ended up sticking with squares.

Now for the melted white chocolate drizzle. Create a double boiler. 

Place a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water.

Add the chips.

They melt, you drizzle. The treats are complete!

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from Pass the Sushi

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 (10.5 oz.) bag mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup red velvet cake mix
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 cups Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 drops red food coloring (optional, just gives red an extra color boost)

Directions
Prepare a 9x13 inch glass pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining with parchment paper, then set aside.

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows, cake mix, and vanilla. Stir frequently, until the marshmallows have completely melted. Add the cocoa krispies; stir until incorporated.

It won't be easy, but transfer the cocoa krispie mixture into the coated 9x13 pan. It's going to be very sticky. To press the treats down evenly into the pan, spray a spatula with cooking spray then pat down until flat and even. Allow to cool.

To melt the white chocolate, create a double boiler by balancing a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Add the chocolate chips to the bowl, stirring frequently as they melt. Pour melted chocolate into a ziplock bag. Squeeze chocolate to one corner and cut of the tip the bag. Drizzle onto rice krispie squares.

Hope you all had a better Valentine's Day than I did!

Anyone do anything special?

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Linking up with Kojo Designs, Happy Go Lucky, and Be Different Act Normal. There's lots of inspiration over there. Go check 'em out!

Parmesan Coated Goat Cheese with Basil Oil

Oh goat cheese, how I love thee. I wish others shared my enthusiasm. I'm not sure what it is that makes folks shy away from goat cheese. Maybe it's the word goat that's not so appetizing. Personally, I fell in love with goat cheese while I was studying abroad in France five years ago. At parties, they would serve small bites of goat cheese with all sorts of fresh herbs sprinkled on top. To my amazement, I found similar bite size goat cheese with herbs at Costco. They are delicious! The perfect snack or appetizer.

Now for this little beauty...

I came across this recipe and couldn't wait to try it. Ryan liked it, but me, I was giddy with how delicious it was. The tanginess of the goat cheese, the bite of the raw garlic, the crispness of the fresh basil, all piled on top of freshly baked buttery bread...it's almost too much to handle. So good! And the presentation, look at that beautiful green color. If you love goat cheese or you're feeling brave, you've gotta try this recipe. You won't be sorry. Although, I can't guarantee that you won't ruin your dinner by finishing off this "appetizer" in one sitting, it's that good.

I did a few things differently from Annie's version. Annie's version calls for plain goat cheese, but I used an herb-flavored goat cheese from Trader Joe's. I also used 5 oz. of cheese, instead of 4 oz. She recommends running the oil through a sieve, but I didn't have one and I liked the basil leaves left in the oil. 

Start by blending parmesan cheese and panko in a food processor to form a crumb coating.

Then mix together goat cheese, garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Form the cheese mixture into a ball, then roll around to coat with panko mixture. Chill in the fridge.

Blanch basil leaves, then mince in food processor with garlic. Add the olive oil. 

Pour the basil olive oil onto a plate. Place goat cheese in the center and garnish with basil leaves. 

Hot Spinach Dip

This is an easy dip to throw together if you have friends coming over (especially if you're like me and always have a huge bag of spinach in your fridge). What I love about it...no mayonnaise! I'm certainly not mayo's biggest fan. And it always seems like dips are packed full of mayo. Not this one. It's got so much flavor, from the sweetness of the sautéed onions to the tanginess of the cream cheese, and at the end of each bite there's a hint of heat from the paprika. I set this dip out for folks to snack on while I was making white chicken chili and I couldn't stop eating it! Dice some onions...bite of spinach dip...cook some chicken...bite of spinach dip...add green chilies to the pot...bite of spinach dip. I just couldn't help myself. Test your willpower and try it for yourself!

Hot Spinach Dip

• olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. fresh spinach, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 3 dashes hot sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Drizzle a little olive oil in a pot, then heat to medium heat. Add spinach and cook until completely wilted. Drain the liquid from the spinach using a colander, press to ensure all excess liquid is drained.

Mouth-watering Jalapeno Popper Dip

It's cheesy, it's gooey, it's tangy, it's spicy. Everybody loves this dip! And I mean everyone. Even my friends who don't like spicy food, overcome their aversion to peppers, in order to eat it. It's love at first taste for most. I can't even count how many times I've been asked for the recipe.

This dip incorporates all that is delightful about a jalapeno popper : the creaminess of the cheese, the toasted breadcrumbs, and the heat from the peppers. You can easily adjust the spiciness to your liking. No matter what, this dip aims to please. It's a real guilty pleasure. 

With football season rolling around, this is a handy little recipe, easy to whip up, in a hungry-group-of-football-fans kind of emergency. 

I always serve this dip with toasted baguette slices. The crunch and flavor of the fresh bread is unbeatable. In a pinch, tortilla or pita chips would suffice.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

I always double this recipe and use a 9"x13" Pyrex. Reason: it goes fast and you don't want to deal with hungry friends when the popper dip runs out. Not pretty. And if by some miracle there are leftovers, this dip tastes even better the second time around.

• 2 (8 oz.) packages of Neufchâtel cheese (labeled as: 1/3 less fat cream cheese), softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapenos
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• breadcrumbs (I like to use the garlic and herb flavored crumbs)
• freshly ground black pepper
• baguette
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a hand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in the diced green chilies and jalapenos. Mix in 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and add freshly ground black pepper, to taste. 

Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping

I am loving my first fall in Paradise. Back home by now, it would be rainy and gloomy. Here the sun is still shining, but now there is a slight breeze. The air smells different, good different, and the leaves are beautiful shades of gold and orange. A girl can definitely get used to this. 

Whenever fall rolls around, I think of this recipe. Ok...ok, who am I kidding, I make these muffins all year-round. But they seem especially fitting when summer turns to fall. As these muffins bake, they fill your entire house with the delicious aroma of cinnamon and pumpkin. Every time I make these, I think about how incredible it would be to awake to the smell of them. So if you happen to have family or friends visiting... that you want to spoil...you should sneak to the kitchen (before they wake up) and get these little guys in the oven. You'd be the best hostess (or host) ever!

Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping and Cream Cheese Drizzle 

Adapted from Stephanie's Kitchen

For the muffins:

3 cups All-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup canned pumpkin

A Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Thank You

We had some very ripe bananas sitting in our kitchen, so I decided to make some bread to share with family. I love this recipe. My mom and I have been making it for years. You will absolutely love the smell of vanilla and cinnamon as it bakes. It's amazing for breakfast or a midnight snack.