Jalapeno Popper Dip

I came up with this dip recipe for my wonderful hubby Ian.  A while ago, he asked me why haven't you ever made me jalapeno poppers?  I stopped and said, huh I have never thought about it.  Then when I got to thinking more about them, I thought cause what a pain in the neck.  They are so time consuming and when you have a 3 year old, sometimes time is of the essence... or in other words ..3 year old's can be very demanding of your time... not to mention "terrible 3's" have hit our house... sigh...am I going to make it past these 3's??? Well I do have a 20 year old as well so I know that the time does go by super quick, so I am trying to savor each and every moment...
 So anyway back to this delicious dip.  I thought what would I like in my jalapeno poppers.  Sometimes they are way too hot, sometimes not flavorful enough.. and as you all know I like the volume turned up.  Not persae spicy hot, but really, really flavorful.  So this is what I came up with.. a hot, creamy, melty dip with bacon, cheese, jalapenos  yum... isn't everything in life better with bacon & cheese??? I mean what's not to like with that? If you like it hotter add more jalapenos, and hot sauce.

I served this with tortilla chips, but crackers or breadsticks would work just as well.  Try this today... enjoy

**NOTE** I used diced pickled jalapenos, and I like Mt. Olive brand, just my humble opinion but oh so good.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

8 oz. cream cheese ,softened
1/2 c mayo
1/4 c shredded parmesan
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c jalapeno peppers
1 T. jalapeno pepper juice
2 dashes hot sauce
1/2 cup shredded co-jack cheese
1/4 t garlic powder
1/3 c real bacon bits


Toppings:
1/4 stick butter, melted
1/4 bread crumbs
1/4 grated parmesan
1/4 cup french fried onions


Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 8" baking dish with nonstick spray.
In bowl place softened cream cheese, mix well with fork.  Add mayo, parmesan cheese,sour cream, jalapeno peppers, jalapeno juice, hot sauce, co-jack cheese, garlic powder & bacon bits, mix well.   Spread into prepared baking dish, and bake 10-15 minutes. 
While dip bakes combine topping ingredients mixing well with fork until crumbly.  Remove dip from oven and sprinkle topping over the dip.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until dip is hot.  Remove from oven and serve with tortilla chips or crackers of your choice.  Enjoy

Whatever muffins

If you follow my cooking blog you all know I have been in the process of moving.  And can I tell you... what a pain in the neck it is to move...but in the process of moving I found some old cookbooks and recipes that I completely forgot about... like these muffins.. I have no idea whatsoever where I got this recipe, but it is so amazing. 

**NOTE**They are called whatever muffins cause at the end you stir in 1/2 cup of "whatever" you have on hand...chocolate chips, dried cranberries, smashed bananas, candies, nuts, raisins, apples, carrots, applesauce, blueberries etc..use what you have and what your family likes.

 I used 3 T peanut butter, chocolate chips, and bananas... yum.. they were awesome and turned out so good...  I just mixed the chocolate chips with a tablespoonful of flour to coat them (so they don't sink to the bottom of the muffins).  I also thought I might next time use orange juice instead of the milk and use dried cranberries to make cranberry orange muffins..so many possibilities... make these for your family...

** With the weather just starting to get warm, sometimes I make extra muffins, cookies and store them in the freezer to pull out when it is just too hot to bake in the summer... note to self..get cracking on this task :)  Enjoy

Whatever muffins

1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 T baking powder
1/2 t salt

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 t vanilla

1/2 cup "whatever" see above note

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.  Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt.  In a small bowl mix together the wet ingredients (egg, milk, oil & vanilla).  Add the wet mixture to the dry, adding in the "whatever" mixture with the wet ingredients.  Mix just until combined.  Fill 12 muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for around 17-19 minutes (check at 17 minutes) mine were done at 18 minutes but my oven cooks fast.  They should be light golden brown and rounded.  Remove from oven.  Let cool, and enjoy.

Roasted Vegetables

Yeah my first picture on my food blog :)   Now I can show you what I am cooking... oh happy day... anyway I love roasted vegetables. The rich deep caramelization and golden brown color from cooking at a high heat in the oven.  The flavors intensify and makes regular old vegetables into incredible vegetables.  My step son who used to hate vegetables  now LOVES roasted vegetables in the oven :) which makes this momma happy.  Healthy food into the body makes for healthy people...
You can choose any vegetables that your family loves, asparagus, carrots, cabbage, potatoes (both regular and sweet potatoes), green beans, cauliflower, broccoli  anything works...I usually just use a little olive oil, and simple seasonings of kosher salt & pepper but I have used a little red pepper flakes, rosemary etc and it always turns out wonderful.... as always use what you like and have... Enjoy


Roasted Vegetables

Vegetables of your choice, cut into pieces, washed and peeled if necessary
Olive oil
Kosher salt & pepper


Preheat oven to 400.  Place veggies on a sheet tray patting dry with paper towels if they are wet.  Drizzle the veggies with olive oil and toss to coat well with the oil (they should be very lightly coated with oil, not dripping wet) sprinkle with salt & pepper and bake until the veggies are golden brown turning after about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

Homemade croutons

Yeah I'm back :)  sorry I have been MIA but our family has been in the process of moving....sigh..17 years in one house and downsizing to a much smaller house has been trying nonetheless... and back to college full time has kept me busy, busy, busy..  I will try and go back to posting recipes more often, thanks for sticking with me. :)
Our church gets day old bread from Panera bread company and they share it with the congregation :)  So I am always looking for ways to use it up...think Panzanella (Italian bread salad, bread cubes, with tomatoes, olives, onions, cucumbers drizzled with a homeade Italian vinagrette dressing), or bread pudding, or breakfast casserole... but one of my favorite ways to use leftover bread is to make homemade croutons.  I love them they are so good and tasty.  I could eat an entire pan of them when they come out of the oven... They are so easy to make, and you can flavor them anyway that you want.  Make these today, your family will love them.. Enjoy


Homemade croutons

1 loaf day old bread, cut into bite size cubes
olive oil
seasonings of your choice (I use garlic & onion powder, kosher salt & pepper)



Preheat oven to 350.  Place bread cubes on a big sheet pan.  Drizzle bread with olive oil and toss bread to coat cubes with oil.  Sprinkle the bread cubes with garlic & onion powder, sprinkle with kosher salt & pepper.  Bake for around 15-20 minutes(turning bread halfway thru the baking with a spatula)  or until lightly toasted.  Remove from oven and serve over your favorite salad.  Enjoy

Easy blueberry peach cake

I have seen recipes with boxed angel food cake mix that look amazing.  I have made it with a 20oz (big can, not the 8oz can size) of crushed pineapple, and the dry cake mixed in and it is so delicious.  Now my little 3 year old son Jackson was watching the cooking channel with me and saw someone make peach cake.  He said what they making? (his vocuabulary is not all the way developed, so his sentence structure is a little lacking..LOL) I told him, the person was making peach cake.  He said, mommy make me peach cake..how can you say no to that.  Well we are in the middle of moving, so all my cookbooks are packed up in boxes, so I looked online, and didn't see one that I really wanted to try.  The online recipes called for a pound of butter, or a cup of oil, and I wanted something a little lighter.  Then while I was looking in my cupboards I saw the box of angel food cake mix.  I looked in my pantry and saw blueberry pie filling, then remembered a recipe that I ran across somewhere, and I saw a can of peaches and voila...blueberry peach cake... you can use any kind of pie filling that you like or have on hand, and skip the peaches, or you can add canned crushed pineapple and skip the pie filling completely.  It is so easy and yummy... you can serve this with whipped cream or ice cream or just plain....Enjoy


Easy blueberry peach cake

1 box angel food cake mix
1 can blueberry pie filling
1 can sliced peaches, in juice drained and sliced

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 13x9 inch pan with nonstick spray.
In big bowl mix together the pie filling and peaches.  Mix in the dry cake mix and mix well with big spoon.  Pour mixture into pan and spread into an even layer.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and inside is done testing with a toothpick. Remove from oven.  Serve.. **NOTE  The cake will shrink a little when removed from oven.  Enjoy

Corned beef hash

I love corned beef hash... But not any old kind will do.  and say NO to the canned kind...that is just yuck!!!
that makes me shudder just thinking about it...yikes that stuff is really bad so just avoid it :)
I love corned beef, & cabbage...yum.. you know corned beef brisket cooked slowly with potatoes, onions, carrots and cabbage. It is so yummy (my family doesn't like it but that's another blog post :)  I made it for dinner on St. Patrick's day and had lots left, which makes yummy Reuben sandwiches, but my favorite is corned beef hash.  I serve the hash with over easy eggs, and rye toast.  So delicious.  I had this in a diner many years ago because I had never had it and wanted to try it, and it was wonderful.  I don't like this made with corned beef lunch meat.  Usually corned beef lunch meat is chopped & pressed and paper thin, so when you are making the hash it over cooks and becomes like little bits of shoe leather hard & crunchy..not appealing.  So I usually use the corned beef brisket leftovers, just my personal taste.  Use what you have and like as always.  Enjoy

Corned beef hash

2 cups leftover corned beef brisket, chopped into small chunks
1/2 small green pepper, small diced
1 small onion, diced

2 cups leftover potatoes, cut into small chunks
 1-2 T oil (divided)
seasonings of your choice (I used garlic & onion powder, salt & pepper)
Eggs over easy(optional)
Rye toast (optional)

In large skillet place one tablespoonful of oil heat over medium high heat.  Add onion & green pepper, sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Cook for 2-3 minutes then add potatoes and corned beef, sprinkle mixture with garlic & onion powder, a little more salt & pepper.  Add oil if mixture is getting too dry.  Continue cooking until mixture is browned and onion & green pepper are done.  Serve with eggs over easy, and rye toast.  Enjoy

Roasted fingerling potatoes

I just made found little fingerling potatoes.  Do you all know what fingerling potatoes are?  They are like mini potatoes that are shaped like your fingers. I just scrub them under running water with a vegetable brush, then cut them in half the long way, and just blot them dry with paper towels. I drizzle them up with olive oil, then season them up well and bake them.  They turn out crispy and delicious wonderful.  I served them with garlic aoili sauce and ketchup for the kiddo... they are so good and make a great side dish.  Make these for your family... they will love them.. Enjoy




Roasted fingerling potatoes


2 lbs. fingerling potatoes
3 T. olive oil
seasonings of your choice ( *I used salt & pepper, garlic and onion powder).


Preheat oven to 350. Scrub the potatoes with a brush under running water. Cut potatoes in half long way, (horizontally)  and blot with paper towels.  Place on sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasonings, shake pan and make sure potatoes are in a single layer and bake for 1 hour.  Turn potatoes halfway through with a spatula. Potatoes are done when poked with a fork and are tender.  Enjoy