The Best Chilled Spinach Dip

    A few weeks ago, some of my friends got together up at Ginnie Springs! They camp and party for days! Emphasis on the party! Even if I'm not camping, I always like to pop up there to see my friends, have a few drinks, and float down the Santa Fe River a couple of times! It's become something I look forward to every couple of months. This time in particular was our friend Nate's Dirty Thirty! I decided that spinach dip sounded like a good idea! Now, not to brag or anything, my friend Heather told me that this was the best spinach dip she had ever had! I took this as the highest of compliments! I'm so excited to finally share this recipe with you! I tried it with pretzels, amazing. Chips, delish. I even dipped celery into this amazing stuff!

The Best Chilled Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese

- 1 (16 ounce) package or 2 cups of sour cream

- 2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach

- 3/4 cup of shredded parmesan

- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1/2 cup of water chestnuts, diced

- 1 envelope of Knorr vegetable soup mix

- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

    Thaw the spinach in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove as much moisture from the spinach as you can. Whip the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in everything else. Let it sit for a few hours and then serve! I'm thinking this would be great in a bread bowl!

Dirty Thirty! Love these people!!

S'mores Bars

    Yesterday was a super pretty Florida day! The thermometer on the back porch read 60 degrees at one point. It's starting to feel a little like fall for sure. And that means S'more weather! Here is a cute recipe for when having a roaring fire for marshmallow roasting isn't an option. Totally great holiday party idea guys! Plus, they are super easy!

S'mores Bars

Ingredients:

- 6 tablespoons of butter

- 1 (10 ounce) package of mini marshmallows, divided

- 6 cups of Golden Graham cereal

- 1 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

     In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave on high for about 40-50 seconds. Set aside 1 and 1/2 cups of the mini marshmallows to mix in at the end. Mix the remaining marshmallows into the melted butter and then pop them back in the microwave for 2 minutes. Once the marshmallows are completely melted into the butter, mix in the cereal. Once thoroughly mixed, combine the remaining whole mini marshmallows. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray. Empty and press the cereal and marshmallow mixture into the bottom of the pan. Top with mini chocolate chips. Let them set for about an hour before slicing and serving. 

*You can totally add more marshmallows if you want to mix in.

    

Creamy Kielbasa and Cabbage Soup

    So, I normally follow recipes and just tweak them a bit. Last week I decided to try something new myself! It was a rainy afternoon and I was in the mood for something rich and comforting. I definitely nailed it with this one. My mom depicts it as a chowder with kielbasa and cabbage. So yummy!

Creamy Kielbasa and Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of polska kielbasa 

- 1/2 of a red onion (about a cup), chopped

- 1 cup of carrots, chopped

- 1 teaspoon of minced garic

- 3 tablespoons of butter, divided

- 3 tablespoons of flour

- 3 cups of chicken broth

- 1/4 teaspoon of parsley 

- 1/4 teaspoon of thyme

- 1 large bay leaf

- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

- 1/2 of a head of cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces

- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream (or half & half)

    Start by slicing the kielbasa into desired pieces. In a large stock pot over medium high heat, lightly brown the kielbasa for a few minutes. Remove the kielbasa, leaving the fat and juices in the pot. Set the meat aside. Add a tablespoon of the butter to the pot and melt it. Once hot, add the onion and carrots. Saute until the onions start to become translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes, until fragrant. Remove everything from the pot and set aside. To the empty pot, add two tablespoons of butter. Melt the butter and then whisk in the flour. You are creating a roux. Whisk the roux thoroughly, making sure there are no lumps. Let it bubble and cook for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly.  Once the roux starts to smell a little nutty, slowly start to whisk in the chicken broth. Once you have added the chicken broth, mix in the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring this mixture to a boil and then add the cabbage. Bring back to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Once the cabbage is tender, add the cream, kielbasa, and onion mixture to the pot. Cover and let cook for another 15- 20 minutes. 

Crispy Sugar Cookies

    I was searching for something cute to make for a friend's baby shower this weekend and I came upon a recipe for truffles made of sugar cookies. I thought that sounded like a good idea! The recipe called for store bought cookie dough, oh heck no! I decided to make my own of course. I even threw in some red food coloring and made them pink because she is having a girl. This recipe is so super simple. And they come out light and crispy. My mom said they are almost like vanilla wafers. Stay tuned for my version of sugar cookie truffles, I'm thinking I'll call them bon-bons instead!

Crispy Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of softened butter

- 1 cup of sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 2 1/2 cups of flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

    Preheat oven to 365 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Mix in first egg completely and then, mix in the second egg. Next, stir in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until combined. Drop the dough with a teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 10-15 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Let them slightly cool before removing from the cookie sheet. 

Taco Casserole

    It's been a while! I'll tell you, having two jobs takes a lot out of me! I actually made this taco salad two weeks ago and I'm just getting around to posting the recipe. Slacker!!! Life's been good though. Frankie and I just spent the weekend in Massachusetts for my cousin's wedding. It was amazing! I'm home now and resting for an extremely early morning tomorrow! So, this taco salad is super delish! I made it with ground turkey too. Super good and super easy!

Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of ground beef (or ground turkey)

- 1 (16 ounce) can of refried beans 

- 1 (16 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa

- 1 package of taco seasoning mix

- 3 cups of coarsely broken tortilla chips

- 1/2 of a medium green bell pepper, diced

- 1 large tomato, diced

- 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

- 1/4 cup of sliced olives

- 1 cup of shredded lettuce

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, over medium- high heat, brown the meat. Once thoroughly cooked, drain. Next, stir the refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning into the meat. Reduce the heat to medium and heat to a low simmer. In a 9x13 baking dish, spread half of the tortilla chips. Top the chips with the beef mixture, diced bell pepper, half of the diced tomato, and the cheddar cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has melted. Top with shredded lettuce, remaining tomatoes, and olives. Serve immediately. 

Fresh Tomatoes Caprese

    So, last week I started another new job! I'm officially a server at Carrabba's Italian Grill! I spent this whole week studying menus, eating food, and tasting wine. I have to say, I was very impressed and I'm looking forward to working there. I've never really been a fan of anything "Caprese". That is, until I tried the Tomatoes Caprese at Carrabba's. I decided that I had to try and make my own version of it! Caprese salad is a simple Italian Salad that is traditionally made of sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves. It's said that the colors of this antipasti are meant to represent the red, white, and green of the Italian Flag. I whipped up a quick balsamic reduction and drizzled it on top with a little salt and pepper. Fantastico!!!

Fresh Tomatoes Caprese

Ingredients:

- 1 large ripe tomato

- 1 small red onion

- 1 package of fresh mozzarella cheese

- salt and fresh ground pepper

- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar 

- 3 or 4 fresh leaves of basil, chopped 

    In a small sauce pan, warm the balsamic vinegar over medium/ high heat for about 10 minutes. You will have to watch it carefully, stirring constantly. When the vinegar starts to thicken, remove from the heat and let cool. Slice the tomato and onion into bite sized pieces, drizzle with the cooled balsamic reduction and top with sliced mozzarella, basil, salt, and pepper. 

I toasted some Italian bread and diced everything up to try a bruschetta spin on my caprese! 

Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast

    When it comes to baked french toast, this was not my first rodeo! I first dabbled with the idea for Christmas morning and although I loved it, I wanted to kick it up a notch! What better way to spiff it up than to add a streusel topping? This recipe definitely completed our church brunch for the kids last week. They definitely left for summer camp with some full bellies!

Cinnamon Streusel Baked French Toast

Ingredients:
- 1 large loaf of crusty bread (I used French bread)
- 8 whole eggs
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of whipping cream
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
  For the streusel topping:
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon on salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold butter, sliced into pieces
    Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying generously with non-stick spray. Break or cut the bread into bite-sized chunks and place into prepared baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and place the whole thing in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight. When you're ready to prepare the french toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the topping. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Sprinkle the topping on top of the chilled bread mixture. Bake the whole casserole for about an hour, or until golden brown. Serve warm with maple syrup.

The Spread! Yum!