Jalapeño Popper Dip

Last weekend, a group of us celebrated our friend Caroline's 29th birthday with a mid-afternoon get-together at her house.  That morning, as I was trying to decide what to make for the party (and therefore, perusing my Pinterest boards, per usual, haha), I almost settled on making the Spicy Maryland Crab Dip that I made for the Super Bowl and on several other occasions since.  But then I changed my mind and decided to try something new...thus I whipped up a Jalapeño Popper Dip, which I adapted from this recipe.  Turns out that was a good decision :)

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 - 8 oz. package Neufchatel (Light) cream cheese
• 1 cup fat-free or light sour cream
• 2 tbsp. light mayo
• 1 - 4 oz. can diced jalapeños, well drained or 4-6 fresh jalapeños, roasted & diced 
• 2 cups shredded (reduced-fat) cheddar cheese - I used 1 cup sharp + 1 cup mild
• 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley
• 3 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo until well-blended.

Add diced jalapeños, cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Mix together.

Transfer mixture into a greased 8x8 baking dish, spreading evenly.

Blend bread crumbs, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and dried parsley together. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over the cheese mixture. Pour melted butter evenly over topping (I was lazy and just dropped pats of softened margarine on top to let them melt in the oven, which worked out fine, but I would probably recommend actually melting the butter first and pouring it on top).

Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and the dip is hot throughout.

Serve hot with whole grain tortilla chips, pita chips, crusty bread, or crackers. Enjoy! :)

This just might become my new favorite dip to bring to parties!  It's super simple to throw together, tastes like jalapeño poppers without all of the work, and tastes deliciously spicy with just the right amount of kick!

Cake Batter Blondies

On Wednesday afternoon, I realized that I would actually have some free time after work to bake something for my Thursday night LIFE Group.  Thus, I consulted my "Delectable Desserts" Pinterest board to help me decide what to make, and after perusing for several minutes, I finally settled on this recipe for "Cake Batter Blondies."  I mean, cake batter, white chocolate chips, and other yummy ingredients combined into a moist, chewy, and richly delicious dessert bar....what's not to love?  Plus, they are super easy to make and don't require much time at all!  I managed to bake them when I got home from work and still had plenty of time leftover to go for a 9 mile run while it was still light outside. :)

Alas, my LIFE Group friends ended up missing out on these delish blondies due to the severe thunderstorms that passed through the area and thus cancelled our group meeting last night.  However, this was much to my coworkers' and neighbor's delight as they were the ultimate beneficiaries of my baked goods.

Cake Batter Blondies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 box white or Funfetti® cake mix
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles (omit if using Funfetti® cake mix)

Instructions:

Grease 8x8 baking dish/pan with Pam for Baking (or any other cooking spray with flour). Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Mix together cake mix, oil, milk, egg substitute, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream until well combined.

Add in white chocolate chips (and rainbow sprinkles, if using).

Pour batter into prepared pan and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top, but still slightly undercooked in the center.  *Do NOT overcook.*  Wait at least 20 minutes before cutting to give the bars time to set properly.

Notice the gooey cake batter center...this is why it is important not to over bake these.  The unbaked middle section makes these bars extra delicious! :)

These cake batter bars were a huge hit with my coworkers, which was evidenced by the fact that several of them hovered over my baking dish, scarfing down multiple bars in a matter of minutes! ;)

Be sure to make these for a gathering of some sort, or else be ready to pawn them off on your family/friends...you do not want to tempt yourself by keeping a whole pan of these sitting in your kitchen. :P

Extreme Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge Cake

I've been on an unplanned "poke cake" roll lately, ever since I made a tres leches cake for some friends' Cinco de Mayo party.  It received rave reviews and several people asked for the recipe.  Then, those same friends invited my b/f and I over for dinner several weeks later...under the one condition that I bring dessert...more specifically, another tres leches cake!  Haha.  I was totally flattered and excited to make the cake again!

Then, per usual, I signed up to bring dessert to a leadership planning dinner/meeting last week and stumbled upon a recipe from Something Swanky for a Reese's Cups & Pieces Better Than Anything Poke Cake (that's a mouthful, literally and figuratively haha ;)  It looked absolutely delicious, so I figured it was worth giving a try....the verdict from my friends affirmed that thought. :)

So, here's my version...renamed accordingly:

Extreme Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Cake

• 1 box chocolate fudge or Devil's Food cake mix (plus the oil, eggs, and water called for on the package instructions)
• 1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 - 12.8 oz. jar hot fudge sauce
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 - 8 oz. container Cool Whip Free (optional)
• 3 tbsp. peanut butter (optional)
• 1/2 cup Reese's Pieces
• 6 Reese's cups, broken into small pieces

Directions:

Grease bottom-only of a 13x9 cake pan with Pam for Baking non-stick spray.  Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and water in a medium bowl.  Bake according to package instructions.  Once cake has been removed from the oven, allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.

Use a fork to poke holes evenly throughout the cake.

Slowly pour the can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the cake.

While waiting for the cake to absorb the milk, spoon the hot fudge into a medium bowl.  Add the 1/3 cup peanut butter.  Microwave for 30 seconds, then for another 15-20 seconds, or until of a spreadable consistency.  Stir until the fudgy-peanut butter mixture is smooth, then spread over the cake.

If desired, mix the 3 tbsp peanut butter with Cool Whip and spread over the fudgy-peanut butter layer (I left this step out due to time restraints...either way is fine, but I'm sure it's a great added touch.

Chill overnight until ready to serve.  Top with Reese's Pieces and chopped Reese's cups before serving.

Enjoy! :)

Hashbrown Casserole Makeover...Vegetarian Friendly Style ;)

If you grew up in the South, chances are you're probably a fan of the cheesy potluck favorite known as Hashbrown Casserole.  My mom makes the best hashbrown casserole, and it was usually one of the side dishes that I requested for her to make as part of my family birthday dinner.  I remember asking for her recipe after I began delving into the cooking world during college, and it has become the basis for my go-to casserole recipe (next to baked mac & cheese, of course ;) when I need to make something that requires minimal prep time or that can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for several hours until I'm ready to pop it in the oven.  I made this casserole for Mother's Day lunch yesterday, and while it was baking, I realized that I had never actually posted the recipe on my blog, despite making it dozens of times over the past several years.  Time to fix that...

Although hashbrown casserole is a far stretch from being "healthy" by any means, I have tweaked the recipe to cut out as many calories and grams of fat as possible, while still maintaining the creamy texture and cheesy deliciousness of the original version.  My version also replaces the cream of chicken soup with cream of celery in order to make it a vegetarian friendly dish. :)

"Healthified" & Vegetarian Friendly Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 (32 oz.) package frozen southern-style diced hashbrown potatoes, thawed
• 1 (10.75 oz.) can reduced-fat cream of celery soup (I've also used cream of mushroom before, but prefer cream of celery)
• 10 oz. fat-free sour cream (from a 16 oz. container)
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, mild & sharp cheddar cheese, onion, garlic powder, black pepper, hash brown potatoes, and melted butter (add butter last, pouring over top of the mixture).  Mix well and transfer potato mixture to the prepared casserole dish.  

3. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and paprika evenly over casserole.

4. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly.

With summer potluck season upon us, consider making this for your next family or church picnic!  If my family's reaction is any indication, it is sure to be a big hit! :)

Qrazy for Quesadillas!

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, what better time to experiment with some Mexican recipes?  Several months ago, knowing how much I enjoy cooking and how excited I get about kitchen gadgets, a dear family friend gave me a quesadilla maker (thanks so much, Nealda! :)  Last night, after getting home from a short run (I donated blood on Tuesday and apparently it takes me a while to bounce back from that, since a 5.6 mile run was literally all I could muster...despite running a solid 12.3 miles on Sunday, but I digress), I decided that it was time to break out the quesadilla maker and concoct something tasty! The result...Black Bean Quesadilla for one!

Black Bean Quesadilla

Ingredients:

• 2 (10-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 can black beans (I prefer reduced-sodium)
• 1/2 cup medium salsa OR 1/2 cup diced tomatoes w/ green chilies
• 1/2 cup white corn (from frozen, zapped for 2 minutes in the microwave - next time I want to try it with Trader Joe's Fire-Roasted Corn, but I didn't have any on hand last night)
• 1-2 dashes cayenne pepper (alter to your own spice tolerance)
• 1/2 tsp. cilantro
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Before assembling your quesadilla, wipe down the inside of your quesadilla maker with a damp cloth.  Spray both heating plates with cooking spray (I prefer using my Misto® olive oil sprayer).  Close the lid and plug-in the appliance to begin heating up.

Combine black beans, salsa/tomatoes, corn, cayenne pepper, and cilantro in a small bowl.

Lay 1 tortilla on a flat surface and spread filling over it (you will likely have some leftover filling, but don't over-fill or it will leak out during the grilling process).  Sprinkle shredded Mexican blend cheese over top of the filling.  Once the indicator light on the quesadilla maker shows that it is preheated, open the lid and transfer the tortilla with toppings onto the bottom heating plate.  

Top with 2nd tortilla, close lid, and cook for approximately 5 minutes.  When done, transfer the quesadilla to a plate and serve with sour cream, remaining salsa, and avocado/guacamole.

So, I went a little overboard with the salsa, but it was still tasty despite being a bit messy!

And there you have it!  A super simple, yet super tasty weeknight dinner that you can throw together in just a few minutes!  Ole! :)

Caramel Carrot Cake White Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle (a mouthful to say, but oh-so totally worth it!)

Happy Easter, everyone!!!  I hope you all had a wonderfully blessed and happy one!

Last weekend, after a fun day in the Valley including lunch at Dave's Taverna, winetasting and a winery tour at CrossKeys Vineyard, and the Green Valley Book Fair with the b/f and our (newly engaged!) friends Patrick and Lila, I enjoyed a nice dinner with Mom and Jon at L'Italia.  It was an awesome, fun-filled Saturday, and at some point during conversation that night, I asked Mom what she wanted me to make for Easter dinner the next Sunday.  She thought about it and suggested that I could make a dessert, like carrot cake.  Now, I've made a couple of pretty awesome carrot cakes from scratch for various occasions in recent years, but this time I just felt like changing it up a bit.  So, I started searching for something carrot cake-ish, but a bit different from the norm.  Then, I happily stumbled upon this recipe for Caramel Carrot Cake White Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle from Something Swanky, and I knew I absolutely had to make this delectable dessert!  Game over!!!

I also volunteered to bring a dessert for a Young Professionals Ministry party last Tuesday night, so I figured I might as well go ahead and test out the new recipe!  It turned out to be a huge hit, with only about 1.5 servings left in the bottom of the bowl! :)  I took this as a good sign that the trifle was indeed worthy of being served at Easter dinner.  So alas, I whipped it up again yesterday afternoon and received rave reviews from my fam. :)

Caramel Carrot Cake White Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle

Ingredients:

• 1 - 9x13 carrot cake (baked & cooled), from scratch or from a mix...(if you go the mix route, I highly recommend Duncan Hines Decadent Classic Carrot Cake mix)
• Caramel Sundae Sauce
• 2 cups pecan pieces, chopped (optional...I left these out)
• 1 - 8 oz. tub Fat-Free Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 - 8 oz. container Philadelphia White Chocolate Indulgences cream cheese, softened*
• 1 - 8 oz. container Neufchatel cream cheese, softened*
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

*The original recipe called for 2 containers of the white chocolate cream cheese, but I thought that would be a bit too rich, so I decided to go with 1 white chocolate and 1 neufchatel, which I think worked out well.

Instructions:

1. Using a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
2. Blend in the cool whip, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set mixture aside.
3. Once the carrot cake is completely cooled, cut the cake into 1″ squares. Place 1/3 of the squares in the bottom of a trifle dish. 

4. Drizzle caramel over the cake (feel free to adjust the amount based on your own personal preference).

5. Spread 1/3 of the cheesecake mixture over the cake and sprinkle with 1/3 of the pecans (if using).

6. Repeat layering, ending with the cheesecake and pecans (if desired) on top. 

Drizzle with some more caramel! Chill for at least an hour or overnight, serve, and be prepared to scrape the bowl clean! :)

Shrimp & Veggie Curry Fried Rice

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of ethnic food, especially Indian and Thai....oh, and Ethiopian!  However, I tend to shy away from cooking many of these dishes at home, as it usually seems that my attempts to recreate some of my favorite Indian and Thai dishes turn out just mediocre instead of mouthwatering.  For some reason though, recently I was in the mood to give it another shot.  Thus, I bring you...

Shrimp & Veggie Curry Fried Rice

The first rule of making fried rice: Be sure to use leftover, day-old rice that has been stored in the refrigerator.  Freshly cooked rice will turn out mushy, and nobody wants mushy fried rice, right? :P

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cooked, day-old jasmine rice
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green chile, chopped & seeds removed
• 3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/3 cup carrots, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tbsp. Thai Red Curry Paste
• 1 tbsp. Spicy Thai Chili Sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/8 tsp. ginger
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 lb. raw shrimp, shelled & de-veined
• 1/2 cup egg substitute, black pepper added
• 2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. cilantro
• Vegetable oil

Heat wok over medium heat. Once the wok is hot, add oil and heat for several seconds.  Add onions and chilies and stir-fry until soft.

Once the onions and chilies are tender, add all of the other vegetables that you're using.  Cook until veggies are almost tender, then remove veggie mixture from wok into a bowl and set aside.

Add red curry paste, spicy thai chili sauce, curry powder, ginger and garlic to the wok.  Add shrimp and cook until they turn pink.

Add rice and toss thoroughly until coated with curry mixture.  Spread the rice all over the surface area of the wok and let it heat up.  Don't stir until you hear the rice grains sizzle.  Toss rice, moving it around the wok and again spreading it out.  Drizzle soy sauce over rice and toss again.  Return veggies to wok and mix in with rice and shrimp.

Meanwhile, cook eggs in small frying pan, stirring as if you are making scrambled eggs, until they just start to set.  Add to rice mixture and continue cooking until everything is heated through.  Remove wok from heat, stir in cilantro, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!