All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel
This Chocolate Dessert Hummus is a surprisingly addicting healthy sweet treat. You’ll love dripping crunchy pretzels and fruit into it.
Last year, when I was still working in an office, my coworker brought in dessert hummus. OMG. We tried it and we were hooked.
I know that dessert hummus sounds strange, but it’s really so good.
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Autumn went to her first birthday party this weekend.
Gah! She is going up!! It’s so cute!
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There was the most amazing lightning storm all around us last night.
Tampa is known as “The Lightning Capital of the World”. In reality it gets the most thunderstorms for North America. If the season was longer maybe it truly would be the most for the world but at least it can hold the title for North America.
It rains a lot in Florida in the summer, which isn’t such a big deal since it helps cool off the afternoons. Plus, it just puts on a good show since it’s not just a drizzle, but it’s typically a big storm that passes through for a bit. You always have to remember to leave your windows up!
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Disney World whooped our butts!
We hit 3 of 4 parks and walked just under 23 miles as we walked from attraction to attraction from Saturday afternoon to Monday night. It was so much fun getting to visit Disney for our honeymoon/1 year wedding anniversary celebration.
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Let’s be honest here, I approach award show season like how I approach the Super Bowl…
I’m in it for the food and booze.
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Welcome to Taco Tuesday’s!!!!!!
As I’ve done with my previous themes, Sprint Cup Snacks, Thirsty Thursday, The Year of Pies, and Waffle Wednesday, I am going to make a Taco recipe every Tuesday for the year in celebration of #TacoTuesday!!!!
We eat a lot of tacos, but I just don’t blog about them. So I figured I’d dive into this Taco Tuesday adventure to feature the tacos, fajitas, taco salads, tortilla soups, and amazing sides like rice, refried beans, and salsas we enjoy. Shoot, there might even be a margarita in the mix as well!! The recipes I will feature this year will be for breakfast, for lunch or dinner, and there will even be some for dessert!
I’m starting things off with a basic recipe to get the ball rolling. It’s the spice mix that you would use to make your favorite tacos. The ground beef ones that you eat in crunchy hard shells or warm flour tortillas. This recipe is for the classic weeknight taco recipe you grew up with. So yummy!!
I certainly like the convenience of mixes and seasoning packets but when you can make your own spice blend for tacos, you just have to try it once to realize it’s the way to go! Plus, it doesn’t have any additives or preservatives so you can enjoy it while sticking to your paleo or Whole30 diets.
The best thing about making your own seasoning is that you can personalize it to you taste preferences. If you don’t like a lot of garlic, reduce the amount you would use. Or if you love the smokiness of cumin, then add a bit more. I don’t typically like chipotle powder but it is really great in the mix as it gives it a nice smokey flavor. But if you don’t like it, then skip it! You gotta make what makes you happy!
Let’s rock this Taco Tuesday series this year! Woohoo!!
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Process
Hello. I’m Nicole and I’m addicted to food travel shows.
Not that it was exactly a food show, but The Getaway, on Esquire Network, hooked me quickly with the interesting hosts – writers, comedians, actors, models, chefs, etc- each providing an interesting, fun point of view for all the places they visited. Of course, I loved when the featured famous and hole in the wall bars and restaurants. I’m bummed the most recent season is over.
But my favorite new one now is I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, on PBS. The comedic creator of Everybody Loves Raymond takes you around to try our the places that are well known and for places that only locals would know of. I love it.
That is my kind of travel! I definitely travel for the food. The rest of the stuff I see along the way is an added bonus. ha!
Don’t get me wrong, I love every bit of the travel we do, but I just associate the places we see with the food and drinks we enjoyed right along those places, like when we were on the cruise earlier this year, I think back to one of our beach days and I think of the bucket of beer we enjoyed in the shade of our beach umbrellas. Or when we were in Chicago I think about how we had great cinnamon rolls after we wet o the tour of Wrigley Field.
We don’t have any up coming travel planned at this point, but it’s fun to imagine!
Until then I’ll enjoy our time in Boston, at home or out and about. While at home I’m sure we’ll be watching lots of football this season. It’s just a great way to spend an afternoon or evening, while I pack up our stuff… 5 months before we move… because I’m psycho…
A few weeks ago my blogging bestie, Amanda of Fake Ginger, shared a Buzzfeed Food video on her FB page that showcased making this Drunken Queso Dip. I immediately wanted to make it. So I did just that and I’m dadmn glad I did as I loved it.
A simple delicious dip that will be perfect for all your game day football viewing.
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Process
Inspired by BuzzFeed Food
I am all for French Onion Dip made from the Lipton’s packet. It is the best. It is classic.
But there are times when you really should treat yourself to something really great, and, in this case, I made the most incredible homemade French Onion Dip ever.
Like I said, the packet is great, but this homemade version just blows it out of the water. The 2 types of onions – vidalia and shallots- give it layers and layers of flavor. And once you caramelize them you really make them extra tasty and happy.
I have been loving my monthly recipes from the past few years that I have been participating in Secret Recipe Club. There are about a hundred of us that are divided into 4 groups so we can recipes from each other’s blogs every Monday. The general gist of it is that the blog you are assigned is a secret, as well as the recipe that you pick from their recipe archives.
Well, there are a few months every year that have 5 weeks so we have an extra Monday just waiting for a great recipe! The organizer came up with a wonderful idea of having people opt into that extra recipe posting and for having a theme for the recipes.
So for this inaugural extra recipe week I was assigned the blog Culinary Adventures with Camilla with the theme of “Tailgate Foods”. So I quickly began scouring her blog for the perfect food that you would love to eat while cheering on your favorite team make the big play, score a touchdown, and win the game.
I was so freaking excited when I saw this French Onion Dip recipe.It is the perfect tailgate food. The perfect foot to nosh on while watching football (or my favorite- NASCAR!). I just had to make it. And I am so glad that I did!!!
The dip was a big bowl of creamy, dreamy delicious goodness that was basically irresistible. I had to put the dang bowl and bag of chips away- far, far away- so that I could stop shoveling in into my mouth. OMG.
Grab a bag of ruffled potato chips and dig in!!!!
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Ingredients
Process
Adapted from Culinary Adventures from Camilla
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Check out all of the other great bloggers participating in this BONUS Secret Recipe Club post this month. Get ready for some delicious Tailgating Food!!
I am seriously in the mood to bake.
To bake everything. Cookies. Brownies. Cakes. Pies. You name it.
I think it has to do with the fact that I just spent the last month avoiding any form of sugar. I did do some baking during both of my Whole30 adventures, which was nice. I didn’t even really mind the fact that I was baking and not eating the stuff. But the absolute KILLER part was that I couldn’t just lick the spatula or my fingers. Ugh the worst.
So I am coming out of my baking and sugar dry spell and I’m on fire!
ON FIRE!!!!!!!
In the last few days I made a chocolate zucchini bundt cake, cookies, brownies, and now this lemon curd. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, lemon… hmmm…
Yes, the lemon throws the chocolate trend off but I knew that I had big plans for it. Delightfully delicious plans for it. What could those plans be? If you guessed that I’d use it in a fan-freaking-tastic waffle recipe, then you guessed correctly!! Woo Hoo!!
Yep, I used this lemon curd in such an amazing waffle recipe. It will have you begging for more. It just is the perfect combination of tartness and sweetness. Oh love.
I’ll be sharing the waffle recipe on Wednesday for my #WaffleWednesday post, but in the mean time you should get started on making your own lemon curd so you are prepared.
It really was super easy and the end result is incredible!
I used Ina Garten’s recipe but just changed up the process a bit. Ina calls for the lemon peel to be removed using a veggie peeler and then put in a food processor. But I was feeling lazy about dirtying my big food processor, my stand mixer, and a pot too. So I just used my super fine microplane and got to work on those lemons. It look just a few minutes more but I enjoyed the process.
Just look at that happy yellow color, I mean, come on! Yum!!!
Makes 3 Cups
Ingredients
Process
Adapted from Ina Garten, via Food Network
You wanna know what’s not a fun way to way up at 1.48 in the morning?
By ALL 5 of your smoke detectors in your house going off.
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This is my favorite party food. F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E.
I remember my mom serving this for parties when I was growing up. Tucked inside her copy of The Joy of Cooking was this photocopied magazine ad from Velveeta. It was well warn and dirty from many years of use. It was the perfect family party staple.
And now that tattered, loved xerox’ed copy of “Cheesy Spinach Party Loaf” has been passed down to me. It is a simple cherished piece of paper that holds many tasty memories from my childhood. As well, it is the key to a great party.
This was something I could help my mom make when I was younger once she prepped the veggies for me. Then it was my job to sautee the veggies and melt the cheese and mix in the spinach. It was fun being part of the party prep.
And now I get to make this all on my own! Ah bliss.
I might have to admit that I’ve whipped up the dip to divide into little batches, which then might have been eaten as dinner… what? Don’t judge. There’s spinach in there… totally healthy. ha!
This dip is wonderful to serve at a large party, but in the case that it would hang out for a while, I would actually put the dip in a mini slow cooker to keep warm. Instead of cutting the boule into the bowl, just cut the bread into 1″ cubes.
As well, this is easy to double and triple depending on the size of your party. I swear people will just go head over heels for it!
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
Process
Adapted from Velveeta, circa 1988
This Very Cheesy Jalapeño Popper Dip is a party favorite. Skip the tedious poppers and mix up this jalapeno popper dip- easy & delicious. Spicy too!
Post from 2/3/2011, photos updated 2/25/18
Post Contains Affiliate Links. Read my full disclosure HERE
One of my favorite foods to eat while watching football is a jalapeno popper. I love the crunch from the outside breading, the heat from the jalapeno, and creamy, cheesy filling. The perfect bite!
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