My Site » I love food, travel, and being creative in the kitchen. I keep my recipes simple and fresh so you can make them around your table too.

French Onion Dip

This dip is a must have at your Super Bowl party! You will never buy onion dip again. It makes a ton and I’m looking for other ways to use it because it’s flavor is so amazing! 2 tablespoons EVOO 2 Lg onions, chopped 1/2 shallot, finely chopped 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce S&P 1 (8-ounce) package light cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup light sour cream 2 tablespoons mayonnaise Pinch of garlic powder or celery salt Sauté EVOO, onion, shallot, and thyme sprigs for 30-45 minutes until brown and Caramelized. Add Worcestershire sauce, balsamic, S&P, and garlic powder. Sauté for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile mix cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo with beaters until fluffy. Cool onions and add to cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving but it’s even better over night.

Tortillas with Avocado and Cumin Salt

I came up with this snack in bed this morning and ate a couple by 10:00 AM because I couldn’t wait to try. I’m going to use it as the base to Carne Asada tacos tonight but I think they’re Devine all by themselves. The best part- Cumin citrus salt 1 part sea salt 1 part Cumin 1/2 part chili pepper flakes 1/2 part or less lemon zest Toast or blister corn tortillas Add smashed avocado and feta cheese. Top with cumin citrus salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. I’m excited to add Carne Asada to them tonight (if there are any left).

Mozzarella and Tomato Stacked Salad

So pretty and oh so tasty! Layer: Sliced tomatoes Fresh mozzarella Basil leaves Drizzle EVOO and Balsamic glaze. Finish off with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Hash Brown waffles and Soft Boiled Eggs

Last nights leftovers were better then the real thing. Soft boiled eggs a favorite Hash Brown waffles- store brought shredded hash browns put on a greased waffle iron (so easy)! Carne Asada off the Traeger Leftover salad fixings – Trader Joes frozen corn, TJ’s frozen onions and peppers black eyed peas edamame (I added this to lettuce with other things the night before but add chicken and you have a full meal) Grilled asparagus on a HIMALAYAN SALT BLOCK (more info on that later)

Three of the the best kids desserts!

These kid desserts were over the top cute! Fruit pizza- as shown with watermelon slices as the base shredded coconut assorted fruit for topping Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich (easy enough) Banana and Peanut Butter Sushi roll bananas in peanut butter and rice crispies then dip in chocolate fudge.

Pineapple and Mango Spritzers

Playing bartender with 3 out of the 4 of my girls. We’re non drinkers but still love fancy glasses and fun drinks! With so much fresh fruit in Costa Rica we came up with some delicious concoctions. Sparkling water Lime juice Chunks of Mango Chunks of Pineapple Mint The key to good flavor is adding fruit, lime, mint, and ice first and “muddling it”. That means crushing it all together to get all the yummy flavors out. Then top with sparkling water. We all drink these fun drinks in the summer but I say get out your fancy glasses and bring a little summer today!

Garlic tip

Ok, the risotto was phenomenal but in no way “just a dash”. There were a ton of measurements and it took over an hour to make, so I’m going to share with you one of the takeaways from my class. Remove the “green germ” from your garlic. The germ is bitter and creates a bad aftertaste. The chef insisted it makes a big difference and indeed it does! After reading and doing more research, I found that a lot of chefs and cooks agree. I’m not saying I’ll do it every time but if I’m adding raw garlic to something or cooking up something with a lot of garlic I’ll take the 30 seconds to take out the green germ.

Fish Tacos

So simple. So healthy. So delicious! I am adding more fish tacos to my dinner menu when I get home. Grilled Mahi Mahi (almost undercooked) Grilled corn or flour tortilla Thinly shredded cabbage Pico de Gallo (Red onion, Roma tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice)

Red Rock Goat Cheese Bruschetta Crostini

I’ll be 30k miles up during Super Bowl Sunday but I’ve been asked for some favorite appetizers… Red Rock Goat Cheese Bruschetta Toast crisps/crostini- Toast sliced baguette drizzle olive oil and rub fresh garlic on toast Jarred sun dried tomatoes Julienned basil Roasted garlic- cut off top of the heads of clump of garlic, put in aluminum foil and drizzle with EVOO and S&p. Cook for 40 minutes at 400. (YUM!!) Almond crusted Goat Cheese- Form cold goat cheese in patty or log. Use macadamia nuts, almonds, hazelnuts or your favorite nuts. Crush or pulse nuts until fine. Cover goat cheese in nuts pushing them into cheese so they stay. Sauté in EVOO on both sides until nuts are toasted and cheese is getting soft. Your guests or family can make their own Bruschetta or you can eat the whole plate yourself, because it’s that good! #appetizer #superbowl #superbowlfood #yum #foodie #snack #goatcheese #brunch – See more at: http://iconosquare.com/viewer.php#/detail/909038819561784458_1513970336

Bacon wrapped Cream Cheese Peppers

One of my absolute favorite game day Traeger appetizers! 40 jalapeno peppers 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup grated Cheddar, pepper Jack cheese, or mozzarella 1-1/2 teaspoons Traeger Pork and Poultry Rub (or your favorite spice blend) 2 tablespoons sour cream 20 slices smoked bacon, cut in half Cut the stem ends off of Jalapeño and scrape the seeds and ribs out of each pepper (USE GLOVES). In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, grated cheese, Traeger Pork and Poultry Rub, and the sour cream. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and trim 1/2-inch off one of the lower corners with a scissors. Squeeze the cream cheese mixture into each pepper. Wrap the outside of each with a piece of bacon, securing with 1 or 2 toothpicks. Arrange the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Smoke the peppers for 1 hour. Increase the heat to 350 and continue to cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bacon begins to render its fat and crisp. #superbowl #superbowlparty #appetizer #food #yum #snack #gameday…