Incredibly Easy Homemade Dip

Behold the power of the magic bullet!!

I'm a huge fan of dips in general but find that they're always made with super fatty ingredients.

I wanted to make a quick dip that I could eat with veggies and pretzels and not feel like a tank after said consumption.

Enter the homemade bean dip. So good & easy it's not funny!

You'll need:

1 can pinto beans -- (15 ounce) drained
4 bottled jalapeno slices (nacho slices)
1 tablespoon juice from bottled jalapeno slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Gracefullly put everything in your magic bullet or food processor, blend, enjoy!

It really is that simple. 

Banana Bread To Die For

Enough said.

I swear I only buy bananas so I can bake with them!
Example 1 and 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating.
2. Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
3. Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in pecans. Mix well.
4. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.I like to set the timer for 1 hour and then reevaluate!
   

Sweet Summer Drinks

I am a huge fan of refreshing summer drinks.

Few beers rival Leinenkugel's Pink Lemonade.

It is refreshing, light, and easy.

Mix equal parts of Summer Shandy and Berry Weiss.

Enjoy!

BBq

I am a huge fan of barbecue and Southern home cooking. So when a friend wanted to meet for dinner I hopped on the chance to try Chicago q.





It did NOT disappoint.

You are given homemade BBQ chips and Bread & Butter Pickles right when you sit down. YUM!! The pickles were absolutely delicious.



I ended up getting the pulled pork sandwich with honey butter cornbread. My friend, J, got the BBq flight with brisket, chicken & pulled pork. We also split the mac & cheese that came in the cutest little cast iron skillet.




Everything was so good. I mean, seriously, taste bud overload. Plus the best part of q? You don't have to choose just 1 type of BBq. They give you 4 of their sauces! So you can try their: Original Mild, Spicy, Eastern North Carolina Vinegar and South Carolina Mustard Sauce! They did not disappoint.



The restaurant is in the heart of the Gold Coast at 1160 N. Dearborn. If you're a fan of q you definitely need to make time to head around the corner to 52 W. Elm and try Table Fifty-Two. Indescribably delicious.

Fiesta Rice

I'm a sucker for Mexican food. I literally think I could eat it every day.

This dish is so easy to make it takes little time and minimal effort-My kind of meal!



You'll need:
-Rice
-Black Beans
-Corn
-Tomatoes
-Lime
-Cilantro
-Salt

(you can always add avocados, jalapenos, anything!)

Boil the rice and heat up the corn and black beans.



Dice the tomatoes, chop the cilantro, and cut the lime in half for juicing.

Mix everything together! Add salt if you'd like.



Enjoy!



I added some grilled shrimp which was incredibly tasty. Plus the Skinnygirl Margarita was the perfect touch.

adapted from skinnytaste.com

Hummingbird Cake

I had this once at Table 52 (which is so good, please go!) and since then I've had dreams about it.

I originally stumbled upon the recipe last year in the Food Network magazine so when I was put in charge of bringing a dessert to Easter, this was first pick.

It is a wee bit labor intensive, but not horrible. And the outcome is WELL worth it!!
I took most of the pictures on my phone bc my hands were waaay to sticky for my camera.

Chopped pineapple, bananas & roasted pecans.

Mix together & add to flour mixture

Bake (keep an eye on the time, mine were ready almost 10 mins earlier than 50-55 minute guideline.

Delicious & Easy Cream Cheese Frosting with Lemon Zest

Ta-Da! Hummingbird Cake!

It safely made it's way to my cousin's table for Easter!

I really enjoyed this cake and am thinking about making another batch for the Royal Wedding Party I'm going to Thursday night!

Happy Things

The little things have really been putting a smile on my face this week. Like yesterday at work when I thought it was Tuesday....cha-ching.

Here are some things that have made me extra happy lately...

Frozen Yogurt Blaster w/ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Fruit Salads

This song I heard in a Ford commercial:

Go do, you'll know how to Just let yourself, fall into landslide
Go do, you'll know how to Just let yourself, give into low tide

Scoring a dainty necklace on sale with free shipping

What has been making you smile lately?

New Twist on An Old Classic

I adore pizza. And Chicago pizza IS the best. No debate. But pizza doesn't always have to be red sauce and mozzarella. You can make it completely your own.

Here are two funky pizzas I've made recently.

The Post St. Patty's Pie:
-Corned Beef
-Sauerkraut
-Swiss Cheese
-Thousand Island




Put a small amount (or however much you'd like) of 1,000 Island on the crust. Then the 'kraut. Followed by corned beef. Slice the swiss cheese and cover the entire pizza. Then bake it at 425 for 12-15 minutes.




Fiesta Pizza
-Black Beans
-Chorizo
-Diced Chilies
-Shredded Cheese
-Tomatoes

Layer the chorizo, black beans, chilis, tomatoes and cheese on the crust. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes. Delicious! I added sliced avocado after baking and it was the perfect topper!

Gosh, now I want pizza again...

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Gina from Skinny Taste sure knows how to take comfort food and make it lighter while remaining flavorful.

Last week I tried her recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Soup and it was heavenly, I tweaked it by adding more spices. I was afraid it would be too bland.

make sure to keep an eye on it, i looked away and it was boiling crazy, hence the look of the pot!

Hearty soup + warm biscuits = delicious

Enjoy!

Snapshots

Quick snapshots of my weekend....
forgot my camera so it's all through the eyes of my blackberry. whoops.

Dinner at Girl and the Goat on Sunday. I wanted SO badly to love this restaurant....but I didn't. It was 3.5 star experience. Some food was great. Others was meh.

The worst part? Our table was ON TOP of another. Some gentleman's (well that's up for debate) back was pressed up against mine. And he was rude. He put his arm/elbow on the back of my seat. Ugh, get out of here!

My main 3 thoughts for the night:
1. Don't overcrowd your restaurant. You're not a cheap diner. $$$ should equal space.
2. $4 for bread and spread? Come on.
3. Pig face. Eww.

Saturday night I went out to dinner at Angelina's and caught up with friends. It's worth a stop even if it's out of your area...so delicious!

After dinner I met up with my cousin and his wife for a night out and see our friends in from London. It was J's first night out post-baby and her friend A bought her a mini bottle of Veuve. It was baby sized!

And finally, the joys of a FREE latte because of my gold card membership.

What did your weekend entail?

Simple & Delicious

Do you love peanut butter? Crackers? Almond chocolate? Then look no further!

It's like a peanut butter cup. Mixed with the crunch of a Kit-Kat. I can't explain it. In fact, I wish there was a scratch & sniff option on this blog. Anyway...

So here's what you need:
-Ritz Crackers
-Creamy Peanut Butter
-Almond Bark (the KEY ingredient!!)
-Wax Paper

Spread out your wax paper on a plate, pan, cookie sheet, whatever. (just make sure you have enough room to put it in the fridge)

Make peanut butter sandwiches out of the PB & crackers.



Melt the Almond Bark. I do mine in the microwave. I did 1/2 of the package at 1:15 seconds. Then I broke up the bark with a spoon. Put it in for another 15 seconds and then just stirred until smooth.



Dunk the PB sammys into the Almond Bark and place on the wax paper.



Chill until hard.

Devour. Repeat.

See, wasn't that easy?? And they're honestly so satisfying that you won't gorge. It's not like mini cupcakes, I mean when things are bite size isn't that just another way of saying "eat 5x as many"?? So while I'm working out I'm still making treats here and there. I'm not a big believer on deprivation...moderation is key. That's what I keep telling myself...hah

I hope you'll try these one day. They're great for parties, football games, rainy days on the couch :) Happy FRIDAY!

Healthy Veggie Pizza

I love pizza but I don't love the calories. And being from Chicago I was not only raised on pizza, I'm very particular about what I eat. Sauces have to be right. Crust is so important. And toppings? Don't get me started.

So the other week I was craving pizza but didn't want to #1) wait for delivery #2) go pick it up and #3) didn't have any frozen pizzas in the freezer.

I looked in the fridge and pantry and had everything I'd need to make my own so I figured I'd take the plunge.

-I had an organic make-your-own dough mix so that was a corner I cut. If you have Boboli, use that. Or if you're really snazzy and make your own dough, well you're ahead of the game!

Next I cut up every type of vegetable I'd want on my pizza. It was quite the hodgepodge.
-Onions
-Fresh Spinach
-Some Nuts
-Artichoke Hearts
-Red & Green Peppers
-Mushrooms
-Garlic

***I apparently didn't have my flash on because these pictures are less than great. Sorry***

I sautéed the vegetables in a small amount of EVOO.

Next, I brushed the pizza dough with EVOO and 1 tablespoon of Pesto Sauce (it goes a long way with a brush!!)

Finally, I added all my vegetables on top and sprinkled the pizza with some fresh mozzarella I grated. I didn't use a lot of cheese because I was trying to make this as healthy as possible.





Then I let the pizza bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes until the cheese was cooked to my liking.




It just goes to show that you can make even your unhealthiest crave-worthy meal a tad more healthy so you can really enjoy yourself!

Do you have any go-to healthy recipes?? I'm a sucker for comfort food and am constantly on the hunt for a healthy way to eat mac 'n cheese. I just don't know if it's out there!

And can I just say I'm so bummed I never made it to the pumpkin patch at the Orchard we visited last week? Allison has amazing pictures here!

Effortless Enchiladas

I'm about to tell you the easiest way to make the tastiest chicken for enchiladas, tacos, nachos, whatever!

It is not only incredibly easy but it is so.darn.tasty. So here it is. Enjoy it...I know you will!

What you'll need:
-Crockpot
-3 frozen chicken breasts
-1 can of Rotel or diced tomatoes/green chilies
-1 package of taco seasoning



1. Mix Rotel and taco seasoning in a bowl.
2. Place FROZEN chicken in crockpot.
3. Dump Rotel/Seasoning mixture on top.
4. Cover, cook on low for 6 hours.
5. Pull the chicken apart with a fork...enjoy!

Is that easy or what?!?! Now, you can do just about anything with this meat. You can add it to a salad. You can make quesadillas. Tacos. Burritos. Whatever your heart desires.


Here is a super easy and tasty enchilada recipe.

Take 8 taco sized tortillas and fill them with chicken. Roll the tortillas and place in a baking dish with the seam side down. Top the enchiladas with a can of enchilada sauce. Sprinkle shredded cheese all over the top. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.




Top the enchiladas with a can of enchilada sauce. Sprinkle shredded cheese all over the top. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.




Then bust out a fork and knife and dive right in! This is seriously so easy and will take you a matter of 15 minutes to put everything together and then 6 hr 10 minutes to bake (hellllo cooking while at work!)

I LOVE the crockpot. (Sometimes I worry about myself.) Do you have any go-to crockpot recipes? Do share!!


And here I go crossing off # 1 on my fall to-do list I'm not going to blog about the process because it was quite the ordeal haha but I made it out alive and everyone enjoyed it!! And, no, we didn't eat enchiladas and apple pie. Gross.


I mean, I never said I was a pastry chef...haha and I got a little too cinnamon crazy on the middle. whoops!

Great Summer Side

I'm always looking for summer sides that are not potato salads or macaroni salads. I'm not a huge mayo person and there seems to be no options sans mayo! So I stumbled upon a Bobby Flay recipe and tweaked it ever so slightly.

It's a grilled corn/tomato/sweet onion side salad. It was easy and got the thumbs up from every diner! The best part is I got charged for 58 ears of corn at the grocery store and will be returning tomorrow to get refunded. REALLY, 58 EARS? Who would buy that many? Kate Gosselin?!

What you'll need:

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ears corn, grilled in the husk, kernels removed
• 1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), halved and thinly sliced
• 1 pint Sweet 100 tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 ounces of goat cheese (more or less to your taste)
• Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish
• An ice cold beverage of your choice ;)
  

Throw the corn on the grill for about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. They'll start off looking like this...and end up looking like this:



While the corn is on the grill, chop the tomatoes in half, slice the sweet onion, and chop the basil.




In a blender, put the oil, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and basil and blend until smooth.

looks creepy, tastes delicious.

Grab the corn off the grill, de-husk it. Definitely recommend doing this with a dish towel because the corn is quite hot. Then hold the corn with a dish towel with you slice it off into a large bowl. This is kind of annoying, but well worth it.



Combine the Corn, Tomatoes, Onions in the bowl. Toss with the basil sauce. Top it off with goat cheese and basil garnish.

forgot the goat cheese before the pic, oops!

Dig in and ENJOY!!

DO you have any go-to summer sides? Please share. I cannot wait to make Carrie's White Cheddar & Shrimp Stuffed Jalapeños as soon as possible! They look SO good and I have a weak spot for anything jalapeño :) I kept the left-overs and hope it's just as good tomorrow, will let you know.