Monday, May 30, 2011

Cucumber and Dill Salad

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Oh wow. This little salad is delightful. I usually just snack on cucumber slices with a little garlic powder, but I decided I should switch it up for once. One thing I learned after starting this blog is that you can't really post something like "Cucumbers and Garlic Powder" and call it a recipe. So I'm sprucing it up just for you all. Because I love ya.

This simple dressing is so refreshing and tasty! Although it's no garlic powder, the vinegar and sugar combo sure is a great accompaniment. I think this will be my new cucumber go-to from now on. I'm sure all the people that I talk to face-to-face will appreciate that. Garlic breath isn't really the best smelling thing.

This would be perfect for a summer bbq or potluck, so I hope you all are able to enjoy this Memorial Day with food, friends and appreciation for all those who served/are serving our country. Enjoy!


Printable Version

Ingredients


  • 3 large cucumbers cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp. dried dill


Toss together the cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar and dill in a small bowl. Mix with cucumbers and onions. 


Allow to marinate for at least one hour. Serve cold or at room temperature.


Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Friday, May 27, 2011

Caprese Pizza

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Almost every time my family gets together, we have mozzarella and tomatoes as a side dish. Or what others may know as a Caprese Salad. Yum. But it has to be made with fresh mozzarella! There's just no other way.

My dad and I recently traveled up to New York for the day to visit my aunt for her birthday. In the span of 14 hours, we drove a total of 7 hours, visited family for 5 hours, and shopped for 2 hours. Yes, we spent valuable family time shopping. But not for clothes or knick-knacks...but for food. 

Yea I said it. Food.

We got round sausage, sausage links, sweet sausage and broccoli rabe sausage. We bought Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, rice balls, kanishes, and cookies. But the best thing we bought was the Mozzarella cheese. Ohh the Mozzarella cheese. My dad spent $40 on three balls of this stuff. Forty bucks!! So I guess I should have felt special when he gave me one of these prized possessions.

I had a hankering for pizza shortly after we came back, so I decided to use this fresh New York Mozzarella to top my pizza. Pair this with Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, some spices and fresh basil and you've got yourself a Caprese pizza! And isn't it purrrty? Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!



Ingredients

  • Quick and Easy Pizza Dough
  • Fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
  • Olive oil
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. marjoram
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a pizza pan or lightly flour a pizza stone.


Combine seasonings in bowl and set aside.


Spread pizza dough out on pizza pan. Lightly drizzle a coat of olive oil directly on top of dough. Cover with 6-8 slices of fresh Mozzarella cheese. Lay tomatoes, cut side up, over cheese and dough. Sprinkle top with seasoning mixture and the basil leaves. Finally, sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese evenly on top.


Cook in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut and enjoy!!


Source: SK Original

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Black and White Cookies

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Fresh, honest-to-goodness delicious New York Italian cookies and pastries are hard to come by if you're anywhere other than New York. When we used to take family vacations to New York to visit my relatives, we would always get bombarded with trays and trays of them. And I'd never complain. Pignoli, canoli, biscotti, pizzelle, rainbow cookies. The list goes on and on. Luckily my aunt usually sends some to us over the holidays and we still get a few boxes whenever we visit, but it just isn't the same. Someone needs to make an authentic New York Italian bakery in DC. And a pizza parlor. My family alone would probably buy you out.

More recently, Chris' father told me that New York also makes the best Black and White cookies. Last time I took a trip up there, I made sure that I got him a few and one for myself as well. The soft cookie was to die for and you even get a choice of frosting. Helloooo. Options! I love options! I made these recently and just had to share. The cookie is moist and cake-like and the homemade frostings are delicious. Hope you enjoy!



Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cookies:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg
Vanilla Glaze:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze:
  • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

To make the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add the eggs, beating until well combined. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

To make the glazes:

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons hot water, until smooth. That’s your vanilla glaze.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate in a microwave for about 1 minute. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. That’s your chocolate glaze.

Once the cookies are cooled, face them all bottom side up of a clean surface. Spread half of the cookie with vanilla glaze and the other half with chocolate glaze. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.

Source: Joy the Baker

Monday, May 23, 2011

Shrimp Cakes

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Do you ever have those nights where you want to cook dinner, but don't feel like going to the grocery store? Or you want to cook, but you left the bag of groceries you bought during your lunch break in your office refrigerator? Or you want to cook, but you're getting ready to move to a new house and want to try to clean out your pantry and refrigerator instead of adding to the mess?

Ever had all three in one day?

So since I forgot my groceries, didn't want to go back to the store and decided I shouldn't add to the chaos since I'm moving soon, I decided it was time to clean out my freezer. In there was a bag of pre-cooked frozen shrimp. I hardly ever cook with pre-cooked shrimp and I think I only bought this bag for shrimp cocktail. Regardless of the reason, I'm sure I spent over $15 on it and figured I should probably use them instead of letting them go to waste.

I realized I had on hand the basic ingredients I use to make crab cakes, so I decided to use the same technique for the shrimp. I threw them in a food processor to grind them up nice and fine, and then mixed them with some ingredients for taste and an egg to bind everything together. I threw them in some oil and presto. Shrimp cakes! Or for me, a shrimp cake sandwich. Hope you all enjoy!




Ingredients

  • 1 lb. frozen pre-cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed
  • 1 piece of white bread, crust removed
  • 1 tbsp. light mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp. lime juice
  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

Remove the tails from the shrimp. Add to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop them by hand.

Break the bread into small pieces. Add to a medium sized bowl. Add shrimp, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, egg, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Stir until well combined.

Shape the shrimp mixture into patties (whatever size you desire). Put in the refrigerator for one hour.

After an hour, remove the patties from the refrigerator. Put the Panko breadcrumbs onto a small plate and dip each patty into the breadcrumbs until well coated. Tap off excess.

Heat the oil in a medium sized pan. Add the patties and cook until browned, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the other size. Once cooked through, remove from pan. Cook remaining patties. Enjoy!


Source: SK Original

Friday, May 20, 2011

Baked Onion Rings

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When I go out to eat, I would be perfectly content just ordering appetizers and skipping the whole fancy schmancy entree part. They are all always so good, but I think they're that way because they are so darn bad for you. Pretty much everything is deep fried, covered in cheese or wrapped bacon. Not saying anything's wrong with that, but if you want to look good this summer I'd advise you to step away from the deep fryer.

Onion rings always seem like a healthy option to me, and since I love onions I usually order a plate of some. Thing is, they're fried too. So I guess that cancels out the healthiness factor, eh? 

I had a craving for some onion rings the other night, and since I'm trying to eat semi-healthy I decided I'd try baking some. They turned out delicious even after nixing the deep frying. They were perfectly coated and slightly crispy. Give these a try if you're trying to maintain your figure but still want the satisfactory of being able to eat those "bad-for-you" appetizers.



Printable Recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 cups fat free buttermilk
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Slice onion into thick rings. Discard the smaller center rings.

Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl. Add the onions to the buttermilk and let them soak, at room temperature, for at least 30 minutes.

Mix the flour, pepper, cayenne pepper and salt in a shallow dish. One by one, remove the onion rings from the buttermilk and dredge in the flour. Tap off the excess and place on a dish. Continue with remaining onions.

Pour the breadcrumbs into another shallow dish. Moving quickly, take the onion rings that are now dredged in flour and, one at a time, dip them into the buttermilk again and then into the breadcrumbs. Make sure they are fully coated and then place on the baking sheet. Continue with remaining onions.

Bake onions for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time. If you like crispier rings, lightly spray the rings with canola oil so they crisp up while baking. Enjoy!

Source: SK Original

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

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I made these devilish little guys for an engagement party I went to the other weekend and they were a huge hit! I took the ones that didn't fit on the tray to my parents' house the next day and they were gobbled up. There were a few leftover that I was going to take home, but before I left my dad even asked me if he could keep a couple at the house so he could have them for breakfast. My dad doesn't even like sweets, but he wanted these. That tells me something.

They are a mix of apple pie, cheesecake and a crumb topping. And I'm obsessed. They're pretty easy to make and they please most crowds. Even people that don't love sweets, like my dad. Plus at the party we went to I saw the host's small son walking around with one licking off the apple topping. Now you definitely can't tell me they're not good. Hope you enjoy!


Printable Recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) oatmeal cookie mix
  • 1/2 cup firm butter or margarine
  • 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

Place cookie mix in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator. 


Source: Betty Crocker

Monday, May 16, 2011

Mexican Rice

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Whenever a family member's birthday comes around, we gather at my parents' house and my mom cooks us whatever menu we want. This past birthday, I asked for chicken parmigiana, my mom's Hawaiian baked beans and pierogies. Yea, I get that they don't exactly go together, but it was my birthday! Nothing was off limits. 

I decided to switch it up this year, but in the past I would always also include Mexican rice. Sometimes I'd swap something out for homemade macaroni and cheese or twice baked potatoes, too. Again, it all still doesn't exactly go with the rest of the meal, but I give myself permission to be a little quirky on my birthday.

I've always, always loved Mexican rice. The other night when I made tacos for girls' night, I decided to try something new and make some of my own. It was super easy and didn't take all my attention. That's always preferred when my friends are over since I'd rather be talking and sipping wine instead of being locked down in the kitchen. Everyone said it was great, and I agreed. I was so pleasantly surprised with the end result and I know I will be making this again for future taco nights.


Printable Recipe

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 1 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender.

Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes
.

Source: Adapted from Paula Deen

Friday, May 13, 2011

Angel Food Cake with Pineapple Cool Whip and Berries

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This cake was requested by my sister-in-law this past Mother's Day, so I put it on my list of things to make. I made it a few years ago and completely forgot about it (like most things I make), but I did remember it was delicious. Since I couldn't find the original recipe I used, I made it with what I thought it contained and it came out perfectly.

Since I had a lot of other things I had to cook for that day, I cheated and used an Angel Food Cake mix (I guess the cat's out of the bag!). You could even use a premade cake from your local grocery store if you are really short on time. If you don't post it on your blog like me, no one will even know the difference! I think this is a perfect spring/summer treat, and since it's very light and fruity it's perfect for kids or adults. Feel free to switch up what berries you use, too. Be creative!

It's kind of dreary over here in DC today, so I'm hoping that posting something summery will force the sun to peak its little head out. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Also, Happy Birthday, Mom!



Printable Recipe


Ingredients
  • 1 (16 oz.) box angel food cake mix
  • Water, as directed on cake mix package
  • 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapples, drained
  • 1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip
  • 1 (3.4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced thin
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
Mix the angel food cake and water as directed on package. Pour evenly into two 9-inch cake pans. Bake as directed. Let cool completely.

In a large bowl, mix the drained pineapples, cool whip and vanilla pudding mix. Let chill for a couple hours.

When ready to put the cake together, spread half of the cool whip mixture on the top of the first cake. Layer with strawberries and blueberries. Add the second layer of cake and top with the other half of the cool whip mixture. Top with remaining strawberries and blueberries. Enjoy!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Sauce

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I have three brothers. All who love to eat. However, none of them are very talented in the kitchen.

My oldest brother, Eddie, isn't too bad. Since my family is so large, we pick names out of a hat so that whenever a birthday comes around, someone new has to make the birthday cake. He made me an awesome Spongebob Squarepants ice cream cake for my birthday this year (yes, I realize I'm 26..but it's all about the challenge!). So if push comes to shove, he more or less knows what he's doing.
My youngest brother, Louis, could probably cook if he wanted to. He's good at making stuff on the grill, and when he really tries he doesn't do half bad. But he also eats things like chicken patties with pancakes. Or fried chicken cutlets and queso. Not because he doesn't know what he's doing, but because he thinks it tastes good. He's weird like that.

And then there's my second oldest brother, Mike. He really tries, but overall my mom and I worry that he's eating enough. You see, Mike boils pork chops. And he thinks it's supposed to be done that way. Mike doesn't know that boiling pork chops is gross. He has gotten better recently, but I'm still dedicating this recipe to him. I think he originally wouldn't make it since it seems intimidating, but I'm promising it isn't hard at all.

Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you. They're all pretty basic and making this took me less than 10 minutes. You boil some water and cook the noodles. Then you brown the meat. Then you throw some more stuff in a pan and let it cook. Done. How simple is that? And it looks so elegant. The end result is this pretty little dish that is more than satisfying, great for entertaining or just a nice weeknight meal. I think even Mike could handle this recipe :) Plus it's super, super delicious, so why wouldn't you want to try it?

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
  • 3 cups uncooked egg noodles
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, fat trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  • 1 (10-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides.
Remove from pan; cover.
Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes.
Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in Worcestershire Sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Gradually add broth, stirring constantly with a whisk.
Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs.
Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan;  cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.
Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light January 2010

Monday, May 9, 2011

Breakfast Pizza

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What do you get when you combine two of my favorite things? George Beckham. 

Okay, but food-wise, it would be all of my favorite breakfast items, including eggs and bacon, and a hearty pizza crust. You can pretty much put any of your favorite breakfast foods on top of this and it will work out. I'd suggest maybe substituting or adding crumbled breakfast sausage for a different taste. But whatever you do, don't skimp out on the tomatoes. They act as the "sauce" for the pizza since they add some juiciness and a burst of flavor into each bite.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!



Ingredients
  • 1 Boboli pizza crust
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 eggs, scrambled
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Preaheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Brush crust with the olive oil.

Layer the ingredients in the order given.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Chicken and Steak Fajitas

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Happy Cinco de Mayo! If you're craving a traditional Mexican meal to celebrate today's holiday, I've got the perfect recipe for you. Have these fajitas alongside a refreshing margarita and you'll be in paradise. Add some guacamole, rice and beans and it's a done deal.

I enjoy ordering fajitas in restaurants because it's so exciting when the bring out the steaming tray of freshly cooked meat and veggies. You all know you love when you're sitting at your table and you see your food on its way over. It's just a lot more noticeable when your fajitas have a smoke trail.  But no matter what you order, the waiter bringing the plates over to your table is something we all notice and get antsy about. You'll softly whisper to your table, "Here it comes" without making it too obvious. Peaking at the tray from the corner of your eye to make sure it really is coming to your table. We've all done it. No need to be ashamed. 

Since I'll be home having "girls night" tonight, I wanted to share fajitas you can also make in the comfort of your own home. This recipe I put together kind of has a kick to it from the chipotle peppers, but if you're like me that's what you'll want. Just dab some sour cream on top and it will be the perfect balance. If you want less heat, add less chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!


Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. sauce from chipotle peppers
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 3 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 flank steak, fat trimmed
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • Flour tortillas
Serve with:
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Place steak in a zip lock bag and chicken in a separate bag. Pour half of the marinade into each bag. Allow to marinate for at least 8 hours.

Drain the marinade. Grill the steak over medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side (or to your desired temperature). Grill the chicken until no longer pink. Transfer the steak and chicken to a cutting board.

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the peppers and onions and cook until they start to get soft, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Slice the steak and chicken into thin strips.

Heat the tortillas up according to the package directions. Fill with meat, onions and peppers and top with your favorite garnishes!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Fresh Mex Sweet Corn Tomalito

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Have any of you been to Chevy's? The Mexican restaurant? They have the best flautas. Seriously, the best. And they have pretty awesome quesadillas. And their fajitas are pretty terrific, too. But the show stopper is the little pillow of sweet corn tomalito they put on each plate. It's light and fluffy and delicious. That's my favorite part of the meal whenever I go there. Corn casserole is my favorite thing at a Tex Mex restaurant? Yes. Trust me.

They are able to get it light and fluffy because they cook it over a double boiler instead of baking it. The steam cooks the corn mixture, but it doesn't dry it out. Pure genius. I love this stuff and will be making it again and again. Enjoy and happy Cinco de Mayo eve!

This is what it looks like over the double boiler. You can see the condensation on the plastic wrap.


This is what it looks like when it's done. Soft and moist.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
  • 5 tablespoons margarine, softened
  • 1/4 cup Masa Harina
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed, divided
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk

In a small mixing bowl, mix the margarine, masa and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

In a blender container, blend half the corn kernels with the water until smooth.

Combine this mixture with the margarine mixture, stirring well. Add the remaining corn kernels, corn meal, baking powder, salt and milk and mix well.

Pour the corn mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan.

Tightly cover with plastic wrap and steam by setting atop a medium saucepan of water on top of the stove.

Bring water to a boil and steam corn mixture for 50 minutes to one hour (check to see whether you might need to add more water), until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tomalito should have a smooth, moist texture.

NOTE: The pan must be tightly wrapped at all times.


Source: Razzle Dazzle

Monday, May 2, 2011

Crock Pot Queso Dip

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Happy Monday! Today we're kicking off Cinco de Mayo week. There's nothing like a good, hearty queso to ring in the holiday. Whenever we go to my favorite Mexican restaurants, I always make sure we order queso. There's something about that gooey, melty delicious cheese dip that has got me addicted. Most of the restaurants we go to serve it with chips or warm tortillas, but you can also try the Melting Pot way by serving it with apples, carrots and bread. Anything you dip into this will be delicious. I mean, you can't really go wrong with cheese dip!

This recipe is great since you can make it in your crockpot, so once everything is cooked and in there, there's really nothing left for you to do. I browned the meat ahead of time so that when I went to go make this all I had to do was throw it all together. Since Cinco de Mayo is on a Thursday this year, I'm sure this will come in handy to a lot of you who have to work all day. Then you can come home to this creamy, meaty queso dip. Whip up a refreshing margarita and you're set!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 pound Ground Beef
  • 1 package Taco Seasoning
  • 1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
  • 2 pounds Velveeta
  • 2 cans Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)

Brown the beef in a large frying pan. Drain the fat and return to the pan. Mix in the taco seasoning as instructed on package. Once done, add to crock pot.

Brown the hot sausage in the same pan. Once cooked through, drain the fat and add it to the crock pot with the beef.  

Cut up Velveeta into cubes. Add the cheese and tomatoes to the crock pot. Stir until well combined.

Cook on low until all melty and gooey, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Serve with chips, veggies, or on top of hot dogs. 



Source: Adapted from Tasty Kitchen