Toffee Apple Dip

For this month's Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned to Ashley's blog, Rainstorms and Love Notes. Her blog was pretty new to me (though she was assigned to my blog last month and made my Baked "Fried" Pickles!), and I really enjoyed browsing through it.  As usual, my list of recipes to make grew with each page I read through.  I narrowed it down to choosing between Broccoli Cheddar Dip, Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pumpkin Roll, and Apple Toffee Dip.  Ultimately I chose to make the apple dip, but I'll definitely be making the others too!

Ever since my friend brought apples with caramel dip to a get together, I've been obsessed, and that's been my nightly snack.  However, since making this Toffee Apple Dip, caramel has been kicked to the curb.  I shared it with some friends the other night, and they all loved it and requested the recipe.  They even agreed that it's better than the caramel dip, and even though we were all stuffed from dinner, we couldn't stop eating this!

This dip was so simple to put together, and it tastes absolutely amazing.  Even Summer ate it, along with apples, and she normally doesn't like apples, so you know it was good!  The only thing I changed was cutting the amount of sugar in half.  Partially due to laziness on my part--I didn't want to go downstairs and bring up a 25 pound bag of sugar just for 1/2 cup--but mostly because after trying the dip with just brown sugar, I decided it was sweet enough for me.  Give it a try with some fresh apples, or even bananas, you won't regret it!

Toffee Apple Dip

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup toffee bits

Combine ingredients until smooth.  Serve with fresh fruit.

Source: Rainstorms and Love Notes

An InLinkz Link-up

Zesty Guacamole

This Zesty Guacamole is more than just mashed avocados; the tomatoes and garlic give it a burst of flavor.  You won't be able to stop eating it!

If you had asked me a couple months ago if I liked avocado, I would have adamantly responded no.  So it's a given that I also would have said I didn't like guacamole.  In my quest to become healthier and incorporate more whole foods into my diet, I have been trying to eat more avocados.  I've discovered that I really don't mind them, but you won't catch me eating avocado slices on top of my salad any time soon.  I prefer when they're diced into a fruit salsa, or mashed into brownies.  And surprise!  I've even discovered that I like guacamole (when prepared a certain way).

In the past I'd only had guacamole made with avocados, lime juice, and salt.  I found it much to bland for my tastes and couldn't understand why people enjoyed it.  No offense if you do!  Then a while back I went to my friend's Tupperware party.  The demonstrator showed us how to make guacamole using avocados, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and lime juice.  I hesitantly tried a scoop and found that it was bursting with flavor and delicious!

I'm currently on day 3 of the 21 Day Fix and loving it!  I can eat a huge variety of foods and I really haven't been hungry.  This guacamole is 21 Day Fix compliant, and feels like something I'm indulging in!  Just make sure that you measure the guacamole correctly if you're doing the fix.

Zesty Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 avocados
2 roma tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
juice of one lime

1.  Cut avocado into chunks.  Check out this post for instructions, if needed.

2.  Dice roma tomatoes and cut garlic cloves in half.

3.  Put the avocado, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and lime juice in your food processor and blend until smooth.

4.  Scoop into a bowl and serve with tortilla chips, on tacos, or on top of burgers.  The guacamole will turn brown after sitting out, or if you refrigerate it.  The taste isn't affected but if the appearance bothers you, scrape off the top layer.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Spicy Cheese Dip

A creamy dip with chunks of cheese and burst of flavor from hot sauce.  Serve it with veggies or crackers for a delicious appetizer!

Mike and I bought a Groupon deal to Sam's Club last year; we'd been talking about purchasing a membership for a while and the deal was too good to pass up!  Can we just talk for a minute about how much I love saving money?  There are so many awesome deal sites out there like Groupon and Eversave, as well as rebate apps like Ibotta that give you money back on groceries.  (Check out my Facebook page this week as I will be sharing some of my favorite deal sites!)  It's the Dutch in me, but I love saving money however I can!  Now that I am only working part-time, the more ways we can save money the better!

Of course a membership to a bulk store like Sam's can be both a blessing and a curse.  Yes, we get things cheaper that in other stores, but I also end up purchasing more than I intend to!  Oh well, it all balances out.  I think....

Anyway, we like going to the club on Saturdays because they often do food samples.  Who can say no to that?! One of the last times we were there, we sampled a dip that we both loved.  Mike asked what was in it and we were told milk, mayo, cheese, and hot sauce.  4 ingredients, how could you go wrong?  Mike decided that he liked it enough we had to buy an enormous jar of mayonnaise, and that we would make this for our Christmas Eve celebration.

The dip can be adjusted to meet your preferences.  Since we didn't have measurements, just ingredients, I kind of winged it when making the dip.  We like smaller pieces of cheese, and a good amount of spice in our dip.  But feel free to make it how you want to!

Spicy Cheese Dip

Makes approximately 1 cup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon milk
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1 teaspoon hot sauce

1.  Mix the mayonnaise and milk in a small bowl.

2.  Crumble the Gorgonzola cheese and add it to the mayonnaise.

3.  Stir in the hot sauce (add more if desired).

Serve cold with vegetables or crackers.

Gingerbread Spread

This delicious Gingerbread Spread tastes like Christmas!

I love holiday flavors. You know the ones I mean: pumpkin, apple, peppermint, gingerbread. Oh gingerbread, the quintessential flavor of Christmas!

Who hasn't decorated a gingerbread bread house or devoured a plate full of gingerbread boy cookies? This time of the year, gingerbread is so popular!

I wanted to stick with my flavors of the season theme for this month's Secret Recipe Club. The past two months I made something apple and pumpkin.

I was assigned Chris' blog, Mele Cotte. Did you know Mele Cotte means baked apple in Italian?  I love baked apples, so I knew I would love Chris' blog. I had plenty of options to choose from as her recipe catalog is quite impressive! After narrowing down my list, I settled on making Gingerbread Spread.

This spread was so easy to create as it is simply a spiced cream cheese. I also found its uses to be extremely versatile. I enjoyed this spread on a toasted bagel as well as as a dip for animal crackers. I think it would also pair wonderfully with sliced apples or graham crackers.

Gingerbread Spread

Makes approximately 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 8 ounce block cream cheese
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves


Mix all the ingredients together until smooth. 
Store in a covered container in the fridge.

Source: Mele Cotte

Peanut Butter Fluff

Family game night.  It's a concept both Mike and I grew up with.  While the idea for both our families were similar--both our dads avoided playing games as much as possible, there were also some differences.  For instance, he doesn't have a younger brother who, when he was losing a game of Sorry!, flipped the board so the game could no longer continue.  Ahhh memories!

We often enjoyed game night at home around the kitchen table.  My mom would often have snacks ready for us--typically a bowl of popcorn or pretzels with chocolate to dip them in.  It was the one night of the week when we typically enjoyed a can of pop as well.

While game night has changed a bit since we've been married (there are surprisingly few games for just 2 players), Mike and I do enjoy playing games.  He bought me a version of Monopoly that features places we've been together and every so often we'll pull that out.  We also enjoy card games (Mike plays Poker with his bowling group and is teaching me how) and playing video games on our Wii.  One thing that's remained the same is snacks--they are a must for game time.  We enjoy a variety--popcorn, cheese cubes, apples with dip, crackers...We like our snacks!

Whether you choose to play card games, board games, or video games, this Peanut Butter Fluff is part of a healthy and easy snack for you to enjoy while playing.  It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  In fact, we almost always have a container of this waiting for when the craving strikes.  Just scoop out a dollop, slice up an apple, and snack time is ready!

Peanut Butter Fluff

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 (7 ounce) container of marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon milk

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and milk until completely mixed.

2.  Serve with sliced fruit--we love apples with this dip.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Note:  The first time I made this recipe, I used about 1 cup of peanut butter.  It resulted in a very clumpy spread, but that was solved by adding milk, a small amount at a time.  The dip was quite solid and we enjoyed it very much.  I decreased the amount of peanut butter so this dip is fluffier and easier to dip.  Feel free to experiment with the amount of peanut butter you use!

Texas Caviar

I love to get recipes from friends because that usually means that they are time-tested and loved!  I first had this dip at my friend Alecia's house.  She served it with quesadillas and I could not stop eating the Texas Caviar.  I knew I had to have the recipe!  I made this dip as my contribution to a family potluck when we were camping earlier this summer.  It was a huge hit, as most people had not had it before.

The sugar and apple cider vinegar add a sweetness that is completely unexpected from a bowl full of vegetables.  I found myself eating this dip for a snack, side dish, and as a meal itself!  Yes, it is just that good.  With football season starting up, this is a great dip for tailgating.  The dip makes enough to feed a large crowd, and if you're lucky you'll have enough leftover that you can enjoy the leftovers for lunch like I did!


Texas Caviar

1 (10 ounce) bag frozen sweet corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 colored pepper, diced,
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green onion
1 cup chopped white onion
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil

1.  In a large bowl, mix together the corn, beans, peas, pepper, celery, green onions, and white onions.  Set aside.

2.  Pour vinegar, sugar, and oil in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil.  As soon as it boils, remove from heat and let it cool.

3.  Pour cooled dressing over the vegetables.

4.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

5.  Drain excess dressing before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Recipe from my friend, Alecia

Fiesta Dip

Like most of the country, we are experiencing a long-lasting heat wave.  I don't know about you, but when it's 100 degree outside, I don't feel like doing much at all!  Rather than spend hours in the kitchen, I turn to dishes that are simple to put together, and don't require me to turn the oven on.  This dip definitely fits that bill.

My mom made this dip quite often when I was growing up.  It was a tradition for us to spend Friday nights as family night and Mom would often make this dip for us to enjoy while we were watching Family Matters and Full House.  Oh, the days of good family TV shows! 

Now Mike and I have started a tradition of our own.  We call it "sampler-platter nights".  Basically I look through the fridge and cupboards and pull out a smorgasbord of foods--anything goes, from sliced fruit and veggies, to pizza rolls, to cheese and crackers, to dips.  This dip has made it's appearance a few times because it's so easy to make and it's delicious. 

Fiesta Dip
Serves 8

You will need:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
2 cups salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
tortilla chips

1.  In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup salsa. 

2.  Spread the cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a microwave-safe glass dish.  (I used a pie plate.)

3.  Spread remaining salsa over the cream cheese mixture.

4.  Top salsa with shredded Mexican cheese.

5.  If desired, microwave for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, until heated through and the shredded cheese is melted.  This dip can also be served without microwaving.

Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Tomato, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa

If you're looking for a great dish to bring for your 4th of July celebration--look no further.  This salsa comes together in minutes, is fresh, and tastes delicious!  I brought this to a family potluck, thinking it was nice and simple but nothing too special.  To my surprise, it got rave reviews.  I knew if our family enjoyed it (and requested the recipe), it was definitely worth sharing! 

Tomato, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa

Serves 12

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons lime juice (or juice of 1 lime)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon cilantro
salt and pepper

1.  In a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomato and onion.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro.

3.  Pour the marinade over the vegetables.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

4.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Tzatziki Sauce

I love cucumbers.  The smell and taste of them makes me think of summer.  I enjoy eating them raw, but also in salads and on sandwiches.  I'd never had Tzatziki sauce before (to my knowledge), but I knew I would enjoy it because of the cucumber.  Tzatziki can be used as a sauce on gyros, as an accompaniment to meat, or as a dip for pitas or fresh vegetables.  It has so many possibilities and it's so delicious!

As promised on Monday, this is the sauce I used for our flatbreads. I'll be sharing the rest of the filling on Friday. Patience my friends...

Tzatziki Sauce

Makes 1 cup

You will need:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 of a large cucumber
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced to a smooth paste

1.  Scoop yogurt into a small bowl and mix until smooth.

2.  Peel cucumber and grate it into fine pieces.  Place in cheesecloth and squeeze to remove the water.

3.  Add the cucumber, salt, olive oil, and minced garlic to the yogurt and mix well.

4.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Source: Simply.Food

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Pizza is one of our go-to meals around our house. I typically have all the ingredients in the house and if I have some dough already in the freezer, it's a relatively quick meal to make.  As you might guess, we also love any twist on pizza, like pizza bites, pizza rolls, pizza monkey bread, and pizza bread.

Everyone once in a while, Mike and I will have a "sample-platter" meal.  It's basically a random assortment of whatever we have in the house that sounds good--usually a lot of finger foods.  We don't do it too often because it tends to not be a healthy meal!  When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a great addition to our next "sample-platter" meal.

These pepperoni pizza bites were so easy to make, and they were delicious!  I made a full batch of the cheese filling the first time I made these, but we didn't end up needing it all.  It made a great addition to Mike's lunch, as well as a delicious after-work snack for him.  It also made a delicious dip.  These would make a great lunch for kids this summer, and it's easy enough they could make it themselves!

Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Makes 20-30 servings

You will need:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup pizza sauce
pepperoni slices
Town House crackers

1.  In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and pizza sauce until well combined.

2.  Place a couple tablespoons of the filling on one Town House cracker.

3.  Top with a pepperoni slice.

4.  Continue filling until all the cheese filling is used up.

Adapted from: Picky Palate

Pickle Dip

Last year, Mike and I had a big Super Bowl party with a bunch of our friends.  This year, we decided to keep it simple and just watched the game together.  However, I couldn't resist putting together a fun assortment of food for us to enjoy.  You know that Mike and I love pickles, and so I had a feeling this dip would be a big hit with us.  Mike actually said it was his favorite recipe I made that night!  We've enjoyed this pickle dip a few times in the past few months, and I knew it was a recipe that I had to share with you.  (Better late than never, right?)  If you're a fan of pickles, you're sure to be a fan of this simple and delicious dip!

Pickle Dip

Serves 8

You will need:
1 (8 oz.) block of cream cheese (I used Neufchatel)
1 cup diced dill pickles
1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon dill pickle juice

Mix all the ingredients together and serve with potato chips.

Source:  Happier Than A Pig In Mud

Baked Spinach Cups

Superbowl is just a few weeks away, and if you're anything like me, you're probably already brainstorming your menu plan!  Because we all know Superbowl isn't about football, it's about the food!  Right?

When planning my Superbowl menu, I like to come up with a good mix of savory and sweet foods.  Like the jalapenos I shared last week, these are great appetizer sized foods--perfect for the big game!

These spinach cups were a huge hit at Mike's family potluck.  All the cousins love spinach dip, so I had a feeling this would go over well.  You can serve these warm from the oven, or at room temperature.  I even had some cold the next day and they were great cold as well. 

*As a side note, if you look to the left of this post, you'll see a poll I created for you.  I'd love to get some feedback from you about what kind of recipes you'd like me to post more of.  Please vote for as many as you'd like--I appreciate your input!

Baked Spinach Cups

Makes 24 cups

You will need:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water, plus a little more
1 batch of Spinach Dip

1.  Sift flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center.

2.  Whisk together egg, salt and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Pour into flour well. Mix together, adding additional water until the mixture will stay together in a ball.

3.  Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and pliable.  Let the dough rest for 30-60 minutes.

4.  Divide dough in half. Keep one half covered while you roll out the other one on a surface lightly coated with cornstarch. Roll dough into approximately a 21"x7" rectangle.

5.  Cut into 3-1/2" squares. You should be able to get approximately 12 wonton wrappers out of each half.

6.  Press each wrapper into the bottom of a greased mini muffin tin to form a cup.

7.  Scoop spinach dip into each wonton cup.

8.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until wonton wrappers are golden brown and spinach dip is warm.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

*If you would rather not make your own wonton wrappers, you can substitute store-bought in this recipe.

Strawberry Fluff

Over the past few years, it has become a tradition for Mike's mom, sister, and I to visit various craft shows in our area around Christmas time.  Some of my favorite booths are the ones that sell foods--go figure!  Last year, I discovered a new (to me) product, fruit flavored dips!  You could buy a little packet of powder and then mix it with Cool-Whip and cream cheese for a delicious dip.  I served the strawberry dip I bought at our Superbowl party, and it went over really well.  I decide that if other people could make a dip mix, I'm sure I could too; I had an idea for what I thought would work well, and it did!  Now I don't have to wait for craft fairs to make this dip!

I'm sharing this pink dip as part of a blog hop, Project Pink, which is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness.  While I have been blessed to not have any family members affected by breast cancer, I do know some people (both fellow bloggers and "real-life" acquaintances) who have been affected by breast cancer.  The people who I know are survivors, they fought hard, and they won the battle.  This recipe is in honor of them, a recipe you might serve at a celebration, because it's a celebration of life!

Strawberry Fluff

Serves 8-10

You will need:
1 box sugar free strawberry Jell-O
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
8 oz Neufchatel cheese (you can use regular cream cheese too!)

In a mixing bowl, combine the Jell-O powder, Cool Whip, and Neufchatel cheese until smooth and fluffy.  Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

This dip is great with animal cracker, graham crackers, and sliced apples.

Crisco Olive Oil--Herbed Dipping Oil

EVOO--that's how Rachel Ray refers to Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Ever since I became a fan of her show that's how I think of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  People who don't know Rachel Ray might look at you like you're crazy when you talk about EVOO, but that's okay we're all crazy in our own way, right?

I've had a couple posts from the Foodbuzz Tastemakers program lately and I hope you're enjoying them.  One thing I really like about this program is it offers me a chance to try a new product or showcase a more common one in order to share the products with you!  The products I have tried are all high-quality and ones I feel good about sharing.  The Crisco Olive Oils I received were no exception.

I received 3 bottles of Crisco Olive Oil:  Extra Virgin, Pure, and Light. 

I was asked to come up with recipes that incorporate the three types of Olive Oils.  So over the next few days I'll be sharing the recipes that I made:

 Flatbread, with Herbed Dipping Oil:

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Italian Dressing:

And, pizza dough (recipe here, I just used Crisco Light Olive Oil):

Today, let's talk about this dipping oil.  When I was in Romania, crusty bread and dipping oil were one of the main meal starters for a Sunday dinner.  I loved the flavors infused in the oil and how it enhanced the bread!

Herbed Dipping Oil

Serves 6

You will need:
1/2 cup Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
Parmesan cheese
Crusty bread or flatbread for dipping (I'll be posting my flatbread recipe next!)

1.  In small frying pan over medium heat, saute minced garlic in EVOO until the garlic is soft but not brown.  It took me about 3 minutes.

2.  Allow oil to cool and pour into a pint sized jar (use a funnel if needed).

3.  Add vinegar, salt, black pepper, and rosemary to oil.

4.  Shake vigorously to mix the ingredients.

5.  To serve, pour the oil into a shallow bowl or plate and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Dip crusty bread or flatbread into oil and enjoy!

Disclosure – As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Crisco Olive Oils to try with my family and write about it. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.