Beer Cheese Dip

I'm not sure who gave me this recipe but I have had it for a few months, I have made it a few times and it is super easy and really good! It's one of Gray's favorites so he asks for it often. If you are the one who gave me this recipe, thank you!!! It kinda reminds me of pimento cheese but more fun for a hot summer afternoon.

1 8oz block of cream cheese (softened)

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup beer

1/2 tsp garlic powder

fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl or mixer, mix until well incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving but 24 for best flavor.

Cinnamon Crescent Twists

Ohhh, I am droooling again. This delicious and easy recipe was found over at the wonderful Real Mom Kitchen blog! These were perfect for a lazy Saturday morning, simple ingredients, quick to make, and oh so yummy.

1 package (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp butter (softened)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp butter (melted)
1 to 1-1/2 tsp hot water

Heat the oven to 375. Roll out the crescent rolls and connect two rectangles together into a larger square. Do the same with the next two rectangles. Combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spread across one square evenly. Top with the other square. Cut into strips. Twist the strips and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. While the twists are baking, combine the melted butter, powdered sugar and hot water together. Remove twists from oven and brush over glaze.

Broiled Cheesy Basil Tomatoes

I made these the other night, I had a different tomato recipe picked out but I didn't read it well enough and the time was much longer than I thought so I just winged it and made up these! They were good and easy, it also doesn't hurt that these tomatoes were just GOOD tomatoes! I love tomatoes!

4 Ripe Tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper. Top with cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese is bubbly. Serve warm.

Black Bean Burgers

I made these the other night and I was going to use the recipe from Annie's Eats but then I got to thinking, I know how I like my black beans, so why not try and make them like that? I did use her recipe as a guide but I would assume they have different flavors basked on the way we seasoned them. These were our first black bean burgers and we really enjoyed them!

2 (15oz) can of black beans (rinsed and drained)

2/3 cup panko crumbs

1/2 onion (chopped)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Take 3/4 of the beans and mash them, just estimate how much. Add the panko and onion and mix it in. In a separate bowl mix the eggs with the chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the eggs and mix in. Add the beans that are not smashed, stir them in. Form your patties. You can refrigerate them which helps them to firm up. To cook, heat a pan to medium heat, put a tbsp of olive oil in the pan and add the black bean patties. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Top with your favorite toppings.

Bacon Peirogi Bake

Yep, this is another hit from Cassie Craves, it's slightly adapted to fit our taste. This was so delicious and rich! yum yum yum! I'm glad all I made with it was a salad because it was very filling! this is going to be perfect for the winter when it's nice and chilly outside!

1 package frozen potato and onion pierogies (16 0z)
2 tbsp bacon bits
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400. Coat a baking dish with nonstick spray. Arrange the pieorgies in the dish. In a pan saute the garlic for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese, let cook for around 1 minute, stir often. Slowly add the chicken broth, stir and whisk as it is added. Continue stirring until it is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture of the pierogies and bake for 15 minutes. Top with shredded cheese and bacon bits and place back into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let stand for 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Self Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

Seriously??? Did you read the name of this recipe? Oh my heavens! My friend Leslie came over the other night after I put the little guy to bed and I made these for us and they were awesome! The recipe is from babble.com but I came across it on Pinterest. The best part is, I had all of these ingredients in my house already.

1/4 cup butter (room temp)
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Nutella

Heat oven to 325. Combine butter, oil and sugar in a medium size bowl with an electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, stir together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine slowly. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of nutella on top of each cupcake. Swirl with the tip of a knife. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from tin after 3 minutes to let cool.

Do you like it?

So my sweet friend Lauren at L.C. Designs just made over this blog! She is amazing, she did our family blog a few weeks ago and I love love love it! Not only is she great at what she does but she donates 70% of her profits to a different cause each month! This month it's Amazima Ministries in Uganda. If you don't know about Amazima you should check them out too! And for real, Lauren is awesome, she is not just a blog designer that I ran across, she is someone I consider a friend. She was in Ethiopia picking up her precious little boy when we got our referral for our son A and she was the first person I knew to be able to play with him and get pictures of him for us. So I will go now before I get all sappy but don't forget to go check her out!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This is one of our favorite new recipes! I call it the Italian version of Swiss Chicken. I have made is several times and it is always wonderful. We both loved lots of flavor in our dishes and this recipe has that covered! I found the recipe on allrecipes.com which basically has any recipe you could ever dream of and some that should have never been dreamed up, ha.

3 boneless skinless chicken breast (cut in half)
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (6 oz) box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Heat oven to 400. Coat a 9x13 dish with nonstick spray. Place the cut chicken breasts in the bottom of the dish. Season with salt. In a separate bowl combine the diced tomatoes, water, garlic and stuffing mix. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the chicken then sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the cheese. Spread the stuffing mixture on top. Bake for 35 minutes.

Smothered Cowboy Salisbury Steaks

I made this recipe back in January, I know I know, I am so behind! Our little cutie coming home certainly made my life a little crazy for the past 6 months. Anyways, I am pretty sure that Gray fell even more in loved with me after I made this recipe, this is man food at it's finest and perfect for the winter! The recipe is from One Lovely Life and I can't wait for it to get cold again so that I can make it!

1lb ground beef
1/2 packet dry onion soup mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4c milk
1/4c fresh bread crumbs
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (divided)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2lb baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2c beef broth

Heat oven to 375. In a bowl combine the ground beef, garlic powder, onion soup mix, salt and pepper then add the milk, egg, breadcrumbs, and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Mix together and shape into 6 patties. In a large pan heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter on medium-high heat. Brown the patties on both sides and place in a baking dish. Add mushrooms and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper and place over the patties. Return pan to heat and add onion, add a little more olive oil if they are sticking. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and tender. Season with salt and pepper and place over patties. Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan. Add flour. Stir for 2 minutes, add beef broth and remaining Worcestershire, stir well to get out the clumps. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until thick. Poor over the patties and bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes.