Buffalo Ranch Cheese Ball

Hey there, friends!

Happy new year! I know, I know... January is almost over at this point. I'm getting adjusted at my new counseling job and it's just been a crazy couple months. Really a crazy couple of years! It feels so good to finally be done with grad school and to officially be licensed as a counselor... with my LPC license and all  :)

So point being, I hope to post more this year! That's my goal for 2015. I think I'll have more time to devote to the good ole blog that I miss so much.

Now it's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club!!!!

This month I was assigned to Bobbi's blog, Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen. She's been blogging for a few years now so it was great to peruse through her many recipes! I was so inspired! I was so tempted to make her fancy Bacon Wrapped BBQ Cheeseburger Meatloaf because PJ and I both are not huge fans of meatloaf but are determined to find a recipe we love. And don't even get me started on these adorable, creative Deluxe Cheeseburger Kabobs. Why had I never thought of that?!? Definitely making these this summer. PJ claims he doesn't like ribs so I'll definitely be making her Thai Ribs to prove him wrong  :)

But for a quick and easy appetizer for the conference playoff games this weekend, we made her Buffalo Ranch Cheese Ball. It was so easy, no cooking required... just some chilling in the fridge and you've got yourself a nice, spicy, cheesy appetizer. You can add whatever you like to it! Maybe some chives or green onions would be nice  :)

Buffalo Ranch Cheese Ball 
from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 tablespoons buffalo hot sauce
• 1 packet ranch seasoning
• 1 cup crushed Town House crackers
• Additional crackers or veggies for dipping

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Form into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until time to serve.

Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator, unwrap from the plastic wrap. Place the crushed crackers in a shallow dish and roll the cheese ball in them, pressing firmly to adhere the crushed crackers to the outside.

Serve with crackers or veggies for dipping.

Printable Recipe


 










































Hold me to posting more in 2015, k?

 
Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts!   

An InLinkz Link-up

 
Linking up here.

  
Peace, and bacon grease!

Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs

It's time for November's Secret Recipe Club.  :)

 






















































This month I was assigned to Debbi's blog, Debbi Does Dinner Healthy. Debbi has so many good recipes, it was hard to narrow it down to one! In the spirit of fall and pumpkin, I was so tempted to make her Pumpkin Pancakes, but I did just make a pancake recipe recently that will be on the blog soon. I just made some rice krispies recently too but her Cinnamon Roll Rice Crispy Treats are so adorable and I bet they taste amazing too. But I decided to go with something more savory. 

Ultimately, her Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs won me over.

Anything jalapenopopper-like is a sure thing for me. The perfect mix of spicy, salty and creamy! 

(My tip to nearly perfectly peeled hard boiled eggs immediately removing the pot to the sink and run in cold water to stop the cooking process. Then when ready to crack and peel, run warm water on the eggs as you crack them in the pot. Crack all over, allowing the warm water to help release the eggs from the cracked shells. I only had one mess up, I consider that an almost success.  :)  Do you guys have any tips for perfectly peeled hard boiled eggs?)

 
Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs
slightly modified from Debbie Does Dinner Healthy

• 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons cheddar jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup pickled jarred jalapenos, diced
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (save some for garnish)
• cheddar jack cheese, shredded, for topping

Preheat oven to broil. 

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop the yolks out, add to a medium bowl. Mash the yolks and mix with the mayo, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons cheddar jack cheese, jalapenos and bacon. Place about a tablespoon of the mixture into the halved eggs. Sprinkle on cheddar jack cheese to top, place on a baking sheet and broil for a minute or so until cheese has melted. Top with additional bacon for garnish.

Printable Recipe

 























































PJ declared these the best deviled eggs he's had! I agree they are super good. You can use fresh jalapenos if you want, be we used the jarred stuff because I prefer them in deviled eggs. We used cheddar jack shredded cheese, a mix of cheddar and monterey jack. 

We loved that they were broiled for a minute too, cuz jalapeno poppers are served hot right?! Loved this twist on a deviled egg. Adding to the rotation :)


Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking up here.
 

Peace, and bacon grease!

Eggs Diablo

Secret Recipe Club time!

 





























































 
This month I was assigned to Jamie's blog, Our Eating Habits. It sure was hard to pick one recipe, as Jamie has a vast recipe archive chock full of alluring recipes from sweet to savory. How can I choose just one??!! Ultimately, I chose her Eggs Diablo recipe.

































































These are some jazzed-up deviled eggs! I was nervous about the salsa in the yolk mixture, but it, along with the green chiles, added a nice kick. And I love green onions in pretty much anything.

I'm so used to my deviled eggs having mustard, but these didn't even need it. With all those other flavors happening, you won't even miss the mustard.





Eggs Diablo
seen on Our Eating Habits, from Southern Living Homestyle Cookbook

• 6 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 2 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons canned green chiles
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 2 tablespoons chunky medium salsa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• green chiles or salsa, for garnish

Slice eggs in half lengthwise and gently remove yolk to a bowl. Place egg whites on serving plate.

Mash egg yolks together with fork. Add remaining ingredients, except garnish, and stir until well combined.
Scoop yolk mixture into egg whites. Top with garnish of your choice.



Printable Recipe

Thanks for the great recipe, Jamie! I love trying different deviled egg recipes and this one did not disappoint :) 


Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

Peace, and bacon grease!

Bacon Wrapped Potatoes with Queso Blanco Dip

♥  Happy Valentine's Day, my loves! ♥

While I'm not sharing a Valentine's-related recipe today, I do love you. So I had to bring you something good to eat to show you just how much I love you.  

No those are not bacon-wrapped apples you're seeing. Though that's not a bad idea....

 

























































Those are bacon-wrapped potatoes.

 

Bacon + Potatoes + Cheese. These are a few of my favorite things. *In my Sound of Music singing voice. 

Side note, I watched like 5 minutes of the new Sound of Music musical and man, I like Carrie Underwood and all, but it was pretty bad. Can't replace Julie Andrews.

Anyways, back to my favorite things.... Bacon + Potatoes + Cheese.

We made these for Super Bowl and I'm just now posting them! Silly me. I've been holding out on you guys. Sorry bout that. 

But they're worth the wait. I mean, can you really go wrong with bacon-wrapped potatoes dipped in a queso cheese dip? 

The answer is no.

Bacon Wrapped Potatoes with Queso Blanco Dip

adapted from Southern Living December 2012

• 2 medium red potatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• *16 center-cut bacon slices (we used 8 long slices, cut in half)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 12 ounces Velveeta Queso Blanco pasteurized prepared cheese product, cubed
• 1 (8-oz) block pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 (4-oz) can chopped green chiles
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Line a baking sheet or jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease a wire rack and place it in the foil-lined baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle potato wedges with salt. Wrap each potato wedge with 1/2 or 1 bacon slice (your preference). Arrange potato wedges in a single layer in prepared pan. Sprinkle with pepper.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until bacon is brown and cooked through.

Meanwhile, saute onion in butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.

Combine queso blanco, shredded pepper jack cheese, half and half, green chiles and onion mixture in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 and a 1/2 minutes. Stir and microwave 2 and a 1/2 more minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth, stirring at 1-minute intervals.

Stir diced tomato and cilantro into queso blanco mixture. Serve dip with potato wedges. 


Printable Recipe


















































I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I used less bacon than the recipe called for. **GASP!** I know, I was in shock too. I don't even know who I am anymore. I use center-cut bacon that are really long slices so I just cut them in half and wrapped them around each potato wedge, so I only used 8 slices of bacon instead of 16. A grad student's gotta save on money when she can! But there's also no such thing as too much bacon. Next time I think I'm gonna splurge and try each wedge with one whole slice of bacon each.

I burnt my potatoes a little bit because I just baked em for the whole time without checking them first, plus I baked them for the full 45 minutes the recipe called for. I changed the timing in this recipe to 35-40 minutes. Even if they burn a little bit, they're still good. But you don't want that bacon to get too dried out. Even cooked the whole 45 minutes, these were still gobbled up in no time.

I could seriously eat the bacon-wrapped potatoes alone, but the queso dip definitely brings it up a notch. See for yourself.


Linking up here.


Peace, and bacon grease!

Football Deviled Eggs

Why hello there.

 
























































Did you guys watch the Super Bowl? I did, kinda, for awhile... not a very exciting game, huh? Seattle's defense looked great though! I didn't mind who won either way really, but I have always been a Peyton Manning fan.

Despite the boring game and meh commercials, there was food to be had.

Why am I posting a football recipe right after the Super Bowl? Because I'm crazy like that. Or lazy/procrastinator/too busy/lame/all of the above. We made these on Super Bowl Sunday and I'm just now getting around to posting about them. That's ok, it's goin in the archives. It'll be here waiting for you when football season starts back up in September.

Grab your favorite deviled egg recipe + some chives and you can so make these cutie little football deviled eggs. So easy and cute. I love themed food!



Football Deviled Eggs
idea from Southern Living September 2004

• 1 dozen large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled
• 6 tablespoons mayo
• 1-2 tablespoons mustard (I used Private Selection Fire Roasted Chipotle Mustard)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a dash or two of hot sauce
• fresh chives, chopped

Cut eggs in half lengthwise and carefully remove yolks. Mash yolks in a medium bowl; stir in mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, and hot sauce until blended. Spoon yolk mixture evenly into egg white halves. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with chives to make the football laces. Chill until ready to serve.


Printable Recipe 




























































Can't wait for September to get here so I can make these again for the start of football season! But wait, September would mean I'm one step closer to 30... so scratch that. What I'm trying to say is, I love these little guys.


Linking up here.
 

Peace, and bacon grease!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Can I just tell you how happy I am to be healthy again!?

Last week was the week from hell. I was so sick, throwing up for days and missed a bunch of work and my first week back to school. I never thought Gatorade and water could taste so good when I could finally keep it down.

And now I'm finally back to eating foods!

I slowly but surely crawled my way back into a bacon and sushi-filled life. It's good because I was missing the old me! 

And just in time for The Secret Recipe Club and to make and enjoy this delicious dip from Rachel at The Avid Appetite. She's the cutest! I really enjoyed reading her blog and getting to know her better... sounds like we both share a love of food, our men, and trying new restaurants! I bet we'd be good friends.

Plus the girl knows how to cook a mean dip. That's the kinda friend you definitely want by your side.
 





Spinach and Artichoke Dip
adapted from The Avid Appetite

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 oz fresh spinach, rinsed, drained, and chopped
• 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• 1 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese, divided
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• tortilla chips, crackers, veggies and more for dipping
• cooking spray

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Mix in the spinach & artichokes and heat through. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Meanwhile, add milk to the saucepan and warm over low heat, being careful not to boil the milk. Whisk in the softened cream cheese. Mix the spinach mixture back into the milk mixture. Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well and pour into a baking dish lightly greased with cooking spray. Top with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.


Printable Recipe

This is the perfect dip for the big game coming up! Who are you guys rooting for? I love me some Peyton Manning :)





 



Linking up here.
 

Peace, and bacon grease!

Spicy Crackers

Time for another month of Secret Recipe Club!

 









































This month I was assigned to Rhonda, aka Giggles', blog The Kitchen Witch. So many good recipes! I wanted to make them all, and over time, I know I'll make a lot of them! Like her Featherlight Cheddar-Ranch Puffs which remind me of Red Lobster biscuits - Yum! And this Champagne Sunrise, I am a champagne FREAK! And Maple Rum Pecan Cupcakes with Candied Bacon??? I love all.of.the.things.  





































































But ultimately I chose this recipe because I'm all about a good dip or salsa during football games and for a quick snack, and what better way to jazz that dip up than with some spicy crackers!?!?
 
 
























































Be sure to use a deeper, narrower container rather than wide and shallow so that the oil and spices are more covering the crackers as they sit in the oils and spices overnight. The more shallow the container, the less the oil will cover the full surface area of the cracker. You'll flip midway through, so the crackers should be evenly and fully covered in the seasonings and oil, though not drenched. Also, don't stack the crackers so tight together... leave a little space between them so the oils and spices can get down in there and cover the entirety of the cracker and not just the top.

Now you've got yourself some extra-special crackers for dips, salsas, soups, whatever you usually use crackers for.  

   


Spicy Crackers
from The Kitchen Witch

• 1 and 1/3 cup canola oil (do not substitute according to Aunt Pam)
• 3 sleeves saltine crackers
• 1 package Ranch mix
• 3 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 teaspoon dried thyme

Stack the crackers standing upright in a plastic container that tightly seals, not overcrowding the container. 

Mix all spices and canola oil in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over the crackers, making sure the mixture gets down in the crevices so it will fully soak and cover the entire cracker overnight for 24 hours. Flip crackers midway through.
  

Printable Recipe

These crackers would be so good with Pineapple Salsa for that sweet and spicy contrast. Or with Avocado Salsa or Black Bean Corn Salsa. Definitely with some Bacon Spinach Cheese Ball. Like definitely. Or even with the most simplest Chipotle Ranch Dip.

And I KNOW I'll definitely be making her Grandpa Hoho's Shrimp Dip soon to go with these delicious crackers!
 

Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts. 
 


linking up here.


Peace, and bacon grease!