Long Time... Catch Up Blog!

Hi there! As you can tell... it's been nearly 2 weeks since I last posted! My plate is full with my garden... and packing! And the space in between I try to keep myself and my house halfway clean & decent. :) Haha. It's hard when there's boxes everywhere and dirt tracked in from the garden. But it is wonderful as well. Only 2 short weeks and 2 days until we get the keys to our new home! And the garden is wonderful... we have peas and beans coming out of our ears! We've already frozen some for during the winter! Check 'em out!

Yum-O! I like to boil them, but I also tried roasting them... which is AMAZING! Have you ever? You must! They get almost caramelized and a little chewy! They are my new favorite! Simply toss your cleaned beans with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, depending on how many you got. Be sure and stir them 1-2 times during cooking. 

Let's see... I've also not posted about 4th of July. We didn't do a darn thing, but since we're all about emptying our pantry and freezer (Mac & Cheese, Tuna Helper, etc) I thought I would cook a good- real meal for once! Ha! 

We had chili dogs on the grill, Buffalo Chicken Dip and fresh green beans. Oh, Buffalo Chicken Dip... another favorite! 

1 1/2 cups shredded, chopped chicken, fully cooked (you could use a couple cans of chicken as well if you want really easy)

1/2 cup ranch dressing

2 cups colby jack cheese

1 cup Frank’s hot sauce

8oz cream cheese

Directions:

Mix ingredients together, pour into a non-stick sprayed casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve with tortilla chips.

Oh yum! I wish we could go back to July 4th... I could eat this again! 

Alright, I also helped host a wedding shower for Aaron's nephew's fiance... Laura! We had a great time eating, dressing up, and wishing her well! I was in charge of ... can you guess? Food! Duh. We had quite the spread.

We had Chocolate Coca-Cola Cupcakes, White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze, Turtle Cheesecake Truffles, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cupcakes, Cheese balls, and Spinach dip! 

Let's recap, shall we?

Cupcakes.... 

Cheese balls...

I made individual sized cheese balls, and thought they were cute and neater than everyone digging in one large cheese ball, you know? I simply mixed 2 blocks cream cheese, 3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 pkg Ranch dip seasoning. I rolled them into golf ball sized balls and then rolled and pressed them in pecans. Finally, I stuck a toothpick in so they are easy to grab. Serve with crackers.

And we have Spinach dip...

Here's the recipe-

16 oz cream cheese

1 cup mayo (or Miracle Whip)

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped finely

1/2 cup crumbled bacon (store bought=so easy!)

1 green onion, chopped

2 tsp dill weed

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine everything and chill overnight for best flavor. Serve with crackers.

Well, as I said before... 2 weeks & 2 days until we get our new house! Probably not another post before then... sorry! :)