Light & Easy Feta Dip

I love dips. All kinds of dips. Specifically cheese dips. Have you checked out my Swiss Cheese Bread Dip? Talk about one seriously intense cheese dip. This Feta Dip is like Swiss Cheese Bread Dip's lighter, more refreshing and much less artery clogging cousin.

When I saw this dip on Pinterest via Cooking On Clover Lane, I was worried that compared to the cheese dips my family is use to (among others would be Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip and Velveeta Salsa, really light sounding huh?) this dip would be too bland or mild tasting. I was so wrong.

I was in a pinch for an appetizer to bring to a dinner party this weekend and the weather was so hot that I could not fathom turning on the oven or stove top. I also had lots of feta on hand from some great couponing sales so I decided to give it a try.

With only four main ingredients and about as many simple steps to making it, you can't mess this dip up. It was so light and refreshing and went perfectly with the summer weather and white wine. I took the original recipe creator's advice and made sure I used Cavender's Greek Seasoning and good fresh bread to serve it with and I really think it made all the difference.

What's so great about this dip is you can use the bread slices in a variety of ways. You could go the civilized route and use a utensil to nicely spread some of the dip on your bread slice. Or you could use our preferred method and use the bread slice much like you would a chip to scoop up dip or even fold it in half and use it to "grab" some of the dip. See demonstrated techniques below:

Pretending to be civilized.

The scoop and the grab methods respectively.

However you choose to eat it, this dip is something you will be making again and again throughout the summer and the rest of the year. It has only been three days since I first made it and Justin is already asking me when I am going to make it again.

Feta Dip

• 1 package of crumbled Feta Cheese (I used Athenos traditional)
• 1 large fresh tomato chopped/diced (I think you could used canned in a pinch)
• A bunch of green onions chopped
• Fresh or dried basil
• Greek Seasoning (I stuck with the original Cavender's)
• Olive Oil (I used extra virgin)
• 1 fresh baguette 

This seasoning really does make a difference!

1.) Wet your serving dish with olive oil. You will want a light layer that completely covers the dish. Then add your chopped tomatoes, layer the chopped green onions and feta on top of that.

2. Lightly season with Cavender's and then gently combine everything with a fork making sure the olive oil is completely incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. I went light on the seasoning at first and then added more to taste.

3.) Top with fresh basil and some more chopped green onions for color and presentation. Serve with thinly sliced pieces of fresh bread.

Enjoy!

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Marshmallow Hearts

Remember how I said I was obsessed with bite sized desserts? Yeah, it's bad. I can't stop. I see something delicious in full size and I can't keep my self from downsizing it. These Butterscotch Peanut Butter Marshmallow Hearts just had to be made using my mini heart cookie cutter instead of my normal sized one.

Normally the only problem with making mini desserts is that you want about 10 of them in one sitting. For the first time in my life (that I can remember) one little piece of this dessert is enough. I don't think I could handle the full sized version. These little guys are just too rich.

I know what you are thinking, "How can anything be too rich?" These almost are. The butterscotch peanut butter candy melts in your mouth but the chewiness of the marshmallow keeps it from being too much. I can't figure out exactly what its taste reminds me off but I don't even care. They are that good.

Butterscotch is one of those things that I always forget how much I like it but as soon as I have it, I can't understand why I don't crave it all the time. So when I saw this recipe from Rosie at Sweetapolita on Pinterest, I decided to give it a try.

 One of the best things about this recipe? It has four ingredients. Only four! And you really only need to dirty one bowl and one pan. You could cut them into bars or use any shape cutter you like but I did find through trial and error that shapes with pointed edges (like stars) tend to be difficult to keep in one piece without the edges breaking off.

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Marshmallow Hearts
Recipe Adapted From Sweetapolita

• 1 stick (half cup) of unsalted butter
• 11oz bag of butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup of your favorite peanut butter
• 3 cups of mini marshmallows

Just four little ingredients

1.) In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of boiling water (homemade double boiler, you can use a real one if you have one), melt together the butterscotch chips, butter, and peanut butter, stirring until smooth.

2. Remove bowl from heat and let it cool for about a minute.

3.) Stir in marshmallows. Be careful not to over mix or the marshmallows will start melting and breaking down in the the butterscotch mixture.

4.) Pour mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Try not to spread it too thin or the candy won't hold its shape later on. I pressed a few marshmallows into the top to give it a fun look.

5.) Refrigerate until firm. Mine took about an hour.

6.) Use a cookie cutter of your choice to punch out individual pieces. You can also just cut it up into bite sized pieces or bars as well.

7.) I tried to get my hearts as close together as possible to minimize the amount of scraps left over. I cut up and saved the scraps to use for a topping later on even though they are really good by themselves too.

These left over scraps would be amazing on top of ice cream!

These are best stored in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!


Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

No Bake Peanut Butter Nests

In case you haven't noticed I have a small obsession with bite sized, holiday themed treats made with M&M's. It is something I actually just realized and I have even started a new Pinterest board based on that obsession. Perhaps my Rolo Pretzel Bites, Valentines' Day Cakies, or Mint Chocolate Shamrocks gave it away? I automatically pin any dessert made with M&M's for future reference.

These delicious looking peanut butter based treats were no exception. These originally come from Averie Cooks and her's are probably a little prettier than mine which may be due to my accidental adaptation of her recipe.

 I was attempting to double her recipe (because 12-14 of something wouldn't last a minute in our house) and I doubled up on the brown sugar. I only used half the flour she did and by the time I realized it all, they were already made and tasted amazing none the less. So I am sticking with my new version.

She used candy coated almonds which I didn't have on hand and don't really like so I went with my tried and true favorite, holiday themed M&M's. You can use anything in their place and I am hoping to try these again with new and fun things in the centers.

No Bake Peanut Butter Nests (double batch)

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• M&M's or anything you like to use as the centers

I used these Easter egg shaped M&M's from Target

  1.) Whip together butter and peanut butter.

2.) Add the sugars and whip until smooth.

3.) Stir in the cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. And then slowly stir in the flour. You may need to use more or less flour in order to get the right consistancy.

Mine was a little grainy until I got in there and mixed it with my hands.

Once I mixed it by hand it firmed up.

 4.) Form into small round balls. (I used a 1/2 tablespoon to help measure mine out.)

5.) Place balls onto wax paper and gently press in M&M's. I used my hands to help form the dough around the M&M's to look more like a nest.

Store in the fridge or freezer and then let them warm up before eating. If you try to eat them right out of the freezer your teeth may regret it. Frozen M&M's are pretty hard : )

Enjoy!

Make sure you stop  by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up some of your amazing recipes!

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

 

Up until a few months ago I did not own a crock pot. Shocking I know. Sadly, we are gone for so long during the day that by the time it would be time for dinner (more than 12 hours after we leave in the morning) our food would be way over cooked. That being said, I have finally started experimenting with recipes that don't require tons of time (3-5 hours) and for longer cooking times on weekends and I am loving it. 

This newest recipe is via Pinterest (originally pinned from Budget Savvy Diva) and it had me at potato. I love mashed potatoes of all kinds and the idea of making them in the crock pot is genius. It frees up a burner on the stove and it basically takes all the work out of it. All you have to do is put in the ingredients, let it cook, then mash them up when its time to eat.

We had them with WW Honey Crunch Chicken ( made it with Fiber One this time and it was awesome) and grilled asparagus and it was the perfect meal.

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes 

• 5 Pounds of Russet Potatoes
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium and/or reduced fat chicken broth
• 1/4 cup butter, cut up
• 1 1/4 cup light sour cream, going to try greek yogurt next time to see if we can lighten them up
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 ounces of light cream cheese

1.) Peel and cube potatoes. 

2.) Put potatoes, chicken broth, and butter in the crock pot and cook it for 4-5 hours on high.

3.) Roughly mash potatoes and then add the rest of the ingredients and mash again until well combined.

Enjoy!

S'more Krispy Treats

Who doesn't love homemade rice krispy treats? I know I do. And if you follow me on Pinterest you might also know that I have a slight S'more obsession too. (Check out my S'more Cookies if you haven't already) I blame my friend Ashley who is certifiably obsessed with s'mores and makes amazing s'more treats all the time. I may even have to have her do a s'more themed guest post once she gets done with her very intensive school internships.

That being said, when I saw these on Pinterest (via Chef In Training) I knew I would be making them really soon. Like less than 24 hours after first seeing them soon. They did not let me down.

I had to force myself not to just go ahead and cut out that middle piece with all the marshmallow

They are as basic in concept and ingredients as the original rice krispy treats but with a mix of flavors that is anything but basic. They were easy to make except for that one and a half minute of stress and panic when  you combine the cereal with the marshmallow mixture and you're not quite sure if it will ever coat the cereal evenly. But other than that, it was cake.

S'more Rice Krispy Treats

• Regular sized bag of marshmallows
• Regular sized box of Golden Grahams cereal
• Bag of any kind of chocolate chips, chunks or pieces ( I went with semi-sweet chips0
• 1/4 cup butter

1.) In a large sauce pan on medium heat, melt the butter and slowly stir in marshmallows until completely melted and smooth.

2.) Stir in cereal and chocolate chips until evenly coated with marshmallow mixture. I had to transfer mine to a large mixing bowl half way through because my pot wasn't big enough. I like to stir the chips in while the marshmallow is still a little hot because they get a little bit melty and more incorporated in to the whole mixture.

3.) Press mixture firmly into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

4.) For best results try to let them cool off and firm up before cutting. It's hard, I know.

Enjoy!



Baked Brown Sugar Pecan & Brie Bites

How perfect is that?

I love brie in puff pastry. It is one of my signature appetizers to serve at parties at our house. When it comes out of the oven our friends and family decent upon it like hungry vultures. They can devour a large wheel of brie en croute faster than you can ever imagine.

This does however pose some problems. First of all, the serving plate is only so big. There is a limited amount of space for people to gather around it fighting for melted cheese. Second, it can be difficult with a large puff pastry to get the right ratio of pastry to brie to filling. Third, it can get messy. Cheese and filling end up everywhere and peoples hands leave sticky marks all over.


This little baby solves all those problems. I saw them on Pinterest (via PlainChicken.com) months ago and I finally got around to making them for Justin and I's tapas style Valentine's dinner this week. I based mine on the original recipe just using what I had on had (I did not buy phyllo mini tarts as suggested, I just made my own from the scraps of phyllo dough I had in the fridge left over from Lightened Up Chicken Pot Pie).

I left the pecans out of this one to see which I liked better. Pecans won.

They were exactly as I imagined them: the perfect ratio of cheese to phyllo to sweet filling. They were surprisingly easy and I can imagine that you could make all kinds of adaptations of them.

Baked Brown Sugar Pecan & Brie Bites

• Phyllo dough sheets or pre packages mini tarts
• Brie, cubed into half inch pieces
• Pecans
• Brown Sugar
• Honey (I used local, wild flower honey and it was amazing)

1.) Lightly spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

2.) Cut phyllo dough into 1 1/2 inch squares. (I used a pastry cutter). You could also use the pre made tarts.

3.) I used about 4-5 layers of dough for each tart and pressed it into the muffin tin. Lightly spray the dough with cooking spray so it doesn't burn.

Please excuse the excess of cooking spray on the tin.

4.) Place a cube of brie in each piece of dough. 

5.) Top each one with 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pecans and a little drop of honey.

6.) Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted and dough is golden brown.

7.) Let them cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan. I used a spoon to help me lift them out without breaking the shells.

8.) Watch them disappear! Enjoy!