Healthier Spinach Artichoke Dip

Healthier Spinach Artichoke Dip:: Healthier Spinach Artichoke Dip ::

I’m an appetizer and dessert girl. {In fact, I could almost do away with all other types of meals. Small bites of scrumptious food, paired with some fresh fruit or a salad, is sometimes all that I want!} Trader Joe’s makes a delicious spinach artichoke dip that they sell in their freezer aisle. My husby and I have been hooked on it for a while. We love dipping spicy soy + flaxseed chips or pita wedges into the creamy mixture! Since it’s a favorite light lunch for us, I thought I would try to make my own version of the dip… only healthier {that way I can eat more of it, right?!!}. 

Healthier Spinach Artichoke Dip

The original recipe I found on the Food Network created by Ellie Krieger. I adapted a few items in the mixture with ingredients that I prefer {like Greek yogurt in place of sour cream}.  I love how it turned out and I hope that you do, too!  [Read more…]

Firehouse Salsa

Easy restaurant style Fire House Salsa. :: Firehouse Salsa ::

It’s the day before the Fourth of July, and you need to make a quick appetizer… this easy Firehouse Salsa is sure to make your holiday spicy and fun!   Who doesn’t love a good restaurant salsa?{Not to mention some salty tortilla chips!}  They are a favorite of mine, but I have to admit I am a salsa snob. Both Sara and I are married to firefighters, and let’s just say they have to know how to cook.  Yes it wasn’t something that they knew before entering the fire department, but it was something that they had to learn.  When my husband was working as a reserve, the fire department he was volunteering for prided themselves on making the BEST salsa in the area and this is their secret recipe…..  

Fresh jalapeno and serrano peppers for Firehouse Salsa [Read more…]

Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato Soup

:: Creamy Tomato Soup ::

There is nothing like Creamy Tomato Soup on a cold winter’s day.  It truly can warm the soul.  I myself love soup and I look forward to cold days when I can make a batch.  I often like to double my soup recipes, and save half for later.  It’s best enjoyed when I can’t think of what to make myself for dinner… when the kids are covered, and my husband is away for work.  When I have a plan, like homemade soup in the freezer, it makes life that much more enjoyable!

I know at this point in your lives, you have tasted a million Creamy Tomato Soups.  You have your favorite go-to place that you like to buy a bowl with lunch or dinner. Hey my favorites are Sundried Tomato and Paradise Bakery!  This Creamy Tomato Soup tastes much like one of my favorites, and that is why I love it so!  I had a severe addiction to Tomato soup during my pregnancies. 

It only takes a few key ingredients and a little bit of love and you’ll have yourself a steamy bowl of Creamy Tomato Soup in the comfort of your cozy kitchen!  A perfect start to any meal {such as Valentine’s Day}, or add a salad and some crusty sourdough, and you have a simple yet delicious meal on a Tuesday night.

[Read more…]

Chicken Pesto Pasta

:: Chicken Pesto Pasta ::

Oh Chicken Pesto Pasta… how I love thee.  I have a pasta addiction.  If you were to ask me what my favorite meal would include, it would have to be some sort of pasta.  I know I have a little Italian buried somewhere in my lineage {wink}. Though it is summer and some of you can’t think of eating a heavy meal, this light yet savory sauce makes this pasta not as weighing as a traditional lasagna.  This pasta was created from a combination of herbs and tomatoes from my garden box, basil pesto sauce, and burrata cheese.  Giada’s first book, Every Day Italian, has a ton of hidden gems and basic sauces that can be built into entirely creative pasta meals.  Easy, simple, and delicious.  It is one of my favorite Italian cookbooks.  As for the garden boxes…  in this sunny yet mild California climate for summer, my basil and sun burst yellow tomatoes have taken off like crazy! So why not combine the two with chunks of creamy burrata cheese? [Read more…]