Taco Dip (No Beans!)

We had been invited to a New Year's Eve party hosted by some of Ryan's friends. I always feel additional pressure to make an impression on his friends. It's 100% self-inflicted. They are a welcoming bunch and wouldn't know the difference, I'm sure, between my extra effort and my regular effort. But it matters to me. I want them to approve, to believe he chose well, and to be known as the wife who can cook. {Which of these things doesn't belong, right? Terribly self-serving.}

So when those goals collide with the onset of a new year and its accompanying healthy eating goals, a girl must scour Pinterest for a dish that is both tasty and won't leave the devour-ers with a belly full of regret the next day.

That's how I found the taco dip. It caught my eye mostly because it did not include beans. I hate beans. The only beans I actually like are cocoa and coffee. I eat other kinds, but not out of any form of desire. Completely out of obligation. But there are still come beans I absolutely cannot do. Among them: kidney and refried.

So a taco dip with no bean layer? You have my attention. A taco dip with no bean layer AND minimal guilt? Sign me up.

I took it to the party, it was loved, and in fact, Ryan so loved it that he's requested it multiple times since then. {This was one of the savory dishes we served at my Mom's 80th birthday party, by the way.}

Since it is now officially a Shafferland dish, with no going back, I present it to you as a recipe for the box!

Taco Dip

* 8 ounce brick of low-fat cream cheese
* 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
* 1 16-ounce jar of mild or medium salsa
* 2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning
* 2 cups of shredded lettuce
* 1 medium tomato, diced
* 1 small can of sliced back olives
* 1 1/2 cups low-fat shredded cheeese
* Low-fat tortilla chips or vegetables to dip

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature, then combine it with the yogurt, salsa and taco seasoning and beat with a mixer until well combined. Pour in the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Sprinkle shredded lettuce over the mixture, top with diced tomatoes, cheese and black olives. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with low-fat tortilla chips or raw vegetables for dipping.

 A Few Tips:

* You can use regular 1/3 less fat cream cheese or the Greek Yogurt cream cheese. Either one works well.

* You can change the heat of the dish by the heat of the salsa. If you're serving it to a group, go mild, just in case. You don't want to make smoke come out of anyone's ears!

* I use my own homemade taco seasoning - recipe found here. If you don't make your own seasoning, you can just use a packet of your favorite seasoning.

* I let the cream cheese/salsa/yogurt/seasoning mixture go for a decent amount of time in the stand mixer to make sure all the chunks of cream cheese are broken up.

* I buy my lettuce already shredded to save time. Therefore, I get iceberg lettuce. If you want a little extra nutritional value to this dish, you could sub in spinach and chop it yourself. {It would be prettier, too, because it has more color!}

* I normally use a mix of low fat mozzarella cheese and regular cheddar. You could use whatever cheese blend you want - a Mexican blend or whatever you like for taste and aesthetics.

* This dish will keep for a day or so in the refrigerator, but after that, the yogurt gets really watery and runny.

* You can also use this as a topping over nachos in place of a processed cheese or something similar. It works well as a "dressing" since the yogurt layer isn't super thick.

Enjoy!!

Jalapeno Poppers

When I lived at home with Mom and Dad, we had pepper in the house. It sat in a shaker next to the salt. That was the extent of pepper usage, I think. In my grown up years, I've graduated to the bold use of green peppers...and sometimes {gasp!!} even yellow and red!

But jalapenos? Oh no. Wayyyyyy too much heat in those.

But a few weeks ago, Ryan came home with a handful of jalapeno peppers given to him by someone at work. He asked if I could find a recipe to make jalapeno poppers at home...so of course, I Pinterested. Found this recipe and made a pretty close version of it. We declared it a winner and keeper...and a few days ago, he came home with a few more jalapenos.

It's a tradition on Shafferland Sunday nights to have appetizer style foods - especially during football season - so I'm excited to have a new recipe in our repertoire. It's not the healthiest item in our recipe box...but it is certainly all kinds of delicious!!

Hope you love them! And if you have never tried cooking with jalapenos before...don't let them scare you! It might just be one of your new favorite things!

Jalapeno Poppers

* 12 jalapeno peppers
* 1 brick of low fat cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup shredded cheese
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 12 slices of bacon

Wash the outside of the jalapenos and CAREFULLY cut them open and remove the seeds. {See below for warnings on the heat and its effects!!!} Combine cream cheese, shredded cheese, garlic powder, and paprika in mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the pepper halves and wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around each one. Secure with a toothpick and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or grill until bacon is cooked well.

* The original blog post said you can assemble these the day before and cook the next day, if that should ever be helpful to you in party prep. She also said you can assemble and freeze them for up to two months, thaw them overnight and then bake or grill. I love anything that lets you work ahead!

* Since this was Ryan's treat, we used real bacon, but I think these would be just as good with turkey bacon...and if you used low fat cream cheese and low fat shredded cheese, they would be just about as healthy as a jalapeno popper could get. {You could also cut down on the amount of filling you put inside each pepper to help with the calorie count.}

* If you really don't like jalapenos, you could use this filling inside the similarly sized sweet peppers that are red, yellow, and green. They would be small, fun, and a good appetizer without the heat.

* We noticed ours got spicier with time. So the ones we did not eat immediately and reheated the next day had more of a kick to them.

* We dipped them in ranch too...not because we really wanted to make them even more calorie laden, but because the ranch added some cooling for our poor little tongues!!

* Let's talk about the heat. It is NO JOKE. I think Ryan and I might be both overly sensitive to the heat, so when Ryan cut the peppers, he wore a mask and glasses. Unfortunately, even though he washed his hands twice after working with the peppers, he must not have gotten all of it off his hands, and he ended up with a face on fire after he touched his face! So next time we're adding gloves. Maybe you could get away without all the gear, but if you are sensitive like we are, you do NOT want to mess with it. Too painful!!

* Having said that - the deliciousness is worth it!! We love this one!

Guacamole

I didn't grow up in a guacamole household. Dad is sort of {aka completely} a meat and potatoes, standard American fare kind of guy. He doesn't like Chinese food. Or Italian. Or Mexican. Or anything but meat and potatoes and gravy and pie. So that's what Mom cooked! Sometimes she and I would have a frozen pizza {cooked first, of course} or some tacos, but she never ventured forth as far as homemade guacamole.

I didn't even know I liked it until I was almost grown. First you have to get past its appearance, which, granted, is not really a selling point. But if you can do THAT...ohhhhhhhh the joy.

And now that we're to the season of research that declares avocado fat good for you, I figure this is practically a health food. The thing I love about guacamole is that it whips up pretty quickly and makes a great appetizer or meal, as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the recipe we use, and Ryan has declared it a keeper:

* 2 ripe avocados
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 medium size chopped Roma tomato
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Slice avocados and scoop out the insides; discard the pit in the middle. Combine avocados and all other ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork until well combined and lumpy. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a short time. Serve with chips or as a topping on tacos or nachos.

A Few Tips:

* If you've never purchased avocados before, that can be the most intimidating part. The avocados in the picture above are NOT RIPE ENOUGH yet. The skin of the avocado should be dark, and they should be squishy when you squeeze them. If they are ripe enough, the insides will slide right out with a spoon.

* You can try to speed along the ripening of an avocado by placing it in a brown paper bag. We learned that it might not be enough if you only have a day...so another way to find a ripe avocado is to TRY ANOTHER GROCERY STORE. I mean...not that we had to do that or anything.

* You can use white, yellow, or red onions in this recipe, but the green truly do taste the best.

* I prefer fresh cilantro in this recipe. And more is more for me when it comes to cilantro. :)

* We like to use Roma tomatoes, because they're not as juicy, so they are better when you cut and mix them up.

* This doesn't keep well for more than a day. The avocado turns brown quickly.

The Saturday Six

One.

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Loved this post by Lysa TerKeurst about hanging onto photos even if they're not perfect. Obviously you know pictures are a HUGE passion of mine...and I agree with what she says. It's great to get a perfect picture...great subject, great composition, great lighting...but if you can't achieve perfection, don't think it's worthless!!

Two.

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I am as excited about this guy's OCD make-a-line-with-a-ruler method as I am about the method OF color-coded Bible study.

Three.

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Loved this blog post - a peek inside a photographer's camera bag. I think at this point, I better not let her look in mine. :)

Four.

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Not even going to lie. I want to try this salsa recipe. Right now.

Five.

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Sometimes we should know better than to peek behind the scenes of shows we love. I am not crazy enough to think it's totally real...but I so wanted to believe House Hunters was realer {new word!} than this. 

Six.

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And then...because we'd not tortured ourselves enough, we had to read the one about our OTHER favorite: Love It or List It. 

The Saturday Six

One.

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A few months back, Lynne interviewed Gaby Dalkin on Mid-Morning. Everyone has a "thing" - and hers is avocados. Seriously. She's an avocado expert. ENTIRE COOKBOOK revolving around avocados - including chocolate chip cookies made with avocado to replace part of the butter. So when Gaby said this is the best guacamole recipe on the face of the earth, I'm inclined to agree and recommend it, even though I've never tried it.

Two.

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For several months, I followed the story of Janet Pate, a mighty woman of God who battled ovarian cancer. Janet passed away at the end of 2013, and her daughter Jordan has written some BEAUTIFUL posts in tribute to her mom. This one is actually about Janet's husband, who wasn't Jordan's biological dad, but sure did show the fatherly love of Christ to Jordan. I love a beautiful tribute, and this is one!

Three.

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Less is more, right? Been reading frequently lately about people who are abandoning their lifestyle of stuff in big houses and living a more compact life in a tiny house. While I don't think I'll ever be pushing for such tight quarters for myself, these houses on this site are SO. STINKIN'. CUTE.

Four.

New song out by Kari Jobe. Love her. Love the anthem-y feel of this song. Excited to see her in concert this weekend!

Five.

I am much better at blogging and Facebooking than I am at any activity on Twitter, but I found this article full of trivia facts about Twitter COMPLETELY fascinating. If you're ever on Jeopardy, one of these might get you through a category!

Six.

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Bruce Marchiano is an actor who portrayed Jesus in the film Matthew. The book he wrote about his experience in preparing for/portraying that role changed everything about how I viewed Jesus. I had the chance to interview him a couple of years ago...amazingly humble, Christ-filled man. I saw on Facebook this week that he's raising funds for a new pro-life movie and the Bible he used to prep for the filming of Matthew is part of his fundraiser! He said, "Every donation of $10 gets one 'ticket, $20 gets two, etc. At 9 p.m. EST Sunday, I'll put all your names in a hat and draw a winner. It's all for the cause of saving unborn lives, so please join us." This is the site for the movie and the donation.

Pizza Stuffed Crescents

 
I love a good appetizer. You know why? They double as dinner. I am just as happy having appetizers for the main course as I am having them for...appetizers.

Ryan and I have established a bit of a routine during football season, where food is concerned. Every Sunday night is nacho night. We mix up some salsa and some no-fail processed cheese dip, add chips, and...it's dinner. {Clearly it's one of my shining moments as a cook.}

But toward playoffs last year, I wanted to switch things up a bit and feel like I'd actually cooked a good appetizer/meal...without actually putting forth a lot of effort. After all. Sundays ARE a day of rest, you know.

So I found this little gem on Pinterest, tweaked it up a bit...and it became a quick, easy favorite.

Pizza Stuffed Crescents

* 1 can of 8 refrigerated crescent rolls
* 24 pieces of pepperoni
* 4 pieces of string cheese, each cut in half
* 1 can or jar of pizza sauce
* 1 teaspoon of garlic powder {Melting Pot's Garlic and Wine seasoning for us!}
* 1 teaspoon of oregano

Separate the rolls from the can so you have 8 separate triangles. Put three pieces of pepperoni in the large end of each piece of dough. Add the half of a piece of string cheese. Roll up the crescent roll in the standard style, being careful to make sure the ends cover the cheese inside, so it doesn't spill out onto the baking sheet. Arrange on a baking sheet; sprinkle garlic powder and oregano over each roll. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Serve hot with warmed pizza sauce for dipping.

* Even though this can't really be accused of being a low-fat dish, you can do a few things to make it a bit healthier. Try using reduced fat crescent rolls and skim milk cheese sticks, for starters.

* Use turkey pepperoni instead of regular pepperoni for an added bit of good health.

* If you want to be extra adventuresome, you can cut the crescent rolls in half lengthwise, cut the cheese sticks in half again, and use mini pepperoni pieces to make tiny bite size pieces. This would work well if you need more appetizers for a party.

* If you don't eat them all in round one - they do warm over well!

Dried Beef Cheeseball

When I married Ryan, I found myself part of a family that loves to fellowship...which means they also love to cook and to eat! It's a perfect match...since I love all those things too!

As the first round of post-wedding holidays arrived, I patiently awaited my first family meal assignment...and it turned out to be...a cheeseball!

I was excited about that, because I love making a dried beef cheeseball...it is actually one of the first recipes my mom gave me when I moved out on my own after college. I've been making them ever since!

There are several versions of this general recipe floating around...so I'm adding mine to the mix. If you're headed to a New Year's Eve party this week and need something to take with you, try this one!

Dried Beef Cheeseball

* 2 eight-ounce packages of cream cheese
* 2 two-ounce packages of thinly sliced beef
* 1 bunch of green onions
* 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke
* 1 teaspoon of garlic or garlic seasoning blend

Soften the cream cheese to room temperature. Chop the slices of beef and the green onions into small pieces. Combine all five ingredients until well blended. Roll into a ball and serve with crackers.

A Few Tips:

* I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese...always looking for ways to save fat grams and calories!

* If you forget to get the cream cheese out in enough time to soften it to room temperature, you can leave it in the foil wrapping and place it in a bowl of warm water until it softens.

* You can use a stand mixer to mix the ingredients, but in the end, you'll find that it will mix better by hand - just to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

* I use the Buddig brand 2 ounce packages of regular beef. These are found in the refrigerated section with the lunch meat. The beef you can buy in a jar on a regular shelf is incredibly salty, so I prefer to not use it.

* If you have a food processor, you can chop the meat in there. It will speed up the process and give you finely chopped pieces!

* We have fallen in love with the Garlic and Wine seasoning from The Melting Pot. We use it on EVERYTHING, and I love it in the cheeseball.

* Because this cheeseball is sticky, I like to spoon the finished cheeseball into saran wrap and then form it into a ball and pull the saran wrap back off.

* If you want, you can roll the cheeseball in nuts, more onions and beef, shredded cheese, or anything else you like. You can also form it in different shapes for different occasions. I've made a carrot-shaped one for Easter and a tie-shaped one for Father's Day. My Mom made a snowman cheeseball for Christmas. Fun food for everyone!