Southwestern Corn Dip {recipe}

5.29.2012

So I took advantage of Memorial Day weekend and took the time to try out a few new recipes.  This southwestern corn dip being one of them.  It went well with our Memorial Day 'menu'... brats, orange fluff, pasta salad, potato salad, homemade macaroni... southwestern corn dip.  If you have a get together, a picnic, or any sort of pot-luck function to go to, I would definitely whip this up.  It's addictive and I guarantee you it wouldn't last long.

But I think the key to this dip, is to eat it with lime Tostitos.  Mmmhmmm.  So if you give this little recipe a try, tell me what you think!



Southwestern Corn Dip
recipe from Tasty Kitchen

  • 4 (15 oz) cans corn, drained
  • 1 (4 oz) can chopped chilies, drained
  • 1 (4 oz) can chopped jalapenos, drained
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 whole red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 bunch scallions, chopped
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 (8 oz) bag finely grated Mexican cheese 
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped 

Drain corn, chilies and jalapenos. Put in a large bowl with the beans and tilt the bowl on its side while you chop the other veggies. Add the rest of the veggies and drain the liquid that accumulated in the bowl. Stir in the sour cream and grated cheese. Add the cilantro last.

You can eat this with whatever type of chip suits your fancy, however.. I highly recommend eating it with the lime Tostitos.

Refrigerate before serving.  Warning:  Addictive!

memorial day weekend

5.28.2012

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend.. I hope you all had fun.. but I also hope you all remember what this holiday is for.

Saturday we hung around the house... I had my attempt at making French Macarons.. and then I went shopping.  For the first time in a long time, I actually found some cute clothes for myself.  Who's excited?  This girl!

Sunday was a nice morning at church.. an extremely warm day.. went out to my brother and sister-in-laws house for some good family time and dinner.

Monday was our town's parade.. good food.. a 4 hour nap thanks to my mom and dad (wow, I don't remember the last time I had the luxury of having a nap.. let alone a FOUR hour nap).. some skype time with my hubby.. and relaxing.

I'm tired, a little sun burnt, and ready for a great week ahead.  :)


if at first you don't succeed

5.26.2012

Today I tried to take on the challenge of making a French Macaron.  I've been reading a lot about these little cuties, and so I knew they were a finicky cookie.  My hopes weren't high, but I was determined.



And here's my little helper.. always bringin' that smile with her.  :)



And my little helper attacking my camera..


And.. they didn't turn out.  I have a couple that were decent.  But most of them were cracking on top.  But you know what they say - if at first you don't succeed... try, try again!  And I definitely plan to try again this week.  They still tasted decent, however I didn't take the time to make the filling and sandwich them together since they didn't come out as 'pretty' as they should have.

But I am determined, and I WILL get it.  :)


nana's helper

5.17.2012

The other day while I was making dinner (homemade enchiladas.. best ever), Clara was outside 'helping' Nana plant some flowers.  She missed her afternoon nap, so she wasn't up for much smiling.  But she sure did have fun making a mess!

Really, she just wanted to rip the 'pretties' right off.  But then she was distracted by the dirt.  She probably would have emptied that pot if Nana let her.  ;)

 I did get a good one of her cheesin' later, though.  I think I may have mentioned the word 'baba'.. she gets really excited about bottle time.  I just love those little teeth and that cheesy smile. 

momma's day

5.13.2012

I hope all you mommies out there had a fabulous Mother's Day.  We had a great one - just wish my husband was here to make it complete.  After church, my family and I went to a park in town.. had a little picnic lunch, and soaked up some warm sunshine.


I'm so blessed.  :)


Clara played for a bit.  But the sun made her sleepy really fast..




smiles for daddy

5.09.2012

Sadly, my hubby left a couple days ago.. for the whole summer.  Work stuff.  Blah.  We had a wonderful time in the past month visiting with friend and family, though.  A few days before he left we had a gorgeous day, so we took it and hung out in the backyard enjoying the warmth of the sun.




She sure does love her 'DaDa'.. and my heart melts when I see the way she looks at him.  I know she knows 'something is up'.. and he's gone.  But at least we're in the same time zone, and she always smiles when she hears her daddy's voice on the phone.. and then she tries to grab it.. and sometimes she tries to eat it.  :)


strawberries & cream muffins {recipe}

5.02.2012

This is the first time in the while I've been in the kitchen baking something.. well, doing anything really.. since we've moved back to the states.  The grocery store here had a huge sale on strawberries last week.. $1.88 for 2 lbs of strawberries!  Needless to say, I bought some.. my parents bought some.. we have strawberries galore.  We've made fruit salad.. strawberry shortcakes.. I've mashed them up and put them over my vanilla bean ice cream (my favorite).. and then I came across this strawberries and cream muffin recipe.  I thought it would be worth a try, and they turned out pretty good!  My husband said they're even better the next day.  When I make muffins I usually do the blueberry kind, so I thought this was a good change-up.  ;)

strawberries & cream muffins
adapted from Jane's Sweets

  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. almond extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup fresh, ripe strawberries chopped into small pieces (the sweeter, the better)
  •  4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. of liquid from one whole egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract 

    Preheat oven to 400 F.

    Put paper liners in the cups of your muffin pan, or use nonstick baking spray liberally.

    Cut up your berries and set them aside.

    In a small bowl, mix together with a spoon the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. beaten egg, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Mix until almost all the lumps are gone. Set this aside, but don't chill it.

    Melt the butter slowly in a sauce pan on low heat. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the milk into the butter, stirring to combine. Cool until the mixture is just warm, then whisk in the eggs.

    Thoroughly combine with a whisk, in a large mixing bowl, the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

    Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour all of the butter and milk mixture into the dry ingredients, blending just until combined. Don't overmix. It's okay if a few little flour streaks are still evident.

    Using a portion scoop, fill each muffin cup barely half full.

    Scatter a few pieces of strawberry on top of each one.

    Using a small spoon, dab a generous teaspoonful or so of the cream cheese mixture on top of the berries.

    On top of that, add on another tablespoon or two of the muffin batter.

    On top of that, add a few more pieces of strawberry. Push them in just slightly. If they're well visible at this point, they'll still be visible after the muffins have baked (that makes them pretty!).

    Bake the muffins for about 15 to 18 minutes, until they're light golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. The middle of the cupcake should be kind of firm when lightly pressed with a finger. Check on the muffins early, and if they're browning too fast, lightly cover the pan with a sheet of foil.

    Let the muffins cool in the pan, on a rack, for a couple of minutes, then carefully remove them from the pan to cool on the rack.

    Makes 12-14 muffins. 

    ENJOY!  :)



    tootie fruity

    5.01.2012

    We bought this fun little contraption at Babies"R"Us a few weeks ago.. and let me just say, Clara loves it!  It's called a 'teething feeder' and I really wish I would have had this about 4 months ago when she was getting her first teeth in.  I put some strawberries in it for her today and she was eating it like it was going out of style.  ;)


    She's pretty serious about this strawberry eatin' business.




    Cutest little face ever?  I do believe so!


    It's so fun to watch her with it.  She really loves her fruits!