French Onion Soup Dip

Nathan requested a dip for snack this week, and I was more than happy to oblige. I wanted to make an onion dip, but I didn't want to use one of the dry soup mix packets and some sour cream. Not to slam onion dip made that way (it's delicious) but I wanted something that would count a little more as an actual recipe than that.

One of my favorite soups is French Onion, so I thought I would take the components of that and combine them with the same base as the Spinach Artichoke dip that I made a few weeks ago. The result was time consuming, but totally delicious.

Picnic Time!

I have been greatly desirous of a wicker picnic basket for years. There's something to me about them that is a picnic, and without the picnic looses something indescribable (or you could describe it as a wicker picnic basket). Maybe I'm a romantic, but I have this vision of the blanket spread on the grass (perhaps under the shade of a tree) with a few pillows for easy/comfortable leaning. A bottle of wine or summer beverage

Anyway, they're absurdly expensive. Seriously, a new one is about $100 and that seems like an awful lot to spend for the idea of a picnic. I mentioned my desires to Nathan's aunt and uncle and behold they had two and were willing to part with one! They are full of win.

Nathan's Surprise Star Wars Birthday

the main party table

Nathan's birthday was last week on a Tuesday and we really didn't do anything for it. Both of us ended up working late and we ate burgers with a dessert of pudding. He didn't mind, he's not super into his birthday. I don't think he noticed that I didn't get him a gift.

On Saturday he happily went up to see the house that our friend had just bought in New Jersey, not realizing that it was a ruse to get him out of the apartment for a few hours. I went into hyperdrive cooking/cleaning/decorating mode with the components that I had hidden all over the house.

Half the Fat Guacamole

This is an amazing recipe for guacamole with half the fat of standard guacamole. I made this for a Memorial Day bar-b-que at my Aunt and Uncle-inlaws house. They and their kids devoured it! When I told them that it was made with broccoli and peas they were shocked and amazed. All that you really taste are the spices and the avocado, but you're comsuming a higher fiber, lower fat dip.

Just remember, this does have avocado in it, and it will brown the same way. So keep a piece of plastic wrap stuck right on the top until you serve it... afterwards it will be eaten so fast it won't be a problem!

Blueberry Cinnamon Muffins

This is another recipe from the book of my mom. I'm not a huge fan of muffins for breakfast because so many of them are too sweet and super bad for you. These, while perhaps not super healthy, aren't an embarrassment to nutrition, nor do they pack the caloric punch of a cupcake.

Cinnamon and brown sugar give these a fabulous flavor with pops of fruit to brighten them up. They're great for breakfasts or to serve with a brunch, or for an afternoon snack. I've even frozen these and reheated them in the microwave and they stay delicious (though they're best when they're fresh!)

Spicy Spinach Artichoke Dip

My favorite recipes are often the ones that are inspired by foods that I already like. Nathan was gracious enough to be in charge of dinner last Saturday night (I was working that day, so it seems fair) and he made a delicious sort of spicy grilled cheese sandwich with Monterrey jack, jalapenos, cream cheese, and sour cream Italian bread. nomnomnom I ate three.

So on Sunday when I was trying to decide what to make two things came to my mind. 1. We now have all sorts of leftover ingredients from those sandwiches. 2. Dip.

Stuffed Pizza Breadsticks

cheesy goodness

Pizza is one of my favorite foods. It's a delicious combination of toppings, cheese, and bread. It's versatile enough that I can eat it for a few meals in a row, but simple enough that it's easy to throw together as a meal.

Using some store-bought pizza dough, I made some super easy pizza-stuffed breadsticks. These look nice, are easy to dip, and can be made smaller or larger as the occasion demands. They have the same versatility as normal pizza. I used varying combinations of sausage, pepperoni, bell pepper, pineapple, and ham in mine as they are the prefered toppings in my house.