Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalapeno Popper Dip
adapted from THIS recipe

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained & chopped
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
chives for garnish

Combine all the ingredients above except for chives and mix thoroughly.
Place in baking dish and bake for 20-23 minutes until warmed and bubbly OR place in mini crockpot to keep warm.
Garnish with chives.
** I made this a day in advance and replenished my mini crockpot as needed.

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Mexican: Light & Refreshing

For dinner tonight, a friend came over to catch up on girltime. I prepared a quick dinner that was light, flavorful and used what I had on hand, since the hubby to the car to work today. (And it was a perfect chance to cook beef for myself since my hubby doesn't eat beef!) With that said, here's what I came up with and was pleasantly surprised what a little creativity can do!

Mexican Steak "Pitzas" with Cilantro Cream

1 lb beef flank steak, finely chopped
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon southwest seasoning
1 teaspoon Sazon con Cilantro seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon canola oil for cooking
4 gyro pitas
1/2 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
1/2 finely diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
2-3 tablespoons water

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a skillet over medium high heat, add the cooking oil, onions and garlic; saute until softened.
- Add the beef and seasonings and cook until browned.
- Meanwhile, place your gyro pitas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to soften the pitas. Remove the pitas from the oven and set aside.
- When the beef has cooked thoroughly, carefully spoon the beef over the warmed pitas to cover completely.
- Top the beef with the shredded cheese and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese has melted.
- While the pitas are baking, prepare the cilantro cream by combining the cilantro, sour cream and water. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- When the pitas are done baking, remove from the oven and top with the cilantro cream and chopped tomatoes; serve.

Tex Mex Quinoa Salad

1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 chicken breast, boiled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 stalk green onion, sliced
2 japelenos, finely diced
1 can sweet kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the quinoa and chicken broth. Cook until done and set aside.
Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss.
Add the slightly cooled quinoa to the bowl and toss
Season with salt & pepper to your taste.

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Margarita Adventure Round Up!

My friends love their drinks... especially when I'm hosting my monthly TGIFriday Happy Hours! This month we celebrated all things Mexican with margaritas and their delicious cuisine. For the event, I provided a margarita bar. Actually, it was more like a margarita room because there was so many things involved to create it that it took up a whole room.

For my margarita bar, I provided the following for my guests to have free reign to experiment and whip up some custom margaritas. Everyone had so much fun creating some fun margarita flavors!

Blender, Shakers, ice
Liquors: 2 kinds of tequila, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, Papaya liquor, Bacardi rum
Juices/nectars: pineapple juice, mixed berry puree, pear nectar, mango nectar, peach mango juice, sweet & sour mix, sweetened lime juice
Wines: red & white
Beers: Corona, Malt Goya
Sodas: misc assortment
Condiments: rimming salt, rimming sugar, limes To pair with our margaritas, we feasted on a fabulous spread of Mexican inspired fare. Here are pictures of the event and unfortunately, not everything was pictured: And to end our event with a bang, our friend John brought a special treat... a pinata! It was a blast to give the ol' pinata a whack after a long week. It was seriously the pinata that would not break open. Here are pics of our pinata whacking...

Lisa of Lime in the Coconut
Firecracker Shrimp & Fiesta Peppers
Lisa joins us to share 2 fabulous Mexican inspired recipes for Firecracker Shrimp & Fiesta Peppers! Both look wonderul and so colorful. Check out her blog for the recipes and learn where she found them!

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Eggrolls & Asian Appetizers Roundup!

Eggrolls are a popular Asian appetizer but it's also found in American contemporary cuisine filled with various flavor combinations. Today, my friends and I got together to learn more about eggrolls by spending the afternoon rolling some with an assortment of fillings! For my eggroll adventure, I provided several different kinds of fillings including:

Mexican:
ground beef seasoned with southwestern seasoning,
multi-colored bell peppers, black beans, corn, mexican cheese blend

Italian:
ground italian sausage seasoned with italian seasoning,
romano cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, italian cheese blend
Asian:
ground beef, garlic, onion, ginger, hoisin sauce, tofu, scallions
Vietnamese shrimp rolls:
shrimp, vermicelli noodles, Thai basil, mint, cilantro, bean sprouts

Unpictured
Gourmet: ground beef, caramelized onion, blue cheese, bacon, garlic, artichokes
Dessert: apple cinnamon cream cheese & sweet plantains

Here are pictures from the event:

For lunch to round out the meal, I also served up:

Bamboo Infused Rice

Shrimp Springroll Salad:
Sweet & Sour Meatballs:

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

To join in the fun, my fellow bloggers have submitted Asian appetizer recipes. As I do with each blogging event I host, a lucky blogger receives a giveaway related to the food theme. This event's winner is Tammy of My Little World! Tammy will be receiving a Basting Brush (to help with future lumpia making) and a bar board/knife set compliments of Pampered Chef. Congratulations Tammy and thanks to all that participated in the blogging event! Read on to check out the recipes submitted by my fellow bloggers...

Tammie of My Little World
from Ohio
Filipino Lumpia
Tammie takes me back to my childhood with her post on Filipino Lumpia. I grew up making these with my mom where it was a grand production that was sometimes labor intensive. Check out Tammie's blog for the great recipe and a how to instruction on rolling them up!

Carrie of Carrie in the Kitchen
from Virginia
Lettuce Wrap Chicken Satay
Looking for something healthy asian appetizer? Not all asian appetizers are fried so check out Carrie's blog for a Lettuce Wrap Chicken Satay. It's perfect for those who are watching their carbs (like me)!

Heather of The Shannon's Kitchen
from Florida
Crab Rangoons
Heather tempts me with her crab rangoons! I don't think I can ever go to a Chinese restaurant without ordering these babies to whet my appetite before my entree comes. Check out Heather's blog for the recipe!
Jennifer of Jenn & Food, Perfect Together
from Piscataway, NJ
Chicken & Shrimp Dumplings (Shu Mai)
Jennifer breaks in her new bamboo steamer by making these tasty pouches of goodness! She even provides some tips and hints in using a bamboo steamer. Check out Jennifer's blog for details and the recipe for her dumplings!
Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles
from Philadelphia, PA
Summer Rolls
Bridget shares with us her beautiful spring rolls! They are one of my favorite type of asian appetizers because it's fresh, light and filling. Check out Bridget's blog for her fabulous pictures and recipe!
Alex of Eating Leeds
from Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Salt & Pepper Squid
Alex got me hungry reading her submission to the Asian Appetizer's blogging event. I happen to love Salt & Pepper Squid! Check out her blog for the recipe!

Ramki of One Page Cookbooks
from Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Parathas
Ramki shares with us some information on parathas, which are Indian are non-leavened flatbreads. Check out her blog for some great information and varation to this popular Indian appetizer!

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