Monster Cookie Dough Dip

Today I made an awesome dip that I pinned a long time ago. I found it on The Girl Who Ate Everything's blog. I've made a few recipes of hers and they have always turned out great. Does anyone else have the problem of things not turning out as delicious as the blogger's pictures look? I made some chocolate & peanut butter brownie bars last week, and I followed the blogger's recipe exactly! Only problem... they turned out very, very strange. But anyway, TGWAE's recipes have always been spot on for me. Makes a girl like me happy.

 

This dip is no different. I followed her recipe exactly and ended up with a delicious, creamy cookie dough tasting dip. Bonus, there are no raw eggs so your chances of getting salmonella are low. Woohoo, am I right? 

You can serve this dip with graham crackers (we tried chocolate, YUM), Nilla Wafers, or for a sweet and salty treat try Ritz Crackers. Just eating it with a spoon works too. Or at least, that's what I've been told anyway. 

Click here for the recipe.

Enjoy!!

Homemade Chips with Onion Dill Dip

Have you ever made your own chips? If you haven't, you really need to add it to your to-do list. They are amazing. I made them for the first time in December and have made them 3 times since then. It's pretty easy to do. Sure there are a few steps, but all in all, they are quite easy. And oh man, so delicious. You can make as little or as much as you like. The crispness and salty taste...yum, so satisfying. Be careful though... like the traditional saying goes "bet you can't eat just one" and that's very true for these chips. Once you add the dip - oh mama! Hold on! The dip is creamy and bursting with flavor. It's not an overwhelming onion/dill flavor. It's just right.

Let's get started...

Ingredients (copycat from Lauren's Latest):

4 large Russet Potatoes
A large bowl of cold water
2 pints peanut oil (vegetable oil works too)
Sea salt

Dip :

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 tsp dried dill 
Salt and pepper to taste

Grab your mandoline. I found a nice one at WalMart for $15. If you don't have one, you can slice them by hand too. It's just more work and takes more time.

Take a potato and start slicing. I like how the original blogger said "don't be a hero - use the guard". Made me chuckle so I'm bringing you her words of wisdom. Anyone else start singing "Biiilllyyy, don't be a hero". No? Just me. My parents had that song on the jukebox. I love that song.

Once you have the potatoes sliced, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes. This step removes most of the starch. It makes the chips light and crisp when we cook them.

While they soak, start making the dip.

Combine all ingredients, stir together and put in the fridge. Yeah, I know. Easy, huh?

Also, let's start heating up that peanut oil. Add the oil to a large skillet. Turn stove dial to high-medium.

When the potatoes are done with their cold bath, drain the water and dry them well. Water and oil don't mix well. We don't need any unnecessary burns.

Prepare a pan with a napkin and get your sea salt ready. Oh... we're so close to the goodness right now!

Let's start cookin'!

Take a handful of potatoes and drop them carefully into the oil. The chips should "dance" around in the hot oil. If things get crazy and oil is sputtering out of the pan, turn the heat down. They should start turning a darkish shade of brown in about 5-7 minutes. Note: if you like darker chips go a minute or two longer... lighter chips, cook a minute or two less.

Remove the chips from the skillet with a slotted metal spoon and place them in the pan you prepared with a napkin. Sprinkle on some sea salt right away. Sneak a chip. Go ahead, sneak another - I won't tell!

Grab the dip! The time has come to dive in.

Shrimp Tacos, Refried Beans & Pico De Gallo

**Shamefully walks into blog world**

Wowza! Has it really been over 2 months since our last post? Sorry about that! Life got a little overwhelming and unfortunately the blog was put on my back burner. I've returned now that life is slowly getting back to normal.

Quite a few years ago, Husband and I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and by mistake, shrimp fajitas were placed in front of me. I love shrimp... but on tacos? I wasn't sure. I placed my "what-ifs" aside and dove in. To this day, it is a meal I remember very well. It definitely made my top 5 best meals.

Today I am bringing this really great meal to you! I'm also providing a simple refried beans recipe and an even simpler pico de gallo recipe.

Shrimp Fajita Tacos (adapted from Eating Richly)


1 package shrimp (medium, large or jumbo)
2-3 limes, squeezed
1/2 cup (loosely packed) cilantro, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt

2 green peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
Soft shell flour tortillas
Sour cream for taco and/or beans

Clean and remove tails from shrimp. Place shrimp in a ziploc bag and set aside.

In a bowl, stir together lime juice, cilantro, garlic and seasonings. Pour over shrimp, seal bag removing as much air as possible and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the shrimp marinades, steam the sliced peppers and onions with a bit of water in a frying pan for 8-10 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

After shrimp has marinaded, distribute shrimp evenly in a 9x13 pan, pour remaining marinade over shrimp. Add steamed peppers and onions to the pan and broil for 10ish minutes or until shrimp is pink.

Refried Beans (a healthier version) (adapted from Allrecipe)

2 ¼ cups dry (rinsed) pinto beans

1 onion, peeled and halved

2 tbsp chopped green chiles

1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic

2 tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cumin

6 cups water

Combine ingredients in a slow cooker. Turn cooker to high and cook for 8 hours. Check periodically, add water if necessary. I ended up adding about 1 cup half way through.

When ready, drain beans but save the juice/liquid and set it aside. Place beans in a bowl and mash them. I used Kenny, my stand mixer, and he did a superior job. Once mashed, add some of the juice/liquid you set aside earlier. Add until you are happy with the consistency. Place refried beans back into the slow cooker (on low) until you are ready to serve.

Pico De Gallo

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno, finely chopped & seeds removed (if you enjoy an extra kick, leave the seeds)

1 onion, chopped

1/4-1/2 cup (loosely packed) cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp white sugar (consider this an "add to taste" ingredient)

Combine all ingredients and gently stir. Really... that's it. (Note: Instead of jalapenos, I used the remaining green chiles from the refried beans). Use Pico for a side dish or a topping for taco.

There you have it... a very satisfying, delicious meal.

Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy for lunch or dinner the following day. Pico can be used as a salsa too!