Bacon Ranch Baby Pepper Poppers

Okay! I am FINALLY getting around to posting recipes from last weekend's trip to Buck Island. I made several different little appetizers, but the one that was totally my own creation was this one. I'll post links to the other yummy snacks I made as well, though.
I went back and forth ALL DAY the day before our sail trying to decide what to stuff these peppers with, and ultimately I decided that since it was going to be a hot day in the sun that it would be great to have something cool to snack on. I think that a spicy southwest cold popper would also be great as a variation on this recipe. So, swap the ranch packet for taco seasoning, garnish with black olive, etc. Anyway, you can most definitely make this recipe your own :)

What You Need

1 lb package of baby sweet peppers, halved lengthwise & w/seeds & ribs removed
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup bacon bits (I used fakin' --Bacos)
1 packet ranch dressing mix

What You Do

Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, ranch packet, and bacon bits. Put the mixture into a ziplock bag. Cut the tip off of one corner, and pipe into the peppers. Chill for one hour or more before serving. And, done!

*I did use a Wilton piping tip (2A) for mine
*I had leftover "stuffing," which makes a great veggie dip ~or~ you could stuff celery as well

Final note is that I also made smoked salmon and dill cream cheese dip as well as Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

Happy Meatball Day! Meatballs & Stuffed Mushrooms Recipes Included

So when I cook, I like to be able to freeze some extra to make my life easier later. I told the girls that yesterday was "Meatball Day," and they got really excited. The funny thing is that I was letting them know that it was meatball day so that they were aware that our social/screen/sugar detox was continuing and that I would be consumed for at least half the day making meatballs. They thought it was a holiday; and so I figured, why not?! Why does Meatball Day have to be boring and time consuming and not at all fun? Good idea, girls! So to make it an actual holiday, I thought we could include some homeschool activities that were meatball themed, namely Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I thought we'd read the book since it was one of the first books I ever bought for their library, and then we'd do some printable activities that coincided with that and/or the movie(s) while I was making actual meatballs. The only problem was that the book went missing :-/ ...So, I did get some printables for them, which I'll link for you guys if you're interested in doing this with your littles. There is also a YouTube vid of the book, but that also kinda defeated the purpose of my screen detox. (I caved later anyway, but whatevs.)

Okay so on Meatball Day, which is now a household holiday, I always make a large batch of spaghetti sauce (aka gravy for some weird Italians whom I will never understand). That's step 1. I use a slow cooker, and the sauce cooks ALL. DAY. LONG. It's never the same, so I can't even give you a recipe. I start with a Classico Tomato & Basil base and then add whatever I have and/or want. I will say one thing I learned years ago from one of the families I was a nanny for was to use white beans (Cannellini) for an extra protein boost and a nice texture variety. Dig it. So first thing I do is get that started, and then I move on to the meatballs.

Mamamia Mama's AMAZE-Meatballs Recipe

What You Need

-1.5ish lbs 90% lean ground beef
-1 lb ground pork
-1 lb ground turkey
10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
1 egg
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 1 head of garlic, minced (Depends on the size of the head and also how much you like garlic)

What You Do

-Preheat your oven to 375. Yep, that's right. I said oven. The way to decrease some fat in your meatballs is to bake them. Also it's a lot less messy, and I find that they are cooked more evenly.
-Okay, so then you mix the meats together with the spinach and minced garlic until it's pretty evenly distributed. Use your hands. Then add in the egg and same thing, knead it all together by hand. Then add the Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Once everything is all mixed nice and evenly, you can start forming the balls and placing them on a greased (or not) cookie sheet. I've done it both ways, and it doesn't really seem to make much difference. I make mine 1 Tbs each. Not a heaping Tablespoon either. This is such the perfect size, honestly!
-Once you fill up a cookie sheet (I fit 20-24 per sheet), bake them for 20 minutes...and done! I can get about 80 meatballs out of one batch, divide them up however you like into freezer bags and dump the first batch into your sauce to finish cooking all day long :)
**I also use these meatballs for Meatball Stroganoff, and they are amaze-meatballs. Even though they have a mild Italian flavoring, they really are incredibly versatile. I promise you will love them

Okay so that takes me about 3-4 hours start to finish to do an entire batch of them, and while I was working on that, I had the monsters working on their Meatball Day themed printables:

http://flash.sonypictures.com/downloads/homevideo/sonywonder/cloudy/dvdrom/cloudy_maze.pdf (hardest maze EVER, I am pretty sure, so that should keep them busy for awhile)
http://flash.sonypictures.com/downloads/homevideo/sonywonder/cloudy/flintsfamilyfuncenter/cloudy_word_scramble.pdf

Some of them were too advanced really for their age, but they still enjoyed coloring the pictures :) The maze is totally ridiculous. Lol

Later in the day, I went back to finish the appetizer for this amazing holiday: Stuffed Mushrooms. I couldn't find a recipe that I really liked start to finish, so I combined some different ones and did my own thing, which I am happy to share with you!

Stuffed Mushrooms

What You Need

2 packages of stuffer mushrooms, separated stems from caps (rinsed of dirt and patted dry)
1/2 head of garlic (or 4 large cloves), minced
3 Tbs butter
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1-2 Tbs water
1/2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 cup (ish) shredded Italian cheese of your choice (I used Asiago this time, which I also used in the meatballs in place of the Parmesan)
*You can totally half this recipe, but I just have a problem cooking in small amounts*

What You Do

-Arrange the caps of the mushrooms on a greased cookie sheet, round side down
-Cut the hard end off the stems and then finely chop them
-Melt butter in a skillet on med/high heat, I added a couple dashes of sage as well, then add the mushroom/garlic mixture and Worcestershire and saute for 3-5 minutes until they are tender but not completely cooked through
-Remove from heat, and mix the breadcrumbs and the mushroom mixture in a bowl. Add water to get a stuffing-like texture, and then spoon that mixture into the mushroom caps.
-Top with your cheese of choice
-Bake for 20 minutes at 350
-Fall in love ;)

When that's all finished, serve it up with your awesome sauce and spaghetti! 

We did end up watching Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs while eating spaghetti and meatballs, too. Yes, I completely caved on the screen detox for that moment. But I mean, the holiday just wouldn't have been complete otherwise! So there you have it, Meatball Day for the masses ;) Now, go celebrate!

Til next time,
Xoxo Xile

Rule Breakin' Cajun Shrimp Alfredo w/Vegetable Sauté

Hello, my friends! Today I broke a rule. The rule is generally that on grocery day, there is no cooking. Anyone who shops at 3 stores for a family of 4 or more can surely understand this rule, right? I mean, we spend all day buying food...and then when you get home you have no desire to put the stuff away, let alone actually cook any of it! Well, seeing as how cooking is a pretty therapeutic activity for me, I decided to break the mold today and cook up some dinner. That, and I couldn't fit everything in the freezer. :p

I decided to make Cajun shrimp Alfredo for a couple of reasons: 1. I have been craving Alfredo for at least 2 weeks, and 2. I couldn't fit the shrimp in the freezer. Also, I had gotten some really beautiful sweet peppers today that were begging to be eaten.

Okay so let's get the downside out of this right out of the gate, k? You will have a ridiculous amount of dishes for this one, folks. I don't have a dishwasher, so this is a major thumbs down for me, but it was most definitely worth the elbow grease in the end. Apart from that, your family and your taste buds will be forever thankful that you came across this little recipe; promise.

What You Need

For the Alfredo
Pasta of your choice (penne was mine)
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick of butter
2 cups milk
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

For the shrimp:
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled & deveined, tail OFF
Cajun seasoning of your choice (I used Tony Chachere's Original Creole). It's like Frank's Red Hot: I put that shit on everything)
Garlic salt
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 head of garlic, minced
Old Bay Seasoning

For the veggies:
Veggies of choice (1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 onion)
2(ish) Tbs olive oil
Cajun seasoning to taste
1/2 head of garlic, minced
1/2 stick of butter

What You Do

Prep:
For the veggies, I sliced the peppers and onions thinly and then tossed them in some olive oil to coat them evenly. Then add the Cajun seasoning to taste. I had to go super light on this because my girls don't like too much spice.
For the shrimp, make sure your shrimp doesn't have tails, please! Rinse them off, and then toss them in a nice mix of Old Bay, Cajun spice, and garlic salt. Let the veggies and the shrimp "marinate" for about an hour while you take care of children, do laundry, feed animals, and maybe run the vacuum. Or play Candy Crush. Whichever works for you ;)

When you're ready to do the cooking, start with boiling the water for the pasta. Cook as directed.

While that's going, melt the cream cheese and the butter for the Alfredo in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk it together until it's nice and smooth, then add the milk. Once that mixture is hot (not boiling though), add the parmesan cheese and whisk again until it's smooth. Pop it on the back burner on low heat while you get down to business with the shrimp.

In a saute pan, melt 1/2 stick of butter and then toss in half the garlic. Cook that until it becomes really aromatic on med/high heat, and add the shrimp. DO NOT overcook the shrimp! You want them to be pink on both sides, but depending on the size, it'll take about 5 minutes to cook them. Take them out as they are done and put them in a bowl to the side and cover it to keep them warm. Now, same pan, add another 1/2 stick of butter, the other half of the minced garlic. Same story, cook it until it's aromatic, and then add your veggies. Cook them on med/high to high heat for a few minutes until they are a nice texture but not overcooked. And that's IT!

I served everything a la carte, but you can certainly mix it all together as well. And then add additional Cajun seasoning if you went mild for the kids of the house ;) Also, I would have loved to have had a green pepper and/or some mushrooms in that mix of veggies, but my little monsters don't dig the mushrooms so much, and that yellow pepper was just calling my name! And a final note is that I use that Alfredo sauce as a STAPLE. Do NOT keep buying that jarred crap. I feel like I've posted the recipe somewhere else in this blog, but it wasn't readily accessible, so it's here again (or here for the first time if I'm having a Mommy Brain moment).

Bon apetit!

Til next time,
XoXo Xile

On Hate

They say the opposite of love is not hate but indifference. Well, it's Elie Wiesel who said it originally. Who said it initially really is no matter though. What is important is that he (they) is correct. And when we come upon a path and have the option to choose among the three, I believe hate to be the least productive for our soul.

Love we reserve for those who deserve it. Or at least we should, right? Loving those who are incapable or unwilling of loving us in return has dire consequences for our own soul identity. Giving love without love in return only hinders our ability to trust in love itself. Now, in the case of loving those who reciprocate the sentiment, our souls are filled with positivity and light. Our hearts rejoice in knowing that we are connecting with another person on the soul level, and that love brings us closer to Universal Truth. Conversely, if we love someone who does not love us in return, we are simply wasting that positive energy and depleting our own soul of the love we so deserve.

Hate, I believe comes from this desire to be loved but which is not reciprocated. Hate invokes the same passion from which love is born, and it uses seemingly twice the energy that love does but negatively. I am seeing this play out in observing people around me, and I am learning so much from that. When we hate, it consumes us. Hate can become obsessive, all-consuming, and it is entirely subversive. Hate detracts from our path to the light, and chips away at every loving conviction within us. Hate brings with it a very powerful negative energy that has the ability to completely derail our soul purpose, which is to become all-loving. This hate can become so powerful that our bodies react and have the ability to become toxic themselves, causing physical pain and other chronic ailments. Hate is the ultimate weapon of self-destruction.

But what about indifference? Indifference is the neutrality between love and hate, and it can be used both as protection from hate and as a defense mechanism against love. It truly is the double-edged sword! This sword, however, is absolutely our best defense against those incapable of love. Those of us who have been victims of abusive relationships know that these people do exist. These people who are incapable of love have been devoured by hate, and we must not play into their hands and continue the cycle. We must use the neutral "charge" of indifference in order to move forward on our path to the light, the ultimate love that our soul deserves and desires. We must not get caught up in the dispassionate web that hate attempts to weave before us. We must learn to turn away from these unhealthy relationships and look to fill those voids with people who fill our soul with the light and love.

The simple truth is that love breeds love, and hate breeds more hate. When people say hateful things, do hateful things, and we reciprocate that negativity, we only fuel that evil fire. We are feeding the dark monster within us that aims to lead our souls astray, causing even our own bodies to turn against us sometimes. Let us not fall into hate's trap. Let us follow the path to the light of love, using indifference as our sword and our shield from those who can no longer see the light themselves.

May we understand that these hateful beings that have come into our lives, whether they be family, friends, lovers, or foes, have succumbed to the dark forces within and are of no benefit to our souls. May we understand that giving any credence to their complaints or criticisms only fuels their path to darkness and dims our own internal light. We must expel that negative energy. Let us only love those who love in return. Let us bestow grace upon those who request it, and let us all move forward in our lives with loving intentions.

Til next time,
XoXo -Xile

Broccoli Chicken Cheddar Stuffed Crescent Braid

Broccoli Chicken Cheddar Stuffed Crescent Braid

What You Need:

*1 package Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough (seamless is easier but unnecessary)

*1 cup pre-cooked shredded chicken (you can use canned chicken, but I didn't)
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*1 cup cut broccoli (I thawed frozen broccoli florets)

* 1/2 can cream of condensed cream of chicken soup

What You Do:

*If you use seamless crescent roll dough, roll it out, and cut it like THIS. If you don't use the seamless dough (I didn't have seamless), roll the dough up into a ball, work it to remove the cuts, and roll it back out to a somewhat rectangular shape and THEN cut it.

*Place it on a baking sheet (ungreased)

*In a bowl, mix together the chicken, broccoli, cheese, and chicken soup

*Spread the mix evenly along the middle of the dough (the part that is not cut), and then criss-cross the dough to make it look like a braid while wrapping up the filling

*Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, until the crust is a nice golden brown

This recipe is an adaptation of THIS one :) 

Your Best Cheese Balls

So Thanksgiving is either a love it or hate it kinda day in my life. And I'm sure it's the same for a lot of people, right? I mean, family dynamics can be incredibly challenging, and mix that with 17 cooks in the same kitchen, and it's kinda a recipe for disaster. Since having children, our Thanksgivings have been all over the board from amazing to not so memorable. Yesterday took the cake for most amazing Thanksgiving ever. 

We spent the day with some of our best friends in the entire world with a beautiful view of Buck Island, laughing, singing, cooking, drinking, and just being overall merry. By the time we sat down to dinner, we had a total of 5 dogs, 4 children, and 6 adults in attendance. The munchkins said these really odd "prayers" before eating, which Zen captured on video (yay!). One of our friends made the turkey and gravy; Zen was responsible for mashed potatoes, stuffing, and corn. J made an appetizer that was pretty bangin', and I did the green bean casserole, desserts, mulled cider, and apps for snacking while we were waiting for dinner. 

I was actually pretty impressed with myself. I am not sure why, but it's always surprising when I make a stellar dish. Most especially, though, I was proud that I was able to bake desserts. Baking has always been a challenge for me, so the idea that I'm getting the hang of it is really exciting. 

Anyway, this entry is all about cheese. One of my very favorite things to make for a party is a cheese ball. Why? Well, because it's incredibly simple, and it's just about guaranteed to get you a million compliments. I did 3 flavors for Thanksgiving yesterday: Bacon Ranch, Greek, and Taco. So, I'll go through each one and then at the end let you know a very basic equation for making ANY cheese ball you could ever dream up :)

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

What You Need:

2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz)

1/4 c bacon bits

1 packet dry ranch dressing

1/2 c French's fried onions, crushed

What You Do:

*Toss everything except the fried onions in a bowl

*Mix with your hands until all the ingredients are combined evenly

*Roll into a ball shape

*In a ziplock bag, pound out the onions until they are crushed to the texture you like. Then pour it out on a piece of wax paper

*Roll the cheese ball in the onions until evenly coated

*Stick it in the fridge for a couple hours to set up

*Serve with your favorite crackers

Greek Cheese Ball

What You Need:

2 c crumbled feta cheese

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz)

1/4 c roasted red pepper, diced

1/4 c cucumber, diced

1/4 c kalamata olives, diced

1/2 tsp dill

1/2 c pita chips, crushed

What You Do:

*In a bowl, mix the cheeses by hand together until evenly combined

*Add peppers, cucumber, and olives, mix until evenly combined

*Sprinkle in dill and mix until evenly combined

*Roll into a ball shape

*In a ziplock bag, pound pita chips until crushed to desired texture

*Pour crushed pita chips onto a piece of wax paper

*Roll cheese ball in pita chips until evenly coated

*Pop it in the fridge to set up for a couple hours

*Serve with pita chips, pita bread, and/or your favorite crackers...or on cucumbers!

Taco Cheese Ball

What You Need:

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz)

1/4 c black olives, chopped

1/4 c green onion or chives

1 Tbs taco seasoning

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

1/2 c tortilla chips, crushed

What You Do:

*In a mixing bowl, combine cheeses. It's just easiest to do this by hand

*Add olives and green onion and mix until evenly dispersed

*Add seasonings and mix until even

*Shape into a ball

*In a ziplock bag, pound out tortilla chips to desired consistency. Pour onto a sheet of wax paper

*Roll cheese ball in crushed chips until evenly coated

*Put in fridge for a couple hours to set

 *Serve with tortilla chips or your favorite crackers!

So there you have it! Those are 3 different flavors of cheese balls you can make for your next gathering that are sure to impress. The very basic thing about any cheese ball is combining a brick of cream cheese with another shredded (or crumbled) cheese. So the ratio is 1 brick of cream cheese to 2 cups of shredded cheese. Roll into a ball, and then you can choose your coating. I am not a big fan of using nuts to coat my cheese balls, but of course you can do whatever you want! 

As a final note, here are some links to the desserts I did yesterday, as they turned out SO well that it would be a shame not to share them with you! 

*Gingerbread Cookies*

*Urban Legend Chocolate Chip Cookies*

*Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dump-cake*

From my home to yours, Happy Holidays!

xoxo

-Xile

Messy Monday?

So today was definitely not the most productive day I've ever had. I had every intention of making the munchkins breakfast, doing some homeschool work, and then running to the post office to pick up the 6 pounds of chocolate that I had ordered in order to continue our new tradition of "Messy Monday."

The day started off great with my little princess' favorite Pumpkin Pancakes, for which I shall owe you all a recipe. They were gobbled up quickly, and everyone was cooperating for what was sure to be a productive day. As the island would have it, that just didn't happen. King had some side work scheduled, and I thought I would be "the good wife" and go and pick up the parts for that project since he was working on another side project this morning. I mean, how hard is it to run to a parts store, get some car parts, stop by the post office, drop the parts off to King, and then go home and finish my day with the girls? DARE I ask.

Everything was good and well until we were leaving the post office. I thought my car was making an odd noise and didn't feel quite right, but I mean it's an island car...so it's not like I'm driving a Mercedes or something. Anyway, I asked the girls for a "quiet ride," and thankfully they obliged...except that I noticed that the car felt like there was something terribly wrong, and there was no safe place for me to pull off of the road because the bush is so overgrown thanks to all of the November rain. Well, I slowed to a complete crawl, and the nearest safe place to pull over was the most expensive resort on island...with an award-winning golf course, a full service spa, 3 beaches...you get the idea. I made it as far as their first parking lot next to the golf course before I stopped the car and went into full-blown panic attack.

I had 14% battery charge (after leaving the house with over 80% just a couple hours prior) when I called King to let him know that I was totally panicking. Thankfully he was able to get on the road right away to meet us. Double thanks that he just happens to be a mechanic with all of his tools in his truck. So he arrived rather quickly and was able to put the spare on...which just happened to have a bent rim and no air...well, more air than the flat tire but not enough to drive on. Enter: Fix-a-Flat, an island staple. Honestly, if you live on an island, just have at least one can in your vehicle.

So while he's working on getting my car somewhat driveable, of course both munchkins have to use the restroom. There is no restroom anywhere near this parking lot. What IS near the parking lot is an award-winning golf course, a bunch of trees, and a lot of iguanas. So, I am now even more thankful that I had a friend in Indianapolis who taught me how to hold my kids while they pee so that they don't pee on themselves...well, or me. And yes, my girls peed in the bush of a 5 star resort with an award-winning golf course just to our left.

Needless to say, the day wasn't all that productive in the way of schoolwork, but I suppose it was definitely "messy." More importantly, I did get to focus on what this week is all about: Thanksgiving. While the Universe most definitely challenged me today, I am happy that I was able to find the blessings, laugh, and let go of the anxiety and frustration. I am incredibly proud that my girls were completely calm, well behaved, and just rolled with the day, even with the challenges presented.

And honestly, who can complain when I was sitting at a gas station in the Caribbean, drinking a beer while King repaired my tire? As a good friend of ours says, "it doesn't suck."