Creamy Jalapeño Popper Dip

Dip is my thing. You know this. I've shared this with you in the past and I just want to restate it one last time: I heart dip. Any dip. The creamier and cheesier the better... There comes a time in every girl's life where she makes a dip that she loves almost as much as she loves her family. Okay, so maybe that was a little exaggerated, but what I'm getting at here is that this recipe for Jalapeño Popper Dip that i'm going to share with you today is one of my new favorite things in the whole wide world. And that's the truth.

The next time you're looking for a dip to make for a party, a get-together, the Oscars (coming up later this month!) I would highly recommend giving this one a try...

But only if you love things that are ooey gooey and delicious. If you don't love things that are cheesy and flavorful and filled with delicious bits of bacon then definitely look the other way and avoid this recipe completely. It's not for you. RUN!

But, if you're like me and you love bacon and cheese and jalapeño poppers, then you're going to be in heaven when you taste this dip. And you're going to want to make it again and again and again. 

And you will make it again and again and again. Your husband will also ask you to make it again and again and again. And... when you think you've had it too much and that you can't possibly eat it again, a friend will ask you to make it for your next get-together. 

Basically, I'm gifting you this delicious dip recipe today because I care about you and your well-being. I want you to be happy and I want your friends and family members to be happy, too.

So, just make the dip. The end.

Jalapeño Popper Dip:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients: 

• 1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeños
• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese
• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 7 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 tablespoons sliced green onion

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine jalapeños, cream cheese, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, jack cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and bacon (reserve about 1 tablespoon for garnish!). Make sure the mixture is well combined and there are no huge lumps of cream cheese. Spread mixture into your baking dish (a pie pan works great!) Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese over the top. 

Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until dip is bubbly and cheese is melted. 

Top with green onion and crumbled bacon, or you can add some sliced jalapeños!

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Sweet & Smoky Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

This past weekend the fam and I went to the local Chili cook-off where we got to try some of the most delicious and also some of the spiciest chili I have ever tasted. My insides are still recovering from the amount of heat that was packed into some of those tiny little taster cups. The truth is, though, there was one thing I ate that day that stood out among everything else... and it wasn't chili. It was a bacon-wrapped shrimp that was doused in soy sauce! I can still taste that divine little shrimpy...

If you know me, you know that I like shrimp, but I don't loooove shrimp. Shrimp and I don't have any beef, we pretty much see eye-to-eye and we get along, for the most part... But, after I tasted that little bacon-covered bite of deliciousness, I knew that our relationship was going to change in a big way, and it did... I knew I had to make my own version of those little gems and I had to make them right away.

So, last night I pulled out the big guns and made my very own bacon-wrapped shrimp, but I decided to add a little sweetness, a little garlic and a little something extra to mine to make them even more delicious. It totally worked. What I'm about to share with you might change your life forever... and I hope it does. I hope that you can never go back to your "normal" life... I hope that you will be a changed woman (or man) and that you will look at life through different eyes...

Okay, so I might be getting a little carried away... The shrimp are good, no, scratch that -- they're great -- but maybe, just maybe, not life-altering.

You might just have to make them for yourself and see if anything changes... then get back to me. For research purposes, of course.

These little shrimp would be a fabulous appetizer at one of your holiday parties, and they are great served atop a heaping pile of Sesame noodles! They're packed with flavor and sweetness with a hint of smoke from the bacon. Enjoy!

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Sweet & Smoky Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp:
{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 pound medium, raw shrimp, deveined and tails removed (about 36 shrimp)
• 9 slices bacon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut bacon slices into 4 equal pieces and wrap each shrimp in one of the quarters, securing with a toothpick. Place on a large baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, garlic, pepper and sesame oil. Drizzle half of the mixture over the top of the shrimp, brush with a pastry brush to coat and set remaining sauce aside.

Place shrimp in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes, brush remaining sauce over the top, return to oven and cook for additional 5-7 minutes, or until bacon is cooked and shrimp are pink.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Bacon Wrapped Pulled Pork Stuffed Jalapeños aka "Piggy Poppers"

(BBQ Pulled Pork + Cream Cheese + Cheddar Cheese + Bacon + Jalapeños = Perfect Appetizer!)

I'm going to tell you a little secret right now... are you ready? I love poppers. I love them so, so, so much. I could eat 20 of them in one sitting... Okay, so maybe I shouldn't brag about that. I've actually never gotten to do it, but I know I could... I have that much faith in myself.

This past weekend hubby and I were in a snacking mood. I don't often find myself wanting a snack, but when I do, I want it more than I have ever wanted anything in my whole entire life. That means, when the craving hits, there is no stopping me. I'm like a crazy, hungry, whirlwind of emotions. 

One of the problems I always seem to come upon when I'm making poppers is a lack of proper protection for my hands. Meaning: no gloves. Someday, it's my goal to have a pair of gloves designated specifically for my popper making. They will have their own special little box with gold embellishments and a beautiful inscription. But, until that day comes... I will just try really, really hard not to touch the insides of the peppers as I deseed them. I will also go as quickly as possible and I will not rub my eyes... again. 

For this weekend's special snack I decided that we would need to go all out. I made a small batch of BBQ pulled pork in the crockpot, I bought a pound of bacon, a block of sharp cheddar cheese, a package of cream cheese and, of course, a bunch of Jalapeños. 

These little guys were the best tasting poppers we've ever had! The sweetness of the bbq pork was a perfect addition to the mix and even caused a delicious caramelization on the bacon. Yum! We lovingly nicknamed these "Piggy Poppers" because of the sheer amount of pork in each pepper! Almost too much goodness to handle! Whip up a batch of these for the next football game and you're bound to have guests (or spouses) drooling and begging for more!

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"Piggy Poppers"

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pound pork loin roast
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 pound bacon, cut in half
• 1 - 1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 12 fresh jalapeños

Also needed:

• Toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place pork roast and chicken broth in slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours. Remove from slow cooker, place in bowl along with bbq sauce, and shred. Set aside.

Cut jalapeños in half lengthwise, remove seeds and place on (lightly greased) baking sheet. Fill the bottom of each jalapeño with about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese (depending on the size of your pepper.) Top with about 1 heaping tablespoon of the bbq pork mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Wrap bacon half around the pepper and secure with toothpicks.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and jalapeños are soft.

Crispy BBQ Wings

My husband... what can I say about my husband? Other than the fact that he's a good guy who works hard for his family... I would say that one of the most defining things about him is that he loves chicken wings. I mean, loooooves them. Since we've been together, very few days have gone by where he didn't request a big batch of chicken wings for lunch/dinner/snack. Luckily, i'm also somewhat of a wing fanatic now, so I usually give in to his requests, like I did last night.

This week has been so chaotic... Today is the first day where I can truly say I don't feel complete panic over whether or not I have bowls to hold all of the snacks for my son's 1st birthday party, or if the color of the streamers perfectly matches the plates and balloons... Whew! I had forgotten how stressful party planning can be when you go a little overboard ;). Luckily it's over and I still have a few months until my daughter's 8th birthday! So, in the meantime, I can just sit back, fry up some wings, and enjoy life...

Crispy BBQ Wings:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds chicken wings (party wings)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• Oil for frying

Directions:

Combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a shallow (pie) pan or bowl. Dredge chicken wings in flour and set aside.

Heat oil in a dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 degrees. 

Before placing wings into oil, toss them in flour mixture one more time and shake off the excess flour.

Fry each batch of wings until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove, place on paper towels to drain, and repeat with remaining wings.

While the last batch of wings is frying, place BBQ sauce and vinegar in a small pot over medium heat. Cook until bubbly and hot, then turn off the flame.

Place cooked wings in a large bowl and toss with heated BBQ sauce to coat.

Serve immediately and watch as your man's face lights up as you bring him a giant pile of wings. They're like the equivalent to chocolate for women ;) Enjoy!

The Best Stuffed Mushrooms Ever

Here in California it seems like we've somehow missed Spring. It's been mid-70's weather for weeks now and i'm totally not complaining because I know most of the country has been experiencing snow-crazed weather, but seriously, where's my Spring? The only real benefit to this that I can see is that it's caused my darling husband to break out his grill, spatula and tongs and once again take his position as Grill Master. I love when he becomes Grill Master for the Spring & Summer seasons because that means I get the night off from cooking (with the exception of the side dishes & appetizers, of course!) 

Which brings me to today's recipe... what i'm about to share with you will change your life. Hopefully. No, no... I know it will... I made these amazing stuffed mushrooms this past Friday to go along with some juicy steaks my dear hubby was going to barbecue and we loved them so much that we made them again on Saturday. They are really that amazing.

If you love creamy, garlicy, bacony goodness and you love mushrooms then you're going to fall madly in love with these delicious mushrooms. I love them so much that I'm picturing them in my mind and debating making them again tonight as I type this. Once you've made these you will either love me because I've introduced you to the best stuffed mushrooms you have ever tasted or you will hate me because you will never be able to eat another stuffed mushroom as they will never ever compare to their awesomeness. Either way, prepare yourself for the tastiest thing to hit your mouth since... well... since whatever the last tasty thing was that you ate... 

The Best Stuffed Mushrooms Ever:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 12 white button mushrooms
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 3 strips bacon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter (or oil)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook bacon and reserve about 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Allow bacon to cool, then crumble. Remove stems from mushrooms, mince and place into medium skillet over medium heat, along with reserved bacon grease and minced garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until mushrooms are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. 

In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, bacon and garlic/mushroom mixture. 

Fill a mushroom with [about] a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture and place into shallow baking dish. Repeat with all mushrooms.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and filling is starting to brown.

Allow mushrooms to cool slightly then, try really, really hard not to eat them all within a minute or two.


Linked To:

TipJunkie

Top 15 Bacon Recipes for Super Bowl

The big day is almost here! Super Bowl is coming which means Super Bowl food is coming! I'm going to be completely honest here when I say that, for us, Super Bowl is all about the food! Now, don't get me wrong... I do like to watch the game... while I eat my food. I'm a huge appetizer/dip/finger food kinda girl and Super Bowl is a time when I can really just be myself and eat a huge bowl of buffalo chicken dip and 10 stuffed mushrooms without anyone passing any judgement on me because it's "normal." Thank you, Super Bowl!

Today I've put together a list of 15 of the best Bacon recipes out there! All of these bacon appetizer recipes are perfect Super Bowl Party foods! If it were up to me, I would make every single one of them this year... but I have a feeling my arteries would be so clogged afterwards that I wouldn't be able to continue on for the rest of 2014... and that would be bad... So, I will probably limit myself to just 7 or 8 of them instead ;) 

Enjoy!!

Avocado Bacon Egg Rolls via Home Cooking Memories

Bacon Wrapped Smokies via Lil' Luna

Bacon Ranch Cheese Log via Diddles & Dumplings

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip via Raining Hot Coupons

Cheesy Bacon Bombs via Oh Bite It

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Hot Dogs via Barbara Bakes

Blue Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms via Supper for a Steal

Cheesy Spinach Bacon Quesadillas via Sprinkled with Flour

Warm "Crack" Dip via Plain Chicken

5 Minute Pimento Cheese Melts with Crispy Bacon via Climbing Grier Mountain

Bacon Wrapped Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers via Closet Cooking

Shrimpies in a Blanket via The Lucky Penny Blog

Beer Candied Bacon via Tide & Thyme

Chicken Bacon Artichoke Dip via Pip & Ebby

Bite Size Bacon Double Cheeseburger Puffs via The Slow Roasted Italian

Chicken Florentine Quesadillas

Is it just me, or are quesadillas absolutely amazing? There's something great about being able to stuff whatever you want into a tortilla, pile it with cheese, throw it in the oven and have a bunch of deliciously cheesy triangles of happiness. I have been on somewhat of a quesadilla kick here in our house lately and when I was asked to review the new I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Deliciously Simple™ spread, I knew I had to come up with a totally awesome quesadilla recipe to test it out... So, today I present to you -- Chicken Florentine Quesadillas! They're loaded with chicken, spinach, cheese, and a creamy garlic sauce! 

The new Deliciously Simple™ spread from ICBINB! comes packaged in a cute little green and yellow squared container, but don't let that adorable packaging fool you... what's inside is a fiercely delicious product that is 100% taste and 0% Artificial preservatives. It's made from simple ingredients that I can pronounce! Like non-fat yogurt and vegetable oil! Crazy, right? There's no long, complicated words that you can't understand... Score! 

The perfect beginning to my Chicken Florentine Quesadillas... Deliciously Simple™ and fresh garlic! No smell compares to fresh garlic simmering away... wouldn't you say? 

Next you add in your spinach, toss it around, cook it, and get it nice and wilty! Is wilty a word? Even if it's not... you definitely want it wilty. Then, when it's all wilty you add in some more Deliciously Simple™. Yay! 

The next part is my absolute favorite part... the addition of the cream! I'm a little bit of a cream freak nowadays... Thanks to Julia Child, I now feel like I should add cream to everything! So I do. I really do. The next time you're cooking something just throw in a little cream and I guarantee it will be even more delicious! Well, i'm sure some things wouldn't... but... you get the idea!

After you've simmered your cream and reduced it down to a perfectly creamy, flavorful, spinachy sauce, you'll want to spread it on your tortillas, top it with your sliced chicken and cover it in a ton of parmesan cheese. Cheese, delicious cheese! I honestly don't think I could live without cheese. It completes me.

The last step is just to plop it in the oven and bake it until it's nice and crispy! Easy peasy and completely amazing. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! It's already on the lunch menu later this week! 

Our family just loves the Deliciously Simple™ spread from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® . The flavor is great, plus, no artificial preservatives? Can't beat it! Next i'll be using it to make some muffins for my daughter since she goes back to school soon! Love that it can be used for cooking and baking and I don't have to feel guilty about it ;) ! So, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Chicken Florentine Quesadillas: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked
• 2-1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed & drained well
• 2 large cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Deliciously Simple™ spread, divided
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 4 flour tortillas
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon Deliciously Simple™ spread. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Place spinach in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until it's nice and wilty! Add in 1 more tablespoon of Deliciously Simple™ spread and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper (to your liking) and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until it has really thickened (you pretty much just want a creamy spinach, not a ton of extra sauce.)

Slice each chicken breast into 1/4" thick slices. Spread half of the spinach mixture on a tortilla, top with half of sliced chicken, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese and another tortilla. Repeat with remaining 2 tortillas.

Place quesadillas on a baking sheet and into preheated oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and tortillas are crisp and slightly golden.

Cut quesadillas into triangles and serve. (I personally like to serve mine with a little greek yogurt!)

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by  I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write a post about I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™, all opinions are my own.

Bacon Ranch Cheese Log

Today is New Year's Eve! Can you believe it? Where has this year gone? There have been so many wonderful things that have happened to our family this year, the best of them being the birth of our second child! Our baby boy is going to be 8 months old in just a few days... He has brought such joy to our lives and has made this year one of my favorites! There have also been a lot of big opportunities for Diddles & Dumplings this year. I can hardly believe that I was able to be a part of some huge projects this year and I can't wait to see what next year holds!  

This year, like most other years, we hosted Christmas at our house. It was a great day filled with great fun, great company and even greater food! For me, personally, I always look forward to the appetizers. Dips, cheese balls, bacon-wrapped-this, fried-that, you know... the good stuff! This year I decided to whip up something that I know all you bacon-lovers will enjoy. Well, enjoy is definitely not a strong enough word... you will, you will... take a bullet for it. Let's put it that way. I thought i'd share the recipe with you today in case you're looking for a last minute idea for some New Year's Eve party food! It's pretty, it's tasty and it will be loved by people of all ages. It's pretty much the most perfect food that ever existed. The end.

Bacon Ranch Cheese Log Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Crackers to serve

Instructions:

Combine cream cheese, ranch dressing mix and cheddar cheese. Form into a log shape, about 2" wide, roll in plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is best!). 

When you're ready to serve, roll log in bacon pieces and serve with crackers.

Linked to:

Craft-o-Maniac , Nibbles by Nic, Tip Junkie, Hun...What's for dinner?, Pint Sized Baker, Our Table For Seven, Chef in Training, Nap-Time Creations

Buffalo Wings

So, I'm pretty sure I have a brand new addiction and it looks something like the picture above {Aren't they adorable?} My husband has always been a huge fan of buffalo wings and I always thought they were just... okay. I never knew that they could be one of the most amazing things I've ever tasted! As I've come to learn over the last couple of years, home-cooked meals are 10x better than anything in a restaurant. Really. Truly. I promise! That's one reason I enjoy spending so much time in the kitchen. I love watching a recipe take shape and come together in the end, only to become one of the tastiest things I, or my family, has ever tasted. I just love to cook. And fry. Yes, I said it, I love to fry things! Greasy foods are one of my worst enemies and also my best friends. We definitely have a love-hate relationship. My pregnancy doctor doesn't need to know about this, okay?

I have to share these delicious little fried beauties with you so that you, too, can become insanely addicted and think about them, dream about them and even possibly lose sleep over them. I also have to share the PERFECT buffalo wing dipping sauce with you. It's a Pioneer Woman recipe and I will never eat chicken wings without this sauce. Ever.

{Note:} These are not super spicy! If you want spicier wings, you can add some tobasco sauce, if you'd like. I personally love that these aren't overly spicy, because that means I'm able to eat 20 of them without getting heartburn! Yay!


Buffalo Wing Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken wing pieces (about 20 pieces, total)
1 cup flour (split in half)
1 teaspoon salt (split in half)
1 teaspoon paprika (split in half)
2 large pinches of black pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablspoons Wing Sauce (I use FRANK'S®)
Oil for frying

Creamy Ranch Dipping Sauce: {via Pioneer Woman}

Ingredients:
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
{You can also add blue cheese crumbles if you'd like!}

Instructions:

To make the ranch dipping sauce, combine ranch mix and milk in measuring cup. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise and sour cream. Pour ranch/milk mixture in bowl and combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Divide flour, salt, paprika and pepper between two small bowls. Combine each. Set one aside for later use.

Take one bowl of flour mixture and use it to coat all 20 chicken pieces. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and place in fridge for 30-45 minutes.

In your skillet, pan, or deep fryer, heat your oil to 350 degrees (I used my dutch oven and put in about 2 inches of oil).

Remove chicken pieces from the fridge, and using the other (unused) bowl of flour mixture, coat chicken wings once more, tap off excess flour, and drop in oil. You can cook about 10 pieces at once. Cook wings for about 14 minutes, or until no pink remains and juices run clear.

Repeat steps with remaining chicken wings.

While wings are frying, cube your butter and place into a medium saucepan with wing sauce, over medium heat. Melt until mixture is smooth and no butter pieces remain. Turn off heat.

Remove wings from oil, drain well, place in a large bowl and pour half of the butter/wing sauce mixture over. Stir, shake and turn wings until they are coated with sauce. Shake off excess sauce and place on your serving plate/platter.