Cousin Patti's Orgasmic Cream Cheese Dip

Since I'm too lazy to go back and look, I'm not sure if I've posted this before but it's worth posting again. My cousin Patti brought this dip to a family picnic at my parent's house a few summers ago. No one would leave the food table. No one wanted to share.

She says the guys in her office call it orgasmic dip. We'll go with that.

Ingredients

2 packages cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp apricot jam

2 garlic cloves

(I added a little dill weed as well, for color)

With a hand mixer beat all ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with crackers. That's it. It's that easy!

Wait until you try it. :D

Have a Happy Resees Peanut Butter Birthday!

While visiting other people's blogs, you get hungry.  I mean, you get some really great ideas!  In my search for all things peanut butter for Michel's birthday, I visited Lindsey's blog. Since My husband really likes peanut butter, I decided to make these for his Birthday today. Now, I'm not a fan of peanut butter and cannot eat them because of my diet so,I figured these would be safe.

Apparently, I cannot resize the picture, which, is from my phone and blurry. Sorry.

Ingredients
2 c creamy peanut butter
2 c sugar
2 eggs
36 mini Reeses peanut butter cups, unwrapped
mini marshmallows

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free Half and Half)
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
mini Resees Pieces or M&Ms

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine peanut butter, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until well mixed. Divide the dough evenly between 24 wells of a mini-muffin pan, making dough balls. Make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until almost done. Remove from the oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie until it is flush with the top of the dough. Top each cookie with 3-4 mini marshmallows. Return the pan to the oven and bake 2-3 minutes more, or until the marshmallows have puffed up. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before removing them. 

Once the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper. Place the chopped chocolate in a small, heat-proof bowl. In a small sauce pan, bring the cream, sugar and water to a boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk the mixture together until smooth. Leave the glaze to sit until it thickens to your desired consistency. Drizzle over top of the cookies. Sprinkle with Resees Pieces before the glaze hardens.

Crock pot too big? Try this!

I've been having trouble with things burning in my crock pot because I really don't want to cook for more than just 2, if there's just 2 of us.  So, things have been burning because the ingredients don't fill the entire pot.  WELL. Over at Cara's Cravings food blog, she mentioned the perfect solution! Inside of the regular crock pot pot, place a smaller, oven-proof pot, like pyrex or calphalon ceramic.  It makes perfect sense: less hot, dry surface=less burning. DUH. 

So, the next time you want to use your crock pot for smaller meals, try that.  Let me know how it works for you!

A note about feta.

I love feta cheese. Love love love. Lately, I've been using more of it in my cooking since I've turned to Mediterranean recipes for low/good fat dinners. A note about feta:

Sheep are the most important dairy animal in the Mediterranean. In much of the Middle East, the sheep’s milk cheese of choice is feta. Look for imported sheep’s milk feta cheese which has been barrel aged. To feta aficionados, there is no comparison between artisnal-barrel aged feta and the feta produced in huge automated factories. However, given the expense and in some areas the unavailability of barrel-aged feta, feta cheese imported from Greece, France and Bulgaria are your next best bet.

Ooey Gooey Snack 'Cake'

Whether you make this 'cake' for breakfast, snack or dessert, it's both nutritious AND delicious!

Breakfast:

1 tbsp whole wheat flour

1 tbsp sugar or other sweetener

1 tbsp rolled oats

1 pinch baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp yogurt, low fat

2 tbsp fruit; berries, pineapple, peach, etc.

Spray a microwavable bowl with cooking spray. Place yogurt, and dry ingredients; mix well. Gently add fruit. Place uncovered, in microwave.  Cook on high for 1 minute. Serve warm. (microwave ovens do vary, please watch your item carefully. if it is not done, add a few seconds at a time)

Dessert:

1 tbsp whole wheat flour

1 tbsp sugar or other sweetener

1 tbsp rolled oats

1 pinch baking soda

.5 tsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp chocolate yogurt, low fat (I used yoplait whips)

caramel sundae topping

Spray a microwavable bowl with cooking spray. Place yogurt, and dry ingredients; mix well. Place uncovered, in microwave.  Cook on high for 1 minute. Serve warm, drizzled with caramel topping

(microwave ovens do vary, please watch your item carefully. if it is not done, add a few seconds at a time)

I did not take a picture, as it isn't much to look at. ENJOY! mmmm.

The below is estimated, based on the 'breakfast version':

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 1
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 158.8

• Total Fat: 1.1 g
• Cholesterol: 1.6 mg
• Sodium: 68.5 mg
• Total Carbs: 36.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g
• Protein: 3.2 g