Smoky Dill Salmon & Chive Dip

Smoky Dill Salmon & Chive Dip

This stuff is DE-LI-CIOUS! It's the perfect dip to bring to a BBQ or have out if you're hosting a gathering this summer. And it's so easy to make!


Ingredients

8 oz                       Cream Cheese (I use reduced fat it tastes just the same!)

2 oz                       Packaged Smokey Dill Salmon (Trident brand)

1-2 stalks                Green Onion Chives

Mix all ingredients in a med sized bowl really well (until your cream cheese turns pink) and serve cold with crackers!

You're welcome in advance. ;)

Let me know what you think if you end up making this! I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment, send me a message!


Crista

Ham & Pickle Roll Up Dip & Spicy Taco Roll Ups

Two posts in one today people! 

By special request from a special friend, I am here to share a recipe for my delicious Ham & Pickle Roll Up Dip that I made back at Christmas time.

However, I am also going to share my Taco Roll Up recipe, because if we're going to talk roll ups and roll up dips, these are where it's at!

Everyone knows the class Ham & Pickle Roll Ups ...

*I do not own rights to this picture, it was found on Google.com images.

Well I turned this one in to a dip, and it was a hit! Serve it with some Ritz crackers and it'll be gone in a matter of minutes! And the recipe is just as simple as the roll ups. 

Depending on how much you want to make, use equal parts Cream Cheese & Sour Cream. I like to go on the light side of things, so I usually buy the Reduced Fat Cream Cheese and Light Sour Cream. And then I just eyeball the Ham & Pickles.You want to have a little bit of both in every single bite. I suggest buying the already diced Ham in your deli section. And for pickles I use Vlasic Whole Pickles and dice them up fairly fine. It is suggested that you use Whole Pickles, as using not whole pickles can make your dip more watery (from the pickle guts/seeds and juice) once it has sat a while.

It's that simple!

*I do not own rights to this picture, it was found on Google.com images.

Now, on to Spicy Taco Roll Ups ...

*I do not own rights to this picture, it was found on Google.com images.

These are equally as simple to make! Again, depending on much you need to make, buy equal parts Cream Cheese & Sour Cream. (1 8oz Cream Cheese = 1 8oz Sour Cream is going to make 2 cups of mixture, filling approximately 5 10" tortillas). If you want to go on the lighter side of things, feel free! Mix in to Cream Cheese/Sour Cream mixture a packet of Taco Seasoning, Shredded Mexican Cheese and Diced Jalapeno. Again, you have to just eyeball the cheese and Jalapeno, there is no right or wrong way to portion it out, you simply just want cheese and heat in every bite. For assembly: I like to use the 10" Super Soft Mission Tortillas. Spread approximately 1/4" of your cream cheese/sour cream mixture on to one side of your tortilla, then roll up the tortilla and cut in to circles approximately 1-1 1/2" thick. Chill them in the fridge until you're ready to serve!

Yummmy & Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite meals ... And I can't imagine many wouldn't agree! And what better way to enjoy pizza, than making it at home and putting exactly what you want on it!

I have tried many variations of a homemade pizza, but my favorite is junk pizza with no meat. Although I wouldn't turn down a slice if there was meat on it, because I love pizza that much!

I recognize that homemade pizza is pretty self explanatory, and the need for a "recipe" is moot. But it's still fun to share inspiration and a mutual love for food ... after all, that's why we're here, right!?

Homemade Pizza

I have tried a multitude of crusts and I have so far found my two favorites. Most of the time I like a doughy pizza crust, so I go with Boboli Original Pizza Crust ...

But this time I decided to go with a Thin Fire Roasted Flavor Crust made by Archer Farms, which is found at Target. (You will slowly figure out that I do a majority of my grocery shopping at Target).

I originally bought this crust when I was making pizza for a girls night and needed a few pizzas ... Because this puppy comes with TWO crusts! So if you're entertaining, you can make two different types of pizzas or set the other aside for another pizza night for yourself.

I go pretty classic with my pizza sauce and have found that Ragu's Original Pizza Sauce is where it's at. And when I said that I like junk pizza, I meant it ... I love veggies, I love spicy and I love sweet. So I used the following ...

Fresh Spinach, Red Peppers, Roma Tomato, Mushrooms, Onion, Jalapeno, Pineapple and Fresh Mozzarella.

I dice all my veggies (and fruit) up and place in layers, evenly, on top of the sauce I've spread on my crust. Then I slice approximately 1/4 inch slices of the fresh mozzarella and place it evenly over all the veggies. *Have no fear, upon melting, it will spread more.

Upon baking, I follow the crust packaging instructions, as to not burn the crust. For this crust, it calls for 400 degrees for approximately 12-15 minutes. When all the cheese is melted, I will usually turn off the oven and then turn on the broiler and brown the cheese for a minute or two. I like a soft melted cheese with that golden brown look.

Enjoy your pizza!!!

Hawaiian Ham Sliders

As often as possible I and a couple of my longtime childhood girlfriends like to get together and have a ladies potluck night. We usually have our favorite dishes present and then someone always tries to bring something different that we have yet to try. We were FINALLY able to make one happen a few weeks back and I was up to bat to bring something new. I immediately headed to Pinterest for inspiration.

During my search, I stumbled upon all sorts of different food ideas, but I finally settled on Hawaiian Ham Sliders! These are seriously delicious and SO easy to prep ahead of time and then just show up and throw in the oven for a few minutes when you're ready to serve! They were equally as easy to quickly pick up ingredients for, and most of the stuff I had already in my fridge!

I'm just going to cut right to the chase with these. Here is the breakdown of ingredients and instructions ...


Hawaiian Ham Sliders


Prep Time: > 5 Min    Cook Time: > 15 Min   Servings: 15


Ingredients

Sandwiches

15                 King's Hawaiian Buns
15 slices         Deli Ham
8 slices          Swiss Cheese (Kraft Singles are the cheesiest, but any kind will do)

Sauce

1/3 Cup        Mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp     Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup        Butter, Melted
1 Tbsp          Poppy Seeds
1/2 Tsp        Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp          Onion Powder


Instructions

Cut the rolls in half. Spread Mayonnaise on top half of the roll. Place 1 slice of Ham (somewhat folded up) and a half a slice of cheese (folded in half) on the other side of sandwich roll. Replace top of sandwich roll and begin to pack them tightly next one another in a baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together mustard, melted butter, poppy seeds, worcestershire sauce and onion powder. Then pour the sauce over the rolls, just cover the tops.

Cover your baking dish with foil or a lid and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

About 10 minutes before you're ready to serve, place baking dish (with foil or lid removed) in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.




Voila!

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I would really love to hear what you think of these if you decide to make them! Leave a comment or send me a message!


Until next time,


Crista

Spicy Chicken Gyros

Holy moly, it's been a while since I've blogged! Life has been B-U-S-Y! In advance, please excuse the back to back posts that are about to happen today.

I recently made a trip to St. Cloud, MN for a three day long Emergency Medical Dispatch class which was hosted in Downtown St. Cloud at the Stearns County Law Enforcement Center. One day for lunch we found this delicious Greek restaurant (Greek Cravings, 26 5th Ave S, St Cloud, MN 56301) and I had one of thee most delicious Spicy Chicken Gyro's I could have ever possibly imagined consuming. If I lived in St.Cloud, this place (and my diet) would be in TROUBLE! Aaand they're open until 3 a.m. for all you bar hoppers!

It was then that, Spicy Chicken Gyro's became a food goal. I think I nailed this one pretty good! I also made a tasty, low calorie, Tzatziki Sauce.

One of the key ingredients to make these Gyros spicy is to use jarred hot banana peppers and/or any other type of hot peppers you can find. I grilled the chicken seasoned with some Kosher salt, crushed black pepper and cayenne pepper. When I'm ready to prepare the Gyro's I saute the banana peppers with some white onion, diced up chicken breast, Frank's Red Hot Sauce and some olive oil.

Saute until your onions are tender and your concoction is ready to put in your pita! For the Tzatztiki Sauce it couldn't be more simple! I use Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt, Kosher salt, fresh dill, diced up cucumber and green onion. And then I just top my Gyro with some chopped up Romaine lettuce and some Roma tomatoes.



Here's a breakdown of ingredients and instructions ...


Spicy Chicken Gyro's


Prep Time: 5 Min    Cook Time: 15 Min    Servings: 4


Ingredients

3                      Grilled Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast, Diced
1                      Medium White Onion, Sliced
3/4 Cup           Hot Banana Peppers
1/2 Cup            Franks Red Hot Sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp         Olive Oil
4 Slices             Flat Bread
2 Cups             Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
1                      Roma Tomato, Sliced & then halved              
1/2 Tsp             Kosher Salt
1/4 Tsp             Crushed Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp             Cayenne Pepper

Tzatziki Sauce

6 oz                  Plain, Fat Free Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup            Cucumber, Finely diced
4 Tbsp              Green Onion, Finely diced
1 Tbsp               Fresh Dill, Finely chopped    


Instructions

Mix together 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper & 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper to make your seasoning for the chicken breasts. Sprinkle seasoning mixture over the chicken breasts once they are on the grill. *If you like a little more heat, feel free to add more black pepper or cayenne pepper.

In a bowl, mix together your yogurt, diced cucumber, green onion and dill. Set aside or put away in a container for later and place in refrigerator.

When your chicken is done, let it cool for about 5 minutes. Slice your white onion and add it to a skillet with your banana peppers, olive oil and franks red hot sauce. Dice up your chicken and place in skillet with your onion and peppers, medium heat. Saute until your onion has softened.


Enjoy!


*You can always make this one serving at a time and prep your onions and peppers with your cooked and diced chicken at a later time. I personally like to take these for lunches because they are filling but a super light and low calorie lunch! 
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Feel free to add more Frank's Red Hot Sauce if you really like some heat!


Please let me know if you make these and what you think! I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment, send me a message, whatever your heart desires!

Until next time,


Crista