Creamy Fruit Dip

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Oh how I look forward to my Guilty Pleasure Mondays, a.k.a. The Bachelor! It's funny to think that I used to hate these kinds of shows, and now, I'm hooked! Like for this season, Adrian and I both made our own teams of 3 each. Adrian's team consists of Corinne, Liz, and Vanessa. My team is made up of Danielle L., Danielle M., and Kristina. Sadly for Adrian, his team is actually down to two people after last week's episode, but my team is still going strong, and one of the ones on my team had a great starring moment during the Backstreet Boys part of tonight's episode :) :) I know, I know, no spoilers, and trust me, I'm trying super hard not to give too much away just in case some of you haven't seen tonight's episode yet. I mean, I'm still watching it as I'm writing this - speaking of, OMG, is Nick crying??!!

In preparing for tonight's episode, I decided I wanted a light dessert, something I could pair with all of the strawberries and blueberries I have in the fridge. I didn't want anything sticky or overly sweet, but I did know I wanted something fast, easy, and creamy, and something that Adrian would like as well, since this is his post-birthday week. Since he was at home today, I had him set out some cream cheese for it to get to room temperature, you know, something easy but enough for him to feel like he really took part in making this dip lol - it's one of my inside jokes with him. Once I got home, I mixed the cream cheese with the sour cream and the brown sugar in my stand mixer until everything was mixed well. I added a splash of vanilla and some milk, just enough for it to be creamy without being too liquidy, and oh my, it was delish! It reminded me of that cream cheese marshmallow fruit dip they sell at Publix, except sans the marshmallow. It was very lightly sweetened and really brought out the natural sweetness of the berries - a great way to end my Monday night. Now, let me sit back on the couch to enjoy the rest of this dip while watching the second half of The Bachelor. Good luck to all of the contestants!

Creamy Fruit Dip
adapted from: New Cook Book 14th Edition by Better Homes and Gardens

*makes: 2 cups*

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1/8 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/8 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp "Crush" pure vanilla bean extract
2 tbsp whole Grade A milk

Directions:
1) In a small mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth.
2) Gradually add sour cream, beating until combined.
3) Add brown sugars and vanilla; beat just until combined.
4) Stir in enough milk to reach dipping consistency.
5) Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
6) Serve with assorted fruit.



Spice Fruit Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1/8 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/8 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp "Crush" pure vanilla bean extract
2 tbsp whole Grade A milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Lower-Calorie Fruit Dip

8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
8 oz light sour cream
1/8 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/8 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp "Crush" pure vanilla bean extract
2 tbsp whole Grade A milk



Creamy Marshmallow Fruit Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
7 oz marshmallow creme
1 tsp "Crush" pure vanilla bean extract
2 tbsp whole Grade A milk

Blackeye Peas Salsa

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." - Confucius

Oh my god, guys, it's Thursday!!! Yes, I know, I'm stating the obvious, but if you're a TV junkie like I am, you know what that means... it's time to catch up on last night's American Horror Story season premiere via On Demand!!! You can't even begin to imagine how excited I am, since apart from the show starting, this means that my entire Fall lineup is about to start as well! There's Gotham, and Modern Family, and How To Get Away With Murder, etc, etc. I'll make sure to get all into it as the days go by. So, I have theories about this year's AHS theme. After going through all of the teasers and pictures, and after reading the description that Uverse provided on the Guide, I'm thinking the theme has to do with poltergeists, or people's nightmares, or maybe some Children of the Corn vibes. Regardless, I'm prepared to be spooked and just straight up freaked out. Since I was pressed for time tonight in making dinner after the gym, and since A and I are on a health kick lately, we wanted something filling without being overbearing, and we didn't really want something that required a fork and knife. After browsing the pantry, the fridge, and the cookbooks, I came across this quick and easy blackeye peas salsa (since I chose to not leave everything in the fridge overnight). It has great nutritional value while being tasty, fresh with a spicy kick, and easy to eat: you just have to use tortilla chips to scoop it up with no need for forks and big plates! This plate can be recreated as a pre-planned snack or as a party platter when having people over, since everyone can just serve their portions with chips all from a big bowl, without any fuss. Speaking of no fuss, once I finish this post, you best believe we'll be munching on this post-workout meal while watching the season premiere of AHS. To my fellow American Horror Story fans, cheers to a great season, and please, no spoilers! :)

Blackeye Peas Salsa
adapted from: New Cook Book 14th Edition by Better Homes and Gardens

*makes: 2 cups*

Ingredients:
15 1/2 oz canned blackeye peas, rinsed and drained
2 thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp pure ground black pepper
dash salt
1 tsp minced garlic
scooped tortilla chips

Directions:
1) In a bowl combine blackeye peas, green onion, bell pepper, oil, vinegar, chile pepper, black pepper, salt, and garlic.
2) Cover and chill overnight.
3) Serve with tortilla chips.

Supreme Pizza Spaghetti Sauce

"Never go on trips with anyone you do not love." - Ernest Hemingway

After a long and hot Miami day, it's now humid and cloudy outside, which makes my brain scream for comfort food! Instantly, I started to crave mac 'n' cheese, and pizza, and pepperoni, and intense flavors, but alas, I don't exactly have everything to make any of those completely. So, why not blend them into a recipe that I can still have veggies in without feeling too guilty? I mean, c'mon, it's the weekend. I need to have a little diet leeway on the weekends, but I don't necessarily want to completely cave by eating McDonald's or Pizza Hut. Oh, and, I need to keep A's food ways in mind, which sometimes is like dealing with a picky hungry teenager! So, why not blend pasta and pizza together with this featured spaghetti sauce? Well, that's exactly what I did, and let me tell you... My cravings were definitely satisfied. It's quick to make, and you could cook the pasta (I used pre-cooked tortellini) at the same time, so in under 15 minutes, you have a great and delicious dinner, good for anyone from kids to the older crowd. I bet you could also use this as a dip, because I definitely wanted to dip some bread in the leftover sauce on my plate (but shhh, hope you keep my secret craving!). Even though I made this recipe on the stovetop, this recipe can be adapted to the slow cooker; I bet cooking it in the slow cooker would bring out a whole new depth of flavor to this recipe that would blow anyone's mind away! Maybe this sauce might end up on an actual pizza one night... I'd just have to buy some pizza dough and try it out. I'd love to find out how you use this sauce, so feel free to share.

Supreme Pizza Spaghetti Sauce
adapted from: New Cook Book 14th Edition by Better Homes and Gardens

*makes: 5 1/2 cups*

"Use a meatless spaghetti sauce, such as marinara, in this recipe."

Ingredients:
4 1/4 oz Italian Style Herb pork sausage, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp minced garlic
24 oz jarred chunky Italian Garden pasta sauce
1 green sweet pepper, finely chopped
2/3 cup mini pepperoni
1 tsp dried basil

Directions:
1) In a large skillet cook sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is brown. Drain off fat.
2) Add pasta sauce, pepper, pepperoni, and basil. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the pepper is tender.



Slow Cooker directions:
Prepare as above through Step 1. In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker combine pasta sauce, pepper, pepperoni, and basil. Stir in the sausage mixture. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3 hours and 15 minutes.