Super Sunday

I know it's been a little quiet here on the blog, but you know I couldn't let Super Bowl XLVI go by without posting! This year's Super Bowl fete was all about the dips. My contributions included a classic and a new comber.

{Rocco's Tacos Famous Guacamole}

Always a hit. It's a staple at his restaurants. Get the recipe here.

{Green Chile Dip}

Rachael Ray called it zippy. I didn't think it had much zip, tasted mostly like feta. Cream cheese, feta, salsa Verde, jalapenos...how can you go wrong? Recipe here.

Well, football is over for a while folks. What to do until it returns? Hopefully more cooking, eating, traveling and blogging! Until then!

xoxo,

H

Every Day with Rachael Ray

One of the things I love about Rachael Ray is how she turns your favorite food into something else. She can turn your favorite dip into a burger, a mac & cheese or in this case, a pizza! Spinach-Artichoke French Bread Pizza! This is a recipe from her magazine I have been meaning to try for a long time, and I don't know why I waited so long!  It is everything you love about spinach-artichoke dip, spread on a loaf of french bread, baked until bubbly, and turned into a perfect finger food for watching football!

{Crispy, crunchy, creamy deliciousness}

Thanks Rachael, you've done it again!

xoxo,

H

Self Proclaimed Queen of Burgers

Rachael Ray describes herself as the "Self-Proclaimed Queen of Burgers", and for good reason! She will put anything and everything on a burger...and the messier the better!Well, I too love a good burger, and am a sucker for anything spicy, so I had to try this recipe for Poblano Popper Sliders! For lack of patience, I made them in to full size burgers, but that just means more goodness in a serving!

These burgers have it all: moist, spicy, crunchy, ooey gooey and delicious!

I dare to not lick your fingers when eating these!

Way to go, Rachael, you've done it again!

Meatless Monday

What do you get when Rachael Ray turns your favorite dip into a pasta dish? The most downloaded recipe from her site, is what! That's right, a Spinach & Artichoke Macaroni & Cheese! I have seen this on her show a few times, and I finally downloaded it myself. All I have to say is...what was I waiting for??

A bubbly dish of cheesy, ooey, gooey pasta? Yes please. Throw in some veggies and you have one magnificent meatless meal! Of course it took more than the requisite 30 minutes, but it paid off cause this is ONE.HUGE.DISH. The recipe says it serves 4, but they would have to be 4 linebackers! I say it serves more like 8...or maybe 4 if everyone goes back for seconds, which you'll want to! ;) The only downside is I like my mac &cheese a little more saucy than it came out, so next time I'll make extra sauce, but that's just me. Otherwise, highly recommend!!

SobeWFF 2011- Kidz Kitchen

Day 2 of my trip to the South Beach Wine & Festival was to the Kellogg's Kidz Kitchen. Yes, you are supposed to have a kid with you, but I went with Sam & his mom, so doesn't that count? I was celebrating my 8 3/4 birthday after all! ;)

Now, let me tell you about going to an event like this...you HAVE to go with others, and you have to divide and conquer to be able to see/do it all! While one is on line for one show, the other can be in line for a book signing, and that's exactly how we did it! It's a long, exhausting day, but sooo worth it! Just take a look:

First up, Rachael Ray Demo:

Then I ran into Tony the Tiger:

Then on to the Cat Cora Book Signing:

such a sweetie!

Rocco DiSpirito Demo:

Rocco Book Signing:

Lastly, Giada De Laurentis Demo:

so sweet, such a good show, very gracious.

She even stayed to sign books even though it wasn't scheduled!

That's her signing my book!

An exhausting but super-fun day. I have the blisters to prove it! :)

SobeWFF 2011- Shine & Swine

Sorry for the delay in posting about my whirlwind weekend at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.  I hope you will forgive me! :) I have finally recuperated, but now I just hope to remember all the important details. Let's see how I do...starting with the first event SHINE & SWINE.  (That means moonshine and pig, for those not in the know!) Held at the W Hotel in South Beach and hosted by Adam Perry Lang, how can you go wrong? Well, let me tell you! First, I should tell you that the tickets were won by my friend Sam, by writing a poem about Lee Schrager, genius behind the festival. We find out he won at the last minute and immediately head down to Sobe to live it up. All was good until I get a call 5 minutes from Sobe that Sam, bless his heart, was swatting a spider (A spider!) in his car driving down to Sobe using the FedEx with the tickets in it, and the tickets. flew. out. the. window. NO.JOKE. So then, we went to plan B. Show up and somehow get in. Well, the foodie gods were looking after us that night, cause we walked right up to the women in charge of tickets, told her our story, and got right in (Thanks Ashley!). The event itself was kind of a dud-totally wouldn't pay $100 for the tickets, and the star, Adam didn't show his face once, but we stumbled upon the best spot to stand in the whole party...the entrance/exit to the VIP section. Here is where we had the time of our lives! Check out who stumbled upon us....

That's Jamie Oliver!

Lee Schrager, Genius behind the festival

Rachael Ray!

Also met Art Smith, but his photo is on Sam's camera, since I was taken off camera duty after my flash didn't go off when I took a picture of him and Rachael...

Sorry Sam!

All in all, a pretty exhilarating evening. I must say, I didn't sleep at all that night I was so excited!

A poppin' good time

It's no secret I love good dip, maybe a little more than the average person! Being Football Season and all, I am getting plenty of opportunities to try new dips! This week, another Rachael Ray play on a traditional dish, the Jalapeno Popper. Yes, it's a Jalapeno Popper Dip In all honesty, it tastes exactly like eating a popper! Smoky jalapenos, melty cheese and a little crusty on top..., yes please!! Not overly spicy, just the right amount of kick. Another tick in the win column!

And yes, that is my new Rachael Ray Bubble & Brown, thank you for asking!



silly sausage

I love pizza (who doesn't?) and I adore dips, so why would I not love something called Sausage Pizza Dip?! Yes, it is every bit as good as it sounds! Basically, it's a sausage pizza in a bowl for your dipping pleasure. Take a look at this bubbly magic right out of the oven:

Add some french baguette for dipping...

And you have a lovely plate of dipping deliciousness!

It may not look like much, but it really tasted like eating your favorite takeout pizza! With only a few ingredients, it was simple to make and a sure crowd pleaser!



Taco Thursday

Watching a recent Rachael Ray Show episode, I got a craving for fish tacos, especially the ones from Rubio's. Now some of you may be surprised that I actually like fish tacos (since I don't eat most seafood), but in most fish tacos the fish is fried, so I can endorse that! Of course Rachael's wasn't fried, and I was feeling particularly lazy, so this is what I threw together:

The recipe could not be simpler:

Mrs.Paul's Fish fillets

coleslaw mix dressed in lime juice

avocado cream

flour tortillas

Told you it was simple! It hit the spot though, with a little crunch, a little zest and a lot of flavor...As Rachael would say...Yum-o!

Did someone say chipotle?

So, anyone who knows me, knows I will try anything with the word chipotle in it. Like the new Cheddar Chipotle Chex Mix, yep, I tried it and it's delicious!! So, of course I was going to love something called Double Decker Chipotle Chicken Club. 

 As Rachael Ray described it "Consider this a meal trapped in the body of a sandwich." It has some of my favorite items in it: Chicken, bacon, avocado and yes, chipotles. *warning* It was quite spicy, so I had to dilute the mixture with double the chicken and mayo. Consider yourself warned!

Mine didn't turn out as pretty as Rachael's,

But I don't care cause it was tasty!