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Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Bites

June 28, 2018 by Abby

A creamy, cheesy, spicy Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Bites recipe that is just as pleasing to regular eaters as it is to low carb folks. It’s simple to make and gluten-free, too!

A creamy, cheesy, spicy Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Bites recipe that is just as pleasing to regular eaters as it is to low carb folks. It's simple to make and gluten-free, too!

One night in March of 2010, I was feeling off. I was tired and a little crampy, but I was always pretty “regular,” so I figured I knew what was up. I stopped by the grocery store after work to grab frozen jalapeño poppers, tampons and, on a whim, a pregnancy test. Once home, I tossed the poppers in the oven and headed to the bathroom to take the test.

It was positive! Nine months later, G was born. So basically, for me, jalapeño poppers are more than just crunchy, cheesy, creamy bites of spicy goodness. They’re a fun reminder of those few minutes I jumped up and down the hall of the first home we bought together, our giant black lab bounding along behind me.

While these Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Bites didn’t accompany a positive pregnancy test (or a negative one), they are certainly memorable.

A creamy, cheesy, spicy Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Bites recipe that is just as pleasing to regular eaters as it is to low carb folks. It's simple to make and gluten-free, too!

My main goal in creating low carb recipes is that each one doesn’t seem diet-y at all. I want them to be just as appealing to my non-low carb eating friends and family as they are to those who are eating like I am. This recipe totally delivers. They’re wonderfully creamy and smooth on the inside, with a delightfully flavorful crunch on the outside.

No one who eats these Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Bites will feel deprived in any way. There are no wacky substitutions here, just bite after bite of spicy and cheesy goodness.

A creamy, cheesy, spicy Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Bites recipe that is just as pleasing to regular eaters as it is to low carb folks. It's simple to make and gluten-free, too!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, Gluten-Free, in the kitchen, low carb, recipes, snack — Tagged With: appetizer, cheddar, cream cheese, jalapenos, low carb, mozzarella, pork rinds, recipe, recipes, snack

Jalapeño Popper Twice-Baked Potatoes

March 5, 2018 by Abby

Why not combine two of your all-time favorite party foods and make these perfectly cheesy and irresistibly savory Jalapeño Popper Twice-Baked Potatoes?

Why not combine two of your all-time favorite party foods and make these perfectly cheesy and irresistibly savory Jalapeño Popper Twice-Baked Potatoes?

Are you ever awed by your own brilliance?

I’m not, at least usually, but one exception would be these Jalapeño Popper Twice-Baked Potatoes. I can’t remember what led to that stroke of culinary genius, but I remember standing in front of the refrigerator, both doors open, and thinking, “I should make jalapeño popper twice-baked potatoes!”

And so I did.

Why not combine two of your all-time favorite party foods and make these perfectly cheesy and irresistibly savory Jalapeño Popper Twice-Baked Potatoes?

I poppered these puppies up in a few different ways. First, I added diced jalapeños to the potato filling. I tossed in some cream cheese, too. Lastly, I topped each potato half with a mixture of Parmesan and bread crumbs to give the whole dish that golden crunch you expect from good jalapeño poppers.

I know I’m not the first person to combine these two particular food favorites, but damn is it a good combo.

Why not combine two of your all-time favorite party foods and make these perfectly cheesy and irresistibly savory Jalapeño Popper Twice-Baked Potatoes?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: dinner, food, in the kitchen, recipes, snack, supper — Tagged With: appetizer, bacon, cheese, dinner, jalapenos, potatoes, recipe, recipes, side dish, supper

Instant Pot Refried Beans

January 22, 2018 by Abby

Forget the can, and forget sweating over a hot stove. Instant Pot Refried Beans have that smooth restaurant-style texture you love, with the perfect hint of spice.

Forget the can, and forget sweating over a hot stove. Instant Pot Refried Beans have that smooth restaurant-style texture you love, with the perfect hint of spice.

It all started with a bag of frozen Green Chile Chicken Taquitos. Two bags, actually. We had two bags, 14 taquitos in total, in the freezer at church. They were too old to give to people (“Congratulations on the birth of your baby! Here’s a bag of slightly freezer-burnt taquitos to help you out.”), but not too old to feed to the Wednesday night crowd.

14 taquitos wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone, of course, so I volunteered to make more. I volunteered before I was told just how many more would be. 100+, as it turns out. By that point I was all in, though, so I brainstormed a side dish, too. I’ve been making slow cooker refried beans for ages, so I knew immediately I had to replicate that recipe for the instant pot.

I’m used to having beans cooking all day when I make them in the slow cooker; it was so nice to have these guys ready in a fraction of the time, with the added bonus of not needing to stir them occasionally. The group at church Wednesday nights is mostly kids, so I wasn’t sure how refried beans would go over, but they were a hit! Several of the kids came back for seconds. At the end of the night, there hardly any left in the pot.

Forget the can, and forget sweating over a hot stove. Instant Pot Refried Beans have that smooth restaurant-style texture you love, with the perfect hint of spice.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, food, frugal living, Gluten-Free, in the kitchen, recipes, supper — Tagged With: beans, dinner, instant pot, jalapenos, onion, recipe, recipes, refried beans, supper

Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Baguette

December 11, 2017 by Abby

When it comes to cheesy, spicy, crowd-pleasing, freezer-friendly appetizers, it doesn’t get more perfect than this Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Baguette.

When it comes to cheesy, spicy, crowd-pleasing, freezer-friendly appetizers, it doesn't get more perfect than this Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Baguette.

Y’all, this is bread stuffed with cheese and bacon and jalapeños and more cheese. It’s the ultimate in mouthwatering appetizers. Okay, fine, full disclosure: I might have baked up a section of this stuff for myself for lunch the other day. But to be far, I needed to get some photos of it, and then I couldn’t just not eat it.

If you watch many of those addictive food videos on Facebook, you’ve likely seen a few that feature stuffed bread-related recipes. A lot of those involve carving out the top of a loaf, though, like a boat, and I couldn’t picture that method being conducive to appetizer- or snack-size portions. So instead I hollowed out the center of a baguette, stuffed it with a jalapeño popper-inspired filling, and cut it into party ready rounds. I took this Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Baguette to two different get-togethers in the last month and it was a hit both times.

When it comes to cheesy, spicy, crowd-pleasing, freezer-friendly appetizers, it doesn't get more perfect than this Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Baguette.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, in the kitchen, recipes, snack — Tagged With: appetizer, bacon, bread, cheese, cream cheese, jalapenos, recipe, recipes, snack

Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce

October 26, 2017 by Abby

Making homemade green enchilada sauce is easier than you think, and it’s the perfect way to turn up the volume on your favorite enchiladas recipe.

Making homemade green enchilada sauce is easier than you think, and it's the perfect way to turn up the volume on your favorite enchiladas recipe.

I’ve never been a fan of enchiladas made with red sauce. I do like them better when I use homemade sauce, but I much prefer enchiladas made with a lighter, green sauce. Plus, I’ll basically eat anything with roasted peppers, so there’s that.

Roasting fresh peppers gives them a depth of flavor that you just can’t find in a canned sauce. By combining the peppers with garlic and onions, you get a result that, in addition to being the perfect Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce, can be used as a salsa or a marinade.

Making homemade green enchilada sauce is easier than you think, and it's the perfect way to turn up the volume on your favorite enchiladas recipe.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, food, in the kitchen, recipes, supper — Tagged With: diy, enchiladas, homemade, jalapenos, onion, peppers, poblanos, recipe, recipes, sauce

Mexican Street Corn Salad

September 14, 2017 by Abby

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

I first made this Mexican Street Corn Salad a few months ago for guests. The adults and the teenagers all raved about it, and not in a just-being-polite kind of way, either. In fact, at least a couple of them went back for seconds and thirds. I made it recently for a church potluck and, again, the salad got rave reviews.

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

It’s not hard to see why this recipe is such a hit. With the sweet and smoky notes of charred corn, the hit of spice from chipotle chili pepper and jalapeños, and the cooling notes of sour cream and citrus, you’ve got a perfect summer salad that will transition right into fall. Sure, grilled corn is typically a summer staple, but the beauty of this recipe is that you capture all the favorite flavors of Mexican street corn without leaving your kitchen.

With sweet and smoky charred corn, cool sour cream and citrus, and the perfect notes of spice, this Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a year-round hit at your house!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: dinner, food, in the kitchen, recipes, snack, supper — Tagged With: appetizer, cheese, cooking, corn, dinner, food, green onions, jalapenos, recipe, recipes, salad, side dish, supper

Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream

June 26, 2017 by Abby

Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream offer perfect lightly-fried bites of sweet corn, cheese, and peppers topped with a slightly-spicy citrus sour cream.

Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream offer perfect lightly-fried bites of sweet corn, cheese, and peppers topped with a slightly-spicy citrus sour cream.

My grandfather (Gramps) brought fresh corn to a family gathering last week. Like, picked-from-the-field-that-day fresh. He and my aunt tried cooking it using that cooler and boiling water hack. I’m not sure it worked, but seriously, it didn’t matter. The room temperature corn I devoured – sans butter, salt, or pepper – was divine. So divine, in fact, that I brought a bag of leftover ears home and immediately began dreaming of what I wanted to do with it.

I have several go-to corn recipes, but only one that I had all the ingredients for: Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream. Just like regular corn cakes, these guys are packed with juicy kernels and cheddar cheese. To add a Southwestern twist, I toss in sweet bell peppers and jalapeños. The resulting corn cakes are on the spicy side (I use a full tablespoon of diced jalapeño), so the jalapeño lime cream is the perfect cool relief.

Southwestern Corn Cakes with Jalapeño Lime Cream offer perfect lightly-fried bites of sweet corn, cheese, and peppers topped with a slightly-spicy citrus sour cream.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: dinner, food, in the kitchen, recipes, snack, supper — Tagged With: appetizer, corn, dinner, jalapenos, lime, recipe, recipes, side dish, snack, southwestern, supper

Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip

March 27, 2017 by Abby

Warm, cheesy, melty, and perfectly spicy,  Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip is the perfect easy, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipe for your next party (or regular Friday night).

Warm, cheesy, melty, and perfectly spicy, Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip is the perfect easy, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipe for your next party (or regular Friday night).

We had yet another school staff party a few weeks ago, this time celebrating our sweet school nurse and our rock star high school counselor. The Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip and S’mores Cheesecake Bars I’d made the week before were both huge hits, so I knew I had a lot to live up to.

This jalapeño popper dip is something I’ve wanted to make forever. I love real jalapeño poppers, so I knew there was no way I wouldn’t love an easy dip version. Also, I knew it’d be moderately spicy enough to appeal to a variety of preferences. Besides, who can resist a dish of oozy, melted cheese?

No one, it seems, because this jalapeño popper dip was gone by the end of the day. The secret to taking the dip over-the-top is the crunchy, cheesy topping. Breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese are tossed with melted butter and sprinkled over the cream cheese mixture. The whole thing is baked, resulting in a crispiness that mimics the real fried version.

Warm, cheesy, melty, and perfectly spicy, Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip is the perfect easy, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipe for your next party (or regular Friday night).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, in the kitchen, recipes, snack — Tagged With: appetizer, cream cheese, dip, jalapenos, party food, recipe, recipes, snack

Quick and Easy Fresh Salsa

October 5, 2015 by Abby

Quick and easy fresh salsa is ready in minutes. It’s perfect for tacos, nachos, or just with tortilla chips.

Quick and easy fresh salsa is ready in minutes. It's perfect for tacos, nachos, or just with tortilla chips.

I did not expect to like this salsa.

I don’t care for tomatoes and I typically prefer smooth restaurant-style salsas to chunky ones. But I love this stuff.

The tomatoes are diced, so you aren’t getting huge chunks of them. The red onion adds a full flavor and crisp crunch, and the jalapeño gives the whole thing the perfect amount of heat.

When you toss the whole mixture with lime juice and salt and pepper, the flavors meld together for a quick and easy fresh salsa that tastes like it took hours to make.

Since first making this recipe, I’ve made it another half dozen times at least. I’ve enjoyed it on quesadillas and taquitos, on nachos and chimichangas. I’ve eaten more than my share of tortilla chips because I just want to shovel it in.

For those who love chunky salsa, this stuff is a no-brainer. For those who profess their love of the puréed version, I beg you to try this. I bet my quick and easy fresh salsa will be your new go-to condiment.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, in the kitchen, recipes, snack — Tagged With: five ingredients or less, fresh, garlic, jalapenos, onions, salsa, tomatoes

mexican cornbread

September 23, 2015 by Abby

Not your grandma’s pasty cornbread, Mexican cornbread is stuffed with bacon, jalapeños, corn and, of course, plenty of cheese. It’s light and spicy and the perfect side to just about anything you serve.

Not your grandma's pasty cornbread, Mexican cornbread is stuffed with bacon, jalapeños, corn and, of course, plenty of cheese. It's light and spicy and the perfect side to just about anything you serve.

First, for the record, my grandmother makes phenomenal cornbread, the way any woman born and raised in The South should. Granny’s is fluffy and flavorful and not at all packy or pasty. I’ve sampled plenty of cornbread, though, that was dense and bland.

I’m not sure why my mother-in-law first mentioned making Mexican cornbread a couple weeks ago, but I’m really glad she did. She had a recipe she’d made  before, but it was exactly the kind of packed mess she didn’t want. When she came across this recipe in an old church cookbook, made by a friend’s mother, she knew it was the one.

This Mexican cornbread recipe is perfectly balanced with sweet corn, spicy jalapeños, and salty bacon. Earthy cheddar cheese is layered in the middle and sprinkled on the top; substituting pepperjack cheese would add a nice kick of heat. The cornbread is best served warm, with the cheese melty, but it’s also tasty straight from the refrigerator. [Read more…]

Filed Under: dinner, food, in the kitchen, recipes, supper — Tagged With: bread, cheese, cornbread, dinner, jalapenos, side dish, spicy, supper

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