No Bake Beer Dip!

We decide to have a party. I find a recipe called "Beer Dip." Was there even an ounce of questioning that went in to deciding to make this for the party? Absolutely not. Then I learned it didn't even require any baking. HELLO! My new favorite dip.  You definitely must like the taste of beer to enjoy this dip. It takes 5 minutes and was a nice cold alternative to most dips. Big thanks to Balancing Beauty & Bedlam for the new recipe that will be perfect for football watching!

No Bake Beer Dip

Serves: enough for a party (Original recipe says 12 people)

Cook time according to Balancing Beauty: 5 mins + 30 mins in fridge to cool

Cook time according to Rachel: 5 mins

How difficult was this for Rachel? Psh EASY!

Ingredients:                                

3 (8 ounce) pkgs softened cream cheese
1 pkg dry Ranch dressing
1/2-3/4 can of beer
2 cups shredded cheese
Recommend a full bodied beer to get full flavor

Optional: bacon bits, green onions (I was in a rush so there was no time for this, but for sure in the future)

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, beer & ranch seasoning thoroughly.

Mix in 1/2 cup of cheese leaving the remaining to sprinkle on top.

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Fridge for 30 mins.

Garnish with bacon bits & green onion. Serve with pretzels or chips.

Funfetti Cake Dip!

So, this happened. While patrolling one of my favorite blogs Eat Yourself Skinny looking for more party foods, I stumbled across this dip. With zero control, my mouth immediately said "Hell yes" out loud.  Good thing nobody heard me but Duke.  Apparently it is also low in fat & calories, but when it came to our house warming party, calories weren't exactly on the mind. I stole the final pic below from Eat Yourself Skinny because the second I was able to get this dip into a bowl, hungry party-goers were already eating it.  Guess I'll just have to make it again to get another picture!

Funfetti Cake Dip

Serves: If it was up to me, one bowl would be a serving

Cook time according to Eat Yourself Skinny: 2 mins of prep time, must cool for 4 hours

Cook time according to Rachel: Same!

How difficult was this for Rachel to make? Easy breezy!

Ingredients:

Best part? 

1 18oz box Funfetti cake mix

2 cups fat-free plain yogurt

1 cup cool whip

1 box Teddy Grams 

(Original recipe called for animal crackers, but I couldn't find any!)   

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix cake mix, yogurt & cool whip until completely combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours. 

Picture graciously stolen from Eat Yourself Skinny

That's it!

Twice Baked Potatoes

With every meal comes a lesson. The lesson I learned from these potatoes? PAY ATTENTION (yes, I say this to myself a lot).  I found this recipe from Weight Watchers Recipes (thank you Pinterest) and after seeing the photo, I was sold. However, the recipe calls for 3 large baking potatoes. I only wanted to make 2.  Ask me if I adjusted the rest of the ingredients for only 2 potatoes instead of 3...NOPE. So these potatoes were a bit on the creamier side. J of course wolfed them down and I enjoyed them as well...but I will be attempting these again with the modified ingredient amounts.  Because I like my followers, I adjusted the ingredients below to what they SHOULD be for 2 potatoes.

Best part of this? I made these potatoes to go with this pain in the ass dish, Crunchy Honey Garlic Chicken. What a disaster of a meal.

Twice Baked Potatoes
Serves: 2
Cook time according to Weight Watchers: 1 hour 40 mins
Cook time according to Rachel: 2 hours
How difficult was this for Rachel to make? If I had paid attention, maybe moderately difficult

Ingredients:

2 large baking potatoes
1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp green onion slices
1/4 cup light sour green
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp paprika

(I have no idea why I put garlic in this photo)



Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Pierce potatoes in several places with the tip of a sharp knife. Cook potatoes for 1 hour- 1 hour 25 mins, until tender.

Immediately cut potatoes length wise in half. Scoop out centers, leaving 1/4 inch thick shells.  I struggled with this a bit because my potatoes weren't 100% tender.

In a large bowl, mix the scooped out potato, broth, 1/4 cup cheese, onions and sour cream until well blended. 

Scoop back into potatoes and add additional cheese (I accidentally added the cheese after the 2nd round of baking)

 Bake an additional 20 mins. (It should NOT be this liquidy!)

{Recipe} Crunchy Honey Garlic Chicken

Ohmygod it's been almost a MONTH since my last post. That is simply depressing...and also says I have been eating takeout and frozen foods for far too long.  In the past few weeks I moved out of my little one bedroom apartment into a big 'ol house (just renting!) and went back to work after a lovely 3 month summer vacation. Ergo, ZERO time to cook.  This particular meal was made in the midst of packing and what a dumb idea that was.  Never attempt a complicated meal while surrounded in boxes.  The chicken was not as crunchy as the original picture alluded to, but it was still tasty...just a bit of a pain in the ass. 

ABOUT

Serves: 4

Cook time according to Barry: Doesn't say

Cook time according to Rachel: I want to say an hour, but it was so long ago I can't remember...but it did take a while

How difficult was this for Rachel?  Some may say challenging. I say pain in the ass.

INGREDIENTS

1 cups flour                                                  

2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 eggs
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Honey Garlic Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 additional tsp ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Sift together everything listed above the eggs.

In a separate bowl mix the eggs with 4 tbsp water creating an egg wash.

Here's where things got fun.  Directions say to place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap & use a meat mallet to pound the meat to an even 1/2 inch thickness.  Well I don't own a meat mallet but I do own a hammer. I asked J what he thought about using the hammer instead...you would have thought I sprouted wings by the look on his face.  Then I read alternatively, I could just slice the breasts into halves.  Ok great. First one no problem.

The 2nd one however...

Moving on.

Dip the meat in the flour/seasoning mix then into the egg wash and then once again dip back into the flour/seasoning mix.

I got so carried away with the mess I was making, I forgot to take pics.  Heat a skillet on the stove with about half an ince of olive oil covering the bottom. I didn't use as much because it seemed like too much. This may have been a mistake. Cook the chicken gently for about 4-5 mins per side. Must be careful to regulate the temp and not let them burn because they are so thin.

I also skipped the next step. THAT was a mistake.

Once chicken are fully brown, drain on a wire rack for a few mins.

I also forgot to take a picture of the sauce. Remember, I was in the midst of moving. Be nice.

Combine all the ingredients listed under Honey Garlic Sauce.  Coat the chicken evenly and serve.

Just wait till you see what I did to the potatoes that I served with this pain in the ass dish

Coming soon...