Grilled Greek Chicken Kabobs

Mike really likes Mediterranean and Greek foods and I don't mind them, so I was looking for a new recipe that used this style of cuisine.  I found this Kraft recipe for Grilled Chicken Kabobs.  Kraft recipes tend to be pretty simple and yield great results, so I was hoping this recipe would turn out great.  We liked the overall effect, but I am not sure that it was quite as simple as I wanted it to be.  I started out by mixed together the marinade of Greek vinaigrette and mayonnaise.  I added my pieces of chicken to the marinade and popped it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.  While the chicken was marinading, I cut a red onion into thin wedges.  I set up two grill pans on the oven and skewered the chicken and onions, alternating chicken and onions.  I used wooden skewers, but you could definitely use metal skewers.  I grilled the skewers on each side for about 4 minutes.  It was hard to tell if the chicken was completely done, so I put the skewers on a baking sheet and popped them in the oven for a few minutes.  

We enjoyed our chicken skewers with a side of pasta salad.  The flavor was really great and we definitely liked the chicken.  However, Costco also sells some chicken skewers that just need to be heated up in the oven.  The Costco skewers are definitely easier and are pretty tasty.  I think with a few modifications, I may prefer the Costco skewers for the fact that they are a little more simple.  This recipe wasn't a total fail,  but was not necessarily the easiest way to grill kabobs. 

Red, Red Wine

Saturday was a cool day in central Texas and we enjoyed it!  We did a late lunch/brews/coffee at Redhorn Brewery, shopping at the Parke near our home, and finally a late dinner at the Rotten Bunch.  The Rotten Bunch is a wine bar that serves appetizers, small plates, and desserts.  It was perfect for us as we ate a late lunch.  I also liked that they served 3 and 6 oz pours, so I had the opportunity to try multiple wines and still be able to drive home safely.  I tried two different red wines and was happy with my choices.  The atmosphere was cozy and romantic, great for a date night, but would also make a fun spot to visit with friends. 

We started with a shared appetizer of the smoked Gouda.  The Gouda was served with crispy pretzel bread and an apple slaw.  The cheese was thinly sliced and tasty.  The apple slaw was sweet and tangy and served with candied nuts.  It was the perfect start to our meal. 

For the main course, I picked the hanger steak with a chimichurri sauce.  It was served with ricotta and sliced bread.  The steak was cooked to perfection and the chimichurri has inspired me to make similar meals.  The creamy ricotta and bread rounded out the meal nicely.  I was very happy and the portion was just right.  I definitely plan on making a copycat meal of this selection. 

Mike enjoys gnocchi and guessed that this would be a great play to get it.  His dish consisted of gnocchi, chicken, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and roasted red peppers.  The gnocchi was delicate and almost creamy.  The chicken was tender and well seasoned.  It was another excellent choice.  While it was a little on the pricey side, we definitely enjoyed this meal and look forward to trying more options of their ever changing menu. 

And The Wiener Is...

This weekend the weather was all over the place in Austin.  Friday was warm, Saturday was cool and Sunday was perfect.  We didn't let the weather get in the way of having a great time together.  On Friday, we decided to head over to Whitestone Brewery to try out a food truck we kept missing, Evil Wiener.  The Evil Wiener was a hotdog and french fry food truck with several clever named hotdog options.  Mike and I were on the same page on Friday and we each tried the Alamo.  The Alamo was a beef hotdog covered in queso and crispy tortilla straws.  We paired the hotdogs with our favorite Whitestone beers and a side of seasoned fries. 

I am glad we tried the food truck!  The girl running the truck was funny and the food was done super quick.  The hotdogs were of good quality and the toppings were perfect.  The queso had good flavor, but was not too spicy, nor was there too much queso on the dogs.  The tortilla straws were a great addition, too.  I only like tasty fries and these passed my test.  They were well seasoned and well cooked.  I didn't even feel the need for ketchup.  We will definitely try this truck again and were happy that they helped to start off a fabulous weekend for us. 

Our Ice Cream is Graeter Than Yours

Technically, this was not our first visit to Scoop and Score located in Cedar Park.  However, the last time we visited, we ate our ice cream so fast that we forgot to get pictures!  Scoop and Score serves delicious Graeter's ice cream and Cuvée coffee.  For a real treat, try an affogato which combines both!  We visited on a Saturday evening after eating pizza at Local Slice in the same shopping center.  There were a few girls working there who we all very excited about the wonders of Graeter's ice cream.  We each tried a few new flavors before making our selections.  I opted for the kid's double of salted caramel and coffee ice creams.  The kid's double is perfect for someone who wants a small size, but multiple flavors.  I was very happy with this choice and it tasted like an affogato without the caffeine.

Mike ordered his favorite, mint chip, in a waffle bowl.  Graeter's mint chip is amazing and doesn't have any artificial colors or flavors.  The waffle bowl was baked to perfection.  We also splurged and took home a pint of mint chip, because as our server said, "Nothing compares to Graeter's!"  Next time you find yourself in Cedar Park, make sure you check this place out.  If you come visit us, I can guarantee we will take you! 

Caesar Pork and Pasta

I tried another new recipe last week and I must admit, it was not a huge success.  Pork is super hard to cook apparently and I'm wondering if my meat thermometer might not be working well.  This recipe sounded pretty simple and I liked that it was a meal for two because sometimes you don't need leftovers.  It was also a Kraft recipe, which usually means its pretty simple, but it was not my best cooking experience yet.  The recipe I tried was Caesar Pork and Pasta.   I started by cooking the pasta, which turned out just fine.  My first mistake might have been using my cast iron skillet.  I may have had better luck with my nonstick pan.  I heated up my pan, while I prepared my pork chops by putting Caesar dressing and parmesan cheese on two bone in pork chops.  Once my pan was heated, I added the pork chops, cheese side down.  I cooked the pork chops for 5 minutes on each side, but according to my thermometer, they weren't done.  I continued flipping the pork chops for several minutes trying to achieve the desired temperature without much luck.  Meanwhile, I was making a huge mess of my pan.  I could tell that the pork chops were done, even though the thermometer didn't agree, so I moved on to the next step.  I added my spinach and garlic to the pot with the pasta and cooked until the spinach was wilted.  Then, I added in some Caesar dressing, parmesan cheese, and cherry tomato halves, cooking until everything was heated.  I served up the pork chops and pasta and dinner was served.  The flavors of the pasta were delightful and I could see how the pork chops would have been tasty, had they not been so over cooked.  Clearly, I need more practice working with pork, or I should stick to the crock pot or sous vide with a trusty pork tenderloin in the future.  All attempts can't be perfect or things would get boring, so we will chalk this one up to keeping things interesting.  Not a bad idea, just a bad execution of said idea.

Turkey Time!

Wednesdays are trivia night at Whitestone and lately the Pizza Incident has been the featured food truck.   This past week, we got to try Gobble Gobble turkey burgers for the first time.  I must admit, I was a little wary of the turkey burgers, as many are a little dry and fail to meet the standards of a great burger.  This truck took things in a different direction.  We were served gourmet turkey burgers that were well seasoned with arugula, lemon garlic aoili, and Antonellis cheese.   

We split an order of cheesy potato rounds with a side of homemade ranch.  We were very happy with our food.  It was fresh and tasty.  I also liked that they tried to use local and healthy ingredients for their menu.  I was definitely skeptical about the burger and was proven wrong!  Our meal was great, unfortunately the same could not be said about our trivia game that night! 

Pin a Day: Easy Fajita Bake

Much like we hadn't been to any new restaurants in a bit, we also hadn't tried many new recipes.  That all changed this week.  On Tuesday, I tried a new recipe for Easy Fajita Bake.   This recipe was pretty easy to make and was tasty.  I make tacos and fajitas often, but sometimes its nice to try out a new recipe.  I started off by thinly slicing a red and green pepper.  I bought onions that were already chopped up, so I got to skip that step.  I preheated the oven and put my chicken breasts in the bottom of a glass baking dish.  I sprinkled some fajita seasoning on top of my chicken breasts. Next, I added the onions and peppers.  I drizzled olive oil over the chicken, peppers, and onions and cooked it for 35 minutes.  I pulled it out and sprinkled it with shredded cheddar cheese and cooked it for another 10 minutes.  After it was done cooking, I cut a piece off one of the chicken breasts, topped with onions and peppers, and added a dollop of sour cream.  Mike cut his up into pieces and put it in a tortilla.  We really liked this meal, but it wasn't necessarily easier or certainly not faster than traditional fajitas.  This chicken would also be good served with rice.

Aye, Aye, Aye

Hi Fans! It's been a while since I've last posted, but I'm back!  I had a bit of issues with allergies so I wasn't making new recipes and then my parents visited.  We took them to lots of great places, but no places that were new to us.   On Saturday, we actually tried two new places.  The first place we visited was Doghouse Drinkery and Dog Park.  It was a dog park with a bar, located near us.  We attended a fundraiser there for a shelter.  Lola got her picture taken with the Easter Bunny, took an IQ test, and had so much fun running around the park with the other dogs.  It was cute that she would run with dogs and then check in with us.  She also made friends with lots of people at the event.  We were only there for a few hours, but she was so tired afterwards.  She took a nap on my lap when we got home and we had to wake her up for dinner so we could go to dinner.  We opted to try Cielito Lindo located not too far from us in Cedar Park.  We nearly missed it hidden in a little strip mall, but we were glad we didn't!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

We started off with chips, salsa, and queso.  The salsa had a smoky flavor that built into something a bit more spicy.  In contrast, the queso was smooth and creamy, without a kick.  We enjoyed both as we checked out the menu and weighed our options. 

I chose the enchiladas verde with chicken.  My meal was completed with rice and black beans.  I was very happy with my food.  The enchiladas were tasty.  The chicken was nice and juicy and the verde sauce was amazing.  It had excellent flavor and was the perfect choice for me. 

Mike opted to create his own dinner with tamales colorado, rice, and a giant pork taco!  Mike's food was yummy, too.  We both were quite stuffed after finishing our dinner and were a little sad that we didn't have any room left to try out the tres leches cake!  Our meal was also cheap, but we got a bang for our buck!  We will definitely head back next time we are looking for a more authentic Mexican meal, rather than the typical Tex Mex places we frequent.  We also look forward to sharing our find with our next set of visitors.

Pin a Day: Birthday Cake Balls

This week we celebrated Lola's first birthday and the anniversary of trivia at Whitestone.  I felt the perfect way to commemorate the moment was with these Birthday Cake Balls.   I don't make cake balls very often because they are a pain for what you get.  I decided to give this recipe a try because it sounded simple and they are tasty.  I started by mixing together softened butter and sugar.  To that, I added flour, cake mix, vanilla, and salt.  This made a crumbly mixture, so I added milk a tablespoon at a time.  Eventually, I had added about 4 tablespoons of milk and it was the consistency of play dough.  I added in a generous helping of sprinkles and formed the dough into balls.  This mixture made about 20 balls with my scoop.  I put them in the fridge for about 20-25 minutes to chill.

After the balls had chilled, I melted some white almond bark.  The brand I bought divided the bark into almost ice cube sized pieces.  I melted 4 cubes to start in the microwave.  I later melted 1-2 more cubes.  I dipped the balls in the melted bark using toothpicks.  After they were dipped, I placed them on the baking sheet.  I used a knife dipped in bark to cover the holes from the toothpick and then added more sprinkles.  Once they were all done, they went back into the fridge until it was time for trivia. 

They turned out beautiful and were quite the hit at trivia.  Another success in my book was that these were the least frustrating cake balls I've ever made.  I would definitely make these again and perhaps try other types of cake or melted chocolate on top. 

Pin a Day: Crock Pot Teriyaki Pork

We had a busy Tuesday this week.  Mike was heading to the office, Lola was going to playcare, and I had a ton of errands to get done.  I knew I would be tired by the time dinner came around, so I opted for a crockpot meal with easy to make sides.  I tried a new recipe for Crock Pot Teriyaki Pork.   I followed some of the directions included in the recipe, but sometimes I make changes to best meet our needs.  I started by placing the pork tenderloin in the crockpot.  It called for me to brown the tenderloin, but I decided to skip that step.  I made a sauce of teriyaki sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes (I couldn't find red chiles), pepper, and onions.  I poured the sauce on the tenderloin and cooked it on low for about 5-5.5 hours.  After picking up Mike and Lola, I made some rice and steamed broccoli to serve with the pork.  I sliced the pork carefully, as it almost fell apart.  I served the pork with the rice and broccoli and we drizzled the leftover sauce on top.  This pork was amazing!  It was flavorful and tender.  Had the pork fallen apart, it would have made a great pulled pork, too.  Sometimes its good to have a nice stand by crockpot recipe, and this recipe definitely fit the bill!

Pin a Day: Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

BBQ is one of our favorite styles to eat now that we are Austonians, but we never make it ourselves.  At first it was a matter of living in an apartment and not wanting to burn the state down when we moved here, but we've gotten lazy.  There are so many great BBQ places.  Sometimes, you just want to make a little bit at your own home.  We lucked out in finding this recipe for Oven Baked BBQ Chicken.  It was easy to make and so yummy.  I also remembered that I need to do a better job reading directions a bit in advance when I am trying a new recipe.  This recipe called for the chicken to marinate for at least an hour before cooking, so I thought we'd have BBQ chicken on Sunday, but we ended up eating it on Monday instead.  To make the marinade, I mixed together olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper.  I let them marinate overnight and cooked on Monday.  I preheated my oven to 350 and lined a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  I put my chicken breasts on the baking sheet and brushed them with some special St. Louis Sugarfire BBQ sauce.  I cooked them for 20 minutes.  I flipped them over, brushed them with more sauce, and cooked them for 10 minutes.  I repeated the process once and they were ready to go.  The chicken paired great with my bacon cheese grits and a side salad.  The only downside to this recipe was that we didn't have any leftovers!  I think I may have found a new go to chicken dish.

Pin a Day: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

On Fridays during Lent, I try really hard to make meals without meat for Mike.  It's a challenge to come up with a variety of meals that taste great.  It definitely gives me new respect for vegetarians.  This week, I tried this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta.    This recipe sounded interesting and we knew it would provide plenty of leftovers, too.  I started out by bringing water to a boil in my large cast iron pot.  While that was boiling, I made my pesto sauce.  I pulsed my pine nuts in the food processor.  Next, I added in parmesan cheese, spinach (which replaced the basil), roasted red peppers and garlic in oil, salt and pepper.  I pulsed that until it was nice and smooth.  I left out the olive oil, as my peppers were in a oil mix.  Once the pasta was done, I stirred in the pesto sauce and some heavy cream.  The results were delightful!  We had pasta with a different flavor than a traditional white or red sauce.  If I was wanting a bit more protein, this recipe would be great with some grilled chicken or Italian sausage.  This recipe is a definite keeper and makes a great meal when paired with a salad.

Pin a Day: Roasted Carrots

In our quest for healthier eating, I've decided to include more vegetables.  We like vegetables so this shouldn't be too hard.  However,  sometimes eating vegetables the same way every time gets a little boring.   Obviously, I've turned to Pinterest to help find some new ways to cook our favorite vegetables.  I opted for this recipe for Roasted Carrots.   This was a very simple recipe that yielded some tasty results.  I started by heating my oven to 400 degrees and lining my pan with aluminum foil. I placed the carrots on the pan and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Next, I drizzled some olive oil on the carrots and cooked them for 20 minutes.  I pulled them out and drizzled the carrots with a bit of honey and balsamic vinegar.  I cooked them 5 more minutes and then dinner was ready.  The results were a sweet and tangy carrot that was nice and crispy.  We really liked these carrots and plan to try this recipe using different vegetables, such as green beans or broccoli.  This is a great way to add vegetables to your meal without sacrificing flavor.

Pin a Day: BLT Salad

In our quest to eat a little healthier, I've been looking at several salad recipes.  Salad doesn't always seem like the most filling meal, so I picked a side salad.  On Monday, I made this BLT Salad.   I did make a few modifications to make it something we would want to eat.  First, I pulled my corn out of the freezer, heated some up, and allowed it to cool off.  I also cooked my bacon.  While the hot items were cooling off, I cut the lettuce and tomatoes.  I put the lettuce, tomato, corn, chopped bacon, and blue cheese in the bowl.  I substituted blue cheese for goat cheese and omitted the avocado.  Next, I mixed a dressing of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, and sugar.  I poured the dressing on the salad and served with our meal.  The salad was really tasty.  It definitely felt like a great summer salad with the zesty lime dressing.  This salad made plenty for a few meals.  Probably, the next time I make it, I'll put the dressing on each individual serving because the predressed salad didn't last very long as leftovers.

Pin a Day: French Dip Sliders

Sandwiches are one of my two favorite foods and are definitely the more socially acceptable option for a well balanced meal. (My other favorite is ice cream.)  I am always looking for new sandwich options to create.  This weekend, I got to try one when I made these French Dip Sliders.   These ended up being easy, delicious, and gave us lunches for a few days, too!  I started by buttering my 9x13 glass casserole dish and preheating the oven.  I was making tater tots, too, so I set the oven for 425 and put the tots in once the oven was preheated.  Meanwhile, I prepared the sandwiches.  I bought au jus concentrate and I heated that in a sauce pan along with water.  I sliced my Hawaiian rolls.  On each roll bottom,  I put a half slice of provolone cheese, roast beef, French's onions, another half slice of provolone cheese, and the roll top.  I put the sandwiches in the pan and poured the au jus on top.  I let the sandwiches cook about 10 minutes or until the cheese had melted. Dinner was yummy!  We enjoyed the sandwiches and tots.  This will definitely be added to our list of favorites to make again.

Fins to the Left, Fins to the Right

Thursday kicked off Amplify Austin in our part of the world.  The theme of Amplify Austin is "I Live Here, I Give Here."  It's a two day reminder to donate to some of the many fabulous non profits in the greater Austin area.  I had already planned on donating to Texas Humane Heroes, where we got Lola, especially having missed the Chili Cookoff that had recently occurred.  I happened upon an event at Whitestone Brewery that was giving support to the Austin Steam Train.  The Austin Steam Train is located right behind Whitestone, so this event seemed totally appropriate.  The Austin Steam Train was doing raffles and collecting donations to help with the maintenance of their historic trains.  We enjoyed a Beer Train event over the summer, so I knew I wanted to support them.  Originally, Jimmy Vegas truck was supposed to be at the event, but when we arrived Redfin was the food truck option.  I will admit, I was a little nervous, as I don't eat my friends from the sea.  However, we hadn't eaten dinner and I wanted to support the steam train, so we gave it a try. 

After browsing the menu, I opted for the short rib tacos.  They were delicious.  The meat was cooked until tender.  They were topped with a tangy slaw, cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime juice.  Mike selected the Blackened Redfish Sandwich and fries.  He really liked his sandwich and declared that redfish is his new go to fish choice.  His sandwich also had a slaw, spicy remoulade, and a fried green tomato.  The fries were well seasoned and didn't even need ketchup.  Despite being a little wary, we ended up quite pleased with our meal and in the future, we wouldn't shy away from Redfin as a dining option.  I was also happy to help support Austin Steam Train, even though we didn't win any cool raffle prizes. 

Incident at a Bar

On Wednesdays we play trivia at Whitestone Brewery.  It's become a family affair, as Lola loves to come and meet all the people.  It's also often a chance for us to try a new food truck.  This week was no exception to that rule, with the introduction of the brand new, Pizza Incident.  When I went to order our pizzas, she told me it was their second day open so they didn't even have the ability to take cards yet.  Fortunately, it was a rare occasion that I had some cash.  I ordered the "Cedar Park," which had chicken, onions, red peppers, and pesto.  Mike went with his favorite, pepperoni and pineapple.  Combined with some new brews from Whitestone, and we had the perfect meal.  The pizzas were cooked on a wood fire grill and they were awesome.  They had great flavor and there was a large variety of toppings available.  We placed third in trivia that night.  Afterwards, we enjoyed some beer and had a chance to chat with the owners of the Pizza Incident.  They were a really sweet couple, who were fellow dog lovers.  We look forward to seeing them again and trying more options on their delicious pizzas. 

Pin a Day: Kung Pao Spaghetti

This week we did Asian Tuesday.   Asian food works well for us because we usually have many of the ingredients on hand, you can improvise when necessary, and it often makes plenty of leftovers.  I also like that once you try it, you can usually make changes to make it perfect for your needs.  This week, I tried Kung Pao Spagetti.   This recipe was easy to make, super tasty and gave us plenty of leftovers.  I started by boiling water for the spagetti.  Next, I made the sauce mixture using soy sauce, chicken broth, chili paste, sugar, red wine vinegar, corn starch, and sesame oil.  The recipe also called for sherry, which I never seem to have, so I just added more soy sauce and chicken broth.  I whisked that and set it aside.  Next, I chopped up my green onions and peanuts.  I cut my chicken into bite sized pieces and added that to my skillet once the oil had heated up.  I cooked the chicken until it was fully cooked.  I removed the chicken from the skillet and cooked the garlic for 2 minutes.  At this point, I added the sauce to the skillet and heated it until boiling.  I let it thicken for about 2 minutes at a simmer and mixed in my cooked spaghetti noodles.  I added in the chicken, onions and peanuts and we were ready to eat.  We both really liked this meal and have been enjoying it as leftovers, too.  This is definitely a good recipe if you need to feed several people or you want plenty of leftovers.  You can also adjust the level of spice and add more vegetables, if desired.

Pin a Day: Grilled Mozzerella

We've had some really great grilled cheese at various food trucks and this week, I took the opportunity to try and make our own gourmet grilled cheese.  I figured I couldn't go wrong if I was armed with Martha's recipe for Grilled Mozzerella.   I bought some yummy sourdough bread and some fresh mozzerella and we were good to go.  I made half the recipe because we really only needed two sandwiches, instead of four.  I started by placing mozzerella on two slices of bread.  Next, I put the bread on top making a sandwich.  I made a mixture of heavy cream, nutmeg, thyme, and an egg.  I heated up some olive oil in a large skillet and then added a little bit of butter.  Once my skillet was sizzling, I dipped my sandwiches in the egg mixture and added them to the skillet.  The idea seamed to be half grilled cheese and half savory French toast.  I cooked the sandwiches for about 2 minutes on each side and we were ready to eat.  Normally, I like grilled cheese with soup, but it was a warm day so we had salad instead.  The results were great.  The sandwiches had a savory, crisp outside and a creamy, gooey center.  With Lent here, this will likely be a recipe we repeat often in the near future.

Oscars 2017

For the past 7 years now, we have been celebrating the Oscars in Austin.  The first year we were just visiting, but now its home.  Each year we come up with some appetizers, some old, some new, a dessert, and drinks to celebrate.  We try to watch as many of the best picture nominations as we can and then we make our predictions.  This year we squeezed in LaLa Land, Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and Hell or High Water.  We definitely want to see Fences and Lion and we are a little torn on Manchester by the Sea.   We did better at predictions than last year, but we were shocked by the end of the show!  It definitely ended on an exciting note, and kept things from being dull.

Mimosas by the Sea

For the Oscars, I like to have a signature cocktail.  Our planning this year was a little last minute, as we've been busy puppy parents lately.  I had champagne and orange juice and decided that we couldn't go wrong with a classic mimosa.  Paired with our fabulous Texas glasses, it was a great treat. 

Hidden Figures in a Blanket

Pigs in a blanket is an appetizer favorite of ours.  I happened to have some turkey little smokies in the freezer, so I let those thaw and added a strip of low fat crescent roll dough to each.  I cooked them at 375 for about 12-15 minutes and we had a tasty treat. 

Hell or High Wontons

Mike requested the taco wontons that were a bit of a happy accident.  The original recipe called for them to be eggrolls, but I have a hard time finding egg roll wrappers.  I can find wonton wrappers, so its become a favorite in our house.  I browned some ground beef and added taco seasoning and cheese.  I had Mike stuff the wontons while I was prepping the pigs.  We brushed the finished wontons with olive oil and cooked them for 15 minutes at 375, flipping at the 8 minute mark.

Moonlight Queso

Next, I wanted to try a new dip.  We live in Texas,  so queso is often on my mind.  I haven't found the perfect recipe yet, but I thought this one sounded good.  I tried this recipe for Crockpot Queso Blanco Dip.   The idea of the crockpot made me think it would be easier than some stovetop recipes that involve lots of stirring.  I chopped up cream cheese (I use low fat to make it healthier), White American cheese, and a jalapeno.  The recipe called for a small amount of jalapeno, but I used an entire jalapeno. I also added a can of diced green chilies and a tablespoon of butter to the crockpot.  I cooked the mixture about an hour on low, stirring occasionally.  I added a couple tablespoons of milk to the crockpot and turned the temperature to warm.  The flavor was great, but the consistency was pretty thick. It was good, but I'm still going to search for the perfect queso.

The Whole Spread

La La Land Peanut Butter S'mores Pie

The other new recipe I tried for Oscars was Peanut Butter S'Mores Pie.  I didn't have one of the ingredients upon inspection, but I made do with what I had.  I bought a premade graham cracker crust. In my stand mixer, I combined low fat cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.  I didn't have sweetened condensed milk so I substituted more peanut butter, more powdered sugar, and some heavy cream. I folded in some low fat Cool Whip.  Finally,  I added in mini marshmallows and chopped up Hershey bar.  I put the mixture in the crust into fridge until it was time for dessert.  I attempted to melt some chocolate chips to drizzle on top of the pie, but I ended up burning the chocolate, so no drizzle for us.  The pie was fabulous-it combined peanut butter and S'Mores.  It was light, fluffy, and flavorful.  It was the perfect way to end our Oscar feast.  As always, we enjoyed our Oscar meal and the show.  Maybe next year, we will have some guests, too!