Super Bowl

Seven Layer Dip

January 28, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my love for Mexican food runs deep. I could honestly eat it every single day and never get sick of it. Salsa. Cheese dip. Fajitas. Pico de gallo. The list goes on and on. I love it.

Another favorite of mine, is a Mexican inspired classic. The infamous seven layer dip. This dips is so incredibly simple, yet so amazing. Seven (sometimes mores) simple and basic ingredients come together in a beautifully layered dip that is very addicting.

I don’t remember the first time I made this dip. It was probably when Spencer and I were entertaining some friends. I do, however, remembered that the dipped disappeared within minutes and from that moment on became a staple at every gathering we hosted or attended.

To this day it’s still one of Spencer’s favorite dips. I must admit though, that this recipe like many others had gotten pushed to the back of my mind and hasn’t been made for quite some time. All that changed about a month ago when we had some friends over. This dip was one of the things on the menu, and with the first bite I was reminded why we loved this dip so much.

What’s not to love about refried beans, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, olives, green chiles, lettuce and tomatoes? Layers of flavors and textures piled on top of one another and enjoyed in each and every bite. This dip is made up of several of the MVP’s of the food world, wouldn’t you agree?

It’s a dip that’s incredibly easy to make, I mean it literally comes together in about 5 minutes. It can be made ahead of time and can easily be doubled or tripled making it perfect if you’re feeding a crowd. So go ahead and whip up a batch this weekend for the big game and enjoy!

Seven Layer Dip

Ingredients:

1 (15oz) Can refried beans

1 Small container of guacamole, approximately 1 cup

1 Cup your favorite salsa

1 Small container sour cream

1 Small can green chiles

1 Cup shredded cheese, I used pepper jack

3/4-1 Cup shredded lettuce

1/2 (3.8oz) Can sliced olives

1 Small tomato, chopped and seeded

Directions:

Spread refried beans in a single layer over the bottom of a serving dish. Followed by the guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and green chiles. Sprinkle the cheese over the chiles, followed by the lettuce, olives and chopped tomatoes.

If not serving immediately, cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Recipe source: A Lynsey original

Brown Sugar Potato Chip Cookies with Snickers Topping- A.K.A BFF Cookies

January 16, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

How many of you still have your childhood best friend in your life? You know, that person who you spent every waking moment together and every weekend together whether it was at their house or yours? That person who knows everything about you…yes, the good, the bad and the ugly, and they still love you and want to be your friend. You know the person I’m talking about.

Well, fortunately I’m one of those people who has that person in their life and to this day we are still best friends. We may not talk every. single. morning like we used to before school. We may even go weeks or months without talking, but we can pick up the phone or see each other and pick up right where we left off.

Gosh, I think back to our childhood there are so many memories. From fishing, riding 4-wheelers, cheering, playing at deer camp, rousing games of hide and go scare, and so many other things. We enjoyed every single moment of our childhood.

On Fridays we could come home, do our homework, eat supper and then get ready for TGIF. Who remembers that? Remember Full House, Family Matters…how could you ever forget Steve Urkle, then there was Family Matters along with a few other shows in the line-up. So, no Friday night t.v. night was complete without snacks. Boy, oh boy, did we have our own “original” concoction of snacks.

The looks we got from her parents and brother when they just glanced at our spread. One thing was for sure, it was all ours. I guess my love of sweet and salty started early, and that’s something both of us share and still do. We would grab the candy jar full of assorted fun size candy bars, a bag of potato chips and Cheetos and settle in for the night. There wasn’t any combination of chips and candy bars we wouldn’t try, but I’d have to say one of our favorites was taking Snickers, smashing them then laying them over a Ruffles potato chip. OhMyGosh, it was pure heaven. To this day if I want an easy snack or just need to reconnect with my BFF, I’ll grab a Snickers and small bag of Ruffles and indulge.

So, thanks to my BFF and our unique food pairings when we were kids, I have the guts to experiment today and try to integrate not-so-common ingredients into baked goods. I’d have to say, there are a lot of recipes that possibly may not have been created if it wasn’t for my BFF, Ashley, and our wild and crazy food concoctions as kids.

So, in honor of Ashley, our love for sweet and salty foods I give you these brown sugar potato chips cookies with Snickers topping…or as I like to call them, BFF cookies. If we had actually spent a little more time indoors, I could imagine us whipping up a batch of cookies and them being somewhat similar to these. A giant, thick, chewy brown sugar cookie loaded with salty potato chips. The baked cookies are topped with a combination of condensed milk, melted Snickers and chunks of Snickers. It’s then garnished with a deliciously, crisp potato chip.

Here’s to you, Ashley…love ya! For all you others out there, make a batch of these cookies, head over to your friend’s house and enjoy one or two with them.

Brown Sugar Potato Chip Cookies with Snickers Topping

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Sticks (3/4 Cup) unsalted butter
2 Cups flour
1/2 Tsp salt
3/4 Tsp baking soda
1 1/4 Cups brown sugar
1/4 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 Egg yolk
1 Large egg
1 Cup roughly chopped potato chips

For the topping-
8-9 Fun size Snickers, divided
1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp condensed milk
Potato chips, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a muffin top pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Place butter in a small sauce pan and place over low-medium heat. The butter will begin to melt and then start to crackle and foam. Once the crackling subsides, the butter will begin to brown. Swirl the butter around the pan as the butter cooks. Once the butter is brown remove from heat. Allow to cool.

Once the butter has cooled place in a large bowl and add both sugars, beat on high for 1 minute. Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk and beat on medium-high for 5 minutes. Decrease the mixing speed and slowly add the flour mixture, and mix until combined.

Remove from mixer and add potato chips, gently stir to combine. Scoop 1/4 cup of dough and place on prepared pan. Gently press the mixture to fit in the cups. Alternately, if you do not have a muffin top pan, scoop 1/4 cup of dough, gently roll into a ball and split in half. Place the torn piece on the cookie sheet, rotate the other half, torn side up, and place on the dough ball. Place in the oven and bake for 11-14 minutes, being sure not to over bake.

Remove from oven, allow to cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes, remove to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For the topping-

Roughly chop all the Snickers. Place half in a microwave safe bowl and heat until the chocolate has melted, about 10-20 seconds. Remove after 10 seconds and stir, heat longer if needed. Add the condensed milk and stir to combine. Add the remaining Snickers and stir, it’s okay if there are still chunks of Snickers.

Scoop a spoonful on top of each cookie. Place a potato chip in the Snickers mix. Serve or store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

January 15, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Baked potatoes are one of my favorite foods. Give me a hot potato with a dab of butter and sour cream and I’m good to go. But, let me loose at a potato bar and I’m going to pile it all on. Butter, sour cream, green onions, cheese, bacon and sometime even a schmear of ranch. But, that’s when I really want to indulge, since I know that’s not the healthiest of meals.

My love for loading up those fluffy spuds doesn’t stop with just the baked potato. It goes to loaded potato skins, twice baked potatoes, loaded mashed potatoes, even indulging in a bowl of loaded baked potato soup…topped with a little extra bacon, of course!

So, since we’re gearing up for the first foodie holiday of the year I started thinking about the infamous tailgate recipes that we just couldn’t live without on the big day. Of course there’s wings, meatballs, sausage cream cheese dip, cheese dip, and the list goes on and on. Another menu item that’s a must is baked potato skins.

Crispy potato skins, filled with fluffy potatoes and topped with cheese, bacon and a touch of sour cream. Oh my, my mouth is watering just thinking about them. Give me a little bowl of ranch and I’m in heaven. So when I started thinking of the big game, the infamous potato skins popped in my head. But, I wanted to do a little something different than those traditional skins and I started thinking of dips.

Dips are so easy to make and something that can be made ahead of time and easily transported. So, I started thinking about all the things I love on potatoes; the cheese, bacon, green onions and sour cream and thought that would be an amazing dip. Plus it can be made ahead of time and there’s no worry about keeping it warm. It’s a win win.

When ready to serve just open up a bag of your favorite potato chips, or even fry up some of your favorite waffle fries and let the guests dig in. This was a huge hit with my family. It disappeared instantly. So be sure to add this to your menu for the big game, or for any upcoming events you may have!

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Chobani plain Greek yogurt
3/4 Cup sour cream
3/4 Cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 Cup shredded pepper jack
1 Package bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 Green onions, sliced

To serve-
Waffle fries
Potato chips

Directions:

Combine yogurt and sour cream in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the cheese and bacon and stir until just incorporated. Add green onions and gently stir to incorporate. Top with additional green onions and bacon. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Be sure to search #MadeWithChobani on Twitter to find some other amazing recipes.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

January 14, 2015 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Typically, when I think of monkey bread my mind instantly goes to the sweet, breakfast-y version. The kind that has been rolled in cinnamon sugar, baked and comes out of the pan with a sticky, gooey coating. You know the kind I’m talking about and it’s amazing.

Since that classic, first batch of monkey bread I’ve been addicted to the stuff and making various other versions ever since. But, I have yet to make a savory version…until now.

I know there are countless ingredients that would be a great addition to a little ball of dough, but there is one thing in particular that screams at me. Pepperoni. And cheese. The idea of pepperoni and cheese stuffed in little pillows of bread and rolled in garlic butter sounds amazing.

So, for my first savory version of monkey bread I present to you pepperoni pizza monkey bread. This is everything I imagined it would be and more. Each piece of bread is stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, rolled in garlic butter and placed in the pan. Right before going in the oven, it’s given an extra helping of pepper jack cheese and then baked until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted.

Once it comes out, the game is one. Pull off chunk after chunk and dip into marina sauce, it’s just like little bite sized pizzas. This bread is so easy to make and perfect for an easy meal and even a great addition to a party or game day spread. It’s so addicting and will literally disappear before your eyes.

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

2 Cans Pillsbury Grands! Jr. biscuits
40 Pepperoni slices
4-5 Mozzarella cheesesticks
1/2 Stick butter
2 Tsp garlic salt, plus more for dusting
1/3 Cup shredded pepper jack cheese

To serve-
Marinara sauce, homemade or store bought

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place butter in a microwave safe bowl, place in microwave and heat until melted. Add the garlic salt and stir to combine.

Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray, dust with garlic salt and set aside.

Cut biscuits in quarters. Cut pepperoni slices in half. Cut each mozzarella stick in 8-10 pieces, making sure there are a total of 80 pieces of cheese.

Place cheese in the center of a pepperoni half, then place in the center of each biscuit. Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching to seal. Roll in garlic butter and place in prepared pan. Repeat until all the bread, pepperoni and cheese is gone. Sprinkle the pepper jack cheese over the top of the bread, place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and biscuits are cooked through and golden-brown.

Remove bread from oven, gently run a knife down the sides of the pan to help release any pieces that may be stuck. Place a plate or platter over the pan and invert the bread. Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired.

Pour marinara in a bowl, heat if desired and place in the center of the bread. Serve.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

Hawaiian Roll Ham and Cheese Sliders- A.K.A. Crack Sandwiches

January 13, 2015 by Lynsey 3 Comments

If you’re anything like I was when I first heard “ham and cheese sliders” you’re thinking , really? How good could these really be? Is there really something that special about a ham and cheese sandwich and does it really constitute an instruction recipe post. I was a skeptic too. When I heard that’s what was on the menu for a gathering I was less than ecstatic. But, all that changed with the first bite. There is a reason they are known as crack sandwiches.

It only took one bite to get me hooked and immediately ask for the recipe. You see, this isn’t just any ham and cheese sandwich. It’s not simply two pieces of bread, a little mayo or mustard, some ham and cheese. While the humble ham and cheese is the base for this ever so familiar recipe, there is actually so much more to this little sandwich.

We’re all addicted to Hawaiian bread, am I right? What is it that’s so incredibly addicting about that fluffy, light bread that has a touch of sweetness? Well, those amazing little rolls are the bread for these addicting little sandwiches.

Sold yet? If not, let me tell you a little more. A mixture of mayonnaise and mustard is spread on the rolls, followed by the ham and cheese. Then the sauce. This is where the magic happens. The sauce is a mix of butter (good start, right?), Worcestershire sauce, minced onions, sesame or poppy seeds, and mustard powder. It’s all combined and poured over the assembled sandwiches and given the chance to really soak in the bread. After marinating for a while, they are baked to crisp up the bread and to allow the cheese to melt.

These are the best little sandwiches ever. They are a hit with both adults and kids. My 5 year old gobbles them up every. single. time I make them. They are also one of the first foods to disappear at any gathering. Along with being incredibly simple to make, they can also be made ahead of time. Allowing you to mark just one more thing off your “to do” list so you can enjoy time with your family and friends.

These little sandwiches are great for parties and get togethers (uh-hum…Super Bowl) . They are also great for snacks, as well as easy, weeknight meals. They only need to “marinate” for about an hour but are just as good even if they sit overnight. So, be sure to add these simple, yet addicting sliders to your game day menu.

Hawaiian Roll Ham and Cheese Sliders

Ingredients:

For the sandwiches-

1 (12 count) package King’s Hawaiian Rolls

12 Pieces honey or maple glazed ham, thinly sliced

12 Pieces swiss or provolone cheese

1/4 Cup mayonnaise

2-3 Tbsp mustard, depending on taste

For the sauce-

1 Stick unsalted butter

2 Tsp mustard powder

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 1/2 Tsp sesame or poppy seeds

Directions:

For the sandwiches-

Split the rolls in half. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise and mustard and stir to combine. Spread the mixture on the top and bottom half of the rolls. Fold the ham in quarters and place on each roll. Top ham with cheese, followed by the top of the rolls.

Place the sandwiches in a pyrex baking dish that is slightly larger than the rolls.

For the sauce-

Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat until melted. Add the mustard powder, onion, worcestershire and seeds and whisk to combine. Pour evenly over the rolls. Cover with foil and allow to chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Remove pan from fridge and allow to come to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350. Place the sandwiches in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown and cheese has melted.

Recipe source: Adapted from a family friend

Fudgy Bacon Toffee Brownies

January 12, 2015 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Brownies. What can I say about brownies. Other than I absolutely love them. I’m obsessed. And the more gooey and fudgy the better. You know I’m a sucker for them, and I’m perfectly content with just a good ol’ basic, fudgy brownie. But sometimes, just sometimes, a little something needs to be added to the mix.

But, with Super Bowl XLIX right around the corner it’s time to start thinking about the big game day menu. I think the commercials and food are just as important as the big game. So, no Super Bowl party would be complete without some delicious, over-the-top game day eats.

So while brownies are amazing, and are definitely at the top of my favorite desserts list, just the basic brownie won’t do for one of the biggest food days of the year. It needs to be bulked up and intensified a bit to hold it’s own on the game day spread.

A solid base is a must. So, drag out your best brownie recipe, use your favorite boxed mix or use the recipe below and you’ll be right on track with a strong base. Once you have that, then it’s time to snaz them up a bit.

And when I want to add a little somethin’ to somethin’ to my sweets, the first place my mind goes is adding a little salt to the equation. By now you know I’m not scared to add bacon to my desserts. So when I started thinking of what I could possibly add to brownies, bacon was the first thing to pop into my head.

I took the bacon, and other elements I love on brownies are devised the ultimate sweet and salty brownie perfect for the big day. Chocolate chips are scattered over the lukewarm brownies. Condensed milk is combined with chocolate fudge sauce and toffee bits and poured over the cooked brownies. To top it off and balance the sweet, roughly chopped bacon is scattered over the top of the brownies.

This is the ultimate in fudgy, brownie, chocolaty goodness. This is what chocolate dreams are made of people. A delicious brownie topped with fudgy, toffee sauce and balanced by the crunchy, saltiness from the bacon. If you wanted to go a step further and put this amazing dessert completely over the top add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the warm brownie and dive in.

No one said Super Bowl food was clean. This one is a little on the messy side but oh-so-worth it. Grab a handful of napkins, a plate and fork and jump in!

Fudgy Bacon Toffee Brownies

Ingredients:

For the brownies*-
1 Stick (half cup) unsalted butter
2 Oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 Cup sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
1/4 Cup flour
1/4 Tsp salt

For the topping-
3 Tbsp-1/4 Cup condensed milk
2 1/2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1/4 Cup chocolate chips
1/4 Cup Heath toffee bits
3 Pieces bacon, cooked until crispy and roughly chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment paper, spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a microwave safe dish and heat in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk. Once this ingredients are combined, add the flour and salt and stir until just incorporated and batter is smooth.

Pour in the prepared pan and place in preheated oven. Bake 30-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, pour the condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl and heat for about 15 seconds. Add the chocolate syrup and stir to combine. Add the heath chips and stir to incorporate.

Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the lukewarm brownies. Evenly pour the chocolate toffee mixture over the brownies, spread gently if needed. (The mixture doesn’t have to come all the way to the edges) Sprinkle the bacon over the chocolate mixture.

Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. Remove from pan and cut.

*You can also substitute your favorite box brownie instead of making a homemade version.

*If you wanted to dive right in while the brownies are still warm that is fine too…I suggest adding a blob of vanilla ice cream to the warm brownies and indulging!

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original

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