New Gameday Recipes, Chill Weekend, New Recipes - coming soon!

Hi Friends! I have had the. most. chill. weekend. ever. Glorious! Yesterday me and Austin didn't leave the house - we just chilled with the pups, watched movies and hung out. It was awesome. We didn't do laundry or cook or anything - just hung out, ate pre-made recipes and enjoyed not being out in the cold weather. eek! We had every intention of going to Athens for the UGA vs. Tech game, but it was just too cold and we were worried about bringing the pups - it all worked out in the end although we missed spending more time with Austin's fam. :( Today was super chill too, slept in, did some laundry and cooked a TON, I've got the bug and am just dying to taste some of these recipes! So we went to Petco for pupper food and hit up the grocery store for a few things - then I came up and cooked up a storm while watching Mean Girls. hehe

Speaking of cooking, here are two of the new recipes I made on Friday for the Iron Bowl. I would make both again, and even think you could do the sliders as a meal rather than appetizer! They're posted below....

Fiesta Sliders
Makes 12 mini burgers
Recipe adapted from Lauren’s Kitchen

1 pound 96/4 ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
½ cup salsa, plus 24 tsp
¼ cup breadcrumbs, plain
¼ cup onion
12 tbsp fat-free sour cream
12 slider rolls

inside

Preheat grill pan; spray with cooking spray. Combine meat, taco seasoning, salsa and onions. Mix with a fork. Add breadcrumbs. Form into 12 mini burger patties and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes on each side, or until done. Meanwhile, smear a little sour cream on the inside of each bun. Add the patty and top each with 2 tsp salsa. Then top with bun. Option: serve with toppings like diced tomatoes and lettuce.

Nutritional Information (per slider): 173 calories, 23 carbs, 2 fat grams and 12 protein grams.
Nutritional Information (for 2 sliders as a meal): 345 calories, 46 carbs, 5 fat grams and 25 protein grams.

Review: I thought these were excellent! The boys (Austin & his bros) gobbled them up! They definitely weren't traditional sliders as they had the mexican flavors, but they were yummy - loved sour cream as the spread instead of mayo on a traditional burger - I thought it was neat! Austin did note that they were more like sloppy joes than burgers, I don't think there was enough bread crumbs to hold them together so I upped it above. Great appetizer, and I think it would be a great meal if you had two and maybe a side of some chips!

Black and White Bean Dip
My Kitchen Café recipe
Makes 20 Servings

1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of white beans, drained
1 can of shoepeg corn, drained
½ cup Herdez salsa verde
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
15 grape tomatoes, quartered (squeeze liquid out of tomatoes after chopping)
garlic salt to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 400. Rinse and drain both cans of beans. Also drain the can of shoepeg corn. Make sure to squeeze liquid out of tomatoes before chopping so the dip doesn’t turn runny. Put 1.5 cups of cheese and everything else in a bowl and mix together. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray before spooning in the bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and pop into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and it is all warm and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with diced avocado and serve with tortilla chips.

Nutritional Information (without chips): 80 calories, 10 carbs, 3 fat grams and 5 protein grams.

Review: I thought this was excellent! Very different with all of the beans but super flavorful in the green salsa. The garlic salt definitely added a little something extra, and it bubbled up quick. This tasted good after it got cold, too, and it was good the next day. It makes LOTS of food –next time I may use a more shallow pan or pie dish so it’s not as deep.

Q: Do you like sliders? I kid you not - this was the first slider I have ever had! I'm a fan!

Q: Do you have any go-to gameday/tailgating recipes? Please share names of dishes or recipes!!

Last but not least, I've been cooking a bunch of new dishes! Here are some new Recipes coming soon (most this week!)!

• Bruschetta Chicken made for dinner tonight - loved!
• Ranchero Macroni Bake made for lunch today - loved - but the brushchetta was better!
• Chicken and Mushroom Risotto
• Rotel Slowcooker Chicken Burritos
• Cheesy Chicken Lasagna
• Sweet & Sour Chicken new mix!
• Cowboy Spaghetti
• Classic red chili new mix!