Charro Beans

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Guilt-Free Pumpkin Muffins and More...

Here is where you can find this post on my new blog.

Apple-Cranberry Pie

You can view this recipe here on my new blog.

Creamy Jalapeño Dip (copy-cat from Chuy's)

**Warning...once trying this recipe you will be addicted!**

My husband found a copy-cat recipe for Chuy's Creamy Jalapeño Dip at the link provided. He made some modifications to it...and we were left with pure addiction.

I love this dip...I really love how versatile it is as well. I have used it over grilled chicken, tuna, plan to use it as an enchilada base, I dip my pizza in it, chips, veggies, used it over rice...the ways to use it are endless. The best part...It.is.so.good.

We find that using fresh jalapeños is better than using the pickled ones in a jar. My one word of caution - use one jalapeño at a time to taste. Sometimes the peppers aren't too hot and sometimes they are really hot and you may not want to use more than two.

Creamy Jalapeño Dip

2 ounces mayonnaise
6 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Herdez salsa verde
1 small bunch of cilantro
A dash or two of salt
1 ranch dressing packet
3-4 fresh jalapeños

Blend all ingredients in a blender and enjoy.
It gets creamier/thicker refrigerated overnight







Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

No Oats About It...

My mom, in her unforeseen wisdom, shared with me this great recipe. It is from the blog Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth.

This recipe was a lifesaver for me right after I had my second child. She is definitely more...umm, high maintenance if you will, than my other child. Between caring for a newborn, a 3 year old and all the other stuff life throws your way, I found myself never finding the time to eat. If you know me at all, you know that this situation will not work for me. I like to eat. So, I decided to make something that I could eat in a hurry, with one hand (if needed), on-the-go, at home, yada yada...you get the picture. I remembered my mom sending me this link for homemade granola. I thought filling, yummy, nutritious...yeah, sure, I'll try it.
During a well planned nap time, I quickly gathered all my ingredients and made, what I consider to be, the best granola ever. I did not follow the recipe verbatim. I eliminated some ingredients I don't care for, added a couple extra anti-oxidant ingredients and altered some of the measurements (initially by mistake, thankfully my mother helped me fix it.)

My altered recipe:

I mixed the following ingredients together:
*use a large bowl*
6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups of roasted chopped almonds
2 cups un-sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups wheat germ
1 cup chia seeds
1 cup flax seeds
2 cups dried blueberries
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Set this bowl aside

Then, in a sauce pan, combine the following ingredients:
*cook on medium heat until boil, then remove from heat*
1 1/2 cups of coconut oil
1 1/2 cups of honey
1/3 cup of water
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
11/2 tsp. fine sea salt

Once I completed the above steps, I followed the rest of her directions:

* Pour sauce into the dry ingredients.
* Mix until everything is evenly coated.
* Place a single layer on cookie sheets (I used wax paper to prevent sticking) and bake in batches (275 degrees) according to how much you want to have on hand. (You can freeze the rest and bake later)
* It usually takes about thirty minutes (it took mine about 40 minutes) and needs to be stirred twice
* Remove granola once it is a golden brown, then let cool on a cooling rack
* Store in an airtight container.





Yummy! I now have enough granola to last me quite awhile. I enjoy it as a cereal, mixed in with yogurt, or I grab a handful to munch on as a snack.




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