nacho mama

my lovely hubby and i and our sweet peyton-girl took a little walk to the nearest hy-vee last week in hopes of creating the world's most delicious nachos. and delicious they were. we hit it out of the park...these babies were too good not to share. check this out:

we spread out some santitas corn chips (thanks for the recommendation, IGE!) on the bottom of the pan, then smothered the chips in shredded Fontina cheese. this cheese is a little on the pricey side, but, oh, so creamy and worth the extra money. next up was some chopped red onion, some jalapenos and some fresh cilantro. the last ingredient is the kicker. we layered some thinly sliced pieces of capicola over the top. capicola is spicey, italian ham that brandon and i used in a recipe one time and fell in love. we like to use it in pasta dishes and on pizza too...and now, nachos!

while baking (at 425 degrees), i whipped up some simple and fresh guacamole:
-one avacado
-the juice from half a lime
-one or two cloves of garlic (you decide....garlic breath never hurt anyone, right?)
-salt to taste

mash it all together and test it with a few chips....delish! my sister showed me how to make guac this way five years ago during my three week stay in costa rica. i swear that it never tastes as good as it did during that vacation. everything tastes better in costa rica, i guess....except for the cheese....don't eat the cheese.

try this recipe. it's quick and easy and perfect for friday nights in front of the tube. you won't regret it!

apple crisp deliciousness

here's a yummy recipe to try if you have time....i had been craving apple crisp for a few weeks (since Brandon and i watched something about it on the food network channel), so i thought i would have a go at it. this is huge for me, because if i am going to spend time making homemade dessert, it's gotta have chocolate in it.

well not this time..


here the recipe i followed:

Carmel Apple Crisp

	Filling		Topping
8-10	large granny smith apples; peeled, cored and sliced	2	cups brown sugar
2	Tbs. lemon juice	2	cups flour
2/3	cup sugar	1	cup instant oatmeal
1/3	cup flour	1/2	cup chopped walnuts
2	tsp. ground cinnamon	1	cup butter; melted
3/4	tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4	tsp. ground cloves
3/4	tsp. salt
1	(12 oz.) jar carmel sauce

In a buttered 12" Dutch oven add apples and lemon juice; stir to coat apples. In a separate dish combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt; stir to mix. Pour dry ingredients over apples and stir until apples are well coated. Spread out apples and pour carmel sauce over the top. In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and walnuts; stir to mix. Using a fork mix in melted butter to form coarse crumbs. Spread topping evenly over apples. Cover Dutch oven and bake using 10-12 briquettes bottom and 16-18 briquettes top for 60 minutes.

 and now for the pictures....
happy wednesday!

this bad boy is my pampered chef apple peeler. saved  me at least 30 minutes of peeling and slicing!

right outta the oven. all the caramel had bubbled up and risen to the top.....uhg, SO GOOD.

add a little ice cream....and voila!

Teeny Weenie Valentine

Sorry I'm a little late today everyone.  I remembered last night at exactly 10:59 that I needed a post up for tomorrow and it just wasn't going to happen.  But here I am now with a little dose of something a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e to get you in the Valentine's Day spirit.  

I just found this on twitter and can't believe how simple and sweet they are...  anyone up for making some??

photo by Sean Dagen Photography for YOU + ME*

Do you love holidays and celebrations as much as I do??

i need me some NOG

egg nog is one of those things that you either love or you despise. i happen to LOVE it. i blame this on my dad. growing up, he would always be the first to buy a carton and we would find it in the fridge usually around late october (no kidding!). it's never too early to start anticipating the christmas season, especially with a little heaping glass of this good stuff. as a kid, it was always a treat, which is why i love it so much now.

those of you who are egg nog lovers, such as myself, you gotta start looking beyond just drinking it out of a glass. this morning, along with some milk, i added a splash to my cinnamon pecan special K and it was amazing! how could i have not thought of this before?! not the most healthy breakfast, but way more exciting and unexpected than plain, old milk and cereal.

i also concocted a drink that's worthy of serving at starbucks (actually, they probably do serve it, i just never go there). i was in the mood for something cold and refreshing, so i poured some milk, tazo chai tea mix and some egg nog all over ice and voila...deliciousness.

ingredients

my little helper...she approved of my new beverage!

final product...delish!

and lastly, for thanksgiving this year, i was given the task to bring the pumpkin pies to brandon's family thanksgiving. along with my pumpkin cream cheese pie, i found an egg nog pumpkin pie recipe, and decided to give it a whirl. and it was a success! it was still the traditional pumpkin pie that everyone loves, but with a hint of spice from the egg nog. so much of a success, in fact, that my father in law had a piece for breakfast(!) every morning! we're talkin', straight outta the pie pan and without a plate. his rationalization? pumpkin is a vegetable! why not?

so, what have we concluded? hannah's vice for this season is peppermint and mine is egg nog. rach....you're up!

Peppermint Please!

Mmmmm...peppermint. If there is ONE flavor that's associated with this glorious time of year, this would have to be it! Three of my favorite peppermint flavored things...Nestle Peppermint Mocha Creamer, Blue Bunny Peppermint Stick Ice Cream, and my mom's peppermint candy she used to make every Christmas.

Let me back up a little.

I used to HATE coffee. My two lovely friends here loved it, which made it no fun for me when I felt like an outsider every time someone mentioned a coffee shop! A little insight into my sweet friends...one time they did everything they could to convince me to try Tiramisu and PROMISED me that I would love it. I don't remember how they did it, but they did. They tricked me, and despite my hesitations I fell for their deception to try Tiramisu! WORST.dessert.EVER Needless to say they got a good laugh at the face I made and I never forgave them :) Just kidding. But they do still enjoy teasing me about it today.

I eventually found a love for Chai which sufficed for my lack of love for coffee and gave me a small glimmer of hope for the future (and something to make me not feel completely like a loser when I walked into a coffee shop!). And then I met Peppermint Mocha. The perfect combination of flavor--mocha, peppermint, and coffee--who knew?! I now enjoy a variety of coffee flavors (thanks to this guy!), but nothing will ever take the place of my sweet Peppermint Mocha.

And then there's peppermint ice cream. Ohhh, Baskin Robbins has THE BEST!! You have to go try it. I know it's hard to pull yourself out of your house when it's this cold outside (especially to go get ice cream!), but trust me it's worth it. Plus, this time of year they have it in cartons, so there's no excuse to not go and get some and take it home when you can savor it while wrapped in a warm blanket or sitting cozily next to the fire. If you can't get to Baskin Robbins, Blue Bunny Peppermint Stick will do...

And last, but not least, my mom's peppermint candy. Always looked forward to it. She doesn't make it anymore, and part of the reason is that she used to get the ingredients from a specialty candy shop.

Here's the basics:
-Ingredients: peppermints (or candy canes) and almond bark.
-Simply break up the peppermints into pieces (mom said just put it in a paper bag and hammer the poor things to death!)
-Then melt the almond bark, pour over a sheet pan (aluminum foil helps here) and sprinkle the mint pieces into it and wait for it to harden.
-After it's hardened, break the almond bark into pieces, and there you have it folks--peppermint candy!

It's yummy and so festive looking with white, red, and green! I have never made it and wish I could get specialty ingredients from a candy store (maybe I can....anyone have any suggestions?!), but I am sure it is still good nonetheless.

Hope I've tickled your taste buds :) Go enjoy some peppermint peeps!