Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed With Blue Cheese

Bacon, blue cheese, and dates make the perfect sweet and salty combo. This is my go-to party appetizer, because it is super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. I discovered it once at a friend's party, and I have been addicted ever since.

You probably recognize this appetizer because I've posted it on my blog before. I wasn't thrilled about how the pictures in the original post turned up, so I decided to do an update post. I love this appetizer so much that I had to do it justice with better pics!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of dried, pitted dates (about 30 dates)
• 1 container crumbled blue cheese
• 1 (12 oz.) package of bacon (cut raw bacon strips in the middle if they are very long strips)

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• Slice each date on top, stuff with as much blue cheese as it can hold, wrap in bacon, and secure with a tooth pick. Repeat with the remaining dates. Simple right?
• Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Usually i also like to turn the dates halfway through so that they crisp up evenly on all sides. 
• Serve warm.  

Note: If you're taking it to a friend's house, bake the dates for about 10 minutes at your place so you are not traveling with raw bacon. When you arrive at your destination, bake for another 5 minutes or so until bacon is crispy. 

 

Taco Dip

I absolutely love this dip! It's a cheesy cream cheese dip, but still tastes fresh since it is topped with salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes. Everyone always seems to love it.

It is definitely one of my favorite party appetizers to make. It's fast and easy, and I can throw it together in no time. I also love that it is a cold dip. Since I don't have to worry about baking it, I can transport it easily to someone else's house. It's also great to make if I know my oven will be crowded with other things.

You can top the cream cheese mixture with any of your favorite taco toppings. I usually stick with mild salsa, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce since most people tend to approve of those toppings. If you and your crowd are a fan of olives, scallions, and jalopenos, however, then I would add them too! I have a friend who hates onions and a boyfriend who hates spicy things so I always have to keep them in mind! If it was up to me, I'd be using jalopenos, spicy salsa, and hot sauce on top! I like thinks spicy, but since most people don't, I usually keep this dip as mild as possible. Don't be afraid to customize the dip based on what you love. Hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) container sour cream
• 2 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese 
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 (16 oz) jar of salsa
• 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 large tomato, diced
• shredded lettuce
• tortilla chips

Recipe:

• Using a hand mixer, mix together sour cream, cream cheese, and taco seasoning.
• Spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom of a dip dish
• Spread salsa on top of cream cheese mixture
• Sprinkle cheese on top of the salsa
• Scatter lettuce and tomatoes on top of cheese
• Serve with tortilla chips

 

Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

Check out the updated recipe here ---> http://www.girlsgonefood.org/2017/03/bacon-wrapped-dates-stuffed-with-blue.html

Almond Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes

Are these just not the cutest cupcakes you have ever seen?! They look like little sundaes, and I just am in love with them. Thank you Amanda for helping me make these last night. Unfortunately, I was plagued by a pesky migraine and our Friday night plans were ruined. We ended up staying in and making these cute cupcakes in our pjs. There was a lot of mess and disaster but also lots of laughter and we ended up having a great time. There is nothing like curing a migraine with cupcakes haha. Also, thanks to Amanda, I got some piping lessons and I think the frosting came out just beautifully.

 

I am so glad that I found this cupcake recipe! Not only are these cupcakes beautiful but they are absolutely delicious. I love anything almond flavored. I'm also pretty sure I could eat maraschino cherries by the handful. These cupcakes also bring me back to my childhood when I used to drink shirley temples by the gallon. Okay, that is an exaggeration but I'm pretty sure I would have if I could!

Recipe source: Your Cup of Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup Maraschino cherries, roughly chopped

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2-3 tsp. almond extract
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• About 20-24 Maraschino cherries with stems for decorations

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with paper liners.
• In a large bowl combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, sour cream and almond extra. Mix until well combined.
• Fold in chopped maraschino cherries.
• Fill cupcake liners with the batter and bake for about 17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. 
• For the frosting, beat butter until creamy. Add almond extract and slowly add in powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness.
• Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost them generously and top with sprinkles and a cherry on top!

Pomegranate Guacamole

I'm a guacamole addict and while you may think of guacamole as a summer thing, I think of it as a year round thing. In fact, pomegranate guacamole is my favorite especially around the holidays. The red and green colors just pop and are so festive. I think its a perfect holiday appetizer because its light and fresh and is the perfect contrast to all those heavy delicious holiday meals that we love.  

Pomegranates are in season right now which makes them easily accessible, but they can be quite a pain for those who lack patience such as myself. Trying to dig out all of the seeds can be especially frustrating and time consuming, not to mention pomegranates stain your hands bloody red. So here is a little trick...check out the section of your grocery store where they have pre-cut fruit to see if they have ready to eat pomegranate seeds. Yes, it might be a little more expensive but if you've ever tried to de-seed a pomegranate before, I think you would agree that its worth it. Otherwise, goodluck.

Ingredients:

•  3 avocados
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper

Recipe:

•  Halve and pit the avocados. Spoon avocado into a bowl.
• Add 1/2 of the pomegranate seeds, lime juice, red onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and pepper to the avocado. Stir gently.
• Place guacamole in a serving bowl and add rest of the pomegranate seeds on top. 
• Serve with chips

Game Day Nachos

A quick snack was needed for game day/sunday fun day so I decided to whip up some nachos since I'm the nacho queen.  I shared my cheese recipe below. It's super easy. I use it for a lot of different recipes including mac and cheese. I'm a cheese lover. Can you tell? Put down the velveeta people and try out my recipe. You'll thank me later. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 block gruyere cheese (its a little bit on the expensive side but SO worth it)
• 1-1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• chips
• your favorite nacho toppings: salsa, sour cream, olives, tomatoes, jalapeño 

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Melt the butter in a sauce pan 
• Whisk in the flour
• Gradually add milk and stir until there are no clumps
• Add cheese. I didn't measure exactly how much cheese I used. One bag of shredded cheese and half the block of gruyere should be enough, but add as much as you like.
• Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray
• Spread out the chips evenly on the baking sheet
• Pour cheese over the chips
• Bake the chips for about 5-8 mins
• Enjoy the nachos with your favorite toppings

Caramel Apple Martini

I love fall and I am always up for anything apple or pumpkin flavored. I found some caramel apple liqueur at the store and decided to make a caramel apple martini with a caramel graham cracker rim. It is the perfect sweet fall drink. I was definitely inspired to make a fall drink from our trip to New Hampshire this past weekend. The trees were so beautiful and I was lucky to capture the picture below.

 Ingredients:

• 2 parts Apple Caramel Liqueur
• 2 parts Kahlua
• 1-1/2 parts Salted Karamel Vodka
• Caramel and graham cracker crumbs for the rim

Recipe:

• Dip the rims of the martini glasses in caramel then in graham cracker crumbs
• Shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker
• Strain into the prepared martini glasses

Kielbasa (Brown Sugar Glazed)

I found my new go-to party recipe thanks to Pinterest.

It makes the perfect appetizer..and a delicious one at that.

I could have eaten the entire batch myself. 

Oh..and did I mention its easy to put together!?!

Throw it in the crockpot, get the rest of your party together, and you're ready to go!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. fully cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 1 cup  applesauce
•  2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 
• 1-1/2 tbsp minced garlic

Recipe:

• Combine the kielbasa with brown sugar, applesauce, garlic, and mustard in a crockpot.
• Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours until heated.

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

Today I was looking through my pictures and came across the one below.

 I made this appetizer months ago and it was a huge hit. I can't believe that I forgot to post it.

It's nothing fancy....

(the original recipe doesn't call it "tasty trashy taters" for nothing..)

It's not healthy...

(it's fried, oozing with cheese, AND wrapped with bacon and sugar...)

But it sure does taste good thanks to the salty bacon and sweet brown sugar! 

In my opinion salty and sweet is the best combo.

This would be PERFECT for the next time the man in your life invites all his buddies over.

Not to be sexist, but this just screams man food for me.

It's probably because my boyfriend loves anything that is wrapped in bacon haha. 

I'll certainly be saving this recipe for football season.

Football, beer, and trashy taters...

Sounds good to me!

Recipe Source: The Chew

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag tater tots (thaw to room temperature)
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (cut into tiny blocks-about 1/4 inch)
• frank's hot sauce
• 16 ounces of bacon strips (cut strips in half)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line a cookie sheet with foil.
• Create an assembly line to make the tater tots:
• First, cut a small whole in the tater and place a cube of cheese in the opening.
• Dash tater with hot sauce. 
• Wrap the tater with bacon and secure with a toothpick.
•  Roll the bacon bundle in brown sugar. 
• Place on baking sheet. 
• Repeat with each tater.
• Bake for 10 minutes. 
• Flip tater tots over and bake for a remaining 5-10 minutes.

On another note, this is my first week co-hosting Tasty Tuesdays over at Anyonita Nibbles.

Link up below!
 

Beer Cake

I am the first to admit that pinterest is a HUGE source of inspiration for me. In many ways this blog is a product of my pinterest obsession. I found so many other blogs through pinterest that I was inspired to make my own! Today's post is just one of MANY examples of some fabulous ideas I get from pinterest.

I know we have all seen beer cakes on pinterest. I decided to try it out for a friend's 21st birthday. Since it is still July, I took advantage of the patriotic Buds still in stores. I just loved their colors! To match the theme I found star ribbon at the craft store.

I just love how it turned out! It is a really festive, unique, and practical gift...especially for a birthday or any type of celebration!!

The only negative is that this cake is VERY heavy and hard to transport. I would suggest putting it together on site. Lets just say it doesn't travel well in the car and you may have to rebuild once you arrive at your destination. That may or may not be from personal experience.... 

Read below to find out how I made this cake.

Also, here are some other 21st birthday gift ideas or "man gifts," as I like to call it, from my blog: 21st Birthday Celebration
 

You can follow me on pinterest here to see all the things that inspire me!

BEER CAKE DIRECTIONS

Items Needed:

• 36 beer cans
• Decorative ribbon
• Cake circles (14", 8", and 6")
• Tape
• Scissors

Directions:

• Step 1: For the bottom layer, stack four 14" cake circles. Place about 18 beer cans on top of the cake circles. Place close attention to the outside beer cans making sure the logo is facing outward. Note: you won't have enough beer to fill the circle completely. Wrap your favorite ribbon around the outside of the beer cans. Tape the ribbon in the back
• Step 2: To make the middle layer, stack four 8" cake circles. Place about 10 beer cans on top. Repeat the rest of directions in step 1.
• Step 3: For the top layer, stack four 6" cake circles and place about 7 beer cans on top. Repeat the rest of directions in step 1.
• Stack 4: Stack each layer on top of one another.
• Stack 5: Place a final beer can and ribbon on top.

Citrus White Wine Sangria

 

Yes, I FINALLY have a recipe posted...and not just any recipe....a SANGRIA recipe.

 I can imagine smiles all around!

I realize that you have probably been bored to tears with my life these past few posts..so this is my apology.

 This is an AMAZING party recipe because its fast, easy, simple, and delicious!! 

I made it for my graduation party last Saturday and served it in these large drink dispensers.

You can check out the drink dispensers: here.

They are really awesome...probably my most favorite purchase ever. 

They are just so darn pretty and functional!

 

Along with the sangria, I served lemon water and margaritas.

You can find my margarita recipe here.

 

Even if you don't want to make a big batch of the sangria like I did, you can easily make a single serving! 

So it works either way!

To make this sangria you need...

1 (1.5 L) bottle of white wine (either pinot grigio or riesling is fine..I used pinot for my party and it was delicious)

3 cans of citrus fresca (regular fresca is fine too!)

 your favorite fruit: peaches, grapes, oranges, etc...

Mix all the above ingredients together and enjoy!!

For the 3 gallon dispenser, I ended up using 2.5 bottles of wine and 7 or 8 cans of fresca.

          

Girl Scout Cookie Shot

As you can tell, I'm already gearing up for St Patrick's Day. Thanks to my friend Sarah, this is a favorite shot of mine all year long. You don't need to wait for St Patrick's Day to try it! Usually, I'm not super enthusiastic about shots, but once I saw the cookie rim on this I was sold. I like this shot because it is sweet and creamy so it doesn't have much of a bite. It can also be made into a dessert martini which would be delicious as well!

Also, don't fret if your stock of girl scout cookies have already run out. (Which for me is like the day after I get them....) Instead of using thin mints, oreo's or keebler's grasshoper cookies are a great substitute.

Ingredients:

• Kahlua
• Bailey's
• Creme de menthe-green
• Girl Scout Thin Mints
• Chocolate Syrup 

Recipe:

• Place cookies in a ziploc bag. 
• Crush cookies using a rolling pin. 
• Pour crushed cookies onto a plate. 
• On a separate plate, pour  chocolate syrup. 
• Dip a shot glass first into chocolate syrup then immediately into crushed cookies. 
• Pour 1/2 oz of kahlua, bailey's, and creme de menthe into a shaker with ice. Shake until cold. 
• Strain into prepared shot glass.

 

Caprese Dip

Don't you love it when you have a craving for something and all the ingredients are already in the fridge? This happened yesterday when I went to go make some dip for the superbowl. I've been seeing caprese dip recipes all over pinterest and have been dying to try it! I'm so glad I finally had all the ingredients! Needless to say I loved it. It honestly tasted like white pizza. It was so yummy and easy to make!

Recipe Source:  US Masala

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced tomato
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 block of cream cheese (8oz)
• 10 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped basil
• salt and pepper
• a pinch of dried oregano
• olive oil 
• french bread

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the sliced tomato on the baking sheet. Drizzle  with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and salt.
• Bake for 12 minutes. Take out of oven and set aside.
• Mix cream cheese, garlic, mozzarella, 1/4 cup of parmesan, basil, and oregano together until well combined
• Place the tomatoes on the bottom of a baking dish. Top tomatoes with the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese
• Bake for 20 minutes and serve with french bread.

Superbowl Party Recipes

Getting ready for Superbowl Sunday?! I'm a little bummed that my home team didn't make it this year, but that doesn't mean I still can't enjoy the food and fun! These are some of my favorite recipes from the year. They are awesome party recipes and perfect for game day. Links are below for the recipes! (Bigger pictures are included with the original posts!)

Left Column of Pictures (From Top to Bottom)
Cream Cheese and Chili Mexican Dip
Pizza Dip
Corona Ritas (if you want to kick you beer up a notch!)
Mini Taco Cups
Loaded Baked Potato Dip
Oreo Cookie Stuffed Brownies

Right Column of Pictures (From Top to Bottom)
Jalapeno Popper Wonton Pockets
Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Buffalo Chicken Queso
Three Layered Mexican Dip 
French Dip Bites
Oven Baked "Fried" Pickles
Baked Jalapeno Poppers 

Don't forget my awesome football cupcakes too!!