Birthday Party Appetizers- Greek Dip, Guac, Pizza Dip, Dill Dip, El Az Dip & Cake Recipe

I'm finally getting around to posting up the Greek dip I made for Evan's birthday party. Looking back I guess I never posted my guacamole recipe either so here it is as well. All the other recipes I've posted on here before so I will just provide a link that you can click on to take you to the recipe.

Greek Layered Dip

1 container (8oz) Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
1 container (8oz) prepared hummus
1 cucumber, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 can (2 1/4oz) sliced ripe black olives
4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Spread cream cheese in bottom of 10 inch pie pan
2. Layer on prepared hummus, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, Feta cheese, and green onions
3. Serve with Pita Chips

Note: I discovered this dip at Meijer one Saturday when they had samples and they served it all mixed up not layered. I actually wasn't thinking when I made this and that it was supposed to be layered so I mixed it all up in a bowl as well. It actually is pretty good that way so you can do to your preference whether you want to layer the dip or not.

Guacamole

4-5 Avocados
1 Red Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
Juice from 1 lemon
McCormick's Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Cut avocados in half and scoop out from peel, discard peel and pit. Mash with fork in a bowl. Add chopped red onion and tomato. Squeeze juice from one lemon. Add Garlic Pepper Seasoning (I don't measure just add enough to taste to my liking). Mix well. Serve with tortilla chips.

Layered Pizza Dip

El Azteco Dip

Dill Dip

Cake/ Cupcakes

Frosting

Layered Pizza Dip Recipe

I didn't forget, just been busy again. I promised the recipe for the layered pizza dip I made on Christmas. I ran across this recipe from a Betty Crocker email that I got right before Christmas. It was perfect timing. It's very easy, fast, and tasty. I see myself making this for many events in the future, bunco, birthday parties, football parties, etc. The recipe is one that an be altered to your liking in whatever way you want. You really can't mess it up and can pretty much put in what you prefer. Here's the original recipe then I'll tell you how I changed it.

Ingredients:

1	(8-oz.) container soft cream cheese with chives and onions
1/2	cup chunky pizza sauce
1/2	cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3	cup finely chopped pepperoni
2	oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
2	oz. (1/2 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 9-inch pie pan or 1 to 1 1/2-quart baking dish, layer all ingredients in order listed.
2. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until dip is hot and cheese is melted.
3. Serve warm with bagel crisps, bagel chips or crackers.

I forgot to take a picture so this picture is courtesy of Betty Crocker.

Yep, that's it. Simple just like I said. Since Greg and my sister don't like onions I just used regular cream cheese. They're not fond of chunky pizza sauce (which I really have never seen chunky pizza sauce at the store) either so I just used regular pizza sauce. I got a small loaf of Italian bread at Meijer and brushed with olive oil and broiled. Do one side for a couple minutes then flip and brush with more olive oil on other side and broil a little more. I served with that instead of the bagel crisps, etc. It was super good. I recommend that, but make sure you don't burn the bread when broiling. :)

I'm actually making this again for Evan's birthday party this weekend. I'm going to try it with the chive and onion cream cheese this time. I'm also thinking of maybe adding some mushrooms to it!

Winter Has Arrived!

Well if you look outside here, winter has definitely arrived. The warning was out on Saturday that the snow was coming, and sure enough it did late Saturday night into Sunday. We didn't get as much as I thought we would, but still any snow on the ground is more than enough in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, a little snow on the trees and ground is pretty, but the cold, ice, and nasty roads that go along with it I can do without. We ended up having a busy weekend once again. Christmas is approaching a little too fast, and I feel like I still have a lot to do. Ugh! It definitely is a busy time of year at the Shearwater Nest!

This past weekend was graduation at MSU. The big speaker for graduation was Magic Johnson. I can't even tell you who spoke at my graduation, but I know it wasn't anyone cool like Magic Johnson. Greg was busy all day Friday doing Graduation stuff and had to go take pics of Magic speaking to some students. I guess Magic ended up giving away like 10 trips to students to L.A. to see a Lakers game with him, all expenses paid. Now I'm not a Lakers fan, but that would be an awesome opportunity to go. Friday night I had to whip up a dish to take to Greg's Christmas work party on Saturday. He signed me up to bring El Az Dip which was fine because it's really easy to make. Greg actually even helped me chop up the stuff for it so I got it made in no time.

Saturday Greg had to work for a little bit to cover the big graduation at the Breslin Center. Magic Johnson was speaking so he didn't mind having to work. Greg doesn't go crazy over most famous people like I do, but I told him he must get his picture with Magic. He did get a pic, and I finally got to see it today. Here it is!


Greg's a little cheesy, but it's still a great picture! I told Greg, either Magic is really tall or he's really short. Haha! I'm thinking we should probably get a print of this and have it in our home!

Saturday afternoon I made a batch or party mix and Greg and Evan made some of the pretzel buttons I made last year. I'm pretty sure those will be an annual thing. They are so stinkin' easy and are yummy! They're a little too yummy because I've already had plenty of them. While the party mix was making (you know how you have to bake it for an hour and stir every 15 min.) I made up some guacamole for the Christmas party too. I haven't told you about my guacamole yet, but I guess this is probably a good time because it's way overdue. I never made guacamole until about a month or so ago. Our friend Brenda brought guacamole one football Saturday and it was really good. I mentioned that I really needed to learn how to make it and she told me how easy it was and how she made hers. I then started making it and am now wondering why I never made it sooner. The batch I whipped up on Saturday I think was my best yet! I'll post my recipe for it soon. Both the El Az Dip and the guacamole were a hit at the party.

Greg's boss, Kent, had the party at his house. We had the option of bringing the kids or not. Evan was all excited about the party once he heard about it and really wanted to go. He went with us and Em stayed at Greg's mom's. Kent had a few games planned and Evan was excited about both of them. One was a box filled with items that we had to reach our hand in and feel the items and write down what we thought it was. The other game everyone was given a sheet of stickers and you had to get rid of all your stickers by placing them on others without them noticing you doing it. The kids really got a kick out of the stickers. Evan, Greg, and I all worked together to guess the box items and we ended up getting the most right. We won a $25 gift certificate for Leo's which is a new restaurant in Okemos. That was a nice surprise. We had a great time and it was a nice evening. Thanks to Kent and Tammy for opening up their house for the party!

Sunday, I already told you the snow storm hit. We had to pick up Em that morning so we met Greg's mom and Em for breakfast. Then Evan was so excited about the snow that he really wanted to get snow pants. No we didn't have any yet. I know, I procrastinated a little bit. I had looked a few times, but couldn't really find any. Greg's mom said she'd buy the kids snow pants so we headed out to Kohl's. We found some for Evan, but none for Em so we then went to Target. We did find some there for her, however I still didn't have boots for Em. Yes, I know... procrastinating again. Well sort of! She's got some little suede boots which are fine, but they're really not for sledding and playing in the snow. I've also looked a few times for boots for her, but haven't been able to find any reasonably priced or in her size. (Ann, you're not alone with not having boots for your kid!) We still didn't find any so the search continues this week. Wish me luck finding some!

With the snow yesterday and super cold temps, came a phone call last night that school was canceled for today. Woo Hoo! I don't know who was more excited, Evan or me. I remember as a kid, wishing for snow days! I really wasn't looking forward to driving to school today in this weather so once we got the call that was a little bit of a relief. I got to stay in bed until 8:30am this morning which was really nice! I made some soup today and then made two more batches of party mix, some more pretzel buttons, and some new cookies I tried. I came across a recipe for Cherry 'Mallow Cookies that sounded really good. Greg even helped me make them so that was another bonus of him helping in the kitchen. I'll post the recipe soon. They were fast and easy to make! Now it's time to get to bed since I'm pretty sure there will be school tomorrow!

Black Bean Pinwheels

Last week when we had our little deck party I wanted to have a few simple snacks. I was debating what to make and decided to make my El Azteco Dip which is under the appetizers to the right, and then I ran across this black bean pinwheel recipe so I made those too. They were super simple and very yummy! Greg and I decided it's something we would even eat for lunch sometime. Just make as a roll-up instead of cutting into the pinwheels. Either way they're tasty. I happened to alter the recipe a little because I didn't have onion salt or Monterey Jack Cheese w/ peppers so look for my substitutions below. I keep forgetting to post the recipe so here it is!

Black Bean Pinwheels

Ingredients:

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapeno Peppers

1/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1/4 tsp. Onion salt

1 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed

3 Flour tortillas (6 inch)

Substitutions- Instead of onion salt I used chili powder and instead of pepper cheese I used Colby Jack Cheese. I didn't go out and by onion salt because I figured Greg wouldn't like it anyway, and I'm glad I didn't because they were a hit with him using the chili powder!
Directions:

MIX cheeses, sour cream and onion salt in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.

PLACE beans in food processor or blender container; cover. Process until smooth. Spread evenly onto tortillas; top evenly with cheese mixture. Roll tortillas up tightly. Wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

CUT ends from tortillas; discard. Cut each roll-up into 5 slices. Serve with Salsa if desired

(This photo is courtesy of Kraft Foods. I forgot to take a picture)

Before I leave you again tonight, it's another August birthday to share! I'd like to wish my Step-Mom a Happy 60th Birthday! Sixty is the new forty right? Hope you enjoyed your day!

Christmas Party #2 & A Holiday Playdate

Wow, here it is Sunday night... where did the weekend go? Friday night we had Greg's work Christmas party #2. It was at a different co-workers house. We had a really nice time and I tried out a new recipe to take that was a hit! I'm going to post the recipe below for you. I got it from my neighbor friend Jenn. I made a buffalo chicken dip. I don't like to make new recipes to take somewhere that I've never tried before. However, this one sounded really good and I trusted Jenn when she told me it was delicious. She was right, it was delish and many were asking for the recipe. It had a little kick to it, but if you like buffalo chicken wings you'll like this. Greg's mom kept the kids for us again so that was nice. They stayed the night so we had a totally kid free night.

Saturday Emmaline had a "holiday playdate." Only a couple of her friends were able to make it. Em, Chloe, and Lucia all had a fun time and it was nice to have a playdate again. It had been awhile. My friend Carla came without her son Duncan. She had told me Duncan would be napping at playdate time, but she still wanted to come hang with us. I'm glad she stopped by. It was nice to catch up with her, as well as with Wesley and Carmen. All three are pregnant and look fabulous! Oh how I miss being pregnant! It was a nice afternoon just the girls! Evan stayed for the afternoon at Greg's mom's and Greg had to work graduation all afternoon.

Today we got the Christmas card picture taken. I think we got a good shot. I have to go look through them all when I'm done here. The kids did a nice job cooperating for me, well for Greg since he ended up taking the picture. My camera wasn't cooperating so it was time to pull out the "good" camera. So while I wanted to have the Christmas cards all done by today, I'm still happy that we got the picture taken. Now I just have to get them printed and addressed... agenda for tomorrow and Tuesday! So that was our weekend in a nutshell! Enjoy the recipe below if you end up making it sometime!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Set oven to 350
3 cups of shredded chicken
2 cups shredded cheese (Mexi-blend or Colby Jack work well)
1 cup chunky blue cheese dressing
3/4 cup hot wing sauce
1 block of cream cheese ( I use reduced fat)

Mix it all together and put in baking dish. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips!

Crescent Roll-Ups

Once in awhile I get emails from Pillsbury, Kraft, or Jif that have recipes. Sometimes I look at them, sometimes I don't. Last month I got an email from Pillsbury and it was titled "30 minutes or less dinners." The title caught my eye because these days with two busy bees keeping me busy, I'm all about the fast, easy dinners! This email is also where I got the Meatball Pops recipe from, and there was also another one that popped out at me to try.

Who loves a good hot ham and cheese sandwich? Well I do, and if you're like me then you're going to love this recipe I came across. I really don't know that it qualifies as a recipe, because it's simply throwing three things together. It's not a recipe to me in the way of, I'd write the ingredients down on a recipe card and put in my recipe box. However, I'm calling it a recipe because it came from the Pillsbury recipe box. It really is something quite simple that I can't believe I haven't tried before. Instead of throwing some ham and cheese on bread and grilling it in a pan, you put the ingredients in a crescent roll and roll it up and put it in the oven! Easy, Fast, and Delicious! We've made the ham and cheese roll-ups a few times, but tonight we tried making it with turkey instead of ham! Just as good, and a great way to switch it up once in awhile! Here's a picture of the ham and cheese roll-ups taken from the Pillsbury site. I did take a picture of my turkey and cheese roll-ups tonight, but once again my picture didn't do the food justice!



INGREDIENTS

1	can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
8	thin slices cooked ham (8 oz)
4	thin slices Cheddar cheese (4 oz), each cut into 4 strips

(I just use ham or turkey from the deli, and I take cheese slices and break them in half and use one half on a crescent roll.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place 1 piece of ham on each triangle; place 2 strips of cheese down center of ham. Fold in edges of ham to match shape of dough triangle.
2. Roll up each crescent, ending at tip of triangle. Place with tips down on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 15 to 19 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

I'm not sure what to really label this under, but since it's simple and easy I'm going to label it an appetizer because it's not really a ham or turkey DISH.

Dips, Bars, & Punch

CARAMEL APPLE DIP

• 8oz cream cheese (softened)

• 1 jar caramel ice cream topping

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• nuts (topping)

Combine first 3 ingredients in bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Pour into serving bowl and top with nuts. Serve with apple slices.

PUMPKIN DIP

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate

In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and orange juice until smooth and well blended. Chill until serving.

COLD JOHNNY APPLESEED PUNCH

1 qt apple cider
1 qt gingerale
1 cup orange juice

Chill all ingredients. Mix before serving.

Click here for EL AZTECO CHEESE DIP

PUMPKIN BARS

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.
4. To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares.

Meatball Pops

Tonight, I didn't feel like cooking really so I decided to try this quick and easy recipe I got in my inbox last week from Pillsbury. They're called meatball pops! They're listed as an appetizer, but since I used a larger size can of biscuits and more meatballs it was definitely enough to fill us up! They were very delicious! I tweaked the recipe a little so I'll give you both versions. Here's the recipe from Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

1	can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/3	cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
10	refrigerated or frozen cooked beef meatballs, thawed
1/4	cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
2/3	cup finely crushed seasoned croutons
10	large appetizer picks or lollipop sticks, if desired
1 1/2	cups tomato pasta sauce, heated

DIRECTIONS

	Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Split each biscuit to make 10 rounds. Press out each biscuit half to form 3-inch round.
.	Sprinkle each biscuit round with cheese to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top each with meatball. Bring up sides of dough over meatball; pinch edges to seal. Brush rounded tops and sides of dough with butter; coat with croutons. Place, seam side down, on cookie sheet.
	Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
	Place appetizer pick in each biscuit-wrapped meatball to form meatball pop. Serve with warm pasta sauce for dipping.

My Tweaks:

- I used a 16.3oz can of Grands Reduced Fat Biscuits since that's all I had, which is an 8 count so you end up with 16 when you split them. (So you'll need 16 meatballs)
- I didn't measure the cheese, as I never do.
- I just used a small jar of spaghetti sauce
- Instead of croutons I used plain bread crumbs (Greg doesn't like croutons). Some of them I left plain without and bread crumbs
- I wasn't fancy so I didn't put them on the picks!

Everyone in the family liked them, including the kids so we'll definitely be making them again. Next time I'm going to try them with mozzarella cheese and Italian bread crumbs! Mmmmm! Here's a picture of them (from the Pillsbury site)! Mine didn't come out that perfect looking, but they were still good!

Wednesday Night Dinner With The Gisholt's

Last night we had a nice evening at our dinner with the Gisholt family and friends. Our friends Nico and Susan live down the street. They have a daughter Elizabeth who is Emmaline's age. Elizabeth and Em's birthdays are nine days apart. Every month Nico and Susan host "Wednesday Night Dinner with the Gisholt's. This usually takes place the last Wednesday of every month, however this month got changed so it was yesterday instead of next week.

The purpose of their Wednesday night dinners once a month is an opportunity to meet new people, or to see old friends, and to enjoy a meal in good company! Anyone and everyone is invited- friends, children, co-workers, significant others, (or even just "others"). The dinners are potluck style so you bring a contribution of food. Since there are at least 80 plus evites sent out, you never know how many people are going to be able to attend. Therefore they ask that you just bring a portion size to feed around six. That way you don't have to cook huge amounts of food and since everyone is asked to bring something there's always enough food. So based on your last name you will bring an appetizer, a salad, a main dish, or dessert. For example:

A-G salad
H-K appetizer
L-S entree
T-Z dessert

The items rotate often so you're not always stuck with bringing a salad or entree all the time. Other contributions are also welcome such as bread, wine, soda, beer, etc. If your busy life doesn't allow you time to get to the store, no worries or pressure to bring anything other than your sparkling personality! It's a really laid back dinner party and it always turns out with more than enough food! Last night we had a wide variety- Swedish meatballs & noodles, pot roast, mac-n-cheese, pizza, salads, soup, veggies & dip, hummus, and lots of wonderful desserts- brownies, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, etc. Yum yum!

This was only our second time making it to dinner with the Gisholt's. We attended one of the Gisholt's dinners last fall for the first time. I had to take a dessert that time (Butterfinger Chocolate Cake Dessert- I'll have to post that recipe soon!), this time I had to take an appetizer-hence the veggies & dip and salsa roll-ups I posted yesterday. Here's the roll-ups:



Our first dinner we went to in the fall Emmaline was just over one years old, and she managed to grab a glass of red wine off the table and spilled it all over the table, floor, and her hair, and her nice white tank top, and me! So needless to say we had to leave early to go home and get cleaned up! Last night was much better and no food or drink was spilled. There were a good number of kids there so that kept Evan and Emmaline entertained. We had a great evening and dinner thanks to the Gisholt's. We look forward to more Wednesday night dinners. Thanks Nico and Susan! Here's a couple photos from the dinner party!

Our hostess, Susan is the one leaning over, and our host Nico is the one in the way back in the middle in the green shirt.

Veggie Dip & Salsa Roll-Ups

After yesterday's big excitement of Emmaline going pee on the potty, guess what? She did it two more times yesterday! Yes, I'm still a proud mommy! I know it's not going to be that easy the whole way through this potty training journey, but hey I'm going to enjoy the moment. Today so far it's only been one time, but she is still willing to try and sit on there without a diaper. I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed she keeps it up!

Today I had to go have some blood work done as a follow up to my doctor's appointment last week. My mom came up to watch the kids for a little bit so Greg didn't have to take time off work. I was able to run a couple errands after wards so that was nice to be able to do without kids. While I was gone the kids played outside, Evan showed off his bike riding skills sans training wheels for Grandma. They went for a little walk as well. It was nice to have a little free time even though part of it was spent at the lab getting my arm poked! Thanks Mom for coming up to watch them. I know you're busy getting ready for your trip. She leaves on Friday for Africa which thankfully she got all healed up for in time from her fall back in May.

Tonight we're headed to a dinner party down the street at our friends Nico and Susan's. Looking forward to it. Kids are welcome so it will be all four of us going! I made a nice veggie tray and homemade veggie dip, as well as some salsa roll-ups. I'll have to tell you all about our evening tomorrow. Until then readers, I'm posting a couple recipes here of the veggie dip and roll-ups for your enjoyment should you be in need of some items to make!

Veggie Dill Dip

1/2 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
1/2 cup mayo
dill & seasoning salt (use to your desire)

Mix sour cream and mayo in bowl. Sprinkle in dill and seasoning salt to your liking. Voila... veggie dip. Serve with raw veggies- cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, cauliflower, etc. (I add quite a bit of dill to actually get some flavor so don't be afraid to add a lot at first. Taste and if need more keep adding to your desire.)

Salsa Roll-Ups

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened

3 Tbsp. TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

4 TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Flour Tortillas

1/2 cup KRAFT Mexican Style 2% Milk Finely Shredded Four Cheese

1/4 tsp. chili powder

(Of course don't have to use Taco Bell brands. I use Ol' El Paso Thick 'N Chunky Salsa Medium & whatever size tortillas & cheese I have on hand.)

MIX cream cheese and salsa; spread onto tortillas. Top with remaining ingredients.

ROLL up tortillas tightly. Cut each crosswise into slices.

Make Ahead (if prefer)

Prepare roll-ups as directed, but do not cut into slices. Tightly wrap each roll-up in plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 4 hours. Slice just before serving.

Unbunco

Last night was girl's night out again. My friend Kelly hosted bunco this time or should I say unbunco. The evite was titled "Possibly Unbunco" and if we had too many people we'd just eat, drink, and hang out chattin'. It ended up that we didn't have too many girls, but not enough. Only eight of us showed up for most of the night and one more later on. While we could've played with nine and added "ghost players," we all got into chatting so much that we ended up not playing bunco. There was a lot of the night spent talking about babies and labor stories. Two of my friends, Becky who I knew was pregnant for awhile, and Wesley who recently announced she was pregnant, got us all talking about pregnancy, labor, delivery, and babies! A lot of different labor stories between all of us! I missed playing Bunco and winning big, but it was also nice to have a girl's night and just catch up with each other and chat the night away. We had good food and drinks to go along with it so nothing to complain about here! We ended up just rafflling off our prizes we brought so we each got something. I came home with another candle this time. It's pineapple mango scented and smells wonderful, can't wait to burn it. The candle has a "good fortune" tag on it as well so I'm thinking should have good fortune in my future! Thanks Kelly for a nice evening with the girls! I'm including a recipe for the chicken dip that I made to take to bunco. It's a super easy appetizer if you are in need of something fast to make.

Chicken Dip
1 can of chicken (5 oz or 12.5 oz.)
1- 8 0z. block cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
1 cup Hellman's mayo
2 TBLS lemon juice

Mix above ingredients with hand mixer in bowl. Bake @ 325 degrees for 20-25min. Serve warm with crackers or tortilla chips. (I usually use triscuits or club crackers.) I also serve in a mini crock pot to keep warm. I usually use the small can of chicken, but this time I only had the big can on hand. I put part of the can in and then decided to put it all in. It still tastes the same, just a little more chicken if you prefer more chicken in it so either size works well.


As the 4th of July weekend is upon us it's nice to have Greg home an extra day this week. No big plans for us here. Many people are off to their cottage or family's cottage, but nobody in our family has a cottage so we're out of luck! I did get my hair cut this morning so that was nice to have that done! It's a lot shorter, but I like it! Thanks, Becky for getting me in this holiday weekend! I was beginning to think this morning that the weather was going to warm up like it's supposed to, but nope the sun is disappearing and the wind is picking up. So our plans for the aquatic center this weekend may be on hold AGAIN! Hopefully we'll catch some fireworks this weekend and be able to cookout!

Bunco

Well, I promised to share the details from last nights girl's night out and I've got lots to share. So here it goes. For those of you not familiar with Bunco and have no clue as to what it is, you're not alone. Almost a year ago, my good friend Wesley asked me if I wanted to go to Bunco one weekend. My response was, "What?" She says, "Do you want to go to Bunco Friday night?" Again, my response was, "What? What are you talking about?" So to make a long story short, I had no clue what Bunco was. I soon found out when I showed up for Bunco that weekend. I had beginners luck and won money and prizes! Now almost a year later, I've become a Bunco girl. Bunco is a dice game that you play with 12 women. It's pretty much a social night for women while they play the game, eat, drink, & win prizes. You bring a themed gift under $5 and $5 cash to play. There are three tables of four people. You roll for 1's in the first round 2's in the second, and so on through 6's, then start back with 1's. You can roll big buncos or baby buncos. If you roll the big Bunco you get the table prize (unless it's already been won at the table), and if you roll a baby Bunco then you get to choose from one of the $5 themed gifts people brought. Once those are all taken then you get to start taking prizes from each other, but if you've won the table prize nobody can take that from you. Sounds like fun, huh? Here is one version of what the Bunco kit looks like.


For last nights Bunco, my good friend Wesley and I hosted together. We decided on a beach theme for this month's Bunco. I was very excited about that because I've always thought that would be a good theme. So for the table prizes (big Bunco gift) this is what we came up with

Beach mat, beach towel, & couple of can cozies (Perfect for the beach!)

We had lots of delicious food and drinks! The menu included- chicken crescent rolls, El Az cheese dip & chips, guacamole, fruit & fruit dip, brownies, Sangria, Blue Hawaiian drink bucket (my favorite all night), & Mike's Hard Lemonade. Here's some pics of the goodies we consumed:



Here's some pics of the girls playing Bunco! We welcomed a few Bunco "virgins" last night, Dawn, Carmen, & Jess. Carmen ended up being a big winner- most wins, big Bunco table prize, and some baby bunco prizes. Big time beginners luck. I'm thinking Carmen might not be allowed to play for awhile. Just kidding Carmen! We loved having you there! (Carmen is in the second picture in the pink shirt.) Thanks to Wes for hosting Bunco with me! I had fun planning it with you and had a really fun night! (Wes is in the second pic too, in the brown tank)


So after a fun night, even though I wasn't a big winner like I was hoping for, it was still nice to have a girl's night out. I guess you can't win them all, but I don't like to lose so I'm really hoping I win big next time! At one point I was up to three baby bunco prizes, but two got taken throughout the game so I ended up with one prize. It was this candle below.


I'm including a recipe for the El Az Cheese Dip Wesley made because it was really really good!

El Azteco Cheese Dip

(Plan ahead: this is much better if it refrigerates overnight)
16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
16 ounces sour cream
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 bunches green onions, chopped (or more, to taste)
1 medium jalapeno, chopped (or more, to taste)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all together and serve with chips.

You can use pepper jack cheese instead and just leave out the jalapeno. Only prob with that is that you have to shred the pepper jack cheese because you can't find it shredded anymore.