Jalapeno Popper Dip

I made this dip on Sunday afternoon. I found the recipe on Pinterest (I heart Pinterest!) I knew I could make this without having to go to the grocery store... I just substituted a few things and it turned out great! I used Mozzarella instead of Cheddar and 5 Jalapenos from our garden instead of one of those little cans of pickled and 2 whole jalapenos.

Ingredients for Dip
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Mozzarella, grated (Cheddar if you have it)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
5 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (or you could use a 4oz can of pickled jalapenos and 2 jalapenos, more or less to your liking)
a splash of white vinegar ***Omit if you are using can of jalapenos

Ingredients for Topping
1.4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the cream cheese, mayo, both cheeses, jalapenos, and vinegar (I used vinegar because the mix needed a little more liquid to get to the right consistency)

Put cream cheese mixture into a baking dish - I put it in 2 small ramekins. Mix the Parm and breadcrumbs together and put over the top of the cream cheese mixture evenly.

Put in the oven for 10-20 min - until the top is golden brown and the sides are bubbling. Serve with tortilla chips, bread, or pita chips.

Note: If you want to make this for a lot of people you need to double or triple the recipe. This was enough for about 3 of us before we ate dinner. Which I didn't take any pictures of :( We had grilled grouper - that Ed caught when we went deep sea fishing over 4th of July weekend!- marinated in soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar and some sriracha- grilled Cajun spiced bay scallops and shrimp- grilled bell peppers - coleslaw -  hush puppies - and a salad. YUM!

My first blog - Squash as an appetizer :)

I have a passion for cooking and I want to share all of the different recipes that I make on this blog! When I was trying to think of a name for my blog I came across a quote that describes exactly how I feel about cooking: "Southerners can't stand to eat alone. If we're going to cook a mess of greens we want to eat them with a mess of people." -- Julia Reed This is it! I LOVE to cook for my Husband, friends, and family. It brings me so much joy to see someone that I love enjoying the food that I made. I truly enjoy trying new foods, recipes and attempting new cooking techniques. On Friday night I sauteed some squash (from our garden :) ) with some garlic and pepper and topped with Parm. Here is how I did it...

Ingredients:
Yellow Squash
Freshly Ground Pepper
Garlic Powder
Block of Parmesan Cheese

1st I chopped the squash into rounds (this picture is the 2nd squash that Ed cut up for me, I forgot to take a picture of the squash I cut up. I got caught up in the moment!)

Meanwhile I melted butter in a large pan. (enough to coat the pan when melted.. about 3-4 tbsp or you could use olive oil!)

After the butter was melted and hot I added the squash into the pan. I seasoned the squash with garlic powder and pepper. 

I cooked the squash rounds for a few minutes on each side, until they were golden brown.

After they were golden brown on each side I took them out and placed them on a paper towel that I had put on a plate. I let them drain for about a minute. I took them off the paper towel and I grated Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Serve warm to your friends and enjoy!!