Layered Bean Dip

Cooking:

So, last weekend, law school besty texted me with a simple question:  what's a fun thing to bring to a Super Bowl party that's not too intense as far as cooking?  That's right up my alley, of course.  When I told her about this bean dip, she asked if it was on the blog.

The answer, of course, was NO because I have been remiss in my blogging.  I suck.

This dip doesn't.  And it's easy.  A layer of beans.  A layer of salsa.  A layer of corn and onions, then a layer of cheese.  You could add more layers, I don't care, but put the beans on the bottom and the cheese on the top to seal in the goodness, and you'll be good to go.

I like this hot, because everything sort of oozes together and gets all creamy.  I've topped this with avocado and sour cream, in the past, and it's wonderful.  And I haven't, still wonderful.  And perfect for the Super Bowl.

Reading:

I am becoming well-versed in the snark of Simon Doonan, and I love every minute of it.  His latest, The Asylum, is no exception.  He is funny, he tells great stories about himself and the wonderful world of fashion, and he seems to know EVERYBODY which I love.  It's like having a best friend who's friends with famous people but with whom you are not actually friends.  For someone like me, who is actually a friend of the friendless, this is perfect.

Wearing:

The H and I are going to the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in a couple of weeks, and I need these:

Christian Louboutin via Neiman Marcus

These will be perfect for meeting my NEW best friend, Alex Guarnaschelli, and brunching at Tongue & Cheek.  I can't wait.  The countdown is on (14 days, for those who are counting).

Pizza Dip and Divergent

Cooking:

The H is CONSTANTLY requesting things that are not particularly appealing to me, specifically the inclusion of pepperoni in everything.  Don't get me wrong, I like a greasy pepperoni pizza as much as the next girl, but I don't believe that pepperoni would improve upon everything else in the food-iverse.

Pizza Dip

1/2 package of pepperoni, diced, plus additional for layering
1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2, 8 oz packages fat free cream cheese
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1 jar pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese (sliced or shredded)
Toasted baguettes

 Combine the chopped pepperoni, cream cheese, onion, and spinach and spread into a square baker.  Top the mixture with a layer of pepperoni, followed by a layer of pizza sauce and then a layer of mozzarella.  Bake at 350 for about half an hour, or until hot and bubbly. 

Reading:

That is a terrible photo of a great set of books.  I have a lot of thoughts on this series, most of which are vaguely spoiler-y so I won't go into them.  But I will say this:  if you liked The Hunger Games, the Divergent series (comprised of Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant) is better.  Much like The Hunger Games, these books have a slightly heavy-handed (in my opinion) commentary on society and the government, but the characters are really well-rounded and Veronica Roth truly does them justice from beginning to end. 

Wearing:

VC Signature Peony Pump via Shoebox

After trying on a million pairs of shoes at Nordstrom, I finally settled on these (though I really, really, REALLY wanted these Rag & Bone booties, I didn't succumb to temptation), and they've been in heavy rotation ever since.  They are well-worth their relatively modest price and they go with everything! 

And the booties will be mine soon, I assure you.

Quickie Friday: Black Bean Salsa

Sometimes, I just need to be able to throw something together in less than 5 minutes to fulfill a craving.  This dip was created in just such a moment.

I combined a can of Rotel tomatoes (the habanero, because I like the extra heat) with a can of drained and rinsed black beans, three garlic cloves, and lime juice in the food processor.  I pulsed it all together until I liked the consistency, added a little salt and white pepper to taste, and that was it!  Easy peasy - and it looks much more complicated than it is.

As do these . . .

Prabal Gurung for Target

I have loved some of the Target collaborations (and loathed others) and while I haven't had a chance to check this one out in person, these shoes lead me to believe that I would fall on the loving side.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

All of my regular readers know that football season is big business around our house.  You can find us cheering for Notre Dame on Saturdays and for the Bears on Sunday (or the Raiders if you're the F, but that's not important).

Regular readers also know that we love our food spicy, so it should come as no surprise that I put a total of 10 large jalapenos in this dip.  From both a texture and a heat perspective, I think it was the right choice.

I based my recipe on this recipe, but I obviously used many more jalapenos and I substituted fat free sour cream for the mayo (a decision that I strongly recommend).  I also used substantially less of the topping than the recipe indicated, with great results.

The dip turned out great and I would definitely make it again.  I honestly didn't think it was spicy enough, but that's easy to remedy with additional jalapenos (or I may even add hot sauce).

I would also probably add more bacon because, really, who doesn't love more bacon.

I am worried that having such gorg wedding shoes is going to turn me into some sort of Fendi-aholic.

Fendi via Barneys

Between the wedding shoes and these, I'd say it's a totally reasonable and understandable addiction, wouldn't you?

Quickie Friday: Cheesy Spinach Dip

I am a lover of all things spinach.  Combine that with cheese and you have a winning combination, in my book.

I threw a block of 2% velveeta, 10 oz. of frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry, of course), a block of fat free cream cheese, and two cans of Rotel (the habanero kind) into my crockpot with cayenne and white pepper (plus a little salt) and set the whole thing on low.  Let me tell you, peeps, it was DELISH.  And couldn't have been easier.  We had this dip with whole grain tortilla chips and whole grain pita bread slices, and it was perfect.

On Wednesday I signed up to take my first class at Above the Barre Fitness and I am super excited.  I know not, however, what to wear, especially on my feet.  A little googling led me to these:

via
Have any of you ever taken a barre class?  Any tips or tricks?  I'm going in blind . . . and completely out of shape.

Holy Guacamole

Despite my documented distaste for yogurt, Greek yogurt in particular, I find myself trying to incorporate it into my diet because I am not totally blind to the health benefits.  With football season in full swing (GO BEARS!!!) I decided that, this year, I am going to make some of our favorite things with a healthy-ish spin.  First up, guacamole.

I combined 4 avocados, a whole bunch of jarred jalapenos (that's a technical term, obviously.  I used about half a jar), and garlic in my food processor, along with a cup of greek yogurt.  I pulsed that mixture until it was relatively smooth, with a few chunks of avocado and jalapeno throughout.  I don't like my guac too smooth, but you could completely smooth it out if you prefer.

I then added an 8 oz. container of store bought pico de gallo to the avocado mixture (I have made pico, myself, in the past, but this is so much easier), and gave it a good stir.

And then I put together this artsy presentation because I'm hooked on instagram and a poolside shot of guacamole seemed like a good idea.  Healthy poolside guacamole is awesome (and for any interested parties, this chip and dip server can be found here).

Also awesome:  The F booked our honeymoon!  I still have absolutely NO idea where we're going, but I suspect that I'll be walking a LOT.  Enter Cole Haan and Maria Sharapova:

via Nordstrom

I have heard nothing but wonderful things about these flats and the Nike Air cushioning, so I definitely think they're worth it for 15 days of traipsing about a foreign country.  Have any of you tried these flats?  Are they worth it?!