The Best Homeade Salsa

4 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes (I used stewed)
1 bunch of green onions
2 t kosher salt
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 jalapeno (no seeds for mild, some seeds for medium, all seeds for hot)

-Put everything into a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. Serve with pretty much anything. Delicious! Thanks Megan for this awesome recipe. It's a staple in our house!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Don't get me wrong, nothing beats a great alfredo sauce with all it's rich goodness, but this alfredo sauce is pretty good for being low fat. Plus, you know that this sauce has like a bazillion less fat and calories.

2 C low-fat milk (not skim)
1/3 C (3 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth and set aside.
2. In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it.
3. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.When it's nice and thick (it should look as thick as a normal alfredo sauce) remove the pan from the heat.
4. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately.
5. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing.

This sauce can be used for many things--
Over pasta
As a sauce on pizza
As a dip for breadsticks
Mix it with pesto for a creamy pesto {I did, and it's delish}
Mix it with marinara for a creamy marinara sauce

Enjoy!

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

Umm, yeah...cookie dough + brownies = heaven in your mouth.

We made these tonight and they were delish! I suggest you all give them a try!

Brownie Layer:

1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 cubes) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly and remove from heat when chips are fully melted. In the same pot, blend in the sugar. Then add eggs, blending fully one at a time. Add flour and salt and beat until air bubbles form in the batter. Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes. {or until cooked through...mine took longer.}

Cool completely and then top with the cookie dough layer.

Cookie Dough Layer:

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown Sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls over cooled brownies; carefully spread over top (this can be tricky but I found the best way is to slightly wet my hands and pat the dough down gently so it doesn't pull up the brownies). Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Squares

Ruth Livingston Elementary use to serve these pieces of heaven for lunches when I was in school. They are still a favorite treat in my family.

Peanut Butter Squares

1 cup butter
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 pkg of crushed graham crackers
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips

Mix first five ingredients. Press into a 9 x 13 pan. Spread melted chocolate over the top. Let chocolate set.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 pint Sliced Strawberries
1 lb. Spinach
½ cup Slivered Almonds (optional)

Dressing: (this dressing is AMAZING!)
½ cup Sugar
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds
1 ½ tsp. Onion (dried or fresh)
¼ t. Paprika
¼ tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
½ cup Oil
¼ c. Cider Vinegar

Toss salad adding dressing just before serving. Be careful not to bruise spinach. (Another option is adding fresh blueberries or substituting Mandarin Oranges for the berries)

Better The Peanut Butter Cups

Crust:

8 medium chocolate chip cookies (I used about 12)
1/4 cup melted butter

Chocolate Layer:

2 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Filling:

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 t vanilla extract

-Preheat oven to 325 degrees
-In a food processor, blend cookies until finely ground.
-Add butter and mix together completely
-Press crumb mixture into 8 x 8 pan and bake for 10 minutes
-Cool to room temperature

-Melt chocolate over low heat until completely smooth but not boiling

-Prepare peanut butter filling by blending peanut butter and butter together in mixer until smooth
-Slowly beat in powdered sugar and then add vanilla
-Beat until smooth
-Spread peanut butter filling over crust
-Pour warm chocolate over the filling and spread smooth
-Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour until firm
-Cut into bars to serve

These are delicious! My kids LOVE them and they go a long ways since you only need a small bar because they are rich and yummy. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

My sister-in-law Kim made this for us when we visited them and it was yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast (I actually like it with a little more...maybe 3 cups)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 cup blue cheese salad dressing (chunky)
1/2 cup hot sauce or salsa (I used medium salsa)
2 cups shredded chedder cheese
1 cup celery finely chopped

Directions:

Combine chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, blue cheese dressing, salsa, and cheddar cheese. Pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Top with celery when done. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables.