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Broccoli Cheddar Soup – easy kid-friendly soup! A creamy soup with broccoli, carrots, and cheddar cheese!
Okay guys, dinner time.
Does the whole family sit down at the table?
Does everyone do their own thing?
I’ll admit, I’m terrible at dinner time these days. I’m a stickler for the kids at the table all together, but more often than not, I’m in the kitchen working on the dishes or doing a 2nd batch of biscuits or whatever needs to be done. I’m close enough to hear their conversation but not actually participating, you know?
Then they want to watch videos on their tablets so no one’s actually talking to anyone anyway.
And I’m feeling like it’s time to get rid of that mealtime boredom and bring some fun to the table.
Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potatoes – the perfect side dish for every meal! These potatoes are loaded with sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions!
So if you follow me anywhere, you know I was in Austin at BlogHer Food all weekend. It’s a conference for food bloggers where we all talk about what annoys us about our job and then we eat everything in the city.
And, in case you’ve ever wondered, I am horrible at conferences. (Very good at the eating part though.)
I showed up for 3 things the entire conference. And only stayed the full time for 1 of those.
Sitting still is hard for me, y’all.
Also, I sat down with a group of girls I didn’t know for the closing keynote and they asked if I had a business card.
And I didn’t.
I mean, do I seem like the kind of girl that carries business cards?
Anyway, one of the girls said, “Aww, you must be a new blogger!”
So that was kind of how the conference went for me.
I did get to hang out with friends that I’ve only ever known over the internet which was honestly the only reason I went to begin with so that totally made up for the conference being… ahem… lame.
Queso Fundido – spicy cheese dip with chorizo! Serve with tortilla chips for the perfect party snack!
Happy Monday!
It’s a happy Monday because Cinco de Mayo is just days away! And I think that you deserve to have chips and Queso Fundido for dinner.
Because why not?
So how was the weekend? It monsooned here in Texas. My entire house filled with a burning smell during the storm and that caused me to call maintenance out here at 11 pm on Friday night and, OF COURSE, the smell was gone by the time they got here.
The maintenance guy was like, “Oh yeah, your neighbors car got struck by lightning… so maybe that was it.”
Texas, man.
Just when I start to think I could stay here forever, spring storms come in and you-know-what on my party.
This article has been compensated by PAM Cooking Spray. All opinions are mine alone. #PAMCookingSpray
One of my favorite things about this time of year is the anticipation of the holidays and holiday meals. I’ve had a forever long list of Thanksgiving menu ideas on my desk since August.
Last year it was kind of up in the air whether my husband would be home in time for Thanksgiving (deployment) and he ended up coming home on Thanksgiving. So it was super simple since the boys and we spent several hours at the welcome home ceremony. This year though? I wanna go all out. Because next year my husband will probably be gone again. So why not?
One of my favorite and most important ingredients in my cooking, especially around the holidays, is PAM Cooking Spray. I use it pretty much every day of my life but because I use my vintage Pyrex dishes (handwash only!) for all holiday meals, I am most definitely spritzing everything with PAM Cooking Spray. PAM Cooking Spray leaves 99% less residue than margarine or bargain-brand sprays so clean up is quick and easy! It just makes life so much easier. Really, who wants to spend time scrubbing dishes after the Thanksgiving meal?
*vs. leading cooking sprays (except olive oil), after spraying on glass bakeware, baking at 400°F for 30 min, cooling, and then washing in standard home dishwasher with detergent and repeating 4 times.
These Twice Baked Red Potatoes are something you could serve for a holiday meal or just with a regular weeknight dinner! My husband and I used to make these when we lived in our very first apartment before we had kids. We’d make baked chicken with a salad and these potatoes and we felt like real adults. Because we bought raw potatoes and cooked them ourselves.
The recipe is super simple. Just bake the potatoes on a PAM Cooking Spray coated pan until their fork tender. Scrape out the insides and mix it with all kinds of cheesy goodness (and bacon!) and then put it back in the potato shells. So easy and so yummy! You can’t go wrong with potatoes with cheese and bacon!
Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers – delicious (and easy!) homemade pimento cheese on top burgers with crispy bacon!
Something you may not know about me is that one of my favorite foods is pimento cheese. I don’t know how or why but I have loved it for as long as I can remember.
Almost every week when I do my big grocery shopping trip, I buy a tub of pimento cheese and a bag of those long pretzel rods and then I dip the pretzels in the cheese and that’s all I eat until it’s gone.
I mean, is that not one of the weirder things for someone to be obsessed with?
Pimento cheese on pretzels? And not just pretzels, it has to be the pretzel rods.
(One the rare ocassion that I don’t feel like cheese, I get Justin’s Maple Almond Butter and then dip the pretzels in that. We’re not even going to think about how many calories that one is, mmkay?)
Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers!
So when my dear friend Kita asked me to participate in Burger Month again this year, I knew Bacon and Pimento Cheese Burgers were happening.
This was my first time making pimento cheese, if you can believe that.
I had it in my head that it was something I could only buy at the store since that was my tradition and all. But it turns out that it’s really easy. It’s just shredded cheese, diced pimentos (in a jar), and mayo. Seriously easy.
I did a simple beef burger with just salt and pepper, grilled for a few minutes on each side. And then I topped it with the homemade pimento cheese, some crispy bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
Also, I learned that I’m really, really bad at making burgers.
Normally my husband does any burgers for me but he was in the field so I attempted these and they ended up fat and not wide enough for the bun. Which means that I need to make burgers more often, right?
lettucetomato, onions, and other toppings if desired
Instructions
To make the pimento cheese, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Start with only 1/4 cup mayo and add more to reach desired consistency. Cover and let chill for an hour before serving.
To make the burgers, preheat grill to medium-high heat.
In a mixing bowl, mix together beef, salt, and pepper until combined. Shape into 4 equal burgers.
Grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until the burgers are cooked through.
Top with bacon, pimento cheese, and other toppings if you wish!
