Favorite Appetizer: Warm Bacon Cheese Spread

I got this recipe from a friend I once worked with, but it looks like it is originally from Taste of Home.
Who knew?  Here's the link: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Warm-Bacon-Cheese-Spread

Today is "Show Us Your Life" day over at Kelly's Korner.  For the last few weeks, she's been focusing on recipes (e.g., main dishes, desserts, etc.) and I've found so many that I want to try!
 
This week the focus is on Appetizers and my favorite of all time is Warm Bacon Cheese Spread.  This might be better suited for fall and winter get-togethers rather than 90-degree summer BBQs, but it's just so good that I have to share.  So here goes:

Ingredients:

• 1 round loaf of sourdough bread
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Steps:

1. Cut the top off of the loaf of bread and carefully hollow out the bottom, leaving a one-inch shell.
2. Cut the bread that you have removed into cubes and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese.  Add the sour cream, cheddar cheese, and Worcestershire sauce until combined.
4. Stir in the bacon and onions.
5. Spoon into the bread shell.
6. Wrap in a piece of foil and bake at 325 degrees for one hour (or until heated through).
7. Serve with bread cubes, veggies, and crackers.

It seems like we have also made this in a small crock-pot rather than baking it in the bread bowl, but I'm not 100% sure on that one!  My memory is not to be trusted. 

Okay.  I'm officially hungry now! 

Have a great weekend!

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner...

I've been Featured!

Well, my goodness!  What a sweet thing to be featured by Brenda on her lovely blog Cozy Little House.  Imagine my surprise when, taking a break from dusting, I logged onto my blog and found all the sweet comments and new followers!  You all have made my day {week, month, year...}

I must confess that the lovely yard that Brenda featured is not actually mine.  It belongs to La Caille, a beautiful restaurant in Sandy, Utah.  Alas, my own yard features flowers in serious need of pruning and two dogs that refuse to stop barking today.  Certainly not perfect, but full of potential. 

Nothing about my yard, home, or life is perfect, but I have lots of ideas (and several yard sale finds that are ready for some sprucing) so I would love it it you'll check back in when you have a chance.

Have a great day!

What's Up?

Hello.  I hope that everyone is having a great holiday weekend.  We are taking it easy, hoping that we can make it through the day without a trip to Walmart (doubtful), and preparing for a busy week.

 I haven't been a very good blogger lately and here are some reasons why:

1. My classes ended (Hallelujah!) and I was busy grading projects and figuring final grades.
2. Just after sending off my grades, the tornado hit Joplin and I found myself overwhelmed by the news coming out of there.  Frankly, I found myself thinking that it's pretty silly to post about my latest yard sale find when--less than two hours away--many people have lost everything.  So many people have lost their loved ones.  It kind of makes my little blog seem trivial and pointless.
3. C officially finished preschool.  We went to graduation, handed out some "thank you" gifts to his teachers, and tried to process the fact that we can no longer call him a "preschooler." 
4. We have a little over a week before C begins a summer kindergarten prep program at his elementary school and, on Friday, we began this break by having one of the worst days of parenting I have ever experienced.  Four (five? six?) rounds of time-out.  Daddy home late.  Legos banished to the garage.  Big blue ball (kicked inside the house one too many times) thrown into the backyard when what I really wanted to do was stab it with a steak knife.  It was a bad, bad, no good kind of day and I'm glad it's over. 
5. Saturday and Sunday were marginally better.
6. Now it's time to prep for my summer semester.  It begins one week from today and I have a lot to do.  I'm not feeling quite motivated yet, but I'm sure that I'll feel inspired any minute now.
7. I've been really busy plotting and planning all of the exciting things I'm going to do while C is having fun at summer school (e.g., sewing, painting, decorating, reading, napping...)

So that is what has been happening around here.  What has been happening in your part of the world?

Quilt Raffle to Benefit Joplin MO.

I know that with all of the natural disasters our world has experienced over the last few months, it is easy to get a little overwhelmed by all of the bad news.  It is easy to feel helpless.

But Dana, at Old Red Barn Co, isn't helpless at all.  She's awesome and generous and inspiring.  She has decided to give away a beautiful quilt and you need to check it out.  For every dollar you donate, you will receive a chance to win this beauty and 100% of donations will go to the American Red Cross to help victims of the recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri.

Here is the direct link to her post:  http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2011/05/every-little-thing-for-joplin-mo.html

I'm biased because (a) I grew up in the Joplin area; and (b) I have family members who still live there; and (c) I live 90 minutes away from there now--but--I cannot think of a nicer way to help the people of Joplin. 

Thank you Dana!

Mindless Crafting.

Good Morning.  I hope that everyone had a good weekend.  Ours was okay.  Just okay.  The weather was damp and cold.  Soccer got cancelled again.  The husband was sick again.  Just not a great weekend, but we all survived.

On Friday morning, I found myself buying a straw wreath at a garage sale two streets over.  Friday afternoon, I found myself tearing strips of fabric and pushing them into that wreath.  I call it "mindless crafting."  What do you think?

I think my front door needs to be repainted, but I'm undecided on the wreath...

Here's a close-up:

Too 1990s?  Too little girl's bedroom?

Sometimes I find that I have to be crafty in order to stay sane and the end result doesn't really matter.  This was one of those times.  So be honest...

Should it stay or should it go?

Tail Tale.

Oh, I'm so disappointed because I wrote a big, long post yesterday before Blogger decided to go crazy and it's gone!  Not saved.  At all.  Not one word.  I finished writing it, hit "publish post" and received a message that Blogger was down.  And that was that.  Finally got back on just now and nothing was there.  Boo.

The main thing that I wanted to share was that C suddenly decided that he needed paper for a "now project."  I waited and waited to see what he was making.  Can you guess?  Me neither.

He made...

...a tail!  And not only that, but he made one for J and me, too, so that "everyone" in our house would have one.  We are so cool!

Don't you wish that you had a tail, too?  They're the newest thing for spring!

Black Bean Soft Tacos

Good Morning!  I thought that I would share a recipe that I've been loving lately:  Black Bean Soft Tacos.  I found the original at Allrecipes.com and modified it a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (sometimes I just use the minced garlic that comes in a jar)
• 1 tablespoon oil (it calls for canola, but I usually use EVOO because it's handy)
• 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes w/ green chilies ("Rotel" tomatoes)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a nonstick skillet, saute' onion and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chilies, and seasonings.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup of mixture onto each flour tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.

These are so good and if you replace the tortilla with a few tortilla chips, a little lettuce, and some salsa--you have a bean taco salad!    So good!  I even like to make extra because it freezes well.

Enjoy!

Original Recipe:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/black-bean-soft-tacos/Detail.aspx

Linking up to Tasty Tuesdays over at 33 Shades of Green...