50 Days of The Little Things + Pepper Jack & Pimento Dip

Hi friends! Thanks for sharing your blogging stories with me yesterday :)

I'm super sad this morning over the news of Steve Jobs passing last night. He was a revolutionary, a visionary, and who knows what else he might have changed in our world in the future. I shout the praises of my Macbook non-stop (especially to Shaun, who's a PC), use my iPod every single day, and am currently coveting an iPhone (rather than my horrible Blackberry) and an iPad. What a horrible day for the world :(

Ok now I'm crying. I do that a lot.

It's strange that his death falls yesterday and my plans for today were to tell you all about The Little Things Challenge, a small way to appreciate all the tiny bits happiness in life - something that I fear many of us do not do enough. Julie @ Savvy Eats started this challenge last November. She encouraged her readers to keep a tally of a Little Thing each day in November (until Thanksgiving) that made you smile. This year, she's upping The Little Things Challenge to 50 days, ending on Thanksgiving. That means that the challenge starts today!

Thanksgiving, 2009. The dress I'm wearing from Anthropologie makes me happy!

Last year, I kept a list of little things in my notebook. I filled it with everything from being excited about a new nail polish color or enjoying a pumpkin spice latte to Shaun packing my lunch for me or my building concierge holding the shuttle bus for me one morning. You can see my entire list of Little Things here. It was so fun to look back on these on Thanksgiving morning and to share them on the blog.

It's amazing what a mood changer this was for me. Simply picking out something that made me smile, even on a morning when I was unhappy over work, the weather, an argument, etc...searching for one bit of happiness was a total 180 degree turn for my mood. It makes me wonder why I wouldn't just do this every day? Maybe I will.

So I'm super excited to join in this challenge, and I hope you will too! I plan to make a Little Things jar this year to collect my pieces of happiness over the next 50 days (and beyond?). Since I dropped the ball and didn't get it set up yet, I'll start today in my notebook and make my jar this weekend. I can't wait to share it with all of you. Make sure to head over to Savvy Eats to see Julie's full write up about the challenge. I hope you'll join! Maybe we could link up and share them each week or something. What do you think?

I can't wait to tell you about what's making me happy this week. I made a new dip for the last 2 football Sundays that is seriously so easy and sooooo tasty. It was Shaun's idea to make a pimento dip. I honestly didn't know what pimentos were (it turns out that they are cured roasted peppers!), but I was willing to give it a go. I adapted a recipe from a very old issue of Food Network Magazine and it's quickly become a staple in my appetizer recipe arsenal.

Pepper Jack & Pimento Dip
1 C pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ C reduced fat mayonnaise
¼ C reduced fat sour cream
3 Tbsp diced pimentos
1 Tbsp Worceshire sauce
kosher salt, for seasoning
black pepper, for seasoning.
cooking spray
tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Spray a small baking dish or ramekin with cooking spray. Pour mixture into dish and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the dip is melty and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.

Could that be easier? Cheesy, slightly tangy and a little kick from the pepper jack cheese. Yum!

So that's what's going on with me today!

Questions of the Day:

Will you participate in 50 Days of The Little Things? You know I am!

Are you a crier? I am a born & bred crier!

Game Day Eats: Pear, Gorgonzola & Bacon Toasts

It's sooooo rainy and humid and disgusting here on the East coast. It's one of those days that makes me want to stay in bed with a cup of tea, some good reality TV and the air conditioning blasting. Yep, I'm still rocking my air conditioning. I simply cannot sleep while it's hot in my apartment. And I simply cannot bear the though of wearing rain boots while it's so warm outside. Ick.

Anyway.

You all know about my love for football Sundays. I love the constant of it. I know that it will always be a relaxing day where Shaun and I make time to just relax, geting dooded up in our respective team jerseys and making a yummy spread of food. I also like to use it as an excuse to try some new dishes! So often I get caught up in my usual favorites; pizza dip, mini hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls (yup, we go there) and simple chips and onion dip.

This past week, I decided to change it up a bit. I threw together these pear, gorgonzola and bacon toasts in no time. The toasts are quickly cooked in the oven, while the rest comes together in a snap.

Creamy, sharp gorgonzola, crunchy toast, sweet juicy pears and turkey bacon crumbles...what could be better?

Pear, Gorgonzola & Bacon Toasts
*Adapted from Food Network Magazine
**Makes a lot of toasts
1 baguette
1-2 fresh pears, cored and sliced
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 oz gorgonzola crumbles (about half of a container)
2 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the baguette, spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes until baguette is toast-like. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet or microwave until slightly crispy and crumbled. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Mix together the gorgonzola and cream cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cut up the pear into small slices. Take out the toasts, place them on a platter and assemble. Spread gorgonzola mixture, followed by pear and top with bacon crumbles.

Enjoy. It's easy!

And pretty! For a party, you could probably even make these right before your guests arrive, simply toss the pear slices in lemon juice before plating them and cover with saran wrap. I'm keeping this on file for my next gathering. Yum!!

I love the combination of sharp cheese and sweet fruit. Not to mention the smoky bacon flavor topping. So delicious.

So there you have it. A {very} easy game day {or anytime!} eat!

Questions of the Day:

Do you ever enjoy a rainy day?

What's your favorite unusual flavor combination?

What foods do you enjoy for curling up in front of the TV?

Sundried Tomato & Olive Tapenade

You may remember my tales of our Kentucky Derby slash Shaun's Birthday party last week, where I prepared the most chocolately, alcohol laced brownies of all time and a new twist on classic hummus. Of course, I didn't stop there.

For yet another chic cocktail food, I once again consulted Giada DeLaurentiis' Everyday Italian since all of her recipes are nothing short of classy, simple and delicious to boot. When I stumbled upon her Sun-dried Tomato & Olive Tapenade, I knew it was the perfect addition to my Derby spread. Though Giada serves it up with endive leaves, I personally am not a huge fan of the taste. Not to mention that I have an unhealthy obsession with crackers. I'll pretty much eat them with anything slathered on top. Anyhow, let's get down to the goods...

Sun-dried Tomato & Olive Tapenade
Adapted from Everyday Italian
3 cans black olives
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

In a food processor (or a blender would probably work as well), combine drained black olives and sun-dried tomatoes, including the olive oil they were packed in. Pulse until the mixture is smooth, but still with chunky bits of olives and tomatoes. If for some reason your mixture is dry, add a bit of olive oil and mix until smooth. Mine was very oily just from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, so no extra olive oil was necessary. Serve with crackers, corn chips, endive leaves, crostini or pita chips.

Could this spread be any easier? The sundried tomatoes give a nice bite while the olives maintain a sublty salty flavor. This recipe makes a lot of tapenade, but can you ever have too much when hosting a party? Well, in my case, you can because I had a lot left over...but I'm chalking that up to the fact that my mother always taught me to have enough food for an army and then some when having company. I even served it up in a super sweet tea cup and saucer since there's nothing more unusual looking than a giant bowl of tapenade. Instead, opt for a small serving dish (or in this case, cup) and garnish with the dipping materials.

So what do you think? Are you a fan of tapenade? What's your favorite party food?