Crescent Jalapeño Poppers

I think it's about time I remember that I actually have a camera with which to photograph my dishes. Instead, I use the closest thing to me, which is always my phone. Bah. Maybe I iPhone 5 will snap better photos. (Did I mention that I'm making the switch to iPhone tomorrow? But I digress.)

This munchie recipe is a little processed but super easy and fast. And I used reduced fat cheese and rolls. Took me 10 minutes to prep and 13 minutes to bake. And actually I think I consumed 3 in about 5 minutes. So. Good. Excellent football food, I might add!

Crescent Jalapeño Poppers

1 can crescent rolls
8 jalapeños
4 slices pre-cooked bacon, sliced in half
Cream cheese

Heat oven to 375°F. Carefully remove stems from chiles; cut each in half lengthwise and again horizontally to make 4 pieces. Remove and discard seeds. Spoon about 1 teaspoon cheese into each chile quarter. Wrap half slice of bacon around each.

On cutting board, unroll dough; separate dough into 8 triangles. From center of longest side to opposite point, cut each triangle in half, making 16 triangles. Place chile, cheese side down, on dough triangle. Fold 1 point of triangle over filling; fold 2 remaining points over first point. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Crockpot Beer Carnitas Tacos

Okay, now these...THESE are the shnikies. Make this recipe right now. Don't even read this post! Just grab your wallet and go get a pork butt. You are likely to have all the rest of the ingredients in your kitchen already.

Here's the one change I made: I halved everthing, except for the beer. So what happened when I tasted the meat at the end of the day was, besides being just a little too wet, it seemed just a smidge bland, having been drowned in beer. Soooooo I shook in an additional teaspoon or two of McCormick Original Taco Seasoning Mix. And voila! Flavor perfection. And the pièce de résistance--the Jalapeño Lime Sour Cream (to which I did not add the salt and pepper).

Do it. Do it now.

Crockpot Beer Carnitas Tacos

5-6 lbs pork shoulder roast (or butt)
1 tbsp canola oil
8 oz of your favorite beer
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine seasonings together in a bowl and mix until combined. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Once hot, add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side).

Add pork to the crockpot and sprinkle seasonings all over. Pour in beer, then cook on low for 10-12 hours. Check once or twice if possible and if needed, add more beer (I did not add any). Before serving, use forks or kitchen tongs to shred pork. Let sit on low or warm for another 20-30 minutes before serving.

Jalapeno Lime Sour Cream
1 c. sour cream
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
a pinch of salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together then serve. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Hot and Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

A couple days ago, I posted about how much I love The Pioneer Woman and her blog. IF you've followed my blog for very long at all, you are also well aware of my second most-favorite blog, How Sweet It Is. On September 1st, she wrote a post FULL of recipes she deems football-worthy. Immediately, I knew this was where I'd find my next post (my next two, actually!).

This one was a no-brainer for me. Except that I didn't follow the recipe I chose, so really I didn't try this recipe at all. Instead of the cheeses called for, which are Italian, I used cheddar, colby Jack and pepper Jack, because I thought the flavors would go better with the main dish I was serving (carnitas tacos, following post). This resulted in the dip being kinda...curdled. Not as smooth and creamy as I'd hoped. Could've been the quality of the cheese, too. Who knows?

This isn't anything to write home about. There is bacon, so that's fantastic. But bottom line: you should try it the way it's written, and then tell me how it tastes.

Hot and Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. asiago cheese, freshly grated
4 oz. parmesan cheese, freshly grated
4 oz. fontina cheese, freshly grated
1 roasted red pepper, patted dry and chopped
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If you use red peppers from a jar (in water), pat dry with a paper towel.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, asiago, parmesan, 3 ounces of fontina, red peppers, bacon and pepper, and mash thoroughly with a fork. Place in an oven safe dish, then top with remaining fontina. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly on top.