Zucchini & Corn Fritters with Cilantro Sour Cream

I just love fresh corn on the cob, but I've always wanted to make something else out of them. Enter Pinterest. I've been seeing quite a few recipes on corn and zucchini fritters like this one from Girl versus Dough and I thought it would be a great way to sneak in some veggies for the kiddos. I made a go at it and also made some dipping sauce to go with it. Score! The little one loved it. The older one, not so much. But mommy thought it was so yummy. This recipe makes quite a few patties, so I decided freeze a few to eat later whenever I need a corn fix. Such a yummy way to use up corn and zucchini.

Fritters
1/4 cup oil
4 large eggs, beaten
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup corn kernels
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1) In a large bowl, combine eggs, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Add zucchini and corn and combine thoroughly. Add the flour and stir thoroughly until there are no pockets of flour in the dough.

2) Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a pan over medium-high heat. Using an ice cream scoop filled about 1/4 full, pour batter into oil and cook on both sides until golden brown. Place cooked fritters on a paper towel to drain the oil. Serve warm with cilantro sour cream.

Cilantro Sour Cream
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

1) Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend thoroughly. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Cookie Dough Dip

I love anything that has to do with cookie dough. Whether it be cookie dough it its raw form whenever I make my Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies. Or my Cookie Dough brownies. Or my Cookie Dough cupcakes. Or my Cookie Dough truffles. I just love cookie dough. So when I found this Cookie Dough Dip recipe from Love and Prayer via Pinterest, I knew I had to add it to my collection of cookie dough recipes.

I decided to make this for a pre Mother's Day lunch with hubby's side of the family last month and it came out really good. I served it a few neutral flavored cookies and crackers like Vanilla wafer cookies, Graham crackers, and honey wheat pretzels. I loved it most with the pretzels. So yummy.

1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips

1) Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture starts to bubble. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, whisk in vanilla extract.

2) In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and confectioner's sugar. Slowly add cooled brown sugar mixture. Mix until combined.

3) Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. Serve with vanilla wafer cookies, graham crackers, or pretzels.

Easy Fruit Dip

My sister-in-law had served this dip at one of our nephew's birthdays. She had mentioned that it was simply a mixture of cream cheese and marshmallow fluff. Then I was searching for recipe ideas from the Brown Eyed Baker and found this recipe. I had some strawberries that were starting to wilt, so I thought I'd eat them up before they all go bad and this dip would go well with them.

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 jar marshmallow fluff

1) In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and marshmallow fluff until well combined. Serve with your favorite fruit.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

The past week has been a whirlwind of emotions, especially for hubby. Not only was it hubby's birthday, but his long-awaited board exam was also on his birthday. So the beginning of the week was pretty tense in our household, to say the least. However, the early Friday morning after his birthday, we received the most happiest news that after his 2 years of studies taking him away from his family, he passed his boards. It was a very emotional morning and we're so thrilled that its finally over and we can now finally move on with our lives as a complete family without worrying about him having to study, having to go to class, or having to go to his internship. So to commemorate both of our birthdays this month and the passing of his boards, we decided to throw a little pool party with our loved ones present.

I decided to have the food catered by one of the BBQ restaurants we frequent, Stonefire Grill. Then one day last week, I was looking through some recipes from the Brown Eyed Baker and came across this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip that I thought would be great to serve as an appetizer. I was a little nervous about making this because I didn't know how anyone would take it being spicy. I like to eat a little spice every now and then, but sometimes I feel like the flavor of the dish gets lost in the spice. I prefer flavor over the spice. So for this recipe, I decided to use a milder hot sauce and it came out so yummy! It was very well received and I'm so glad I made it. It was not too spicy and so we were able to enjoy the flavor. This is definitely going to be repeated again and again.

4 boneless chicken breast halves, boiled and shredded (or use a whole rotisserie chicken)

12 oz bottle hot sauce

16 oz bottle ranch dressing

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

2) In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken and hot sauce until well combined. Spread in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or any 3 quart baking dish.

3) In a medium sauce pan, combine ranch dressing, cream cheese, and mayonnaise over low-medium heat until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Pour mixture evenly over chicken. Evenly spread cheese on top and bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with tortilla chips, carrot sticks, or celery sticks.

Happy birthday to hubby and me. Congratulations to hubby!

One side of this yummy Banana Nutella Chocolate cake had a sign that said "Happy Birthday." The other side said "Congratulations (hubby), PTA, ATC." Yummy!