German Potato Salad

I think most people will agree with me when I say that bacon makes everything better. Let me clarify – bacon makes most dishes better by adding richness and a smoky, salty goodness. There has however been an abundance of bacon flavored products that have surfaced over the last few years and some are a little questionable.

Bacon toothpaste? I’ll stick with mint. Bacon vodka? No, thanks. But bacon in German potato salad? Oh ja!

As you can tell I’ve still been riding the German food wave that I caught about a month ago. When I came across this recipe for potato salad, I knew I had to try it because one, it’s German and two, bacon.

Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad)

Last week we were invited to a small gathering of drinks and Mexican food. My friend, who was hosting, was preparing a combination of beef and chicken tacos so I decided I wanted to try a new side dish called Esquites, a Mexican corn salad.

When I first looked at this delectable recipe, it contained so many ingredients that I love there was no way it wasn’t going to be delicious. There was garlic, lime, cilantro, cheese, and, of course, corn! Like the original post on Closet Cooking says, it really sounded like pure summer in a bowl.

Garlic Ranch Pretzels

My husband and I are huge fans of the show Breaking Bad. Now that the series is over, we certainly miss the wonderful acting and the colorful characters that entertained us over the years. I bring up Breaking Bad because this week I felt a bit like Walter White, the main character. During the span of the show, Walter went from mild-mannered, middle-aged chemistry teacher to genius creator of blue tinted meth.

No. I haven’t tried my hand at cooking illicit substances (no recipes like that here), but I have discovered a snack food that is quite addictive and hard to quit cold turkey – Garlic Ranch Pretzels.

I know you’re skeptical (I was) because pretzels are kind of ho-hum and not that special. But let me tell you, once these five simple ingredients are mixed together and baked up, they create one of the most irresistible snacks I’ve ever had.

Fresh Basil Hummus

Over the last two weeks, I’ve been obsessed with caprese salad and sandwiches. Because of my preoccupation, I’ve been purchasing copious amounts of basil, mozzarella and tomatoes. I must have misjudged how much basil I really needed because I ended up with a huge bunch left over. Oops.

That’s an easy fix, right? Just buy more cheese and tomato! I hesitated to go this route since it’s possible my husband was starting to think I had an addiction that a reality TV show could be interested in.

What else could I do with my basil? I have nothing against pesto (because it’s delicious), but I wanted to avoid another trip to the store and to work with what I had in my pantry. As it turns out, there’s such a thing as basil hummus.

Easy Seven Layer Dip

Last Sunday was the Superbowl and like a lot of other people out there, we spent our time watching the big game with friends and a slew of good food. If you’re like me, any get together presents a list of worries – will there be enough food? How long do I need to prepare? What will I need to keep warm? Can I get away with not turning on my oven?

This time around, I decided I wanted my gathering to be low-key and low stress, so I opted for snack foods and dishes that could be easily prepared in advance.

Since it was the Superbowl, and I don’t think my husband thinks any football related event is quite complete without it, I needed to make a seven layer dip. It truly is the best of the Tex-Mex snack food world!