First Wedding of 2013

This past weekend two of our dearest friends were married in our home town.  They are both in the Navy and bless her heart, Nicole (the Bride) planned everything from Washington state.  Can you imagine?  It was a beautiful day that was perfectly planned full of friends, family, beer and one heck of a good time.  

Yep, this one is my husband, trashing his white suit up with $14 gas station sunglasses that "matched his flower perfectly."  Apparently I was supposed to be proud.  Hum....

Our buddies Meghan and Alex. Adorbs.

And Jer and Britt.  Um, the hair, yeah that's another story...

Lovie.

They had their Navy buddies usher...I don't think any of the women minded one bit.  Case in point: My Mom.

The groom, so handsome.

The cutest.

The Bride, absolutely stunning.

Eeee, the KISS! I love it.

Love.

Girlfriends at the bar.  I love them all.

Sorry ladies, another one bites the dust : )

Newlyweds!

A good idea...at the time.

They made their own wine as favors, this is the strawberry version.

Probably the best picture of the night.

So sweet.

Cigars are a tradition in our group.

Hailey is really the only woman who participates, ya girl.

And those are all of the PG pictures I can post on the blog : )  Let's just say that at some point, all the groomsmen took of their shirts and only had vests on.  Check out my Instagram if you are really interested (Krysten_schwartz is my user name)  It was a wild and FUN night.

Congrats Al and Nicole, we love you guys! xoxo.

Easy Artichoke Bread

Ready for one of the easiest appetizers of all time?  Well friends, here it comes.  I was craving artichoke dip after devouring it post-bar last weekend during a Bachelorette party.  It was creamy, delicious and the best food I have ever eaten.  I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with the fact I slung back a few shots and a couple (hundred) beers.  

So last night I wanted to re-create things a bit.  I didn't have the recipe from the other night but I did have a good idea of what was in there.  I have to say, this version has a bit more flavor (if I'm remembering correctly--it's a bit foggy) due to the red pepper flakes.  This recipe would be perfect for entertaining or like we had it, on a random Wednesday night with a big salad.  

Start with a block of cream cheese.  I used 1/3 the fat variety.

Grab a jar of these guys.  I love these artichoke hearts from TJ's.

Give them a good chop.  Toss them in the bowl with the cream cheese

Grate in a few cloves of garlic.  If you don't have a microplane, just give them a really good mince.

Toss in some parmesan cheese

Season All Salt

Black pepper

Red pepper flakes

And some dried parsley for a bit of color.  Give it a good stir.

And slather it all over a loaf of ciabatta bread

Sprinkle with a little more parm and into the oven they go

This is the end result.

Yep

Slice it up

And mow it down

Easy Artichoke Bread

8 oz cream cheese (1/3 the fat is okay)

8 oz marinated artichokes, chopped 

1 cup parmesan cheese + 2 tablespoons or so for topping

1/2 teaspoon Season All Salt

15 cracks of black pepper (or about 1/8 of a teaspoon)

A large pinch of red pepper flakes 

3/4 teaspoon of dried parsley

1 loaf of ciabatta bread 

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. 

Combine the cream cheese (it's easier if it's at room temp), artichokes, parmesan cheese, Season All Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and dried parsley.  Stir until fully combined.  

Cut the ciabatta bread in half and spread the artichoke dip over the inside of the loaf.  Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.  

Place on a baking sheet and put into the oven for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes, check to see how it is doing.  Bake until the top starts to turn golden brown and is heated through.  

Slice into strips and enjoy!  

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz 

**Note, if you don't want to serve the dip ON the bread, you can put it in a baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown and is heated through. Serve with chips or sliced crusty bread.**

Taco Pizza

I'd like you to think that I was organized enough to make this on Sunday for Cinco de Mayo.  You just think that while in fact, I actually made coconut chicken fingers.  So festive of me, right?  Well they were delish too and the recipe is to come.  But, I made this Taco Pizza earlier in the week and we gobbled it down.

Mr. Schwartz could eat tacos every day of the week if I let him.  I'm not kidding.  Every.single.day.of.the.week.  While I love tacos, I don't love them quite as much as Mr. Schwartz does.  A girl has got to have some variety.  So, in the sake of pleasing the Hus and myself with a little variety, I came up with this Taco Pizza.  It is super quick, just about as easy as regular tacos and very, very tasty.

Start with chopping an onion and tossing it in a pan with some canola oil.

Add your meat of choice.  I used lean ground turkey.

Once browned and crumbled, add your favorite taco seasoning.  You can make your own, and I have, but the packaged stuff works just fine as well.

Add a little water and let it simmer for a few minutes.

That's when you can work on the dough.  I used my favorite fool proof pizza dough from Lauren's Latest.  It seriously does not fail.  If you are in a pinch, you could always use store bought pizza dough.  I hear most pizza joints sell their dough as well.  I know for a fact that Trader Joe's does and it's fab.

Whatever dough you have, spread it out as evenly as you can on a jelly roll pan that is inverted and dusted with cornmeal.  Clearly I like to make a big mess.  I probably should have cut this amount in half and gone with a thinner crust.  I will next time...

Take a fork and poke a bunch of holes in the dough.  Pop it in a 415 degree oven for about 4 minutes to "pre-bake" it.

Boom. Pre-baked.

Take your taco meat and add it to the crust

Along with a bunch of cheese.  Like a BUNCH of cheese. Back into the oven it goes for about another 5-7 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown and the cheese is all melted.

Like this.

That's the cheese I was talking about....

Then top with your favorite taco toppings.  Here I have a simple taco sauce...

But then things get wild.  My mother-in-law's pickled jalapenos....

And lettuce.  Mr. Schwartz added sour cream too.  He's crazy like that.

A new twist on an old favorite.  We fell in love.

Taco Pizza

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground turkey, chicken or beef
1 packet taco seasoning + 1 tablespoon more
2/3 cup water
1/2 recipe for pizza dough or a store bought variety
1/8 cup cornmeal
2 cups shredded cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey jack or a combination of all cheese

For topping:
Taco/hot sauce
Pickled jalapenos
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream

Start by preheating the oven to 415 degrees.

In a medium skillet, add the canola oil and chopped onion.  Let cook for about 3-4 minutes and add the meat.  Cook until no longer pink and add the taco seasoning and water.  Turn the heat down and let simmer while you work on the dough.

Flip a jelly roll pan upside down and dust the bottom of it with cornmeal.  Spread the pizza dough out evenly on the pan and prick all over with a fork.  Pop it in the oven for about 4 minutes to "pre-bake" the crust.

Remove the crust from the oven and spread the meat out evenly on top.  Sprinkle with cheese and put it back in the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

Cut pizza into pieces and garnish with toppings.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz