Hey everybody!!!  Y’all, it’s only Wednesday, what the heck?  When you have totally reached your quota of people annoying you, arguing with you, and generally just causing massive amounts of stress and discontent inside, and then you realize it’s only the middle of the week, siiiigh. 

I’m normally a very happy and positive person, but there are just some people who come along and put a quick stop to that, and folks, that has been happening since Monday.  Literally visions of getting in my car, driving far far away and changing my name have genuinely crossed my mind at least 10 times, yes a little melodramatic but whatevs. 

I guess all I can do is keep on praying for my continued sanity  haha.  Soo anyways, back to what you’re really here for..food, and lots of it. I don’t know about y’all, but soft pretzels in my mind are one of the most delectable savory treats in the world (a very grand statement, but I’m sticking to it). 

I mean, come on, soft, buttery, chewy dough covered in sea salt? mmmmmm…Something so simple yet so awesome, and today I show you an easy way to enjoy them at home, and hello with an easy cheese dip!  I really hope each and every one of you are having a wonderful day and thank you so much for stopping by !!!

First, dough-yes I bought mine, I just don’t have time to make it 🙂

cut into pieces so it’ll be easier to roll out…

rolled out (about 1/2 inch thick)…

then sliced up into bite sized pieces…

baking soda in your water…

once boiling, put your dough pieces in…

take out, place on your baking sheet, now time for the egg wash (1 egg & water) on…

then brushed onto your dough bites…

then sprinkle some salt on & bake, bake bake…now time for the cheese sauce, butter…

then flour…

whisked all together and thickened a bit…

now slowly stir in the milk…

cook this up a bit until thickened…

now pour the cheese in…

all mixed in and yum!

Enjoy!!!

Easy Salted Pretzel Bites

2016-09-12 13:41:41

Delicious and easy pretzel bites that are a cinch to make.

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THE PRETZEL BITES

1. 1 Package of Pre-Made Pizza Dough (I Used Publix Brand).
2. 1-3 Cups of All-Purpose Flour, For Rolling the Dough.
3. 1 Egg
4. 1/2 Cup of Baking Soda.
5. 9 Cups of Water.
6. Sea Salt.

THE CHEESE SAUCE (OPTIONAL)

1. 3 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter.
2. 2 Tablespoons of Flour.
3. 1 Cup of Milk.
4. 1 Cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded.
5. Salt and Pepper If Desired.

FOR THE PRETZEL BITES

1. If using pre-made pizza dough, let it rise for 1 hour.
2. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
3. On a large baking sheet or 2 medium sized baking sheets cover in aluminum foil and spray with non stick spray and set aside.
4. Place your flour all over your counter top, then place your dough onto it.
5. Cut your dough into 4-6 sections, roll out and slice into bite sized pieces.
6. Whisk together an egg and a dash of water for the egg wash.
7. In a large pot, bring to boil 9 cups of water with 1/2 cup of baking soda.
8. While continuing to boil, place 8-10 of the dough bites into the water and remove after 20-30 seconds with a slotted spoon, draining as much liquid as possible and place onto your baking sheet.
9. After boiling all of your bites, brush your egg was all over your bites and sprinkle sea salt on them as well.
10. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown.

FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE (OPTIONAL)

1. In a small/medium sized saucepan on medium heat, place your butter into your pan and once melted add your flour and whisk together.
2. Now pour in your milk and mix in thoroughly until it starts to thicken, then remove from the heat and add in your cheese.
3. Mix the cheese in until it completely melts and is well combined.
4. Add salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!!!

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Happy Happy Monday!!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and were able to get out and do some fun stuff, or you know relaxed, whatever floats your boat.  I (per usual) had a very busy but fun weekend, and honestly made better by these delicious little bites of Southern awesomeness. 

I don’t know why, but I’ve been craving grits like crazy…FYI to all who have no idea what a grit is, basically it’s Southern oatmeal that’s made from corn, that’s a terrible description, but just know they’re good.  Also, unlike oatmeal, grits are normally prepared in a savory way, AKA lots of butter, lots of cheese (yummm), etc. 

Soo, due to my cravings I thought maybe putting a fun spin on one of my fav things would be fun.  I honestly had no idea how these little guys would bake up, I mean for all I knew they would fall apart, taste terrible, whatevs.  Y’all,  I couldn’t believe how well these turned out, they baked so perfectly and hand held, with cheesy goodness throughout.  These are such perfect little savory snacks and I am just in love with these.  I sure hope you get a chance to make these and thank you so much for stopping by.   

milk, chicken stock, water, then grits going in…

cooking up for a while…

then add your cheese, garlic powder, chili powder…

now your eggs & butter…

mix, mix, mix…

into your muffin tins…

bake, bake, bake…

and enjoy!!!

Cheesy Grit Bites

2016-06-24 12:43:40

Yields 24

Delicious cheesy grits made conveniently in muffin tins.

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Ingredients

1. 2 Cups of Water.
2. 3 Cups of Chicken Stock.
3. 1 Cup of Milk.
4. 2 Teaspoons of Salt.
5. 1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper.
6. 1/4 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder.
7. A Dash of Chili Powder.
8. 2 Cups of Quick Cooking Grits.
9. 2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese, Shredded.
10. 1/2 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted.
11. 3 Eggs.
12. Muffin Tins.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Liberally spray your muffin tin or tins with non stick spray and set aside.
3. In a large pot place your water, chicken stock and milk, then bring these to a low boil, then add your salt, pepper and garlic powder.
4. Now pour your grits into your milk/stock/water mixture, turning the heat down to low and while stirring constantly continue to cook until your grits are thick.
5. Remove from the heat, then add your butter, cheese and eggs making sure to mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
6. Now using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill your muffin tins to the top with your grit mixture and bake for 18-20 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on top.
7. Let them cool slightly before removing from the muffin tin, then enjoy!

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Happy Wednesday everybody!!! or should I say potato Wednesday–you know, because I say weird things that make me chuckle and everyone else looks at me like the weirdo I am…okay so no potato Wednesday. 

Honestly, these little easy cheesy bites are so darn good that I might be willing to rename Wednesday in their honor, juuuust kidding, but these are super duper delicious for sure.  I’m sure most of y’all have had some form of potato skins–most likely in a bar I will assume–and they are usually crispy, but thicker than a potato chip. 

These little easy cheesy potato skins turned out to be like amazingly thick round cheesy french fries.  Y’all I couldn’t get enough of these guys, so I highly recommend you make these ASAP.  I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far and as always thank you so much for stopping by.

potatoes washed, chopped, and salted…

bake, bake, bake…

take out and then add lots of cheese…

back into the oven for a few more minutes then enjoy!!!

Easy Cheesy Potato Skins

2016-06-21 10:37:14

Delicious potato bites baked to perfection with cheese.

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Ingredients

1. 2-4 Large Baking White Potatoes.
2. 1-2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese.
3. Pink Hamalayan Salt (or Sea Salt), To Taste.
4. Baking Sheet & Aluminum Foil.
5. Bacon Bits For Topping (Optional).

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place your aluminum foil onto your baking sheet then spray your foil with non-stick spray and set aside.
3. Thoroughly wash your potatoes then dry off.
4. Now cut the ends off of your potatoes and throw away, then slice your potatoes into 1/2 an inch (thinner or thicker to your liking) slices and place on your baking sheet.
5. Now sprinkle your salt all over your potato slices and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are starting to brown.
6. Remove your potatoes from the oven and sprinkle them all liberally with cheese, then place your potatoes back into the oven for about 3 more minutes until cheese is completely melted.
7. If you want bacon bits on your potatoes sprinkle them on now and enjoy!!!

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Happy Wednesday everybody! So I have another cheat day recipe today that I wouldn’t exactly consider a cheat day food, but it just so happens to be one of my favorites. 

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus are probably one of my favorite side dishes ever, and one my mom has always made for any BBQ/steak family gathering.  To me, these are hands down addictive, and I will practically eat my weight in these,  I definitely have a sweet tooth a majority of the time, but these are just some of the tastiest little savory bites around. 

Oh, and these are beyond easy to make too, the only thing I would do different next time is maybe get the prosciutto sliced just slightly thicker to make sure it doesn’t rip as easily while trying to wrap these.  Oh, and you can totally use bacon but I love Prosciutto more because  it crisps up much faster so you don’t risk burning your asparagus.  Anyways, I totally recommend these for a side dish, much too yummy not to enjoy.  Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by.    

all the cut up asparagus spears & sliced Prosciutto…

roll, roll, roll…

all on your tray & drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar…

bake, bake, bake….

and enjoy!!!

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

2016-05-10 11:59:29

Asparagus deliciously wrapped in Prosciutto with Balsamic Vinegar drizzled on top and baked to perfection.

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Ingredients

1. 12-15 Slices of Prosciutto, Very Thinly Sliced.
2. 25-35 Asparagus Spears.
3. Balsamic Vinegar, For Drizzling.
4. Baking Sheet.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place aluminum foil on your baking sheet and spray with non stick spray, set aside.
3. Cut the harder ends off of your washed asparagus and set aside.
4. Bundle your asparagus in groups of 3 and very gently roll them up in a slice of Prosciutto, place on your tray, repeat until all asparagus are wrapped up.
5. Now drizzle some Balsamic Vinegar all over your asparagus spears and bake for 12-14 minutes or until desired level of golden brown doneness is reached.
6. Let cool slightly and enjoy!

Notes

1. Obviously, you can buy way more asparagus and prosciutto if feeding a larger crowd-and these go quickly!
2. I got my Prosciutto at the deli counter at the grocery store and had it sliced to the thickness that I wanted.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Happy Monday y’all!!  No joke you guys, I was afraid I wasn’t even going to be able to post today.  Why? well, for starters my beloved Macbook Pro of 5 years kicked the bucket big time unexpectedly (RIP Javier-yes, I named my computer, don’t judge me) last week, which meant I made a mad (in tears) dash to the Apple store to try to revive him. 

There was no fixing to be done that night which meant buying a brand spanking new one that evening.  My external hard drive had to be left with the store in hopes to get anything (especially all of my food pics) off of my computer since I had not done any backups in over a month sssiiiggh, and when I finally got it back they wouldn’t transfer my stuff onto my new computer like they said they would (at that point I thought my head would explode, y’all ever feel like that?). 

Anyways, I got almost everything I wanted off of my hard drive and onto my new Macbook Pro (which still doesn’t have a name yet) with the help of my dad (thanks dad!!) then I proceeded (with the help of my very large and overzealous dog) to drop my iPhone face first onto the tile floor and smashed the cover into a bajillion glass pieces double siiiggghh. 

Soo, yeah it’s been that kind of week, and as someone who is usually happy and positive I’ve been feeling slightly grouchy.  Sooo, I figured one of my favorite cheat restaurant dishes would fix the grouch, and it totally did.  The smell of the bread toasting, the fresh basil, mozzarella and tomatoes, oh my, I’m in love, this stuff is awesome and sooo easy to make.  Y’all have an awesome day and week, and I hope to do the same haha.  

Alrighty, garlic…

peeled, and finely minced…

roll your basil up…

slice it up…

nice and chopped…

into your bowl…

slice your tomatoes…

scoop all the goop out…

then chop it up more…

chop all of your tomatoes up and throw into the bowl…chop up your mozzarella…

and throw into your bowl along with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper…

all mixed together…

prepare your bread to be toasted…

and enjoy!!!…

Bruschetta

2016-01-10 16:36:31

Fresh basil, mozzarella and tomatoes on deliciously toasted french bread.

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Ingredients

1. 6 Basil Leaves, Chopped.
2. 5-6 Tomatoes, Chopped.
3. 8 Ounces of Fresh Mozzarella, Chopped.
4. 2 Cloves of Garlic, Finely Minced.
5. 2 Teaspoons of Balsamic Vinegar.
6. Salt & Pepper to Taste.
7. 1 Loaf of French Bread.

Instructions

1. Finely mince your garlic cloves and place in your bowl.
2. Roll up your basil leaves and thinly slice them and place in your bowl with the garlic.
3. Cut your tomatoes into quarters, and scrape out the seeds and 'gooey' parts, then cut up into smaller pieces, and place into your bowl.
4. Now add your balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste and mix all together.
5. Cut your bread into slices, place some butter on each slice and toast in your oven or toaster oven until golden brown and crispy.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Happy Wednesday everybody!!  Apparently I’ve been on a super savory (salty, greasy, buttery, whatevs…) kick because again I am bringing y’all another delicious savory recipe today, hope that’s okay 🙂 

I am gonna be real with y’all, if you don’t want to find yourself standing like a vulture with its prey over your skillet or pan devouring every bite of this, then I highly recommend you not make this–yes, I just suggested you not make this–because there is no stopping eating this once you’ve started. 

So, for those of you who have some New Year’s resolutions you’re wanting to stick to 100% then don’t even tempt yourself with this stuff in your house, like for reals, don’t, because one bite of these soft, buttery, cheesy, garlicky bread bites will send you to food heaven and there is no turning back.  I think even a whiff of this awesomeness baking in your oven will send you over the edge. 

You’re welcome to be all fancy and make your own homemade bread dough, but seriously, there are so many fresh doughs pre-made I don’t see the point.  I personally love Publix’s pizza dough they have in the bakery section in a small fridge there, but if you don’t have Publixs in your area then no biggie.  Anyways, if you want something perfectly savory tonight, by all means make these awesome skillet bread bites.  Have a great day y’all!!   

mince up your garlic…

cut up your dough…

butter into your pan…

once butter is melted, add your garlic, seasoning & cheese…

nice and melted…

now add your dough…

cover your dough in all the butter/parm/garlic/seasoning…

bake in the oven for a bit…

and enjoy!!!

Skillet Garlic Cheesy Bread Bites

2016-01-04 14:17:18

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Ingredients

1. 1 Bag of Publix Pizza Dough (16 Ounces).
2. 1/2 Stick (1/4 Cup) of Unsalted Butter.
3. 3 Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped.
4. 2 Teaspoons of Italian Seasoning.
5. 1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese, Grated.
6. 10" Cast Iron Skillet.

Instructions

1. If using raw bread dough pre-made like I did, take out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for an hour.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Finely chop your garlic cloves and set aside.
4. Cut your bread dough into bite sized pieces or the size of your choosing and set aside.
5. Heat your skillet on your stove top on medium high heat.
6. Place your butter into your skillet and melt completely.
7. Now place your garlic, Parmesan an Italian seasoning into your skillet, stirring together until your cheese is just melted.
8. Now place all of your dough into your skillet and remove your skillet from the heat.
9. Now stir your dough pieces so they are covered in the butter/parm/garlic/seasoning mixture.
10. Now place your skillet in your oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops of the dough are just slightly browned, you may need to adjust more or less minutes depending on how thick your dough pieces are.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/