Is breakfast your favorite meal of the day? It’s often mine! Our family loves waffles, so we enjoy them at least once a week. Because life gets busy with a big family like ours, having Eggo Waffles on hand in the freezer is really convenient. They’re also are perfect for this delicious Veggie & Bacon Waffle Panini recipe. Enjoy these tasty grilled sandwiches not only for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner! They can be ready in just a few minutes too!

Guess what?!

The entire line of Eggo Waffles now have colors & flavors from natural sources! There are several different varieties available in your Walmart’s grocery section, but for this recipe we are using Kellogg’s® Eggo® Thick & Fluffy Original Waffles. Yum! These are Belgian Style just like the ones you make at home!

My kiddos also love grabbing Kellogg’s® Eggo® Nutri-Grain® Whole Wheat Waffles and eating them plain with a piece of fruit for a quick snack throughout the week, so we add those to our cart too.

What’s your favorite Eggo® waffle flavor? Grab a box or 2 of your favorite today and Earn $0.50 when you purchase any ONE Eggo® Thick & Fluffy Waffles variety, 6 ct. pack only at Walmart. Available while supplies last.

Along with the perfectly toasted Eggo waffles, this tasty panini features crispy bacon, fresh colorful peppers and onions with melted Swiss cheese.

Start by washing and slicing your green, orange, and yellow peppers along with some red onion.

Next, in a saute pan, soften your sliced veggies in a little butter and extra virgin olive oil. Oh, this smells so good!

Washing, slicing and even sauteing the vegetables can all be done ahead of time and then stored in your refrigerator to make this sandwich assembly during the week even quicker.

After toasting your waffles to perfection, layer each one with a slice of Swiss cheese and top one of the waffles with the crispy bacon.

Add a generous layer of those sweet an colorful peppers to the panini on top of the bacon.

Carefully close the sandwich and press down gently.

After adding a little butter to the top of the waffle, I like to use my counter top electric grill for pressing the panini. If you have a panini press, go ahead and use that to grill these sandwiches! You can even grill these in a regular pan on your stove top.

When these sandwiches are grilling, you can really smell the wonderful combination of flavors. A hint of sweetness from the fluffy waffles mingled with the savory aroma of the Swiss cheese melting with the crispy bacon and those veggies… I couldn’t wait to take a bite!

When the cheese has melted and the panini is nice and golden on top, remove it from the heat.

Simply slice the panini into half, or quarters, whichever way you like and enjoy! It’s a satisfying and quick meal that you can put together in just minutes.

Get creative in the kitchen with your favorite Eggo Waffles this week!

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Veggie & Bacon Waffle Panini

This simple, fresh & colorful waffle panini can be made in a matter of minutes and is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 1 box Eggo Thick & Fluffy Original Waffles, 6 ct. toasted
• 6 pieces sliced Swiss cheese
• 12 pieces crispy bacon
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups green, orange, and yellow peppers with red onion slices

Instructions

• Wash and slice your fresh bell peppers along with your red onion.
• In a pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and heat the oil to saute the vegetables until softened.
• Remove the veggie mixture from the heat and set aside.
• Toast your waffles until they are crispy on the outside, but still fluffy on the inside.
• Spread out your waffles in an assembly type line, then add a piece of Swiss cheese to each one.
• Top 3 waffles with a layer of crispy bacon.
• Top the bacon with about a cup of the sauted veggie mixture.
• Close the sandwich and add a little butter to the top of the waffle panini.
• Grill the panini in a pan, on an indoor electric counter top grill or a panini press until the cheese has melted and the top is nice and golden brown.
• Remove from heat, slice and enjoy!

Notes

For a heartier option, add a fried egg!

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Who doesn’t love a great tasting, quick & easy weeknight meal?! I don’t think anyone loves them more than us parents that are preparing them! After a long day at work and school, the last thing you want to worry about is what’s for dinner. Wouldn’t it be nice to end your day relaxed with family instead of feeling like you have to rush around to get something on the table?  This delicious, make ahead chilled Tuna, Veggie & Wild Rice Salad is the perfect simple dinner any night of the week & the leftovers are great for lunch the next day too! Yum!

I’m a huge fan of Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore Tuna, With it’s firm texture, light color and fresh taste, Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore is the perfect ingredient to deliciously enhance almost any recipe, while adding a variety of nutrients (including lean protein, healthy fat and important vitamins and minerals. *See their website for full nutritional facts) to your family’s diet. Seeing is believing and Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore Tuna is quality you can see from the moment you open the can.

Meaty pieces of albacore tuna are tossed with seasoned wild rice, green onions, shredded carrots, colorful red and yellow peppers, tiny broccoli florets and extra virgin olive oil in this tasty salad recipe. What makes this salad so great is the convenience of preparing it ahead of time!

If you have a few extra minutes on the weekend, you can easily have this ready to go for the upcoming week. Start by preparing your wild rice according to the package’s instructions. Cool the rice completely and store it in the refrigerator Drain the water out of your can of albacore and add the tuna to a large glass serving bowl (preferably with a lid for easy storage later) along with the other fresh ingredients.

Toss everything together well, cover, and place the salad into the refrigerator to chill and let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes. You can of course serve this salad room temperature but we love it chilled. Either way, it’s delicious! This salad is wonderful served in romaine lettuce leaves, by itself or along with some with steamed veggies on the side. Enjoy!

Try more mouth-watering recipes & discover for yourself why

 Only Bumble Bee Albacore Will Do!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Summer is now officially here and there’s nothing I love more this time of year than a good old fashioned cookout! It’s time to fire up your grill, get together your family and friends to enjoy this beautiful time of year. Your favorite grilled meats, a nice big fruit salad, refreshing Gold Peak Iced Tea and this colorful Summer Garden Veggie Pasta Salad are sure to make your next picnic a hit!

I feel like you can’t have a summer cookout without a pasta salad. It just goes great with everything and I don’t know about you, but I always like to enjoy any left overs for lunch the next day! Yum!

On my last grocery shopping trip to Walmart, I was sure to buy Barilla Rotini Pasta. This pasta’s curly shape is perfect for holding little bits of everything and it’s fun for the kiddos too.

What’s really nice about this pasta is how easy it is to prepare.

Freshly chopped zucchini, orange pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, summer squash, and the green beans for this salad can all be done the night before. Just store them together in a plastic container in the refrigerator overnight and add them to the pasta the next day.

After cooking your pasta and letting it cool, add your fresh garden veggies, a squeeze of fresh lemon, fresh basil pesto (homemade or store bought), a generous amount of Italian Blend shredded cheeses and give it all a good stir.

Cover and let it chill in the refrigerator until your cookout begins! That’s it!

As long as you have a box of Barilla pasta in your pantry this summer and Gold Peak Iced Tea in your refrigerator you can put this delicious salad together with a simple trip out to your own garden and have a refreshing drink in your hand in no time.

We like to purchase these convenient Gold Peak Iced Tea 6 packs at Walmart too because it pairs perfectly with this Summer Garden Veggie Pasta Salad and it can easily be kept chilled in your cooler on your patio on a hot day! Gold Peak Tea comes in several delicious home-brewed tasting flavors like Sweet Tea, Unsweetened, Diet Tea, Green Tea, Raspberry Tea, Peach Tea, Lemonade Tea, Lemon Tea & Summertime Lime Tea!

For a special treat, keep glasses, pretty straws and fresh lemon slices available for your guests. They’ll love it!

SAVE TODAY!

Get $1 off when you buy any two (2) 64 fl oz bottles of Gold Peak Tea on Coupons.com!

For More Tasty Summer Recipes Click HERE.

Have a great summer!

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Spring is here and I’m looking forward to a beautiful and productive garden again this year. Gardening really is a great hobby, and if you really put forth the effort, it can provide you with delicious, fresh food all year round. All 4 of my children spend a lot of time with me in our garden. It’s a great opportunity to bond, learn about nature and get creative with your kiddos every single day. It’s so fun too! We have several raised beds and plant all sorts of delicious vegetables from Spring until Fall. Although the skies are sunny and the temperatures are in the 60’s today, unfortunately there are snowflakes in our local forecast this weekend. No worries though- we’re starting our family gardening this year rain (snow) or shine indoors with Miracle-Gro Gro-ables! Miracle-Gro Gro-ables are an easy, less messy way to start gardening. They are great for beginners and even experienced gardeners. You simply plant, water, and watch the seed pod grow! They come in several different varieties, so you can even let your children pick their favorite! I love that they are guaranteed to grow! There’s something magical, even when you’re an adult about watching a seed grow into a beautiful plant and then being able to eat and enjoy what it produces. As a matter of fact, during some garden prep this past weekend, I noticed there were some carrots in one of the beds that I forgot to pull in the late Fall. All of my children (ages 5-12) were so excited to pull them out and eat them right away with dinner that night. They were so proud of themselves!
Growing your own fruits and vegetables is so rewarding. Everyone always wants to taste those fresh fruits & veggies after they’ve worked so hard caring for them all season! Nothing tastes better than fresh farm to table! Consider starting your own Gro-ables Project today! Tip: To make your family gardening a little more special this season, consider purchasing your children their own gardening gloves. Not only are they adorable, but they really do make gardening a little easier, especially when it’s time to pull weeds! My youngest daughter loves to put on her special gardening gloves and get working! She was really excited to help me plant this week because she only goes to school for 1/2 a day. It’s nice to have a little special one on one time with her too. To get started with the Miracle-Gro Gro-ables, I purchased a few pretty ceramic pots (the one’s that have a built in tray for convenience) that I could keep on my large kitchen window sill. We lightly filled the pots with good potting mix and placed the seed pods into the mix until the tops were level with it. There are also easy to follow direction under each label. We chose to plant 3 different varieties of tomatoes, 1 in each small planter and 3 pepper Gro-ables in the smaller separate planters as well. These need to be started indoors anyways and then they can be transplanted to the garden in 6 weeks. In our large planter, we planted herbs next to each other. This fragrant herb garden is going to be just beautiful to have in our kitchen this summer! After watering daily for 1-2 weeks your seeds will finally sprout! Several months after we’ve planted these, flowers will soon begin to appear which means fruit will be close at hand! Yum! How exciting! Make gardening a priority for your family this year! You’ll be so happy you did! Do you garden every year? What tips do you have for fun family gardening? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Start your own #GroablesProject today! Which Miracle-Gro Gro-ables does your family want to try?

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I hope 2016 is off to a great start for you! This year I am focusing on balancing my home and work life a little bit better along with balancing what I eat in the kitchen too. I love comforting meals, but I am working hard to make sure my family gets even more fruits and vegetables in every meal I cook as well. These delicious Slow Cooker Veggie Loaded Meatballs in Tomato Sauce are perfect any night of the week and even your picky eaters won’t complain about the added vegetables!

Spaghetti and Meatballs are just one of those meals that everyone loves. Any type of pasta with sauce and meatballs is a hit at our house. Since I don’t want to give up yummy beef meatballs to make my dinner a little more healthy, I decided to add some fresh veggies to lean ground beef which gives you these delicious, moist and colorful meatballs that are sure to become a family favorite.

The best part about these meatballs is how easy they are to make. Who knew you could have meatballs and sauce on a busy weeknight without any hassle?

These meatballs can be made ahead of time for your convenience. Start by quickly chopping all of your veggies in the food processor.

Then roll up your sleeves, and start combining the veggie mixture, lean ground beef, egg, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and a little salt & pepper with your hands lightly and gently, then roll the mixture into 2 1/2 inch balls.

Set them on a plate while you prepare the sauce, or store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.

Combine your favorite tomato sauce with a can of crushed tomatoes and add a little seasoning and you’re almost done!

Pour half of the tomato sauce into your (affiliate) Slow Cooker to cover the bottom and add your meatballs. Cover them with the rest of the sauce, add a bay leaf or 2, put the lid on and set the timer! 4 hours of cooking on High or 7-8 hours of cooking on Low, and you’ve got yourself (and your family) one delicious and comforting dinner!

Since I can’t stick to a serving size of spaghetti and am trying to make better choices this year, I like to serve these yummy meatballs in tomato sauce over penne pasta topped with some fresh Parmesan along with a nice big salad.

The tasty slow cooked sauce gets into every bit of the penne pasta and can be a little easier to portion control too. Enjoy!

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A few months ago I shared my garden preparations for the season with you all. It was the very beginning of the growing season but I wanted to share it because I’m always interested in other’s gardening progress too. I enjoy reading and browsing through posts and pictures of other’s gardens for ideas and inspiration. I love my garden and it’s really inspirational and relaxing to me. My husband on the other hand…he hates it!

I love planting my vegetables from seed, tending to them, watching them grow and then enjoying them in our favorite meals. I think there is nothing better than homegrown food. I also feel that with 4 children, a garden is full of teaching moments along with lessons of responsibility and accomplishments. My husband loves breaking things down, figuring out costs and always being very, very practical.

Because we decided (as my husband would say, I decided) to take down the old fence we had to put a more up a more efficient and eye appealing one up, he has not been a very happy camper. My husband owns a landscaping business and digging more post holes and stapling up metal fence after a long day of work isn’t exactly his idea of fun. I get that, but to be honest, that’s not my area of expertise. It’s his, I cannot do it and I truly appreciate all of the work he has put into my garden for me.

He laughs as people drive by and give him a friendly wave while he’s out there sweating, digging and building. “I bet they all think this is my big project!” he says. “If they only knew…”  Boy, do love him for it though!

I love opening the garden gate, walking in and getting to work at a leisurely pace.  It’s a place that I can work and clear my mind at the same time. Weeding, pruning, tilling, raking, harvesting out here in the quiet, in the country, and outdoors all are my idea of fun…he just doesn’t get that and it’s okay.

There’s a book called The $64 Tomato. Have you read it? Well, my husband finds it very interesting. It breaks down the costs of having a garden, your work and how much that yummy fruit or vegetable in really costing you in the long run. As I gush about my ripe and juicy San Marzano Tomatoes and how delicious they are in homemade sauce, he rolls his eyes. “Don’t you just love the fresh taste of these? You can’t buy them all year here and I can can them for use all year!” I tell him. “I’d just go buy my food at the store Shannon,” he says. Another eye roll from him and I just shrug it off. “Whatever makes you happy honey.”

My garden is a little extravagant in it’s size and I never claimed it would make us a ton of money or anything. It is more of a hobby I guess. Maybe it’s a guy thing, I don’t know. I feel like the memories made with our children in the garden are priceless. The chores of picking beans and weeding teach them good work ethic, but it’s rewarding too when that homegrown food goes into a family meal. To me it’s also important to know where your food came from and no that no pesticides were used on them.

I bought strawberry roots at the store this Spring and when the cashier scanned them and looked at them her eyes got wide as she read the packages. “You can grow strawberries at your house?” she said in amazement. “Yes, you can,” I said, flabbergasted. “That’s awesome.” she continued. Now, we live in a farming community. I could not believe that this young adult didn’t know you could grow strawberries here. They grow wild everywhere! I want my children to not only know what you can grow here, I want them to see what all of these plants look like. I want them to feel them, touch them, grow them and enjoy them.

My herb and perennial bed is doing great and I am loving the way the daisies look among all of the fragrant herbs. I found this cute little chair planter (first picture) at an estate sale and thought it would be perfect in there with a few flowers for more color. What do you think?

With my garden fence up and ready to go, I finally got my tomatoes and peppers in! I can’t wait to watch them grow! My cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, beans, pumpkin, and watermelon all seem to be doing okay after all of the rain and flooding we had too.  After an exceptionally rainy month, I’m happy with the progress. Even though I think my garden is a little bit behind, I think August is going to be a great month for harvesting. I’ve even caught my husband wandering through the garden a time or two…I think a part of him likes it too. One of our barn cats is sure enjoying the garden view each evening!

Do you have a garden? How’s it growing?

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The post Why I Love My Garden & Why My Husband Hates It appeared first on Cozy Country Living.

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Most of the things I share here on Cozy Country Living are the finished product or the end result.  Recipes, and room makeovers always look so nice when when they are all finished and styled nicely. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I have been busy in my garden lately.  I have a lot of work to do, but I thought it would be fun to share my starting point this year with you all.  I’m giving you a peek into my garden today, without all of the work done, but in progress and a look at some potential outdoor projects I have in mind for the season as well.  Welcome!

When we first moved here almost 3 years ago, we knew things indoors and outdoors weren’t going to stay as they were. We had plans. Big ones! Calling this move and addition to our home a “Project” seems to be an understatement at this point, but it’s our home.  Our dream home, inside and out and it’s getting there. Slowly but surely. Our back acreage was all woods that first summer living here, but I convinced my husband to build me a garden.  I figured it would be something that wouldn’t change (unlike the landscape, the yard and house) and during the day, especially in the summer, our 4 children could also play and help me work in it.

My husband built me raised beds out of old boards we had and we surrounded my garden with mismatched fencing- again, whatever we had around from previous projects, to keep those darn deer out!

Last fall we had a friend come over and bulldoze a good portion of our back woods so we would have a very large backyard for our children to run around and for their playset and trampoline. We also had to take down this rustic old shed that was by the entrance of my garden too.  The roof was shot, and so was the floor.  It wasn’t safe, and after my husband fell through the floor of it and made a trip to the emergency room for several layers of stitches, we thought it was best to just start over fresh.  It was pretty though, wasn’t it?

As far as our new yard went, the snow came before my husband could rake out stones and plant grass with his tractor though.  As soon as it was dry enough this Spring, he spent evenings and weekends raking by hand the remaining stones and sticks from the new yard and seeding it.  He’s had to work in sections, but every week the grass comes in deeper into the yard.  It’s going to look so nice when it’s all green!

We took out our old fencing, extended my garden to include a few more raised beds and some tilled areas around the perimeter for corn, sunflowers, a variety of pumpkins and of course watermelon! This weekend we are planning to get new, taller posts put in, along with tall rolled metal fencing that will keep any animals out of my garden. I’m excited about this fence because it will give my garden an open feel.  I hate to feel enclosed when we are out here in the country, you know? This way I can be working in my garden while also looking out and watching my kiddos playing in the back yard too.

What I have been working on lately is preparing the beds.  All of my herbs are planted, so that bed is complete. Yay!  I planted my oregano, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (<— like the song Scarborough Fair! ) among perennials like Shasta Daisies and Salvia Sylvestris to attract bees and butterflies, and to add a nice pop of color to mostly green vegetation.

I have one bed lined with fragrant lavender that I decided to plant strawberries in this year. The strawberries are wild and I transplanted them from our woods. You’ll have to excuse my dry looking beds here- I’ve held off watering because we are in store for a few days of thunderstorms. I can’t wait to see how green and lush everything will be here in another month!

This year will be a “growing a strong plant” year and I will pinch off the little white flowers and any runners on the strawberry plants to help the plant develop and grow stronger.  Sacrifice in the first year will yield great fruit the second year !

I noticed young broccoli plants in the bed that I grew broccoli in last year even though I had already tilled the soil.  I dug the plants out and moved them into their own bed and they seem to be doing okay. Only time will tell!

Most of my other garden vegetables, I sow directly in the soil from seed like zucchini, yellow summer squash, spinach, lettuce and beans.

I have a variety of peppers and tomatoes, including my favorite- San Marzano tomatoes, and eggplant growing well on my kitchen window sill which I started from seed.  I am going to wait until the garden fence is up to plant those in any beds because I doubt the deer can resist those wonderfully tender and delicate leaves!

*Psss… if you have a deer problem in your garden and fencing is not an option, give Liquid Fence a try! I use it around my fruit trees and never have a problem.  It’s a little stinky when you spray it, but it’s all natural and it will save your harvest!

Next to my garden is an older, kind of beat up garage.  The side of it has this lovely, chippy, white painted old door that I just love! I hope to get in there and clean it out and really make this a nice potting area and garden shed with storage for my tools.

Even though there is so much work to do, I know it’s worth it.  Growing our own food is so rewarding and it really gives me a sense of accomplishment when we use those fruits and vegetables in our kitchen throughout the year. How’s your garden going this year?

I’ll be sharing my garden as it grows every month throughout the Summer so stay tuned! Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Gardening!

You can find more great gardening ideas and tips on my Pinterest Gardening Board!

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*Linking up at Living Well Spending Less, Cherishing A Sweet Life

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Memorial Day weekend is almost here and I am sure many of you, if you haven’t already, are getting excited to fire up that grill! Who doesn’t want to be outdoors, especially when the weather is nice?! I know at our house, a busy day outside isn’t complete without something delicious on the grill for dinner. This week I chopped up some of my favorite vegetables, a juicy sweet pineapple and Hormel ALWAYS TENDER® Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin for these yummy Colorful Grilled Teriyaki Kabobs. My family loved them!

Hormel ALWAYS TENDER® products feature tasty pre-marinated pork tenderloins, pork loin filets & pork roasts in a variety of different flavors to help you at dinner time.  Dinner can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you have children in different activities throughout the Spring. That makes dinner time busy, but you still want to have a great tasting meal! I really enjoy creating my own meals, just like this one with the help of Hormel Foods because it’s quick, easy, affordable and most of all delicious!

These kabobs took only 15 minutes to prepare. While my youngest was taking her afternoon nap, I chopped up my red & yellow peppers, asparagus, red onion and pineapple into 1 1/2- 2 inch pieces.  I placed them in small bowls to create a little work station.

After cutting the already marinated pork (so convenient by the way!) into bite sized pieces as well, I was all set to put those fresh ingredients onto the skewers.  In the past I have used bamboo skewers soaked in water, but I find I have better luck with these metal 15 inch ones I have.  They are a little bigger too, so they can hold more food!

I just thread the chunks of food onto the skewers, in a pattern and then they are all set.  Now since I was assembling these in the afternoon, I just set them on a plate, covered them with plastic wrap and got them out at dinner time to put on the grill. These keep in the refrigerator just fine! The fact that these can be prepared ahead of time is why these are perfect for a family cookout or get together!

When you are ready, brush your kabobs lightly with a little canola oil and get your grill fired up and heated on medium-high. Start grilling!

These Colorful Teriyaki Pork Kabobs only need to be grilled for about 5 minutes on each side. Make sure you are careful turning them.  I always use an oven mit and my grill spatula just in case. It’s easy to want to grab the end of the skewers, but remember- it’s hot!

When the pork is cooked through and the vegetables and pineapple are just bursting with flavor, it’s time to eat.  These kabobs go well with a fresh garden salad, a fruit salad or even a side of pasta or rice.

If your family & friends love to cook out on the grill and entertain make sure you stop by Hormel’s website for more wonderful Easy Recipe Ideas, the Hormel Newsletter and coupons this season!

Do you have a great recipe idea?! Let them know!

Post your recipe or Idea on Hormel’s Facebook or Pinterest Page!

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*Linking up at Savvy Southern Style, Living Well Spending Less

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We are getting so excited about the Big Game!  My oldest son has really turned into a football fanatic over the past few months and he is counting down the days until kick off!  His excitement and enthusiasm has definitely rubbed off on the rest of us here at the Hawk Household.  For us the Big Game is a family event full of football themed games, lots of fun and of course good food!  One thing we always have on the menu for a party like this, are Ritz Crackers!  Ritz Crackers are a Game Day must have and my yummy Roasted Vegetable Dip wouldn’t be as good without them!

This Roasted Vegetable Dip w/Ritz Crackers makes a great appetizer or snack for your house full of party goers!  Since we always have pizza and chicken wings on our menu for this event, I decided to make sure we got in some of our veggies too!  Preparing this dip couldn’t be easier after you’ve grabbed a few Family Sized Ritz Crackers at Walmart.

I roughly chopped a red and yellow pepper, a large onion, a small head of broccoli, a yellow squash, and opened a small bag of baby carrots, smashed 2 large cloves of garlic and combined them all in a large mixing bowl.

I then preheated my oven, drizzled a little olive oil over the vegetables, seasoned them with a little salt & pepper and gave them a good toss.  The vegetables can then be spread out onto a large baking sheet and roasted for 35-40 minutes.  My house smelled so good when this was in the oven!  I couldn’t wait to dip some crackers into the dip I was going to make!

I let the roasted vegetables cool a bit before I placed them into my food processor.  I kept pulsing the vegetables until they were almost pureed with little pieces still remaining.  You can even reserve some of the bits to top the spread on the crackers with later.  I did!

Then I added the softened cream cheese and let my food processor do all of the work.  When the dip was smooth, I transferred it to a small casserole dish and got out my Ritz Crackers!

I topped some of the crackers with the Warm Roasted Vegetable Dip and then garnished them with the reserved roasted vegetable bits.

My family’s favorite way to eat this was to just go in with their crackers and scoop it up.  The sweet and creamy vegetable dip was perfect with the salty & crunchy crackers.  Another batch is definitely on order for the Big Game!

Feeding a crowd?  Don’t worry!  This recipe makes about 6 cups of delicious Roasted Vegetable Dip and Ritz Crackers now come in convenient Family Sized Boxes!  Game Day in the kitchen just got easier!  What are your Big Game plans?

The post Game Time Roasted Vegetable Dip w/ Ritz Crackers appeared first on Cozy Country Living.

Summer is almost over, I have planted some fall crops in my garden, but I still am getting a few zucchini.  A few here, a few there, which seems to work out better for me than a few weeks ago when my counter tops were full of them!  I feel like you can never have enough zucchini recipes on hand.  You never know when you just might find one hiding under those big leaves!  If you’ve already stocked your freezer with zucchini muffins and breads, this tasty side dish recipe might just be for you!

The other afternoon, I was contemplating what to make for dinner.  I had a meal planned, but I didn’t feel like it.  I felt like using up some of the zucchini I just pulled from the garden.  I’ll admit, my family’s favorite way to use zucchini is in muffins or bread.  It’s sweet, moist and just delicious.  I wanted to incorporate this great vegetable into a few of our dinners though.  Zucchini and cheese…hmm…I figured I couldn’t go wrong here!

This Italian Cheese Scalloped Zucchini is a wonderful way to use some of the fresh zucchini from your garden.

A generous amount of shredded Italian Blend Cheese is melted into a creamy sauce, poured over layers of fresh, sliced zucchini ( I added a summer squash too!) and topped again with grated cheese and baked until bubbly.

Want those beautiful, dark , crisp and blistered cheese spots on top of this dish?  Simply place the casserole dish under the broiler for a few minutes!  Yum!

I like to serve this Cheesy Scalloped Zucchini with pasta covered in tomato sauce and a fresh salad.  It’s a really simple dinner any night of the week and can be on your table in a half an hour or so!

Do you still have zucchini coming out of your garden?  What’s your favorite way to use it?

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*Linking up at:

Pint Sized Baker , Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, SITS Girls

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