In my world, there aren’t many things tastier than some crispy bacon. I admit it. I have a bacon obsession. We’ve even be known to host bacon wrapped weekends where we cover pretty much all foods with the savory meat. And since that big football game is quickly approaching, I thought I’d share one of my favorite bacon-y treats: Bacon Wrapped Olives.

I was introduced to these little bundles of goodness a few years ago by one of my besties and we’ve been making them ever since. They are super easy to whip up and require only two ingredients. Bacon and Olives. I prefer to use thick cut bacon, but have enjoyed a variety of olives with these. (They are super good with bleu cheese, garlic, or jalapeno stuffed olives!)

After you cut the bacon into 3rds, wrap each olive with one of the small pieces of bacon and push a toothpick through it to keep everything enclosed.

Then, just pop them into the oven at 400°F and you are just 25 minutes away from heavenly goodness.

I’ve even convinced olive haters to try these salty treats and they have not been disappointed!

Bacon Wrapped Olives from Elizabeth Joan Designs

Ingredients

• 5 Slices of Thick Cut Bacon
• 15 Olives

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cut each bacon slice into 3 even pieces.
3. Individually wrap each olive with one piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
4. Place olives on prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until desired crispness is achieved.
5. Serve.

Around here, the air is getting crisp and we are well on our way into football season. We love to host get-togethers for the games and I’m always looking for a good dip recipe (I may be a dip-aholic). One of our favorites is Jalapeno Corn Dip.

It’s cool and creamy and spicy and perfect. Whenever I make it, it is always completely gobbled up in no time. Plus, it is super quick and easy to whip up before heading to a tailgate party.

Obviously, the dip contains jalapenos and corn. Those flavors are then combined with green onions, cheese, mayonnaise, and Greek yogurt (I prefer to use FAGE) to make the most mouth watering appetizer when paired with tortilla chips. Or corn chips, crackers, veggies, etc.

This recipe for Jalapeno Corn Dip is also gluten free and vegetarian, so it is very group friendly. Bonus! And you can tweak the amount of jalapenos used to either turn up or down the spiciness factor.

Jalapeno Corn Dip from Elizabeth Joan Designs

Ingredients
2 11oz. cans of fiesta corn, drained (contains red and green peppers)
1-2 4oz. cans of diced jalapenos, drained
1 bunch of green onions, diced
8 oz. shredded Colby Jack cheese
1 C mayonnaise
1 C Greek yogurt

Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. Refrigerate covered for at least one hour.

We would love to know if you try out this amazing Jalapeno Corn Dip! Let us know what you think!

Since my daughter has started back to school, we have found ourselves super busy and I have little time in the evenings to slave over the stove trying to cook a healthy meal for the fam. Luckily, my slow cooker is there to save me! Yesterday, I whipped up this slow cooker taco soup and the meal basically prepared itself while we finished everything else on the to-do list.

This is one of my go-to slow cooker recipes because it is so simple and easy to put together. Basically, you just layer the ingredients inside and a few hours later you have a hearty meal that is super delicious. And even though I call it a soup, it is thick like a stew. I suppose you could always add a little extra water if you wanted it thinned out more.

I started with 3 frozen chicken breasts and added ranch mix, taco seasoning, salsa, kidney beans and corn on top, in that order. (That seriously takes less than 5 minutes.) Then, I set the slow cooker on high and let it cook for several hours. Before serving, I shredded the chicken with a fork and stirred everything up.

Doesn’t it look yummy?

We like to garnish our stew soup with fresh cilantro, cheese and greek yogurt (instead of sour cream), but it would also taste great with some diced avocado, olives or jalepenos on top. Oh my goodness! It is so amazingly delicious and easy to make. Plus, you can vary the taste, depending on the spiciness of the salsa you use or by throwing in more taco-y ingredients. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Slow Cooker Taco Soup from Elizabeth Joan Designs

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
3 Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Ranch Mix
Taco Seasoning
Jar of Salsa
Kidney Beans (Canned, not drained)
Corn (Cannded, not drained)

Preparation
1. Layer all ingredients in slow cooker in order. (Chicken, Ranch Mix, Taco Seasoning, Salsa, Kidney Beans, Corn.)
2. Cook on high, 3-4 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. Shred chicken with a fork.
3. Serve with with your favorite toppings.