I’m always looking for new desserts to try out; even better is when there is no cooking involved–though I do love to bake. This dip is so easy to throw together. Make a bowl for yourself, take it to a party or even a family get-together. I promise, they’ll love it. (Even Husband’s brother liked it, and he hates cream cheese.)

What you’ll need:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz)  plain cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter (or one stick), softened
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 oz) mini semisweet chocolate chips
• Graham crackers

Before you do anything, take the cream cheese and butter out of the fridge and let it sit on your counter for fifteen minutes (or more). The cream cheese will soften up quickly, but the butter may take a little while. It’s important that the butter is soft, though; otherwise, it won’t blend well.

Now, add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl. (I cut the butter so that it would be easier to mix.) Beat together until light and fluffy. I used a hand mixer on the lowest setting; I’m sure you could use a whisk or spoon, but it might give you a little workout.

See? Light and fluffy.

Next, add the brown sugar and powdered sugar. I like to mix after adding each, but do it the way you want. It starts to look really pretty. (I just use a whisk/spoon to mix the sugars in.) Make sure you mix it until smooth. Now, add the vanilla extract. Remember: a little goes a long way.

The best part is next. Chocolate chips. Mmm, love those little babies.

I add the entire cup gradually, but you can dump the whole thing in at once if you’d like. Mix it all together after that. Doesn’t it look beautiful?

Now, get a graham cracker and dip it in. Go ahead, taste it (even if you’re making this bowl for a party). It’s delicious!

You can eat immediately or put in the fridge overnight. If you put it in the fridge, it hardens up a tiny bit, but not much. It’s just as good either way!

What’s your favorite dessert to make?

P.S. I promise I’ll post the recipe for monkey bread soon! I also found a  recipe for lactose-free chocolate chip cookies; if anyone is interested in that, let me know! (I’m kind of dumb when it comes to vegan, so would being lactose-free make the cookies vegan? Someone, please enlighten me!)

When I cook, I like to make it easy. (I make Husband do the difficult cooking.) Needless to say, whenever I find an easy-looking recipe, I try it out. I often buy magazines filled with recipes (they’re handy!) and I skim through them before making my grocery list.

Side dishes are always simple–or they should be, if I have anything to say about it. When I found this recipe for almond-topped zucchini, I had to try it.

What you’ll need:

• Zucchini (the recipe calls for three, but I used two), thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced (I definitely used more than that … we like garlic!)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup smoked almonds, chopped

I’ll be honest–I didn’t measure anything out exactly. I just tasted as I went, so you can adjust this recipe to what you like.

First,  let’s get the prep out of the way. I am not a huge fan of prepping. (Husband usually does it, but he was grilling the steaks.) I probably should have sliced the zucchini a bit thinner, but the knife and I? Are not friends. Not a big deal, though; it just means cooking time will be a bit longer.

Mince a clove of garlic. Mmm, garlic. Next, chop the almonds. Hi, I’m the idiot chopping the almonds with a knife; we don’t own a nut chopper.

Next, pour some olive oil into a large skillet. Go ahead and add the butter while you’re at it. Turn it on medium to medium-high heat for now.

Once the butter is melted, add the zucchini and garlic to saute. I also tossed in a few almonds for flavor. Umm, halfway through, I added another clove of minced garlic. I told you, I love garlic.

Mmm, look at those babies. Cook until tender or until you’re too hungry to wait any longer. I promise, this looks beautiful on the plate, and it tastes just as good as it looks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with almonds; it adds to it, honestly.

What’s your favorite side dish?