Zesty Pickle Dip

Samples were provided to inspire this recipe.

This Zesty Pickle Dip recipe combines cream cheese goodness and a kick of mouthwatering pickle flavor into one easy to make and even easier to eat dip! Serving alongside John Wm. Macy's Sesame Gruyere Cheese Crisp is the perfect choice for this addictive dip!

My family is busy as the school year comes to a close. My husband is wrapping up the year and busier than ever as students return their books and devices. My son has games, practices, lessons and parties to attend. My daughter and I are trying to get ready for having the guys home with us for a few months, taking in the sunshine and spending extra time at the park. In the afternoon before the rush to a game or practice begins, we all need a snack to hold us over until dinner time!

Last week I surveyed my refrigerator and pulled out 2 simple ingredients to make one unforgettable dip. If you like creamy dips or pickles you have to try this. There is so delicious no one will believe it took you less than one minutes time to prepare!

I served Zesty Pickle Dip with John Wm Macy's Sesame Gruyere Cheese Crisps for an incredible flavor. It took the yum of the dip to a new level of bliss with the perfect crispy crunch! It was devoured in an instant. I honestly had to grab a small dish and run away to snap a few shots. My bunch liked this dip that much!

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Zesty Pickle Dip

by Sara May-16-2016

A creamy dip with lots of pickle flavor!

Ingredients

• 6 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons zesty pickle relish

Instructions

Combine softened cream cheese and pickle relish.
With a fork, mix the 2 ingredients together for about 30 seconds or until well blended.Serve with crackers, chips or bread.

Details

Prep time: 1 mins Cook time: 1 mins Total time: 2 mins 

You might also want to check out my Crab Cake Recipe made with John Wm. Macy Cheesesticks. These things are divine. Both the crab cakes and the cheesesticks, just to be clear!

This Guide Will Help You To make The Most of Your Time In Costa Rica

If you’re traveling to Costa Rica in the near future, you’re going to want to make sure you make the most of your time there. This post aims to give you a few useful tips so that you can have one of the most unique and amazing experiences imaginable. Enjoy!

Start Being More Positive

If you have an upcoming trip to Costa Rica, one of the best things you’ll do is start being more positive right away. Why? Well aside from the fact you have an incredible experience coming up, Costa Rica is one of the happiest places in the world. Some even consider it to be the happiest! The people are super friendly and will smile at you, so be prepared to smile back. The happiness is usually infectious.

Consider Volunteering

Costa Rica is one of the most incredible places to volunteer. Not only will you become close to members of the community, you’ll be able to make a real difference. You just can’t beat that feeling! Volunteer in Costa Rica if you want to have a go at tree planting, help endangered red monkeys, or teach English. If you want more, there’s too much to name here. You can even head over and then decide once you’ve arrived.

Book A Beach Or Tree House

If you have the cash and want to enjoy a day or two pf pure luxury, book a tree or beach house. You will overlook the jungle, or some other spot of gorgeous scenery. It’s not something you forget in a hurry! You can enjoy a luxurious space, and plenty of privacy too. That is apart from the visitors you’ll get from time to time. Monkeys turning up unannounced!

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Use Public Transport

Make sure you use public transport here. It is much more affordable and run fairly regularly, so you can get to where you want to go quickly. It’s better to have an experienced local taking you where you want to go. Plus, the last thing you want to do is drive when you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself!

Shop At Local Markets

Check out the local markets for unique finds and fresh food. Cook with your fresh local produce at home if you do rent somewhere nice and private.

Make Sure You Don’t Miss The National Parks

There are 32 national parks in total. Here, you can enjoy wildlife, sloths bats, butterflies and more. There are even falcons, tropical land crabs, and racoons.

Spend Some Time Relaxing on The Beach

There are a number of incredible beaches in Costa Rica, and many things you can do on them. You could catch a tan, play frisbee, ride a horse, read a book, watch the sunset, or take a surf lesson at one of the amazing surf schools. Maybe you could pick up a new skill while you’re here.

Don’t Stress

Don’t stress here. Don’t try to cram too much in. Simply go with the flow and enjoy yourself. Costa Rica is all about staying happy and relaxed!

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Dip

There is something about Brown Sugar that has completely stolen my heart over the past few months. It adds so much depth to recipes. When it is added to cream cheese? Watch out! Yummy stuff right!?

Roo is a busy boy in the spring. He has multiple sports which keep us running to soccer and t ball several nights a week for a few weeks as the end of soccer overlaps with the beginning of t ball. I always try to have a snack ready when Roo gets home to hold him over until we make it back home for dinner. A few weeks ago, I tossed some soft pretzel bites in the oven when an idea hit me. This idea turned out to be the yummiest thing to happen in terms of dipping for a long time!

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Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Dip

by Sara April-30-2016

A sweet, creamy dip that is perfect for soft pretzels, cookies and crackers!

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Cream Cheese
• 2 ounces Water
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

Instructions

Add 2 ounces of water and 6 ounces of cream cheese to a small sauce pan, heat until thoroughly heated and well blended.
Pour into a serving dish and top with brown sugar.Serve with cookies, crackers, soft pretzels, or bread.

Details

Prep time: 1 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 6 mins 

It is every bit as yummy as it looks! It is so easy to make and will be perfect for serving at parties! I think this would be great with bread too!

What is your favorite dip? Tell me all about it in a comment.
You might also enjoy this Easy Cheesy Chicken Taco recipe.

A Pretty Pair of Panties Delivered to Your Door With Panty by Post

Thanks to my friends at Panty by Post for providing me with a sample to inspire this post.

Ladies, I know I am not the only one that sometimes puts my own needs last. Between working, managing our homes, the busy season of raising kids and being a good partner... seriously. Sometimes, the efforts I put into everything leave me drained. I might look halfway presentable at any given moment but under that untucked mom shirt and a skirt or leggings... my poor husband. It is almost always some good old mom panties, you know, the kind you buy in a 5 pack at the grocery store. Not at all glamorous. 

Do you end up rocking those kind of panties too? It seems like once a week I think, Sara, girl buy some panties. Buy something that is pretty, something that has been missing from your wardrobe since you became a mom... but like I mentioned earlier, life moves fast and that to do list gets longer and longer. Making a trip to the mall for something I desire? Please. I will always desire time at home more than time at the mall. 

I found a service that is a ton of fun and is helping me stock my panty drawer with so not my normal mom style panties!

Panty by Post is a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription service that delivers a great pair of panties to your door each month. With feminine styles and several levels of subscription to meet your panty style wishes, this is something you really want to try! It is a nice way to try new styles, to get something awesome delivered to you and to avoid a trip to the mall!

This is a great idea for a gift for a special lady or a fantastic treat for yourself. Because we are friends, you can tell Panty by Post I sent you when you subscribe and use this code IMNEW15 at checkout to save $15 on your subscription!

I got a really great bordeaux thong from the Signature Line. It is really comfortable, feminine and stylish. It is kinda crazy, but girls, when I started rocking some not my normal mom undies, I felt incredible! My confidence level seemed to improve.

Overall, Panty By Post rocks. This is a cool service that I think you will like as much as I did!

Making Sandwiches with Harper {Kids Craft}

A few days ago, Little Miss Harper wanted to help me make lunch. I love her eagerness to help and her interest in learning. But, on this particular day, I wanted to keep her busy and out of the kitchen, as I was in the middle of a project.

I asked her if she wanted to make paper sandwiches while I made lunch, it sounded appealing to her! I had a collection of paper sandwich fixings ready for an occasion like this. I found a yellow glue stick to imitate mustard. Harper was all set to make sandwiches!

To prepare for this activity I had previously cut the following shapes from construction paper

bread shapes  white paper
red circles for tomatoes
squiggly green leaves for lettuce
yellow squares for cheese
brown circles for meat

You will need a glue stick. Red or Yellow is fun with this paper food craft, like ketchup and mustard!

As you can see, this activity is completely basic. Construction paper and glue. I offered Harper ample supplies for building sandwiches. To keep her busy and having a lot of fun!

She began by adding mustard to the bread and adding tomatoes.

Next up was cheese! 

Harper was completely into this craft. She loved making sandwiches. She added layer upon layer, happily crafting while I made lunch!

My kids both love a good paper food craft! If I find myself with a few extra moments and a pack of construction paper I make little craft bags for occasions like this day.  They are always a huge hit with my kids. They have enjoyed making paper cookies, paper pizzas and paper jam sandwiches. These are the best kind of kid food crafts in my opinion because they are virtually mess free and they are really a lot of fun!