This post was created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. However, the views and opinions included are my own.

A few weeks ago I spent a morning at Milk-A-Way Dairy, a dairy farm just a couple hours from my house. In just a few hours I had such an eye opening and educational experience, learning so much about dairy farming, the families and people behind it and the cows themselves.

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The post Layered Taco Dip + a tour of Milk-A-Way Dairy appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

If you didn’t already know, we are a big college football family – Gator football to be exact. Both my husband and I attended University of Florida and worked together during some of the most memorable and fun years of our lives. I love being able to reminisce with him about college days. 🙂

Football season starts this weekend and for fans of the game it’s like Christmas has arrived. I love to watch Gator games with family and friends, but I like eating and drinking during the games even more. I’m sure most of you feel the same. It’s fun to put together a spread – whether just for 2 people or a crowd – and I really do try to keep things balanced and on the lighter side during football season. Those calories (beer!) add up quick, especially when it’s a weekly event.

Here are a few Healthy Game Day Recipes and Ideas to help you put together a lighter – slightly healthier – spread for your football season!

Go Gators!

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The post 50 Healthy Game Day Recipes appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Whenever I see avocados on sale at my grocery store (10 for $10 – best deal ever!), I can’t help but buy a million of them. My daughter, my youngest son and I can eat avocados every day so they really don’t go to waste when I bring home a bagful, especially since I’ve learned that keeping them in my fridge helps them last longer. Normally I just serve our avocados sliced up in a salad, smashed on toast or straight up for the little ones, but every now and then I get adventurous and throw them into a smoothie or make a dressing like this Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing.

I love including avocados in quesadillas like these Bean and Avocado Quesadillas (SO good!) or as a topping for Black Bean and Egg Tostadas (these are not just for breakfast – I love them for lunch and dinner too).

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It’s all about you today Liz, SURPRISE!!! I am so so excited to share with you this recipe today in honor of my dear friend Liz of The Lemon Bowl and her soon to be baby boy! A group of bloggers and I are getting together to shower Liz with lots of love, well wishes and of course food…food that is themed around Liz’s all time favorite ingredient – lemon. Thanks so much to Rachel, Kristen and Sheila for hosting this for our friend!!

I connected with Liz sometime last year through our blogs and I’m so glad we did because I can honestly say she is one of my most dearest friends in my life today. We share a lot in common, including a passion for healthy living and cooking. The more I have gotten to know Liz, the more I felt like I’ve known her 20 years – she’s one of those people that is always positive, down to earth and just great to be around. She’s good people. And…the girl can cook!!! I swear every time I ask her what’s she’s having for dinner I basically drop my plan and end up making the same. We are definitely on the same wavelength when it comes to food.

And apparently babies, since Liz’s little boy is due just a short time after my little boy. 🙂 It’s been an absolute pleasure to be “preggo buddies”  the last 9 months. I’m not sure I could have stayed sane without her!

(Liz and I at Food Blog Forum at Disney earlier this year)

Knowing Liz, and her love of good, healthy food and fresh flavors of the Mediterranean, I put together a dish that I would serve her if she was actually over hanging out with me. This Kalamata Olive and Feta Dip is Greek yogurt based and includes a good pinch of a spice that Liz introduced me to called za’atar. And of course, it has some lemon.

The pita chips I served it with are baked up with some olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning. I got my daughter involved in the preparation of them by having her brush olive oil over the pita triangles and sprinkling the seasoning over each piece before baking up. Brushing olive oil on ingredients has become my daughter’s thing lately, I have not always been great about getting my kids involved in the kitchen so it’s fun to provide my little girl with a go-to job that is helpful and I know she can handle. No dip plate is complete without fresh crunchy veggies (and I think Liz would agree) so sliced radishes and cucumbers joined the party and were the perfect accompaniment for this delicious snack.

This Kalamata Olive and Feta Dip with Lemon Pepper Pita Chips made for a great munchie during one of our Saturday afternoons watching the Gators play. I can’t wait to make it again!

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I wanted to share this awesome turkey veggie platter I found on Pinterest last year and brought to our Thanksgiving feast. It was loved (and welcomed) by all and really helped in the snacking department while we waited for everything to come together. There’s not much to putting it together – check out this link here for the “recipe” and pick up some dip at the store or even better, make your own (for the record, I love Heluva Good Bodacious Onion or French Onion when I’m not in the dip making mood).

I’m all about kicking off a Thanksgiving feast with some heathy snacking…a little less guilt and the cute little turkey veggie platter is always a hit with the kids – and adults.

Here are a few simple dips from friends that would pair up with fresh veggies very well:

Swiss Cheese Onion Dip

Avocado Ranch Dip

Spinach and Kale Greek Yogurt Dip

Ranch Style Veggie Dip

Creamy White Bean Dip with Parmesan and Sage

Cucumber and Feta Greek Yogurt Dip

Svelte Green Goddess Dip

Gobble Gobble!

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday and the long weekend! I am so thankful for every single person who reads this blog and even more thankful for the friendships (virtual and in real life) and the opportunities that have been created because of it. You all make me smile 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving to you! xoxo

The post Gobble Gobble…Turkey Veggie Platter, Dips and Happy Thanksgiving! appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Last weekend, my sweet boy turned 8 years old. So hard to believe how fast my baby is growing up. We celebrated his birthday with a morning of bowling fun with a few buddies, followed by watching the Gator game at home with our family. It was pretty much the most perfect day.

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The post Cucumber and Feta Greek Yogurt Dip appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Ahhhh, the 7-layer dip. The dip everyone gravitates too at a party, right? I’m a fan that’s for sure.

For some reason though, I have a hard time keeping it at just 7 layers. But this time I did. Only because I didn’t have layers 8 & 9 (which happen to be shredded lettuce and sliced jalapenos usually).

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The post Easy Entertaining Dish: The 7-Layer Dip appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

This weekend my family got together for our monthly “family day” at my sister’s house to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. I’m not sure exactly when our monthly get-together tradition officially started, but I’m glad it did. My family is close, and we spend a lot of time together normally,  but it seems over the last few years with life getting busy with our growing families, jobs and just “stuff” that we weren’t getting together as a whole as often as we used to. My mom has been great about reaching out to each of us and setting a date that works for everyone to get together each month. We usually rotate houses and it seems that there always happens to be a reason to celebrate, whether it be a birthday or holiday or just each other.

Of course, food is absolutely always involved.

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The post Spring Into Summer: Zesty Corn Salsa {Recipe and Giveaway – Closed} appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

(this giveaway is now closed…thank you to all who entered)

I have been making pesto this past month like it’s nobody’s business. Every time I run out, I make more. I put it on everything…pizza, pasta, soup, bread and even use it as a dip for…pretzels.

I love me some pesto.

I normally make my pesto with pine nuts, but since I have a Costco sized bag of walnuts hanging in the pantry I have been using walnuts instead. And I like it. It gives the pesto and earthier flavor, and if you didn’t know, walnuts kick butt in the nutrition department. So it’s all good.

Now in addition to this pesto recipe, I have another favorite thing to share with you. My new Blendtec blender. Blendtec was nice enough to send me a blender to try out as well as one to give to one of my readers – that’s you.

How cool is that? You will love this blender people, it’s hard core. I have made 20 something smoothies in it already (there is a digital counter on the blender that counts your uses, my kids and I think that is the coolest thing). I’ve even started to make whole juices. I’ve made salsa … and this pesto. I’m having some fun with my new blender. And the winner will too.

Giveaway:

Blendtec Total FourSide Blender (value $484.95) plus an additional WildSide jar.

(Blender is factory reconditioned, as the one I received is)

Starts today, Tuesday August 9 and ends Friday, August 19 at 12 noon (EST) {edited to fix date to Aug 19, not Aug 20}

Sorry, giveaway open to US readers only. Winner will be chosen randomly using Pick Giveaway Winner plugin application {edited to write Pick Giveaway Winner plugin application instead of Random.org}

To enter into the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what you use your blender for the most.

Additional Entries can be earned by:

(leave a separate comment after you complete each item, each comment will count as an entry)

1.  “Like”  Blendtec on Facebook.

2. “Like” Aggie’s Kitchen on Facebook. (if you already a fan, let me know, that counts as an entry!)

3. Follow @Blendtec on Twitter

3. Follow @AggiesKitchen on Twitter (if you already follow, let me know, that counts as an entry!)

4.  Share about giveaway on Twitter: “I want to win a Blendtec from @aggieskitchen and @Blendtec! http://bit.ly/nV2cZJ”

5. Share about giveaway on Facebook with link to this post.

6. Subscribe to Aggie’s Kitchen RSS feed.

Good Luck!!

Toasted Walnut Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

• 4 heaping cups of basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/2 - 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lemon (helps maintain fresh green color!)
• big pinches kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to the pitcher of your blender (or food processor) and blend until smooth.

(Disclosure: This giveaway is being provided by Blendtec. All opinions here, as always, are my own.)

PS…apparently I’m in the giveaway mood. Head over to Family Kitchen to enter to win a new cookbook!

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