Savory Pineapple Cream Cheese Dip

 

Last night I had some girl friends over for a tropical themed potluck.  I was pretty excited to try out this recipe – I only hoped it tasted as great as it looked!  It was actually very easy to throw together.  I’d recommend making the dip the night before so it retains the domed shape – then top it the next day with the pecans to give it the pineapple look.  It just had a hint of pineapple – I think next time I’d add in some chopped dried pineapple to give it a little more sweetness. But I think it was a success!

Savory Pineapple Cream Cheese Dip (adapted from The Healthy Foodie)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped
• ¼ orange bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 t whole grain mustard
• ¼ t black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper
• 75-100 pecan halves  

Directions:

1. Cut the top off your pineapple – chop a few leaves off the back side so it will lay flat on the serving plate.

2. Whip cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes. 

3. Squeeze the juices out of the pineapple and add to the cream cheese mixture along with the rest of the ingredients.  Continue mixing on low until incorporated.    

4. Create a dome shape on your serving platter with enough space for the pineapple top.  Cover with press & seal wrap and refrigerate until the next day. 

5. Toast your pecans in the oven for a few minutes. Let them cool to room temperature.

6. Take your serving platter out of the fridge and top with the pecans, adding layer by layer until it is completely covered.  Place your pineapple top on the plate and add crackers and veggies for dipping.

Perfect to serve with a piña colada!

Coconut Cashew Chicken with Mango Dipping Sauce

 

It’s been an exciting couple of days off work – we spent the afternoon yesterday at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor, and I came home with a ring!  Lance and I will have dated 4 years as of tomorrow, so obviously I knew I wanted to spend my life with him, but I’m so happy to finally make it official!

 

Luckily, I had Wednesday/Thursday off work this week, so I had time to share the good news with my friends and family.  And tonight I made us a pretty simple dinner, but Lance swears this is the best food I’ve ever made (he’s said that a few times now, but I think this topped the other meals…he said I should make this dish once a week he loved it so much). 

We bought a mango and some limes at the Clearwater Farmer’s Market yesterday, so I knew I wanted to make something tropical.  I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and was happy I could use our ingredients in the dish. 

The dipping sauce was amazing – we actually ended up using the rest like salsa and eating it with chips.  It is sweet, but the red pepper flakes and lime also give it some spice and tartness.  Even if I wasn’t making the chicken, I’d eat the dip on its own.  You could even add some jalapeños if you really wanted to give it a kick.   

I halved the recipe since it’s just the two of us, but I wish I’d made the whole thing.  I’d recommend doubling my amount so you have leftovers – you’ll want them. 

Coconut Cashew Chicken with Mango Dipping Sauce (adapted from Carlsbad Cravings)

Ingredients:

Tenders:

·        About 1 pound chicken tenders

·        1 egg

·        Juice of 1 lime

·        ½ cup cashews

·        ¼ cup sweetened coconut flakes

·        ½ cup panko bread crumbs

·        ½ T brown sugar

·        ½ t garlic powder

·        ½ t onion powder

·        ½ t cumin

·        ½ t salt

·        ½ t pepper

·        ¼ t red pepper

Dipping Sauce:

·        1 mango, chopped

·        2 T honey

·        Juice of 1 lime

·        1 t apple cider vinegar

·        ¼ t cumin

·        2 cloves garlic

·        2 green onions, chopped

·        1 t red pepper flakes

 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400. 

2. Add cashews and coconut to a food processor and blend until about the size of the panko bread crumbs.    

3. Add the cashew and coconut mixture to a shallow dish with the bread crumbs, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper.   

4. Place the flour in another shallow dish.  Whisk egg with the lime juice in a 3^rd dish.  Dredge each chicken tender through the flour, dip in the egg, then coat in the coconut/cashew/panko mix, pressing to make sure it sticks. 

5. Top a foil-lined baking sheet with a rack prepared with cooking spray.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, then broil for about 2 additional minutes until the tenders look crispy.    

6.  Place all the ingredients for the mango dip in the food processor and blend, leaving it just slightly chunky.  Add more spice (or jalapeños) if desired.   

 

 

7. Dip the chicken & enjoy!!!

Fourth Street Shrimp Store & The Getaway – Saint Petersburg, FL

Our late breakfast at The Frog Pond held us over until dinnertime. We spent the afternoon in Saint Petersburg, and then grabbed a small bite to eat at Fourth Street Shrimp Store.  They have all-you-can-eat shrimp on Wednesdays, but after such a large meal earlier, we decided to just order some appetizers as our dinner. 

Lance had the peel-and-eat steamed shrimp, and I had the coconut shrimp with Creole marmalade.  I would definitely order my coconut shrimp again. 

On our way back home, we stopped at The Getaway for a drink.  We pass by this bar on a regular basis since we drive over the Gandy Bridge to St. Pete pretty frequently.  It just opened this past year, and always seems to be busy.  It’s located right next to the “Redneck Riviera” beach (where a bunch of people park their trucks to go fishing). 

The main bar is located under a giant open tiki hut.  There are tables undercover by the bar, along with picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, and benches in the sand where you can relax.  With the tropical drinks, sunset, and view of the water, we felt like we were on vacation at a beach resort.  It really makes me appreciate living in Florida.  People go on vacation to feel like they’re in paradise – I’ve got it here right in my backyard. 

The fruity drinks are a bit pricey ($9-11), but they have beer as well at a more reasonable price.  We would have stayed longer, but the mosquitoes were out tonight, so we were getting too many bug bites.  Maybe bring some bug spray if you plan to be there on a hot night like we were. 

It would be a fun place to go with a group of friends.  They have oversized Connect 4 and Jenga sets, corn hole, and food trucks daily if you want a bite to eat.    

Fourth Street Shrimp Store is located at 1006 4th St N, St Petersburg, FL 33701 and is open from 11am – 9pm every day. 

The Getaway is located at 13090 Gandy Blvd N, St Petersburg, FL 33702 and is open from 11am – 10pm Sunday – Wednesday, and 11am – 12am Thursday through Saturday.