Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock Well Plated’s Cheese Fondue Dip is delicious and easy! Background: We have found our favorite Cheese Fondue Dip and it is from Well Plated by Erin. It is extremely simple to make and everyone always loves it! The flavor is rich and will impress your guests. This Cheese Fondue Dip recipe is the perfect appetizer for parties and entertaining of any kind! We use the Oster 3 Quart Fondue Pot when we make this recipe, because it is simple to use and cleans up easily. 1/3 pound firm alpine-style cheese such as gruyere 1/3 pound fontina 1/3 ..read more

Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock Background: These Red Velvet Cake Cinnamon Rolls are a fun recipe for Valentine’s Day! The cream cheese icing is delicious! It’s absolutely perfect, not too sweet, just right. Surprise your loved ones with these for breakfast or brunch! We added sprinkles to make them more festive, but you can make this recipe all year round. 1 package red velvet cake mix 1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast 2-3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups warm water 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 cups ..read more

Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock This Watermelon Feta Salad is refreshing and delicious! Background: Making Watermelon Feta Salad is incredibly easy and is packed with flavor. It’s a light and refreshing recipe that everyone will love. You can make the portion as big or as a small as you need. We love to make it for potlucks or gatherings because it’s always a big hit. Not only does it look beautiful, it has all the ingredients for a perfectly balanced salad. If you’re looking for a healthy salad or snack, look no further. This Watermelon Feta Salad will knock your socks off! 2 cups large di ..read more

Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock Background: This Raspberry Pina Colada recipe has become an all-time favorite that everybody loves! I think the key is the homemade raspberry simple syrup, that is very easy to make! We garnished ours with heart-shaped marshmallows for Valentine’s Day, but this cocktail is perfect for all year round! 2 ounces white rum – I used Blue Chair Bay Rum 2 ounces RumChata 3 ounces Pina Colada mix 1 ounce raspberry simple syrup For raspberry simple syrup: combine 2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen), 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a medium saucepa ..read more

Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock Background: This Crispy French Toast recipe isn’t complete without the homemade raspberry compote. The crunch from the French toast combined with the raspberry is the perfect combination. It’s a relatively simple recipe that will wow your guests. Add this one to your next brunch or weekend breakfast rotation. For the Crispy French Toast: 4 large eggs half pint of heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract pinch of salt 8 thick slices of bread – we prefer Sara Lee Artesano Brioche bakery ..read more

Photo courtesy of Lorie Hoiles. Background: Lorie has put her own spin on a traditional Italian dish of Spaghetti a la Gricia by reducing the servings to accommodate a smaller household of two. 1/2 pound spaghetti 1/2 pound Pancetta, chill or freeze for easy cutting, cut into small pieces 1 large shallot, sliced thinly 3 large cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 cup chicken broth, add more as needed 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper, heaping 3 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated Cook spaghetti al dente in salted water. In large skillet, render the diced pancetta until crisp. Add shallot a ..read more

Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock Background: This Spiked Strawberry Lemonade cocktail has been a staple of ours for BBQs and entertaining for years. We brought it back in honor of Valentine’s Day because they are so festive! We make our own strawberry simple syrup, which really puts them over the edge! This recipe has double benefits because it can be tweaked into a mocktail. Simply mix the lemonade with the simple syrup, garnish with strawberries and you have a hand-crafted non-alcoholic drink! 4 ounces Strawberry Lemonade vodka 4 ounces Pink Moscato wine 4 ounces lemonade 4 ounces strawber ..read more

Photo courtesy of Ashlee WhitlockChocolate Chip Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, and take half the time normal cookies do. Background: These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, and delicious! They are incredibly simple and take half the time as regular cookies. Trust us, make these once and you’ll be sold. You’ll never go back to slaving over batches of chocolate chip cookies ever again. We simply switch up the M&M’s and sprinkles based on the season to make them more festive! You can always use regular M&M’s and sprinkles. Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock Photo courtesy of Ashle ..read more

Photo courtesy of Ashlee Whitlock This Creamy Chicken Chili is the perfect fall crock pot meal during the busy week. Background: Creamy Chicken Chili is a winning recipe for so many reasons. It’s easy, delicious, and all cooks in the Crock-Pot for less mess and an easy clean up. During the busy week we all face challenges and activities that make it difficult to have a healthy, hearty meal on the table for our families. At The Maverick Observer we love simple meals that taste amazing and make our lives easier. Everyone loves this Creamy Chicken Chili recipe and we’re sure you and your family w ..read more

‘Dave Donelson, Colorado Springs City Council Member’ Photo courtesy of KOAA.Guest Post by Dave Donelson, Colorado Springs City Councilman, No on 2A. You should vote NO on 2A for two common sense reasons.  Before I go further I want to make it clear that I strongly support the Colorado Springs Police Department and Law Enforcement in general.   My support for law enforcement doesn’t change the fact that this TABOR retention is a bad idea.      Reason number 1:  There is no plan – other than getting the citizens to vote to give up their TABOR refunds and ..read more