Spinach Artichoke Bites

I made these for my niece's birthday party BBQ and everyone RANTED AND RAVED about them.  Her family even insisted I get them the recipe a couple of times.  Definitely worth making again.

Spinach and Artichoke Bites (original recipe found here)

Ingredients (yields 4 dozen bites)

• 1 (8 oz.) package softened cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 tubes of crescent roll dough
• shredded mozzarella (optional, though in my opinion completely necessary)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly spray muffin tins with baking spray.

Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well.  

Once you’ve combined the dip, set aside.

Roll your crescent roll dough out onto a large cutting board/work surface.  Working with half of the dough at time (4 triangles), pinch all of the creases together so that you’re left with one big piece of dough.  Cut the dough into 12 equal squares with a pizza cutter.

Put one square in the bottom of each muffin tin, the put about a teaspoon worth of the dip inside.

Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese, then bake for 12 minutes.

Seriously divine.

5 stars

Mushroom Caps

I am honestly trying to expand my horizons in terms of vegetables that I enjoy.  And I can officially say that mushrooms can be added to that list.  I had these first at my December Book Club Christmas dinner.  I was reluctant to try them, but the host had slaved over all day to make us an amazing dinner, so I figured I should AT LEAST try them.  And they were amazing.  I've made them twice since then.  And they are SUPER easy.

This is a Rachael Ray recipe.  Normally I read something by her and it has some RIDICULOUS ingredients, so I normally just skip on by.  But this one looked totally doable.  Check this out.

Chicken stuffing mix
Mushrooms
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese

Make chicken stuffing according to the box.
Remove the stems from the mushrooms.  I googled this and found a super easy youtube video explaining how to do it.  (I also learned that you should not wash mushrooms under water because it absorbs the water.  So you should use a brush and just brush them clean).
Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet.
Stuff the mushrooms with as much stuffing as you can possibly fit.  Seriously, the more the better.
Drizzle the oil over all of them.
Sprinkle the cheese on top.
Bake at 375 for 20 mins.
And enjoy.
4.8 stars.  (Sometimes the mushiness of mushrooms grosses me out.  But the overall taste totally overpowers that mushiness.)

Loaded Potato Rounds

I have a TON of potatoes.  Like maybe 15 potatoes.  For 2 3/4 people (2 adults, a 3 year old and a 6 mo. old), that's a lot of potatoes.  So I've been experimenting with all sorts of potato recipes.  This one is a keeper.  Callen called them nachos.  All the cheese made them stick together after they cooked and he went to get some and apparently the rule is, if they are stuck together, you have to eat them all.  So he got quite a large serving.  (Obviously, I use a lot of cheese).

Anyhow, these are easy enough.  Slice the potatoes into 1/4 in thick rounds, and put them in boiling water for about 3 mins, so they are a little tender.  Take them out and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Sprinkle some already cooked bacon on top of them, then load on the cheddar!  Cook at 375 for about 10-12 minutes.  And obviously, serve them with ranch.  Or sour cream.  But preferably ranch.

4.5 stars

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Very good.  5.0 stars.  And super easy to make, and much healthier than the restaurant version!  I'm pretty sure Callen ate like 5 cheese sticks worth.  (When you think about it that way, it sounds pretty gross, but I guess that's the way it is in a restaurant, too.  Only those ones are fried).

Baked Mozzarella Sticks (Pictures also stolen from the original website)

Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 2 pieces • Old Points: 1 pts • Points+: 2 pts*
Calories: 86.8* • Fat: 4.8 g • Protein: 7.4 g • Carb: 3.5 g • Fiber: 0.2 g • Sugar: 0.2
Sodium: 168.6 

Ingredients: 

• 12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp flour
• 5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 5 tbsp panko crumbs
• 2 tsp parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• olive oil cooking spray (I used my misto)

Directions:

Cut cheese in half to give you 24 pieces. Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen.

In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish. In separate bowl,combine bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and dried parsley.

Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs.

Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).

When ready to bake preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil.

Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.

Makes 24 pieces.

Almond Tomato Spread

I keep seeing all this hype about almonds, how healthy they are, and all the health benefits.  And since I have this incredible surplus of tomatoes (Thank you Bountiful Basket), I decided to try this.  And so glad I did!  Even though Callen gave Brooklyn some and she had an allergic reaction... oh boy.  Found the recipe here.  And so glad I did!

Tomato Almond Spread

3/4 cup almonds
~14 ounces crushed tomatoes (I used fresh tomatoes, diced up into little chunks)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil

What To Do

1  In a skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds until they are slightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir frequently, and watch them so they don’t burn. Let the almonds cool slightly. (You can skip this step in a pinch, but toasting the almonds helps to enhance their flavor.)

2  In the bowl of a good processor, combine the almonds with the tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoonpaprika, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoonred pepper flakes. Process until the nuts are finely ground.

3  Scrape down the bowl. Then with the processor running, add the 1/4 cup olive oil in a steady stream until a paste forms.

Serve with crackers or bread.

 Rating:  4.9 stars!  Absolutely amazing!