SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

YUM!!! Just in time for your New Year's Eve party snack list! Don't you just love a nice, piping hot dish of Spinach and Artichoke Dip with chips? I sure do! This one turned out AMAZING! It baked up so nice in my Pampered Chef pie plate too. It was the perfect size for it. The recipe made a bit more than I had planned on, but that's ok, because it tastes just as good warmed up the next day! ENJOY!

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup prepared Alfredo sauce (or you can substitute mayonnaise)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 stick melted butter
1 tsp. minced garlic
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (divided)

Preheat oven to 375. In mixing bowl combine cream cheese and sour cream. Beat until combined. Mix in alfredo sauce (or mayo) and stir to combine. Then add next 5 ingredients one by one mixing well after each to make sure it is well combined. Lastly, add 4 oz of the shredded Monterey Jack Cheese and stir well. Pour mixture into pie plate and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until light brown on top and bubbly. Remove from oven, sprinkle remaining 4 oz of shredded monterey jack cheese over top. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese. Serve with Tortilla or pita chips or any other dipper of your choice!

CHORIZO PEPPER HAND PIES

I knew my kids and grandbabies were all coming home to spend a few days over the 4th of July holiday. So I busily perused cookbooks and magazines for tasty new treats and snacks to serve while they were here. I ran across this one and it sounded so delicious and filling. They were a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort. Tons of flavor! I had never cooked with Chorizo sausage before - it had a very different texture than sausage as we Americans know it. Also, it's very greasy, so you have to drain it well. I also had never cooked with  queso fresco. It was very different from any other cheese I have ever used - but very delicious and it was amazing how it cooked right up into the meat and thickened it. And what can you say about puff pastry? What's not to love about that stuff?! Add these to your next family get together or fellowship. They are sure to be a hit!

CHORIZO PEPPER HAND PIES

1 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a yellow sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
5 oz of uncooked chorizo sausage
1/2 cup chopped tomato, fresh or canned
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
4 oz grated queso fresco
1 (17 oz) pkg frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets) thawed
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
Salsa, taco sauce, sour cream (all optional) for garnish or dipping

For filling: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and sweet pepper. Cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add Chorizo. Cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up sausage and stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Return to heat. Add tomato, oregano and cumin. Simmer uncovered 5 - 8 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and let cool. Add the queso fresco and stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 400. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll puff pastry sheet to 1/8" thick. With a 3 1/2" round cookie cutter, cut 24 circles. Place 1 Tblsp filling in center of each circle. Combine beaten egg yolk with milk. Brush edges of half the circle with egg wash. Fold circle over to enclose filling; pinch edges together to seal. Brush tops with egg wash. Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I used my PC stone and it worked wonderful!); Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm with toppers and dips of your choice.

Make ahead: Unbaked or baked hand pies can be made well in advance and frozen. Remove from freezer; place on ungreased baking sheets in single layers. For frozen unbaked pies, bake 17 - 19 minutes. If baked before freezing, reheat 5 - 6 minutes on top rack of 400 degree oven.

Yield: 24 pies

GLAZED NUTS

Just in time for your Valentine goody boxes. These glazed nuts will be a HUGE hit with your loved ones. They are so addicting! If you start eating them warm from the oven, before you've even packaged them, you'll have to tell yourself to "STEP AWAY FROM THE PAN!"

GLAZED NUTS

1 lb pecans (I use half walnuts and half pecans)
1 egg white
1 tsp cold water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325.
Beat egg white with cold water until frothy. Mix nuts thoroughly with it. Mix dry ingredients, coat nuts. Bake on buttered cookie sheet at 325 for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Dry on paper towels until dry. Nice for gift and goody boxes!

SOUTHWESTERN DIP

Don't you just love a good Southwestern flavored dish? Here are a couple of new recipes to add to your collection. This first one is a dip that goes together in a snap. It's a good ol' standby for a spur of the moment get-together, and young and old people alike love this dip.

SOUTHWESTERN DIP

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz sour cream
4 oz Pace Picante, medium
1 Tblsp chopped green chiles
2 Tblsp Taco seasoning (more or less to taste)

Beat cream cheese with mixer until smooth, Stir in sour cream, and taco seasoning. Beat with mixer until combined. Add picante sauce (or salsa) and chopped green chiles. Stir with wooden spoon until well combined. Serve with tortilla chips.

PEPPERONI ROLL UPS

I made these last night to go along with our Italian chicken and rice soup. They are so yummy and so quick and easy to make. These would also make a tasty Sunday night snack for the family or the monthly ladies meeting, or any other group of people you may happen to have over for a fellowship. And biscuits are always on sale at the store. I just used the refrigerated 4 pack regular buttermilk biscuits. The original recipe didn't call for mozzarella cheese, but we are big cheese hounds around here and just look for ways to add it to recipes! haha And I'm telling you, I wouldn't make them without it!

PEPPERONI ROLL UPS

1 can of biscuits
1 pack of Pepperoni
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
garlic salt
butter to brush on
Italian seasoning (optional)


Roll each biscuit out flat (don't worry, it will puff back up when it bakes). Place 2 pepperoni in each half (I overlap the pepperoni on top of each other, about half way) and a pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese. Fold the biscuit in half and pinch shut along all edges. Place on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning if desired. Bake according to package directions. When they are done, brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic. While these are baking you can heat some marinara sauce to dip them in.
I served them with soup and they were so yummy that way too!

HOT CHILI DIP

Just in time for the weekend! Here is a hot, hearty, and very addicting dip for your tortilla chips! This is great for your Friday night family movie or game night, or just to whip up for visitors.
My thanks to Colleen for this recipe. The original recipe called for shredded cheddar rather than the Velveeta. But I was helping to feed a group of teen girls last Friday night, and needed to make this dip s-t-r-e-t-c-h. It turned out FANTASTIC! The heat from the salsa cut the thick taste of the cheese. It really was just delicious! If you like things really hot, you could also add a small can of chopped green chilies, or use a hot salsa rather than medium. VERY yummy!

HOT CHILI DIP

1 lb ground meat
1 pkg taco seasoning
16 ounces (2 cups) salsa (I used Pace chunky salsa, medium heat)
8 ounces cream cheese - cubed
1 large loaf of Velveeta cheese - cubed
1/2 cup milk (add a little more if it gets too thick)
Optional: sour cream

Brown ground meat and drain the grease off. Return to pan and add taco seasoning (with water) and salsa and cook for about 7 minutes on medium. Remove from heat and add cream cheese cut into cubes (so it will melt in) and stir until it melts. Add Velveeta cheese cubes and stir until it is melted and mixed in. Make sure to keep a close eye on it and stir it frequently, the velveeta can quickly scorch if you're not careful. I usually just remove it from the heat when I stir in the Velveeta chunks. Stir in milk and *keep warm until ready to serve. If it gets too thick after you let it sit in the warmer, just add a little more milk.
Serve with warmed tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream on top.

* I use a West Bend electric pot to keep it warm, sort of like a fry Daddy, but it is bigger. You could also use a crockpot to keep it warm.

DEEP FRIED MUSHROOMS

We love mushrooms! Every once in a while we get a hankering for a batch of crispy deep fried mushrooms. My Honey made these the other night and boy, were they ever good! You just can't go wrong using Drakes coating mix. It is wonderful on chicken, mushrooms, onion rings, etc... The only "problem" is, everyone wants to stand around the kitchen, eating the mushrooms, as soon as they come out of the fryer. It just doesn't work to make these to "go with the meal!" You'd be better off to consider them as an appetizer. haha

DEEP FRIED MUSHROOMS

1 lb. First Choice, fresh, white mushrooms
3/4 c. Drakes coating mix
3/4 c. water
Cooking oil for deep frying

Wash mushrooms and dry thoroughly on towel. Cut stem ends even with bottom of mushroom. Stir coating mix and water together until smooth.

Dip mushrooms in batter and fry in 400 degree oil for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Oil should be deep enough for mushrooms to float freely. Drain on paper towels. We don't dip ours in anything, they are good just like they are.

CHICKEN QUESADILLA

Don't you just love it when someone else does the cooking for you?! I feel so spoiled. My Honey fried a batch of delicious catfish last night, and then tonight my daughter Sarah made these wonderful chicken quesadillas. They are super easy, and you've probably made them before, but just in case you haven't, here is the low-down on them, so you can try them some time. These would be another good S.N.A.C. snack! Because I wasn't doing the cooking, I was free to roam around, with the camera, and snap "play by play" pics!

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
Olive oil
McCormick's Fajita seasoning
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups shredded Colby Jack / Cheddar cheese (whatever your favorite cheese is)
1 pkg. Manny's whole wheat taco shells (burrito size)

Heat a heavy skillet over med. high, drizzle olive oil generously over the bottom and place chicken chunks into the oil. Season heavily (sprinkle them 2 or 3 times) with McCormick's Fajita seasoning. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until chicken is done. stirring occasionally. In separate iron skillet, heat olive oil in bottom of pan and place diced onions and peppers. Cook until tender and slightly carmelized. Dump onions and peppers into the cooked chicken and stir to combine. Keep warm. Scrape out the skillet that you fried the onions and peppers in, as best you can with a spatula, because you will be using that skillet to cook the quesadillas in.Now, using the same skillet you used for the onions & peppers (it's already heated and well seasoned) plus, you don't have to dirty another pan, place 1 taco shell in the bottom of the pan, place a handful of shredded cheese on the shell, then a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture,then another handful of cheese,then top with another taco shell.Now place a clean, medium size iron skillet on top (or some other heavy object - use your imagination). Don't make fun of my top iron skillet! I know it's ugly. These things take a beating around here! They get used ALL the time. Heat for 1 minute or when golden, remove the top iron skillet, flip the quesadilla (when you flip it, be sure to hold the top shell in place w/ your hand, since the cheese isn't melted on top yet and it may slide. Replace the medium iron skillet and cook the other side for 1 minute or when golden. Remove the skillet and the quesadilla. Using a pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla into quarters and serve immediately. My girls like to serve it with either sour cream or ranch dressing.
*Be sure to use a small drizzle of olive oil in the skillet before you cook each quesadilla - you don't want the shells to stick to the pan.
Makes 4 whole quesadillas.

MINI CHEESE BALLS

I made these for a birthday dinner that I catered. They went over so well, I thought I'd share the recipe here. They really aren't rocket science. It's just your average Joe cheese ball recipe, but formed into little tiny cheese balls! I don't think I'll win any awards for that one! LOL
They are quite yummy though, with the different coatings. Serve them with fancy crackers. Super easy!

MINI CHEESE BALLS

1 (8 oz) brick of cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg pressed lunch meat, (ham), chopped into small pieces
1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce
Onion flakes to taste
Chopped pecans
Chopped parsley

Place all ingredients in medium mixing bowl and mix with hands until thoroughly combined. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out cheese mixture and shape into small balls (about the size of a walnut) Keep 1/3 plain, roll 1/3 in chopped pecans and the remaining 1/3 in chopped parley. Serve with crackers. Be sure to place a container of toothpicks near the tray of cheese balls for easy serving.

*NOTE* In the pic above, you can see I rolled some of the cheese balls entirely in parsley. The next time I make these, I'll only coat 1/2 of each cheese ball in the parsley. Having the entire thing coated, was a bit too much. Too much of a good thing.....

BRUSCHETTA

We have a Summer house guest named Brittany. She is a Navy brat! Her daddy did a tour in Italy as a deep sea diver. During her stay there, her Momma picked up some wonderful Italian recipes. This is one of them. She happily shared her Momma's recipe with us tonight, so we could serve this DEElicious treat to the ladies that had gathered for an Arbonne makeup party here. Most Bruschetta I have eaten is not cooked, it is more like Pico de Gallo. But this one is cooked and sooooo yummy! This would be another good S.N.A.C. snack (hehe)

BRUSCHETTA

8 - 10 Roma tomatoes (unless they're small, then 12)
1/2 white onion, diced fine
3 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup Fresh basil, chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Sea salt
McCormick grinders - Italian seasoning, to taste
Olive oil - enough to generoulsy coat the bottom of the pan
French baguette bread, sliced and toasted
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese for the tops

Place oil in pan and heat on medium heat. Grind in Italian seasoning, add the pepper flakes and the sea salt, toss in garlic. Simmer for just a minute or two. Add the onion and let it carmelize for a few minutes. Then add the basil and let it simmer for a minute.
Add tomatoes and remove pan from heat.
Brush bread slices with olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 5 minutes, or until crispy.
Top the bread slices with Bruschetta immediately before serving and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan.

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

This is one of those good S.N.A.C. (Sunday Night After Church) recipes. If you're having a few friends over after church Sunday night or just need a quick dip to take to a fellowship, this one works great. It's pretty hardy too. Teens love it, they love anything hot! If you take this to a church fellowship, I'd put a note by it though, stating that it's spicy hot. Some of the older folks might keel over if they took a bite without knowing what it was! LOL

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts - chopped in chunks.
1 (8 oz) Cream cheese, softened
2/3 bottle Bleu Cheese salad dressing (not chunky)
*1 cup Frank's hot sauce (more or less depending on taste)
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded


Preheat oven to 375. In medium skillet, drizzle olive oil and heat on med - high. Toss in your chicken chunks and cook about 3 - 4 minutes and then turn and cook on other side for 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from skillet. In mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
Stir in cooked chicken. Place all in small casserole dish and bake at 375 for about 10 - 15 minutes, stir and return to oven to bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve with white corn tortilla chips. Time of cooking will vary according to your oven. Keep an eye on it.
*Feel free to adjust the heat of the dip by using less or more hot sauce. This amount gives it a medium heat. The cream cheese helps tone it down a bit.

STARR'S CHICKEN SALAD STARS

I can't even begin to count how many times I have made these OR passed out the recipe. People love, love, love these SO much that I always make a double batch, because I KNOW they will get eaten. It's a "given" that I make these for our ladies Christmas fellowship. This chicken salad is so versatile. I've made it into a ball and served it with club crackers, my sister-in-law has heated it, thinned it with cream and poured it over pasta and I've baked it inside crescent rolls for a heartier snack. And well..... it's just plain good to eat with a fork! If you try these, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of them. I like to hear what you have to say!

STARR'S CHICKEN SALAD STARS

2 - 3 C. Cooked, cut up chicken
1 (8 oz) Cream cheese
4 Tblsp. Melted margarine
2 Tblsp. Chopped onion
2 - 3 Tblsp. Milk
½ tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 pkg wonton wrappers (the small ones)

Cream the cheese, melted margarine, salt, pepper, milk and onions together. Add chicken and stir to combine. Set aside. Lay 12 wonton wrappers on counter top. Brush top side of each wonton wrapper lightly w/ oil and press into lightly sprayed mini muffin tin (oil side up). Bake empty shells at 350 for 5 minutes. This is what they should look like when they are done baking.

These little shells can be used for a variety of savory or sweet fillings: Mini omelets made with scrambled eggs, ham & cheese; pizza fillings; crab rangoon filling; dessert fillings like ice cream, fruit, puddings, etc...
Anyway, back to the recipe! Remove muffin tin from oven & repeat until all shells have been baked. I have made the shells a day ahead before. I just make them all, make sure they are cool and then seal them in gallon size Ziploc bags. When you are ready to use them, place empty shells on baking sheet & fill each one w/ about 1 Tblsp of the chicken salad. (I always prepare these up to this point and set them aside until just before I need to serve them. Then pop the filled shells in the oven 5 minutes before serving time). After all the stars have been filled, place baking sheet with filled stars back in oven and bake an additional 5 minutes. Makes about 50 stars.
For a “heavier” snack: use croissant roll dough. Fill each triangle, fold over and pinch shut. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes on lightly sprayed cookie sheet.

PESTO CHEESE BLOSSOM

At first glance this may seem like a difficult recipe, fussy even, but trust me, it's not! It's so simple. I don't know about you, but I get tired of the same ol' cheese ball recipe. You see it all the time at church fellowships. It's good, but it gets kind of boring after a while. This one is REALLY delicious. I served it at my daughter-in-law's baby shower, and all the ladies just raved about how pretty, and how tasty it was. Sorry for the poor photography. That's not my forte' - LOL I suppose I should have picked a less "busy" plate for the photo. But I'm sure you get the idea. Serve this up at your next family gathering, reunion, church fellowship, ladies meeting, and you'll get all kinds of ooh's and aah's!


1 (8 oz) package sliced provolone cheese
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
20 pistachios, shelled
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounce oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes


Directions:

Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to cover the top. Reserving 3 slices of the provolone, line the bottom and sides of the bowl with the remaining provolone, overlapping the slices. For the cream cheese layer, process the cream cheese, pistachios, and 1 of the garlic cloves in a food processor until blended; scrape the mixture into a bowl and set aside. For the pesto layer, process the basil, parsley, pine nuts, and the remaining garlic clove in the food processor until blended. Dissolve the salt and pepper in the olive oil and mix well. With the machine running, add the oil in a fine stream. Scrape this mixture into a second bowl and set aside. For the tomato layer, drain the tomatoes, reserving the oil. Puree the tomatoes with a small amount of the reserved oil in a food processor. Spread some of the cream cheese mixture over the cheese slices lining the bowl. Layer the pesto mixture, half of the remaining cream cheese mixture, the sun dried tomato mixture, and then remaining cream cheese mixture in the bowl. Cover with the remaining provolone cheese. Bring the edges of the plastic wrap together over the top and secure with a twist tie. Freeze until firm. Remove the plastic wrap and invert the mold onto a serving platter. Serve with party crackers. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.