Spinach & Artichoke Dip (Hot or Cold)

*Photo note: I made this for Easter for just my husband & me, so I only filled the bowl with half of the dip created by this recipe.  The full recipe will fill the bread bowl appropriately.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

• 
  
• 1 8oz package cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch-style dip mix
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 2 (16 ounce) loaves King's Hawaiian® Sweet Bread
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 
  
• Blend mayo, sour cream and dip; mix together in a large bowl. Add artichoke hearts, spinach and water chestnuts; mix well. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
• 
  
• Before serving, Carefully hollow 1 loaf, leaving 1-inch on sides and bottoms. Cube removed bread and additional loaf.

To serve hot: Stir in 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese; microwave on high 4-5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.

Transfer dip to bread bowl and serve with bread cubes.

Baked BBQ or Hot Wings

adapted from foodnetwork.com

12+ whole chicken wings

desired sauce

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in an electric steamer for 15 minutes (or place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.  Add chicken and steam for 10 minutes). 

Remove the wings and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with non-stick foil or parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

When the chicken is almost finished roasting, pour sauce into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 packet or 8 grams yeast
2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese,softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place warm milk & yeast in the bowl of stand mixer and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.  Add eggs, margarine, flour, salt & white sugar.  Attach the dough hook and allow to mix & need for about 10 minutes (or until the dough is stretchy and not too sticky).  Remove bowl and cover, allowing the dough to rise in a warm dry place for about an hour.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Once complete, place a cookie sheet on top of your pan and turn the rolls out upside down and allow them to cool for a few minutes.  While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. 

To make the night before, complete recipe through step 3, then cover and refrigerate.  In the morning, allow rolls to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then complete step 4.

To freeze, complete through step 3, cover & freeze.  The day before you want to cook them, move them from the freezer to the fridge.  When ready to cook, allow rolls to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then complete step 4.

Tangy Cole Slaw

from Shanna Nail

3/4 cup Splenda
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp oil
salt & pepper
One bag shredded cabbage & carrots,
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped

Wisk together Splenda, white vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.  Pour mixture over cabbage & carrots & bell peppers

Make at least 8 hours before serving it so that it has some time to marinate and chill. (Sometimes overnight) It works pretty well to place all ingredients in a large ziploc bag to mix and marinate. Before serving, pour off excess juices! 

It is very healthy, and for any Weight Watchers members counts as 0 points.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

from allrecipes.com

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained

2 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

French bread

Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Microwave on High until hot, about 3 minutes. Serve with warm french bread.

Holiday Pretzel Treats

From Family Fun

Bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug
M&M's candy

Heat the oven to 170F. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.

Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. If desired, place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.

Turkey Queso

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1/4 cup milk
1 can Rotel, drained
1 cup turkey, cubed
diced jalapenos, optional
salt
tortilla chips

Combine soup, milk, Rotel & turkey in a sauce pan over medium heat until warm.  Add jalapenos & salt to taste.  Serve warm with chips.

We added 2 tablespoons of canned jalapenos after taking out 2 little cups of queso for the kids.  It was spicy, but not over the top.  Add jalapenos slowly.

Freezer Cooking: Egg Muffin Sandwhiches

I don't do much freezer cooking.  I don't have much freezer space nor the desire to actually cook in bulk.  However, having a husband who leaves the house before dawn (commuting 1 1/2 hours each way) for work, has led us to discover that freezer cooking for his breakfast benefits everyone.  He needs something more substantial than cereal and milk or yogurt, so we've gone to making egg muffin sandwiches.  This way he has a hearty breakfast, that he can heat quickly (and quietly) & I don't have to get up 4 hours before the kids to make it.  I spend about an hour a month preparing them & he's got enough to get him through almost every morning for the entire month!

18 English Muffin

18 eggs

1 package of Canadian Bacon (there are only 15 pieces in the pack I buy, so he has 3 that don't have meat)

18 American Cheese slices

I have this adorable little egg frying pan and it works perfectly!  I spray a little non stick cooking spray, crack the egg into the pan, break up the yolk with a tooth pic & cook it.  Since I'll be using the entire carton of eggs, I just put the cracked shells back in the carton :)

As each egg is cooked, I place them on a wire rack to cool. 

As the eggs are cooking, I get out my bread knife and begin to the cut the muffins in half.

Go ahead and toss the box, but keep the bag the box comes in for later.

Then I begin assembling the sandwiches.  I start with the bottom of the muffin, then add an egg, a slice of canadian bacon & the top of the muffin.  We have found that adding cheese at this point is really not the best idea since it heats so much more quickly than the rest of the items.

Once all the sandwiches are assembled, I individually wrap the sandwiches in seran wrap.  Once they are all wrapped, I place the individually wrapped sandwiches into the bag from the english muffins, secure the top of the bag and place in the freezer.

In the morning, my sweet husband takes out a sandwich, unwraps it, wraps it in a paper towel and microwaves the entire thing for 1 minute & 15 seconds.  While it's cooking, he grabs a slice of cheese out of the fridge.  Once it's cooked, he opens it, adds the cheese, lets it sit for a minute or so and enjoys a nice, hot, filling breakfast.

Best part is, there is an entire month of drive thru style breakfasts for about 10 bucks...can't beat that!

Turkey Burgers

 adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 1/2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried minced garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)

6 hamburger buns, split

In a large bowl, mix the turkey with the onion soup mix, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, and egg. Refrigerate the mixture about 10 minutes, then form into 6 patties.

Preheat the grill or frying pan for medium-high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate or frying pan. Place the patties on the grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning once, or until well done. The inside of the burgers will look whitish in color when cooked through. Serve on bun with desired burger toppings.

Green Chili Enchiladas

2 cups Mexican Crockpot Chicken
2 1/2 cups Shredded Cheese, divided
6 flour tortillas, soft taco size
1 can Green Chili Enchilada Sauce (10 oz)

Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce into 8x8 baking pan.

Divide chicken & 1 1/2 cups cheese among tortillas. Roll up. Place seam-side-down in baking pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas & cover top with cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Sweet Dinner Rolls

 Adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup white sugar

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

 

Mix the water and milk, microwave for 1 minute and 15 seconds.  Poured it into a large bowl & stir in the sugar until dissolved.  Stirred in the yeast & allow to set for 10-15 minutes.

Add salt, butter and egg to bowl and mix until combined.  Add flour slowly (a half cup or so at a time). Once combined, kneed for 2-3 minutes, cover and let it rise for in the bowl for 1 hour.

 

Once risen, punch the dough down and divide it into 16 balls.  Place dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Let rolls rise for another 1/2 hour.

 

Brush the top of each roll with melted butter and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2 small or 1 large pizza crust - homemade or packaged
BBQ sauce
Approximately 1 cup of cooked chicken (shredded or thinly sliced) 
1 onion, caramelized*
Mozzarella cheese

Top pizza crust with a generous layer of BBQ sauce.  Top sauce with a layer of chicken, then a layer of cheese.  Add onions to the top and cook according to the pizza crust directions and until cheese is melted.

*caramelize onions by slowly cooking them in a little olive oil until they are richly browned.

King Ranch Casserole

From allrecipes.com

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
2 (8 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
3 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add chicken and bouillon and boil for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through (no longer pink inside). Reserve 1 cup broth. Remove chicken from pan and dice; set aside.

In a separate large saucepan combine reserved broth, onion, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, bell pepper, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers and beans. Mix together and heat through, stirring often.
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
 
In a 9x13 inch baking dish layer casserole as follows: 4 torn tortillas, 1/2 of diced chicken, 1/3 of soup mixture, more tortilla strips, remaining diced chicken, 1/3 of soup mixture, more tortilla strips and remaining soup mixture. Cover with cheese.
 
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly. 

This is really good, but rather time consuming.  It took me almost an hour & a half to complete the prep.  It made enough for about 4 meals for our family of 4.  I think next time, I would make it in 2 8x8 pans and freeze one.

Faux-Fried Zucchini

From Hungry Girl

2 large zucchini; ends removed
3/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original); ground to a breadcrumb-like consistency in a blender or food processor
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1 tbsp. powdered ranch dressing/dip mix
1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash garlic powder
1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash onion powder
1/4 tsp. plus 1 dash oregano
2 dashes pepper
2 dashes salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut zucchini into half-inch-wide circles. Blot away any excess moisture with a paper towel.

Fill a medium-sized dish with egg substitute, and season with a dash each of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. In a separate medium-sized container, combine cereal breadcrumbs with 1/4 tsp. each of garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano -- add the ranch mix and a dash each of salt and pepper, and then mix well.

Set out a baking pan, and spray with nonstick spray. Toss zucchini circles in the egg substitute until they are all evenly covered. One by one, coat zucchini with breadcrumbs (giving them a shake first to remove excess egg substitute), and lay them flat on the baking pan.

Place in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Flip zucchini circles over, and return to the oven for about 10 more minutes, or until outsides are crispy and zucchini is cooked through.

MAKES 3 SERVINGS

WW POINTS® value 1 per serving

Simple Hummus

from King Arthur Flour

15- to 20-ounce can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained, liquid saved

3 to 9 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3 to 5 tablespoons olive oil; or a combination of olive oil and reserved liquid from the beans

Place the drained chickpeas, garlic, salt, and cumin in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until the beans are very finely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil. If necessary, drizzle in just enough of the reserved chickpea liquid to make the mixture smooth. Remove from the processor, and refrigerate in a covered container until ready to serve. Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley, if desired.

I sprinkled a little paprika to add some color :) We love to eat this with carrots, celery, bell pepper or pitas. So easy and so yummy!

Crispy Treats

4 Tbs butter (substitution not recommend)
1 bag marshmallows (or 4 1/2 cups mini marshmallows)
6 cups crispy rice cereal

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray (preferably butter flavored) and add crispy rice cereal. In a large pot, melt butter and marshmallows until smooth. Stir marshmallows with cereal in the large bowl until well combined. Pour mixture into baking pan. Take a 2nd sheet of parchment paper and spray one side with non-stick spray. Place paper (sprayed side down) on top of the cereal and roll with a rolling pin until evenly distributed. Cool & cut.

Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

My husband LOVES rice crispy treats :) I used to make them for him and they always paled in comparison to the ones his mom makes. The difference...real butter. So, I made them like this tonight and he is thankful!

Soft Pretzels

Adapted from allrecipes.com

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups hot water

Spray butter & 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping (optional)

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope (pretzels in photo above were rolled to about 15-inches before twisting...to get a more 'pretzel' look, you'll probably need to roll them to 20 inches or so) and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a dish towel or paper towels to remove some of the moisture from the bottom. Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet (optional: spray each pretzel with a couple squirts of spray butter). Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned. Once baked, pretzels can be frozen and reheated in the oven as needed. These are simply AMAZING!! We decided to make them cinnamon/sugar pretzels by dunking each in melted butter and topping with fresh ground cinnamon and sugar after baking. Everyone asked for more :)

Honey-Oat Pan Rolls

from Taste of Home

2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat the water, honey and 4 tablespoons butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg; beat until well combined. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 24 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 375° for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Melt remaining butter; brush over rolls. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 2 dozen.

Chicken Cesar Tacos/Wraps

Chicken breasts
Romain lettuce
Parmesan or Italian blend cheese
Cesar dressing
Croutons, optional
Soft taco sized tortillas (for tacos) or large tortillas (for wraps)

Grill chicken breasts (I prefer to spray a frying pan with olive oil & salt & pepper my chicken...takes about 20 minutes on the stovetop).  While the chicken is cooking, wash & prepare lettuce in a large bowl.  Once cooked through, cube chicken and add to the lettuce mixture.  Add in desired amounts of cheese and croutons and toss with dressing.  Top desired tortillas with the salad mixture and enjoy!

I used the Marie's Yogurt Parmesan Cesar dressing (1/2 the calories & 1/2 the fat of regular) and we are huge fans!!

Apple Walnut Sticky Buns

from Sandra Lee

Ingredients

1 Granny Smith apple
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 (8-count) tubes refrigerated cinnamon rolls
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 to 4 teaspoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter a 12-count muffin tin.
Peel, core and dice the apples into 1/2-inch cubes. In a medium bowl stir together the diced apples with the walnuts and brown sugar.
Divide the apple mixture evenly into the muffin tin. Put 12 cinnamon buns, cinnamon side up, on top of the apple mixture. Put the muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Bake off remaining 4 buns per package directions)
Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Put a clean baking sheet on top of the muffin tin and flip to remove the sticky buns.
In a small bowl, combine the vanilla frosting with the pumpkin pie spice and 2 to 4 teaspoons of water. Mix until very thin and of pourable consistency. Drizzle over buns and serve.