Warm Spinach Dip

Everyone has their own favorite Spin dip.  Mine is from my BFF Nykol.
However, one doesn't always want to go to the store to make said spin dip so here is a new recipe I created using the stuff I had at the house.  It was super awesome.  The whole pan was gone in about an hour.

1 package frozen spinach
1 cup frozen pre-cut onion/red.green pepper mix
1 6 ounce block of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup finely grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
1 cup mayonaise
3 tablespoons of roasted minced garlic
3 whole scallions, finely chopped (dunno, made maybe half a cup?)
1 diced roasted red pepper
2 teaspoons Adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I happen to have crushed chilies from my sister in law, but whatever)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix it all together in a big bowl (only use half of the Parmesan).  It's ok if the spinach is still frozen as long as its not in brick form.

Flatten the mix into an 8" x 8" glass or metal pan.  Sprinkle the remaining Parm on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is golden brown on top.

Serve with a crusty bread or tortilla chips.

Watch it disappear!

YUM.

Lemony Broccoli

This broccoli is a huge hit with our 11 year old.  Yes, she really does like broccoli!  Try it, you will like it too.

Lemony Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 heads of broccoli, washed and chopped

1 lemon

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

a healthy dash of olive oil (or butter/margarine)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Steam the broccoli in a covered pot over high heat for about 5 minutes.  You are looking for a bright green color and the broccoli should still have a little crunch. Overcooked broccoli is mushy and sort of olive green.  YUCK!

While the broccoli is steaming, use a small skillet to saute the garlic in olive oil.

When the broccoli is done, transfer it to a serving dish and pour the garlic over the top. Next cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the broccoli (careful not to get the seeds in the dish!).  I use both halves of the lemon but if you are nervous, only use half. Toss to coat and then salt/pepper to taste.

This dish is awesome. It is loved by my whole family. I even made it for Thanksgiving one year. Try it, you wont be sorry.

Monkey Bread or Pull Apart Bread

Monkey Bread

This is such a hit at brunch that I sometimes make more than one.  You can add almost anything to this easy bread.  Nuts, raisins, cranberries... just layer it in with the dough balls.

Ingredients

4 cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan.

Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag. Cut the biscuits into quarters and roll into balls. Put a few pieces at a time in the bag. Shake to coat.

Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Continue layering until half the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour half over the layered biscuits. 
Continue layering the biscuits in the pan and pour the remaining half of the liquid over the top.

Bake for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and watch it disappear.

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

This shmear is oh-so-good and will keep in your fridge for about 2 weeks in an airtight container.  We like to have brunch, and this is a great EASY addition. Regular cream cheese is boring.  Spice it up!

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.

2. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.

3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

4. Enjoy on your favorite bagel!

Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

I just love the magazine "Cooking Light." A few years ago my mother-in-law brought me a few issues and I have been hooked ever since. Here's a classic.







"Ooey-Gooey" Peanut Butter Brownies

3/4 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk, divided
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 (18.25 oz) package devil's food cake mix
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine 1/4 cup condensed milk, butter, and next 3 ingredients (batter will be very stiff). Coat bottom of a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Press two-thirds of batter into prepared pan using floured hands; pat evenly (layer will be thin).

3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl; stir in chips. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly over brownie layer. Carefully drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Yield 2 dozen.

According to Cooking Light this has 176 cal., 5 g fat, .8 g fiber, about 4 WW points each. Sounds too good to be true but they have not lied to me before!

MMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

Mall Pretzels

Diana's pretzel recipe. YUM!

* 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 1/8 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup bread flour
* 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 2 tablespoons baking soda
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt


DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Let rise 10 minutes.

Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

2. Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square
pan. Set aside.

3. After dough has risen, set aside. Roll each piece into a 3 in roll, thumb thin . Dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Scones!

My friend Amanda gave me this scone recipe. They are SOOOOO good. This recipe calls for chocolate chips, but you can put in just about anything you like. Try fresh blueberries, dried cranberries, bananas or cinnamon chips. You can also go savory with ham and cheddar or pumpkin with walnut.

Ingredients

 

2 cups Flour

1 Tablespoon Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Chocolate chips

1 cup Whipping cream

1/4 cup Milk

Directions

Mix all together

Put down some flour and knead. When done kneading, pat into circle (or square or shape of your choosing) and cut into pieces (I usually cut into 8 pie slices)

Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter.

Brush tops with butter, sprinkle with sugar.

Bake @ 425 degrees for 10-14 minutes. Top edges should be slightly browned.

Celebrity Goat Cheese Soufflé

I have spent some time on Celebrity Cruise ships. Each ship has an awesome specialty restaurant where they serve a 5 course meal. One of their signature dishes is Goat Cheese Soufflé. Last fall one of the head waiters gave me the recipe. This year when I got on a ship I discovered the menu had totally changed and they no longer serve the Goat Cheese Soufflé. Time to pay homage and put it online. Try it. You will love it!

*update: due to popular demand, it's back on the menu.  Try it.  Seriously.

Goat Cheese Soufflé

(makes 6 servings)

10 ounces soft Goat cheese, crumbled

2 ounces firm goat cheese, crumbled

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 large egg yolks

6 large egg whites

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus 2 tablespoons for ramekins)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 sprig of rosemary

1 clove of garlic (peeled and left whole)

Salt and black pepper to taste (about a pinch of each!)

____________

Preheat the oven to 375'F

Butter 6 7 oz. ramekins, sprinkle Parmesan cheese inside and turn to coat. Set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat and slowly add flour.

Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Whisk in the cream, add garlic clove and the sprig of rosemary. Continue whisking until the mixture boils and thickens

Remove from the heat and take out the rosemary and garlic. Add yolks, mustard, soft goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth.

In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt to stiff peaks

Add the firm goat cheese to the cheese mixture and thoroughly fold in the egg whites Divide the mixture among the ramekins and place in a 9 x 12 cake pan.

Add hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake 25 minutes until puffed and golden brown.Serve immediately.

MMMmmmmmmmmmm. This is the best recipe you will ever try.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I saw this on Bucky's BBQ and Bread website. He got it from JustBaking.net. I liked the tweaks Bucky's made and added a few changes to make it mine.

The recipe is below. Using a tablespoon to drop them will result in cookies that are about 3" across. Using a 1/4 cup scoop (like the other sites say) results 5 1/2" cookies!

YUM!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted YES, MELT THE BUTTER - it's part of the secret
  
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 tablespoon almond extract
  
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks (or dark - I think the milk ones are too sweet for this recipe.)
  

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Line air bake* cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and set aside.

Mix the sugars and butter just until thoroughly mixed, then add egg, yolk, almond extract and vanilla and mix until creamy. Add the sifted ingredients and mix until just blended.

Stir in the chocolate chunks, then drop dough 1 tablespoon at a time on a cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart, and bake for 15-17 minutes (more like 10-12 minutes if you don't use and air bake cookie sheet!).

Leave them on the cookie sheet to cool a bit when removed from the oven -this is important… they fall apart if you move them too quickly. Once they cool a few minutes, remove the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

* I use the air bake cookie sheets because they keep your cookies from burning if you leave them in longer. I have a tendency to multi-task and sometimes hear the oven making it's "I have been beeping for more than a minute" sound while in another room. I have dashed into the kitchen to dark brown bottomed cookies too many times. So now I use the air bake and they ROCK! If you over bake, your cookies are just crunchy, not ruined.

The Best Alfredo Sauce EVER

The best Alfredo sauce EVER!!!!

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My picky 10 year old and hubby both loved this. I doubled the garlic, took out one tbsp. of butter and added a dash of Adobo. YUM! Thanks, this was my first attempt at Alfredo. I'll never use another recipe.

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons sweet butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
• A dash of Adobo
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
  
• 1 (12 ounce) box pasta of your choice

1. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
2. Add the garlic, cream, 1/2 and 1/2, white pepper and bring mixture to a simmer.
3. Stir often.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth.
5. When sauce has thickened add the Mozzarella cheese a little at a time and stir until smooth. STIR FREQUENTLY.
6. While the sauce cooks, boil pasta.
7. I added grilled chicken and steamed broccoli at the end.

This is soooooo good. Yum! I think about 600 calories per serving. Not nearly as bad as some of the Alfredo recipes I have seen out there.

Made this for Matt and Kenzie tonight. They LOVED it.

Angi - Smoke free and Healing for Fourteen Days, 23 Hours and 26 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 1 Day, by avoiding the use of 300 cigarettes!

Midnight cake

I was bored this afternoon so I looked through Matt's Cake Doctor book and found a recipe for Midnight cake. It was easy and came out great.
1 box Dunkin Hines butter fudge cake (because I had one in the pantry)
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
2 tblsp. Vanilla
Mix well and pour into your oiled and floured pan (your choice of style)
I went with the 9 x 13 sheet pan

375 for about 35 minutes

I made butter cream frosting.

Yum!

My Wii age is 27 today. That's right. It reminded me that I am still obese but that my flexibility and balance and improving rapidly. I have all the yoga but 3 open and today I got the Free Step aerobics game. Its cool because the wiimote makes noise so you can watch regular tv for 10 while you walk to the beat. It got my heart rate up and I could feel it in my hips from taking the step up onto the fit board. I also got the lotus balance game which I mastered on the first try. You have to sit still for 90 seconds. Ha ha no problem for a couch potato like me! I also lost a tiny bit of weight. I would probably lose more if I didn't make cakes!!

Oh I think I got the bridal hair thing sorted. We are going to look so cool!

The dog just plopped down on my foot so it must be time to end.

*Angi WB*
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Pumpkin cake

Made this today. Yum.

I read about it somewhere on the Net but didn't bookmark the site so I had to wing it.
I used a yellow cake mix, one can of pumpkin and two tablespoons of smart balance. The glaze is sugar and butter. I baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. I used a silicone bundt pan.

We got the wii fit on black Friday. We opened it last night (don't tell McKenzie!) and tried it out. Well I am hooked already. We did 30 minutes each last night and I have already logged 102 minutes today. My wii age started 41. In one day it went to 35. Yay! Matt and I played this morning before he went to work. Matt likes the games, I like the yoga. I suck at the balance poses but did great on warrior and sun salutation. We set weight loss goals so I will let you know.

We decorated the tree yesterday. McKenzie did most of the work. It looks great! I have more to do to get the house ready. Lights outside and garlands up. Ahhhh Christmas.

*Angi WB*
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