Spinach and Artichoke Dip Party Squares

 

I love “party food.” That’s how my family refers to a meal that consists of starters and appetizers. Back in the day, my aunt used to host Christmas Eve dinner. The whole family would go to church for the 5:30 Christmas Eve service, and then head to my aunt’s for dinner and gifts. Sometimes she would bake a ham, but the most memorable times she served party food, and her party food was legendary.

 

Invariably the buffet would start with a meat tray (remember those?) from a local deli that was always a huge hit. Then there were the meatballs in gravy that were served with those little tiny buns, crab puffs, mini pigs in blankets, mini ravioli, spinach squares, and a green salad to be virtuous. Don't get me started on her phenomenal cookie trays! It was an incredible spread. When I saw this recipe, I thought of those Christmas Eve gatherings, and had to make them. They are really delicious, and the nice thing about them is that they are equally tasty whether they are served hot, warm, room temperature, or even cold directly from the fridge.Spinach and Artichoke Dip Party Squares

Adapted from thekitchenismyplayground.com

 2 packages crescent rolls

 1 (1.4 oz.) envelope Knorr Vegetable Soup & Recipe Mix

½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

½ c. sour cream

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 12-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

1 8-oz. can water chestnuts, finely chopped

  1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 357°F.

In a mixing bowl combine soup mix, mayonnaise, and sour cream; set aside for soup mix to soften while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Unroll crescent rolls and fit into a lightly greased jelly roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet; press seams together to form a crust. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until very light golden brown. 

Add garlic, spinach, artichokes, water chestnuts, and Monterey Jack cheese to soup mixture. Stir well to combine.

Spread soup mixture over partially-baked crust. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over the top. Grate pepper over all. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until heated through.

Cut into squares and serve.

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The Ultimate Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

I am not a fan of football, but I know that the Super Bowl is coming, and that means lots and lots of party food. I also know that, back in my day, a party wasn’t a party without a cheese ball. This “ultimate” cheese ball is the best one that I have ever had. I tweaked it a tiny bit, and trust me when I tell you this is cheese ball perfection. You’ll want to have this at your next casual gathering.



The Ultimate Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

Slightly adapted from thechunkychef.com

 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3 T. sour cream

1 oz. pkg. (3 T.) ranch dressing mix

¾ t. garlic powder

½ t. dried minced onion

¼ t. kosher salt

¼ t. black pepper

½ t. Worcestershire sauce

1 ¼ c. grated cheddar cheese (divided)

½ c. grated pepper jack cheese

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (divided)

1/3 c. chopped green onions (divided)

2/3 c. chopped toasted pecans

1 t. poppy seeds

 MAKE THE CHEESE BALL

 In a large mixing bowl place cream cheese, sour cream, ranch seasoning, garlic powder, minced onion, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Beat until combined. Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, all of the pepper jack cheese, half of the bacon, and half the green onions.  Stir until mixed. Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap and drop cream cheese mixture onto it.  Cover tightly on all sides, and shape into a ball shape.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until firm.

 MAKE THE OUTER COATING

 Add remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, remaining bacon, and green onions to a small mixing bowl.  Stir in poppy seeds and refrigerate alongside the cheese ball. Before rolling the cheese ball, add pecans and stir well.

 BEFORE SERVING

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread out the outer coating in an even layer. Remove plastic wrap and roll cheese ball in coating, making sure all sides are coated.  You may have to pick up some of the coating and press it so it sticks. Serve immediately, or cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Cheesy Mushroom Toasts

It’s the “party food” time of the year! I love making it, and I love eating it. You are going to love this fabulous mushroom topping; it is excellent on slices of baguette, as I have done here. You can cut big slices out of your baguette by cutting on the diagonal, or small rounds by cutting it straight across. This works well as a main dish for lunch, an appetizer before dinner, or a wonderful side for soups and salads. It’s also excellent on top of a pizza crust, and baked until bubbly. This is a “must make” for the holiday season!

Cheesy Mushroom Toasts

 1½ T. unsalted butter

1 large Melissa’s shallot, chopped

1 c. mushrooms, chopped

½ c. mozzarella cheese shredded, plus extra for the top

¼ c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 large egg, beaten

1/8 t. oregano

¼ t. Montreal Steak Seasoning

¼ t. kosher salt

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette, sliced on ¾” diagonals

Parsley, chopped, for garnish

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

 Slice baguette into ¾ inch slices; set aside.

 In a large skillet melt butter. Add mushrooms and shallot, cooking until mushrooms have released their juices and shallots are transparent.

 Add oregano, salt, and pepper to the skillet; stir to combine. Add mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and egg; stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the heat.

 Place baguette slices on baking sheet, topping each with mushroom mixture. Add a pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of each. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.

 Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and mushroom mixture heated through. Garnish with chopped parsley. This recipe can easily be doubled.

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Baked Three Cheese Onion Dip

One of the things that I love about the upcoming holiday season is also one of the things that I hate about the upcoming holiday season, namely all of the party food. I LOVE party food, but a person can get too much of that, and long for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. One thing I enjoy, particularly during a season of cold weather, is a hot dip. I have had this recipe in my stash for some time. I’m not sure as to the origin, but I will say that it is very good. Honestly, considering the rather mundane ingredients, I wasn’t expecting it to be as over-the-top delicious as it really is. Be sure to include the pickled yellow peppers. They are a rather recent discovery of mine and I love them! They’re not as hot as jalapeños, more flavorful (in my opinion), and are so good on sandwiches as well. You will be the hit of the party with this delicious crowd pleaser. If any is left over, which I doubt, it makes a wonderful sandwich spread, and super delicious filling for an omelet.

Baked Three Cheese Onion Dip

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise
2 t. cornstarch
1 c. sharp white cheddar, coarsely grated, divided
½ c. Monterey Jack, coarsely grated, divided
¼ c. chopped Melissa’s pickled yellow peppers, + more for garnish
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 T. chopped chives

Preheat oven to 375° F. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, with a hand mixture, beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth and creamy.

Toss cornstarch, ¾ cup of cheddar, and ¼ cup Monterey Jack in a medium bowl to coat cheese. Add to cream cheese mixture along with the peppers and cooked onion; season with salt and pepper. Turn into a 1-quart baking dish and top with remaining cheddar and Monterey Jack. Bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let dip cool five minutes, then top with chives and additional peppers. Serve with crackers, crudités, or slices of apple.

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French Rustic Potatoes

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Is there anyone who is unfamiliar with what surely must be the most popular casserole in casserole nation? I’m referring, of course, to the potato concoction known as Party Potatoes, Company Potatoes, or Funeral Potatoes, depending upon the region in which you nosh. They have certainly been a favorite around here for many years. As a result, even though I love them, they began to bore me. I started thinking about it, and decided that I could give this recipe a much more complex taste by swapping out cheddar cheese for Gruyere and brie (the former proving a wonderful nuttiness, while the latter adds creaminess), and dumping those corn flakes for what we all really love, French fried onions. Face it, wouldn’t you rather have French fried onions than corn flakes? Corn flakes! I mean, really! So, here is my version, and it always gets raves. People are expecting the standard recipe, but are always pleasantly surprised with this one.

French Rustic Potatoes

1 32-oz. pkg. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1/4 c. chopped scallions

1 c. sour cream

1 c. grated Gruyere cheese

1 8-oz. wheel of brie, cubed

1 14.5-oz. can condensed cream of celery soup

1 6-oz. container French fried onions, divided

½ c. butter melted

¼ t. kosher salt

Few gratings freshly ground black pepper        

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole, or 9” x 13” pan with PAM; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine hash browns, scallions, sour cream, Gruyere, Brie, soup, and half of the container of French fried onions. Stir to combine. Drizzle butter over all and combined thoroughly (I use my hands and I wear kitchen gloves. I find kitchen gloves to be invaluable in cases like this. I recommend these.)

 

 

Cheesy Spinach Pull-Apart Bread with Hearts of Palm

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 In your family do you have things that you refer to as “party food?“ We do. This generally applies to finger foods, baked appetizers, and other truly wonderful little edibles that we tend to only make for parties, and never for ourselves. Why is that? I mean, we love this food, why not enjoy it more often? Today, I decided that I was going to make party food for myself.

This is super simple to make. The filling can be made the day before, and assembly is a breeze so that you can bake it up just before you’re ready to enjoy it. Dividing the filling between the slices of biscuit is best accomplished by using a cookie scoop, as I did. Seriously, this went together in no time at all. I had it with a spinach and strawberry salad, and enjoyed myself tremendously. More party food is in my future, I guarantee!

Cheesy Spinach Pull-Apart Bread with Hearts of Palm

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 

½ c. finely chopped Melissa’s Hearts of Palm 

½ c. finely chopped baby spinach

1 c. shredded mozzarella, divided

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan

   1 t. minced garlic

¼ t. red pepper flakes

Pinch kosher salt

  Freshly ground black pepper

 1 tube Pillsbury refrigerated biscuit dough

Fresh or dried parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9"-x-5" loaf pan with PAM; set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, hearts of palm, spinach, ½ cup mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Cut each biscuit in half horizontally.

Using a cookie scoop, dollop 2 tablespoons of the dip mixture onto one side of each biscuit half.

Stack biscuits so that there is a layer of dip between each biscuit, leaving the ends plain.

Place your biscuit stack into prepared loaf pan. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven and remove foil. 

Brush with butter, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, and bake 15 minutes more, until biscuits are golden and cheese is melted.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and carefully remove. Garnish with parsley and serve.