Phyllo Brie Tarts

I have a confession to make; sometimes (okay, more times than not) when I go to the grocery store and I see something interesting or on sale I will buy it, even if I have no idea what I am going to do with it.  I try to talk myself out of it, but I just can't pass up a good deal or a new find, so into the cart it goes.  These little tarts are the result of one of those purchases, and I am happy to report they were delicious! 

While cruising the aisles at Fry's one night I spotted an aisle display of these little babies.

I was surprised to see them in the middle of an aisle because normally they are kept in the frozen section, so I was intrigued, I was even more intrigued that they were on sale for just $1.00 per box!  With the holiday season coming up (yes, this is another recipe I made before Thanksgiving) I figured there would be some party coming up that would require me to bring an appetizer, so I threw 2 boxes in my basket.  Sure enough, just a few days later I was invited to my friend Jenny's "Modern Family Thanksgiving Dinner" so I quickly volunteered to bring an appetizer!  I googled around the web a bit and I came up with the idea for these tarts...and let me just say...they have a lot going for them:

1. They are EASY!

2. They look very IMPRESSIVE!

3. They taste DELICIOUS!

One of the nice things about these is you can change up the flavor of jam based on your preference or what you have on hand (blueberry for me, another one of those impulse buys!) and the second bonus is that they taste delicious hot out of the oven or at room temperature, so they are the perfect party food!  Plus, who doesn't like mini sized food...it lets us eat more right?

Phyllo Brie Tarts

from Jenn

1 pkg. Athens Mini Fillo (Phyllo) Shells

1/2 c. or so jam or preserves of your choice

Brie cheese, rind removed, cut into 1 inch cubes (You will need as many cubes as you have shells)

Pecan halves (Once again, one nut per shell)

Preheat oven as directed on package of shells.  Place shells on a baking sheet and spoon a teaspoon of preserves into the bottom of the shell.  Top with a cube of cheese, then press a pecan halve on top.

Bake about 5 - 10 minutes, just until the brie has started to melt and the phyllo starts to brown.  Enjoy!

Italian Spinach Dip

Like many people, I grew up eating the cold spinach dip served in a hollowed out bread bowl.  I always ate it, but I never loved it.  I think part of it was due to the water chestnuts...yuck...I just don't get them.  I know they don't really taste like anything, but they are crunchy nuisance in my book!  I also didn't particularly care for the seasoning of the dip either, it came from a vegetable dip mix made by Knorr and there was just something to it that turned me off after so many bites.  When I saw this recipe and noticed the absence of  the standard vegetable dip mix I knew I had to give it a try, it still had those pesky water chestnuts, but I omitted them and just added more red peppers....and it was great!  It still had some tang from the Italian dressing seasoning mix, and the addition of the roasted red peppers covered nicely for those weird water chestnuts!  I brought this to a party (way back in November...slacker...yes me) and everyone loved it.  It paired really well with the buttery Ritz crackers, but I am sure it would be just as good in a hollowed out bread bowl.  This is my new "go to" cold spinach dip...give it a try!  Another bonus is with its green and red colors it is very festive for the holidays.

Sorry for the delay in sharing and the crappy picture, I didn't have my camera with me so I took it with my new phone, and I just couldn't figure out how to get the picture to my e-mail....technology and I are not always on good terms :)-

Italian Spinach Dip

adapted from Kraft 

1 c. light mayo
1 c. light sour cream 1 env. Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1/2 c. chopped roasted red peppers (or more!)
Ritz crackers or bread slices for serving

Mix mayo and sour cream with the Italian dressing mix until well combined.  Add spinach and red peppers and stir; chill until serving.  Serve with Ritz crackers or bread.

Bacon Pierogi Bake

I actually have this baking in the oven right now, but the picture below is from I made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  This is a yummy, comforting casserole that came from Cooking Light of all places!  I am not sure how I missed it when I got my issue, but all of a sudden it started popping up all over the other blogs that I read, so I knew that I had to try it!  When I found my copy of the magazine, I realized why I may have skipped over it, the picture just didn't look that good, I guess we really do eat with our eyes!  The pictures on the other blogs were so bright and colorful, but the magazine made it look burned, boring and dry!  I think the dryness is maybe what threw me when I first looked at it, so when I made it I decided to double the sauce, making it extra saucy and extra good (but definitely not extra Light, ha!). The version I posted below is the double sauce version, but you can cut it back if you must!

This was really easy to throw together, and I had all the dishes done while it baked for just 20 minutes in my toaster oven.  I used the mini pierogis when I made it, although the original calls for the regular size, but I think I would stick with the mini, they are more fun!  This is creamy, salty, and fresh tasting all rolled into one!  I think it could easily be adapted for vegetarians by omitting the bacon and just cooking the garlic in a bit of olive oil or you could cook the bacon separate and just put it on individual portions!  Whatever you do, you must make this!  It is starting to get warm here in AZ, but with the fresh tomatoes on top, I can still consider it a Spring dish!

Bacon Piergoi Bake

Adapted from Cooking Light - December 2010

1 (16-ounce) package frozen potato and cheese pierogies (such as Mrs. T's) - I like the mini's
Cooking spray
4 center-cut bacon slices, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 c (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 c. fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 c (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 c thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 c chopped seeded plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange the pierogies in an 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.

Add garlic to drippings in pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Top evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with bacon, green onions, tomato, and pepper.

Lobster Bisque

For as long as I can remember, my family has eaten Stouffer's lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner.  My mom started doing this because she could put it in the oven before we left for church, and when we got home it was ready and we could eat right away.  Well this year, after our "rogue" Thanksgiving, where we made brisket instead of turkey, we decided to shake things up at Christmas as well.  My whole family loves Lobster Bisque, and when we see it on a restaurant menu, we almost always get a bowl to share.  So when we were brainstorming what we wanted to make for that dinner, as soon as I suggested Lobster Bisque, the family was sold!  Since the bisque is so rich, we decided to have salad and lavosh with it, and it made for a meal that felt special for the holidays!

This was my first attempt to make a soup like this, and I have to say it was really quite easy.  My dad helped me to grill the lobster earlier in the afternoon, then we chopped it up and let it soak in the sherry while we were at church.  We also pre-diced all of the vegetables.  When we got home, it only took about 20 minutes for us to have some piping hot bisque on the table....almost as easy as the frozen lasagna!   This soup was really good, the whole family loved it, and it was almost even better the next day when reheated and thinned out with some milk.  The only thing that we will change the next time we make it, is reducing the amount of dry sherry, the sherry was a bit strong for our tastes, so next time I would reduce it in half so it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. 

This isn't an every week kind of soup, mainly because some of the ingredients can be pricey, but it is perfect for a special occasion...so give it a try!

Lobster Bisque

adapted from The Reluctant Gourmet

1 - 2 c. cooked lobster meat (I grilled 2 lobster tails, but Trader Joe's has frozen pre-cooked langostino lobster that would work also
1/2 c. dry sherry (I would either reduce in half, or just not add all back into the soup)

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2  c. onion, diced
1/4 c. celery, diced
1/4 c, carrot, diced
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 c. whole milk
1 c. half and half
1 c. seafood stock (This is usually in the frozen section, but you can substitute chicken stock if you can't find it)


Combine the lobster meat with the sherry. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a hot pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once it stops sputtering, add the onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper and Old Bay. Stir and let cook until the vegetables are translucent and are getting soft.

Add the tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the flour and cook for two to three minutes, stirring all the time.

While whisking, add the cold milk, half and half and stock and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, still whisking constantly. Turn the heat down and let simmer until slightly reduced.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.

Taste, and add more salt, pepper or Old Bay, if you think it needs it. Add the reserved lobster and sherry to the pot and simmer for just a couple of minutes, so the lobster is heated through.

Serve with crusty bread and maybe a little sour cream on the top. If you want to be really fancy, sprinkle on a little chopped tarragon as garnish.  Yummy!

Missing in Action

I have been missing in action from my blog and I am sorry, but I would like to explain.  Did you notice at all that my last post was on December 24th?  Well, on December 25th I received one of these:

An Apple iPad!!

Oh how I love this thing!  I can lay on the couch or in bed and browse the internet, check my facebook and play games (Angry Birds and Words with Friends are my favs).  But the one downside, it isn't very good for blogging.  You see, it isn't very easy to lay on the couch and write a blog post with it, and I haven't quite figured out how to load pictures on to it yet, I haven't even hooked my e-mail up to it yet...it is really just like my grown up toy....a toy that I haven't gotten tired of yet!  So since I have been so wrapped up in playing with my new toy, my laptop has been very neglected, which has resulted in my blog being neglected.  I have done a lot of cooking over the past couple of months, so I have plenty to share, I just haven't been able to tear myself away from the iPad, but that is changing as of now!  I do love sharing my adventures, so I need to put down the iPad every now and then and fire up the laptop!  I am not saying I will get to it everyday, but I am going to make a renewed effort....so thanks for hanging in there with me....and if I disappear again, send me a message and tell me to put down the iPad and get back to blogging!