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.

Jalapeno Chicken Casserole

Well, looks like the cat is out of the bag, Laura (my sister) if you are reading this, please forgive me!  Why am I asking for her forgiveness?  I may or may not have not mentioned the word jalapeno when I invited my sister over for dinner and told her what I was making!  My sister is a wimp when it comes to spicy food; for instance, she claims to LOVE buffalo wings, but then wipe all of the sauce off of each one before she eats it....so weird!!!  So when she asked what I was making, I told her Mexican Chicken Casserole, she said yum, so I said see you at 6!  I knew that if I mentioned the "J" word she would not even try it, so I had to be a little bit sneaky....but isn't that what big sisters are for???

So at 6 last Sunday night, my sister and my parents arrived for dinner; we sat down and ate, and guess what?  They all liked it!  My sister made a little mention that a few of her bites were a little spicy, but like I said before, she is a major spice wimp.  This was really good, and fresh tasting.  I liked that it didn't use a canned soup as the base, which I am not against at all, but they can sometimes make dishes feel really heavy.  I also really liked the addition of the spinach, it was a good way to get in some veggies, this almost tasted like a spicy spinach dip with chicken, which is definitely not a bad thing in my opinion!

My only suggestion when making this would be to use more chicken.  The pound of chicken called for in the recipe seemed a little sparse to me, but do what you like!  I was also thinking of maybe instead of adding more chicken, to just use a can of black beans, or even use no chicken at all and just black beans....mmm beans....well they don't call me The Bean Queen for nothing!

I am really sorry I didn't get a picture of the insides, but trust me, it was very pretty!

Jalapeno Chicken Casserole

adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen

2 Tbsp. butter

1 onion, diced

3 jalapenos fresh, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. flour
20 oz chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
10 oz pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 Tbsp. pickled jalapenos, diced
2 Tbsp. jalapeno pickling liquid
2 c. light sour cream
4 green onions, tops only, diced
2 Tbsp. lime juice, or about 1 lime
1 large bag of tortilla chips
1 lb chicken, cooked and chopped
2-3 c. cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
fresh cilantro, chopped

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Saute onions, jalapenos, and garlic until soft. Sprinkle flour over jalapeno mixture and cook for several minutes until golden. Add chicken stock to pan and stir until smooth. Cook, stirring often, until simmering and slightly thickened. Season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, combine spinach, pickled jalapenos and liquid, sour cream, lime juice and green onions. Add chicken stock mixture to sour cream mixture and stir thoroughly until mixed.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish, layer a handful of crushed tortilla chips, chopped chicken, and half of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Add another layer of crushed tortilla chips, and the rest of the chicken and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Top casserole with another layer of crushed tortilla chips and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Bake casserole for 30 to 40 or until hot and browned. Top with fresh pico de gallo, if desired.

I served mine with a big pot of pinto beans.....mmm mmm good!

Creamed Spinach

I have been cooking I promise, but I haven't been blogging about it, and I don't really have an answer as to why. This is the spinach side dish that I made to go with the Stuffed Pork Loin and the Individual Pumpkin Cheese Cakes; that was two weeks ago. I guess I have been rather busy, but that is not an excuse, so I would like to apologize to "My Biggest Fan" for my absence....I vow to get back on track this month!

My dad loves a good creamed spinach, so when I was trying to figure out a vegetable side to go with the pork, I decided that creamed spinach would be perfect. This is a version from Emeril Lagasse that I found on Recipezaar, it was really simple to throw together, and reheated well. The only issue I found was that it was a bit runny, so I think the spinach needs to be rung out really well before the liquid is added, but other than that....it was just delicious! (Please pardon the picture.....there was just no pretty way to photograph this!)

Creamed Spinach

adapted from Recipezaar

3 Tbsp. butter
3 lbs. fresh spinach, washed and stemmed (The original said to chop, but I skipped that)

Salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 c. Half and Half

2 c. Italian blend cheese, shredded, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add butter and stir until melted. Add spinach to skillet along with salt and pepper; saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until all the spinach is wilted. (At this point, I would remove the spinach and squeeze out all the extra liquid) Add the Half and Half and the garlic to the spinach; bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 6 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Pour into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for about 4 - 6 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Stuffed Pork Loin

So after I had volunteered to make family dinner, I had to figure out something to make for it! I wouldn't call my family picky eaters (except maybe my dad), we all are pretty adventurous, it just seems that we all happen to have really different tastes, so I was struggling to figure out something that I thought would appeal to all of them. My other issue that I was trying to work around was that I didn't want to actually have to be physically cooking something and be distracted from watching the game....because if you know me....I don't like to miss a minute...I even record and re-watch games! I was going through some recipes that I had saved and came across this one, I thought it would be perfect, it included at least one ingredient that everyone liked; Dad (bacon), Laura (pesto), Mom (spinach) and myself (cream cheese). But the big seller for me was that after I prepared it, I could stick it in the oven for an hour or so and just concentrate on watching the big game!

This really didn't have a lot of ingredients, and the presentation was quite fancy, the most difficult part was just figuring out the best way to cut the pork to get it to lay flat, but once I figured that out, I just pounded away with my meat mallet to flatten it some more! I really should have taken some before pictures of the process, but I was making three other recipes at the same time, so I just didn't have time. The original recipe used a pork tenderloin, but the one at my store were so small and narrow, that there was no way that I was going to be able to get all the stuffing ingredients in the middle, so I substituted the pork loin and it worked out just fine. The whole family really loved this; the pork was tender and the flavors worked really well together, and it just looked so darn fancy on the plate! I served it with Parmesan couscous (which my mom so graciously prepared since it wasn't quite half-time and I couldn't be torn away) and some creamed spinach (recipe coming soon!) It was a wonderful meal, and would work really well for a dinner party since all the prep can be done beforehand.

If you are looking to show off in the kitchen, you must try this!

Stuffed Pork Loin

adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

1 (2-3 lb) pork loin or tenderloin (I used loin because the tenderloins were too small to stuff)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

6 - 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I just left them whole)

1 pkg. dried pesto seasoning (Like Knorr brand, usually found near the pasta)

Fresh spinach leaves to taste

olive oil

salt

pepper

Cut the pork almost in half, then starting at the middle, cut each side almost in half again so that it lays flat. Pound with a meat mallet to get the pork an even thickness. Spread the cream cheese over the pork evenly, leaving about 1 inch around the edges. Lay the roasted red peppers over the cream cheese then top with the bacon. Evenly sprinkle the pesto seasoning over the red pepper layer, then top with the desired amount of spinach. Starting at one of the short ends, roll the pork up jelly roll style. Using kitchen twine, tie the roast closed with about 3 or 4 pieces of the twine. (At this point, I wrapped in plastic and chilled until ready to cook.)

To cook the pork, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place pork in a baking dish; drizzle with the olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 60 - 90 minutes until pork is cooked through. Let it stand about 10 minutes, then slice it and serve it!

Spinach Enchiladas

If you had asked me as a kid if I like Spinach Enchiladas, the answer would have been an overwhelming NO! But once I got hooked on Spinach Artichoke Dip, I started to notice and taste all the delicious possibilities that spinach had to offer. Spinach works in just about anything, and really adds both color and nutrition to a dish; so now, I almost always have at least one package of it in my freezer to toss into a dish that I am cooking. Lately, I have really been into ordering Spinach Enchiladas out at restaurants, which is not the norm for me, but they have been hitting the spot (and well, the addition of the spinach should make me feel less guilty for all the chips and salsa, right?), and every restaurant seems to have such different versions. Some are in red sauce, others a cream sauce, and some have even been topped with sliced almonds that added a delicious element to the dish.

While watching some football a couple of Sunday nights ago, I got a craving for some Spinach Enchiladas, and while I could have gone out and picked up some take-out, I realized that I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to just make them myself! Let me say, these really are very easy, and they are really delicious. This night, I made them with a packet of enchilada sauce mix that I doctored up with some Chipotle seasoning for a bit of heat, but a can of prepared enchilada sauce would works just fine too, or you could even go the cream sauce rout....just go with whatever you are craving!

I baked these up in the toaster oven, which only took about 15 minutes, and I had myself a homemade Mexican feast. These were actually even better re-heated the next day, what a bonus!

Spinach Enchiladas

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen, chopped spinach; thawed and drained
1 packet Enchilada sauce mix, prepared per package directions (Or just use a pre-made kind)
2 c. Mexican blend cheese, shredded
6 - 8 corn tortillas, warmed per package directions (I could only fit 6 in my pan)
4 green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once spinach has been thoroughly drained, combine it with the cheese and onions. Season with salt to taste. In an 11 x 7 inch pan, pour a thin layer of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Working with one tortilla at a time; dip each tortilla in sauce, then stuff with spinach and cheese filling. Roll up, and place seam side down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with any leftover filling mixture. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Spinach Cheddar Dip in a Bread Bowl

I remember eating cold spinach dip in a bread bowl all the time at my friend Karen's house when I was growing up; whenever her parents had people over, spinach dip was always bound to make an appearance. While I did like the dip (with the exception of the water chestnuts), I was always eagerly anticipating the point when we got to dig into the bread bowl that had been soaking up the creamy dip all afternoon....mmm! As much fun as eating the bread bowl is, they are surprisingly also very functional and convenient for taking to a party, or in my case, tailgating. Why you ask? Because there is no clean up!! Either the bowl gets eaten, or the bowl gets tossed, either way, there are no dishes to do!

The original spinach dip that I grew up eating always used a packet of the Knorr Vegetable Recipe dry mix, so when I came across this version which used dried onion soup mix, I thought it sounded like a tasty twist on a classic recipe. Plus, this had the added bonus of cheddar cheese...because really, doesn't cheese just make everything better? Just like the classic recipe, this is a snap to prepare. I made it up the night before and waited until just before serving to scoop it into the bread bowl so that it wouldn't get all soggy. I really liked this version of the classic, the cheese really added a nice element to the dip, and gave it some more color. And when it was time to head into the game....clean up was a breeze!

Spinach Cheddar Dip in a Bread Bowl

2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 c. sour cream (I used light)
1/2 c. mayonnaise (I used light)
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained & chopped (I didn't use these because I am not a fan)
1 Tbsp. dried onion soup mix (I used an onion dip mix)
1 round unsliced loaf of bread (Like Sheepherder's)

In a large bowl, combine, cheddar cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, spinach and soup mix. Mix well. Refrigerate dip for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cut out the center of the bread, leaving sides and bottom about 1-inch thick. Cut up the bread that was removed into bite-size pieces for dipping. When ready to serve, fill bread bowl with dip and serve with bread pieces. (I also served it with some Wheat Thins)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

My love for all things food and cooking began at an early age; I started collecting cookbooks the way other kids collected baseball cards! My closet was filled with more cookbooks than shoes (which is saying a lot, since I have always been a proud "shoe whore")! When I was in middle school, the Internet age began. At first, I thought the best part was just being able to IM with my friends, but then I discovered what the "information super highway" was really all about...an unmatched database filled with anything and everything you could ever want to know! I immediately started searching (this was before Google) and seeking out recipes. I would print out copies of the ones that I wanted to try, and organize them in a three-ring binder both alphabetically and by course. I found the recipe for this dip back in those early days, before you could attach a picture or write a review, when you just had to try it out to see if it was any good! Well my friends, this turned out to be one of those recipes that is very, very good; a classic you might say. I can't count the number of times that I have made this, always getting raves and recipe requests from its consumers. I make it from memory now, no written recipe required, but it is just so good, that I thought I should share it with you all in written form.

(The picture below shows it served with salsa and sour cream on the side, this is known as "Chicago Style." This is my preferred way to eat it, but it is just as delicious all on its own.)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies (This doesn't make it spicy, so if you want heat, add more)
1 c. Parmesan cheese, grated (I prefer grated, but shredded works fine too)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
8 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Preheat Oven to 350 °F

Mix all ingredients together and put in a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan on top, if desired. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until top is golden brown.

Serve with chips.

Kitchen Tip: The fastest, easiest way to chop the artichoke hearts is to drain them in the can, then using a pair of clean kitchen scissors, just cut them up in the can. This works great, doesn't require getting a cutting board dirty and makes the preparation so easy!