Spinach Dip

Appetizers are the life of a party! Great little snacks to serve before a meal, or go versatile, and only do appetizers as your whole dinner! Admit it... you've ordered an appetizer as a main meal more than once in a restaurant! I know I have.

I would love to hear what your favorite appetizer is!

I Love spinach dip. Love it. And, this family recipe is the best one I've ever had. There is just something so... craveable about smooth dip, with the crunch of water chestnuts and the soft flavor of spinach. Then, you pair it with sourdough bread...mmm...

This recipe takes literally 10-15 minutes to put together. The only time constraint is that you should make it a night before serving, or several hours before so that the flavors can blend.

Spinach Dip
The Double Dipped Life


1 round sourdough bread loaf
1 pkg frozen spinach
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 pkg dry Leek soup mix
1 can water chestnuts
2 green onions, chopped

Cook the spinach according to package directions.
While spinach is cooking, mix all the other ingredients (except for the bread of course!) in a large bowl.
Add the spinach.
Refrigerate overnight or for several hours.

Right before serving, cut a large hole in the bread to make it hollow. Preserve the insides: they will be used to dip into the dip!

Arrange on a platter and fill the bread with spinach dip.

Also great as a vegetable dip!

White Chicken and Veggie Lasagna

Well, I've given up and joined Pinterest. And found yet another source of great recipes! Now I'm really never going to get through my "new recipe" file! 

I love lasagna. Mainly the traditional red beef lasagna, like my family favorite.  When I saw this White Chicken and Veggie Lasagna on Pinterest though, I knew I wanted to try it. 

I added a few veggies to the original recipe, and feel free to add more.  I cut down the amount of cream cheese, since it was just too rich and creamy for me. The original recipe called for 2 bricks of cream cheese and 1 cup of milk. If you like extra creamy, go for it!

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

Adapted from Taste of Home.com


2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 cups spinach, finely chopped
½ Red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cans chopped tomatoes, drained. Chop into smaller pieces

1 8oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teas Pepper
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Heat oven to 350°F.
Start cooking your lasagna noodles according to the package directions.

Combine chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, red bell pepper, and tomatoes. 

In another bowl, beat cream cheese, milk, pepper, and garlic with mixer until well blended (it will still be a little lumpy, especially if your cream cheese is cold). Stir in 2 Tb basil. Mix half the cream cheese mixture with the chicken.

Spread half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover with foil.

Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Chicken

Have you ever had a dish at home that was restaurant quality? That people might accuse you of buying instead of making? This is one of those dishes. It's a fancy dish that is actually pretty simple to make. 

Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 4-6

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tb salt
1 teas pepper
1/2 teas dried basil
1/2 teas dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken tenders)
5 Tb extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tb finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teas cornstarch
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 Tb of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 Tb olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in one Tb flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Healthy Salad for a New Year!

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but I'm all sugared out. I'm craving a big, crisp salad with lots of fruits and veggies. This salad has it all! Yes, there are cranberries in this dish. I'm not a cranberry fan, but they are perfect in this salad. You could also substitute raisins.

This is a re-post from last May. With trying to get my blog back up and running after some changes, new recipes won't be up until later this week. For now, please enjoy this yummy salad!


Spinach Salad with Spiced Pecans, Apples, Feta, and Cranberries

Fresh spinach leaves, washed and stems trimmed off.
Dried cranberries
Granny Smith apple, cut into thin slices or cubes
Spiced Pecans (Regular Pecans are fabulous as well! Or, you can buy the candied ones in the store.)
Feta cheese
Balsamic dressing

Salads are so easy! Just mix all of the ingredients together in the quantities that you like! Easy peasy!

Spinach Feta Pasta

Doesn't this look good? I found this recipe on OurBestBites.com when I had lots of feta and spinach in my fridge. Now, I have to be totally honest and tell you that we liked this dish, but didn't LOVE it- my husband just isn't fond of chunks of tomatoes in the sauce. But... since everyone has different tastes, I'm sure there are those of you out there that will LOVE it!

Spinach and Feta Pasta
OurBestBites

8 oz. Penne noodles
28-oz. can diced tomatoes
3 c. fresh spinach
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
A handful of fresh mushrooms, chopped
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until tender.

Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add tomatoes, heat through, and then add drained pasta and crumbled feta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve; crumbling a little extra Feta on top!

Serve with Rosemary Foccacia or sweet Challah Bread!