Spinach dip is one of my favorites! I could eat this for a whole meal (and have on a few occasions). It's not particularly good for me, but it is so delicious. This recipe is particularly amazing, with a little bit of heat from hot canned jalapeños, and lots of creaminess to balance that.
Ingredients:
8oz cream cheese
16 oz light sour cream
1 stick unsalted butter
1½ – 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
14 oz quartered artichoke hearts, drained
4 oz can diced jalapeños, drained
10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Directions:
1. In a pan over medium-low heat, melt to combine cream cheese, sour cream, butter and parmesan cheese.
2. Stir frequently until all ingredients are melted and consistently mixed.
3. Stir in quartered artichoke hearts, drained can of jalapeños, drained spinach, and minced garlic cloves.
4. Serve warm with chips or toasted bread.
Recipe adapted from "Spinach and Artichoke Dip" from Natasha's Kitchen (http://natashaskitchen.com/2012/09/30/spinach-and-artichoke-dip-recipe/).
There are probably tons of instructions for making roasted garlic out there on the internet. However, for anyone who is curious, this is how I made the roasted garlic I used in Roasted Garlic Mac & Cheese.
Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice about a third off the top end of the garlic head. Remove any loose paper from the head of garlic without breaking apart the cloves.
3. Place garlic on a large piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with the olive oil.
4. Bring the foil over the sides of the garlic and twist to seal it, but not too tight.
5. Place it in a oven-safe dish and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, until garlic is very soft.
6. Wait until the garlic cools a bit, then squeeze the cloves out or use a fork.
Instructions for roasting garlic are based on There's always thyme to cook... (http://theresalwaysthyme.blogspot.com/2010/10/roasted-garlic.html). I raised the cooking temperature from 350 to 400 degrees F, though.
I'm always looking for creative ways to prepare vegetables that make them as delicious as possible. This recipe is great to use with fresh green beans, if you have them around. I don't know how well it would work with frozen or canned.
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. fresh green beans
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Chop off ends of green beans.
2. In a medium to large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add beans to skillet with a sprinkle of salt.
4. Cook beans until they start to have some color.
5. When the color starts to substantially change, add garlic.
6. Cook 1-2 minutes longer, until garlic is aromatic.
7. Remove from heat and season with pepper and salt.
This recipe was adapted from instructions at Broke and Healthy (http://www.brokeandhealthy.com/sauteed-green-beans-garlic-62). This recipe didn't have exact ratios in it, so I tried to list close to what I used.
We keep lettuce around the house a lot because it makes great food for our bunnies. However, it's also awesome to have around for the occasional salad. This salad was pretty awesome; though, next time I might have to make the dressing with fresh basil. It would probably be even better!
Ingredients:
½ head of romaine
2-4 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled
1 avocado
1/4 cup of slivered almonds
1 Tablespoon dried basil (or more, to taste)
6 T olive oil
3 T lemon juice
1 T champagne vinegar or apple cider vinegar
zest of a lemon
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Tear romaine into small pieces.
2. Place in a large bowl. Sprinkle blue cheese over the salad.
3. Sprinkle almonds over salad.
4. Cut the avocado into small pieces and add to the salad.
5. Wash the lemon, zest it and then juice it.
6. Combine the dried basil, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth.
7. Add the dressing from the food processor to the salad and toss.
Recipe modified from "Romaine, Blue Cheese, Avocado and Almond Salad
with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette" from Salt on the Table (http://www.saltonthetable.com/2012/02/romaine-blue-cheese-avocado-and-almond.html). This recipe uses fresh basil, so if you are thinking of doing that, you should check here for amounts.
Awhile back, I bought blue cheese on whim. I like blue cheese a lot, and I felt like I was always seeing recipes with blue cheese on Pinterest. So, I figured I would have no problem using it up. Of course, I forgot about for awhile and didn't remember it until I was trying to decide on an appetizer to bring to a friend's house. I had a bunch of avocados at the time too, and settled on blue cheese guacamole!
I was a little skeptical, but it turned out pretty damn awesome and was a huge hit with everyone else. Will definitely make again!
Ingredients:
3 small avocados, sliced
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients and mash with fork to desired consistency.
This recipe was based on "Blue Cheese Guacamole" from Closet Cooking (http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/08/blue-cheese-guacamole.html).
I don't normally love baked mac & cheese; I find it often tastes a little dry. This stuff was perfect, though! With the roasted garlic, this was extra special.
Ingredients:
For topping:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
For pasta and sauce:
1 head garlic, roasted (see instructions here).
1 pound uncooked pasta
1 stick unsalted butter
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups milk (2% or whole milk works best)
5 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a bowl. Using a fork, mash the cloves into a paste.
3. Cook the pasta until al dente and drain.
4. Butter a 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
5. In a large pot, melt 1 stick butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and roasted garlic paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until golden.
6. Add the milk in ½ cup batches, whisking constantly.
7. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking often, then reduce it to a simmer and let it cook for 3 minutes.
8. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, mustard powder, salt and pepper in small batches until well mixed.
9. Add the pasta to the pot with cheese sauce, and stir to combine.
10. Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish.
11. For topping, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and chives and stir. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly toasted.
12. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping onto the macaroni mixture.
13. Place baking dish on a sheet tray just in case it bubbles over while baking.
14. Bake the macaroni and cheese for 20 to 25 minutes until it's golden brown.
This recipe is based on the recipe from Just A Taste (http://www.justataste.com/2013/02/roasted-garlic-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/). I made minimal changes to this recipe; it was just that good.
These mini pizzas are a great combination of fast, easy, and delicious! I usually make these with a quick homemade pizza sauce but jarred would work great too. Perfect meal for a night when there is no time for anything else.
Ingredients:
8 Pillsbury Biscuits
2 cups pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Desired pizza toppings
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Flatten biscuits onto cookie sheet.
3. Put pizza sauce onto the flattened biscuits and layer toppings on top of the sauce.
4. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over toppings.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 13 to 17 minutes.
This recipe was modified from "Mummy Mini Pizzas" from The Recipe Critic (http://therecipecritic.com/2013/10/mummy-mini-pizzas/). At first, I had a problem with the pizzas getting burnt on the bottom, so I reduced the cooking temperature and increased the cooking time.
