Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip

This recipe probably came in the mail as an enticement to make a purchase. I kept the recipe card but didn’t make the purchase. Oh well. It looks like it came from Easy to Bake, Easy to Make.

The Baker’s Corner suggests serving this dip with crackers strong enough for scooping or toasted slices of sourdough bread. The sourdough would be my favorite. It’s just perfect for a hot, creamy dip like this one.

Also, I’ll probably pass on the water chestnuts. But that’s a personal choice. I hope you enjoy it, whichever way you go.

Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip

2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup chopped onion (about ¼ medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups half-and-half
2 packages (9-oz each) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 package (1 oz) dry vegetable soup mix
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is crisp-tender and garlic is fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

Stir in flour; cook and stir an additional minute. Add half-and-half and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 2 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in chopped spinach, water chestnuts, Cheddar and vegetable soup mix. Spoon dip into a 1-quart casserole or gratin dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake dip until it is bubbly and cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve warm.

Makes 8 servings.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This recipe comes from a 2006 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. It was apparently submitted by reader Sharon Brenneman of Lima, Ohio.

I’m sure I tore it out of the magazine and kept it because I love Chicken Cordon Bleu. Or, at least, I used to. Many, many years ago this was my favorite dish at a wonderful ocean-side restaurant in California. Alas, the restaurant closed when the owners lost their lease. It was a sad day for many of us because the restaurant was usually filled with customers.

I’m looking forward to trying this casserole. Quick and easy works for me these days. How about for you?

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1 lb. baby red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lb. chicken-breast tenders
1 bag (12-oz.) broccoli florets
1 can (10 ¾-oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cooked ham in 1 piece, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in microwave-safe large bowl, place potatoes and 2 tablespoons water. Cover bowl with waxed paper and microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender, stirring once.

Add chicken and all remaining ingredients to potatoes and toss to mix well. Transfer mixture to a 13-x-9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake casserole, uncovered, 5o to 55 minutes or until chicken loses its pink color throughout and cheese begins to brown.

Makes 6 main-dish servings, at 375 calories each.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

This sounds like a wonderful recipe. Let's see: bacon, hash browns, cheese. Yeah. Sounds good to me.

This is another great recipe from Kraft. I love their kitchen tips as well. With this recipe came the suggestion for crushing 30 RITZ Crackers and mixing them with 2 tablespoons of melted margarine. Then sprinkle the mixture over the casserole before baking. Sounds like a tasty variation!

 

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

 

4 slices OSCAR MEYER Bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 package (30 oz.) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed dream of mushroom soup
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream
1 1/4 cups KRAFT 2 % Milk Shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses, divided

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK bacon, onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat 5 min. or just until bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large bowl.
ADD hash browns, soup, sour cream and 1 cup cheese; mix lightly. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish; top with remaining cheese.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until heated through.

Food Facts

Frozen hash browns come in 2 shapes - small cubes which are called Southern hash browns, and shredded which are called country-style hash browns.

Ghirardelli Marbled Cheesecake Bars

Ghirardelli chocolate always takes me back to days in San Francisco and makes me smile. Thankfully we can purchase Ghirardelli chocolate in Alabama so I can use it with baking or I can even purchase the candy. The real stuff. Yeah. Good. No calories. I'm sure. It's just too good to have calories. LOL Okay. But worth it. Really!

 

Ghirardelli Marbled Cheesecake Bars

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

Batter:
24 oz. cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
½ bar (2 oz.) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Crust:
Combine the flour, pecans, butter and brown sugar; mix well. Press the mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8” or 9” square baking pan.

Bake 15 to 16 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Batter:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well.

Set 1 cup plain batter aside.

Combine melted chocolate into mixing bowl. Spoon the chocolate batter over the crust.

Pour 1 cup plain batter over chocolate batter. Using the blade of a butter knife, swirl the batter to create a marbled effect.

Bake 30 t0 35 minutes or until center is set.

Cool on rack to room temperature. Cover, and transfer the pan to the refrigerator to chill, approximately three hours. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Makes 16 bars.

Holiday Cheesecake Presents

This recipe comes from the folks at PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese. At first, I was really bummed that I hadn’t happened on to it before Christmas. Then I remembered all the other times we need festive presents throughout the year. Just think about birthdays. Oh, and the New Year is fast approaching. Don’t forget class parties and office gatherings and, well, you get the picture. These will be perfect all year long!

Holiday Cheesecake Presents

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
3 packages (8 oz each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Mix crumbs, butter and 3 tablespoons sugar; press onto bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Mix cream cheese, ¾ cup sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Cut into bars. Decorate bars with decorating gels and sprinkles to resemble presents.

Store leftover bars in refrigerator.

Makes 2 dozen bars.

Bucket Peach Cake

A number of years ago we headed to Chilton County in search of peaches. For those who may not be from this part of the country, Chilton County, Alabama, is known for its wonderful peaches.

We could have stopped at the produce stands located right off the interstate. But we wanted something else. So we headed down a county road and ended up at McCraw Farms.

They are the real deal. We chose to purchase peaches someone else had picked but we could have picked our own. They also have other fruit, as it ripens.

I grabbed a few recipes, had a wonderful time visiting and signed up for the mailing list. Every year I receive a post card to let me know about what time the peaches will be ready. I can call if I want to make sure. And every Christmas I get a Christmas card from Bernice McCraw. Inside, she includes a recipe. I wanted to share it.

This seems like a dessert that would be fun to make with kids. Mix the pudding yourself, then invite the children to help layer the ingredients in a large bowl. How fun!

Bucket Peach Cake

1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1 large Cool Whip
2 packages vanilla wafers
1 cup Confectioner’s sugar
2 packages instant vanilla pudding
3 cups diced peaches

Mix cream cheese, sugar and Cool Whip. Mix instant pudding as directed on box. Crush cookies very fine. Layer in a container, beginning with pudding, then peaches and cream cheese. Repeat, ending with crushed cookies. Chill.

White Chocolate Fudge

This is another great recipe from the folks over at Kraft. I would love to try this with the variation using red and green candied cherries rather than the cranberries. Perfect for Christmas!

 

Also, I'll substitute pecans for the almonds. I love almonds but we have pecans in abundance here in the Deep South.

 

One of the things I love so much about Kraft recipes is that they always includes tips, such as using red and green candied cherries. Or telling us what to do with that leftover sweetened condensed milk. Be sure to check out their website for more great recipes and tips.

 

White Chocolate Fudge

2 pkg. (6 squares each) BAKER'S White Chocolate

3/4 cup canned sweetened condensed milk

1 cup coarsely chopped PLANTERS Almonds, toasted

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbsp. orange zest
 

LINE 8-inch square pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Microwave chocolate and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 to 3 min. or until chocolate is almost melted; stir until completely melted.
ADD remaining ingredients; mix well. Spread into pan. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
USE foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting to serve.

What To Do With Leftover Sweetened Condensed Milk

Store leftover sweetened condensed milk in tightly covered container in refrigerator up to 1 week. Serve over cut-up fruit or hot cooked oatmeal. Or for extra flavor, stir into your cup of hot brewed coffee or tea instead of regular milk.