Recipe #86 - Cheese Straw-Spinach Casserole

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A Betty Crocker recipe served at this years Thanksgiving feast.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13"x9"-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter, stirring frequently, until golden.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and flour until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in salt and pepper. Beat in half-and-half with wire whisk until blended. Add spinach, Cheddar cheese and onion mixture. 

Spoon mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese straws (aka cheese crackers). 

Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

It was a little dryer than I'd like.  I think I would have added a little less spinach and a little more onions and half-and-half. I also didn't enjoy the Cheese Nips. I'm more of a Cheese-Its kind of girl. So all-in-all not my favorite recipe. I think it was geared more towards trying to get little kids to eat something at Thanksgiving. Not an "adult" recipe. Lol.

Rating: 5 

Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Per serving: Calories384; Total fat 31 g; Sodium 714mg; Total Carbohydrates 12g; Protein 12g.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 large onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk

5 boxes (9oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed ro drain

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8oz)

2 cups cheese straws, coarsely crushed (I used Cheese Nips)

Recipe #78 - Pumpkin Bars

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Though I try to stay away from Paula Dean recipes, this one looked too good pass up! (Cook's note: double your exercise routine for the day before consuming.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Be sure to set out the butter and cream cheese to soften. 

To make the bars:

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. 

Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing:

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bar. 

It almost goes without saying that these were amazing. I mean, really, what's a good Paula recipe with out lots of butter, sugar and oil?! Yum.

Rating: 10

Time: 45 mins

Serves: 48 small bars or 24 large bars

Ingredients:

For the bars:

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

15-ounce can pumpkin 

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe #69 - Grammy's Mashed Potatoes

Every Thanksgiving my Grammy Ann made these garlic mashed potatoes. Everyone, especially my sister Teresa, looked forward to eating the garlic, cheesy mess of awesomeness. In an attempt to make these even more amazing, I made 3 changes to the original recipe:

1. I used real potatoes instead of the potato flakes.
2. I substituted actual garlic cloves rather than the garlic powder. 
3. Instead of Cheddar cheese, I used extra sharp white cheddar cheese

Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place into a large pot of water. Bring to boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes brake apart easily when forked. 

Drain water. Add the butter, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic and salt. Mash together well. Pepper to taste.

I forgot to take an end picture, but I made it with the "Recipe #70 - Better Than Carol's Meatloaf" so I'll just post this picture twice. 

But they turned out amazing! It was surprisingly spicy. I guess the mixture of the fresh garlic and sharp cheese gave it an unexpected kick, but very, very good. I would strongly recommend this recipe to everyone.

Rating: 10
Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
5 pounds rustic potatoes (not red)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cream credit
4 extra sharp white cheddar cheese
5 cloves of garlic
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Recipe #10 - Cranberry & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

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I got this recipe off my fab little sista T. Pretty much winged it.

First, I preheated oven to 400. Then I rinsed and butterflied the chicken breasts (organic, free range, grain fed chicken breast). I had to Google "how to butterfly a chicken breast". Lol. I love Google, it makes me more smart everyday. Then I seasoned the breast with salt and pepper.

I then mixed the cream cheese, goat cheese (I used the kind with chives and onions for extra taste), and dried cranberries together in a medium sized bowl. Spoon the cheese mixture into the middle of the chicken breasts and close like a sandwich.

Place into a baking dish and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until done (which I just learned was 190 degrees inside for chicken).

Something I would have done differently is make some sort of marinade and soaked the chicken in it prior. The chicken was a tad bland and a little dry. The cheese mixture was perfect though, it def made the recipe.

Time: 55 mins
Rating: 6.5
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
6 Free range chicken breast
2/3 cup cream cheese
2/3 cup goat cheese (optional: with chives and onions)
1 cup dried cranberries (or to taste)
Salt and pepper