Spinach Dip Crisps

  From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach
• 24 wonton skins (from a 16-oz package)
• 1 can (7 oz) chopped green chiles
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend

Verdict: Thumbs up! I really loved the flavor of these and the added texture of the crispy wontons!

What I did differently: I actually only used about half the can of chiles. I think that was plenty. There was a slight kick, but not too much! For my mayonnaise I used Chosen Foods mayo with avocado oil. It's completely sugar-free and is my favorite mayonnaise!

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

 From: The Novice Chef Blog

Ingredients:

• 2 large green apples
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup Mountain Dew

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan (or extra large cast iron skillet) set aside. 
2. Core and slice apples into 8 even slices (16 slices total) and then peel the skin off the apples.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon (about 1 tablespoon) on top of all of the apples. Then roll one apple slice inside of each crescent roll piece.
4. Place in prepared pan, in two rows, leaving a little room between each dumpling. 
5. Then in a small pot bring the butter, remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a boil. Once boiling, evenly pour over the crescent rolls.
6. Finally pour the Mountain Dew around just the edges of the pan.
7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbling and the dumplings are browned on top. 
8. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream and pour the extra sauce form the pan on top! 

Verdict: Thumbs up! We could eat these every day probably. They're SO easy to make, and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!

Creamy Potato Bake

 From: Southern Living cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package instant mashed potatoes (about 6 oz)
• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped green onions
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• paprika

Prepare potatoes according to package, omitting butter. 

Add cream cheese and the butter, stirring to combine. 

Stir in egg, onions, and parsley. 

Spoon potatoes into a 1-quart baking dish that is greased. 

Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Verdict: Thumbs up! I know the picture isn't impressive, but this was really easy and flavorful! My whole family liked it. We don't ever have instant potatoes and they couldn't even tell that I used instant in this recipe!

Fresh Corn Chowder

 From: Joy of Cooking

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium celery stalks, diced

6 small ears of corn

4 1/2 cups milk

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Place the bacon in a soup pot and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until it releases all of its fat and is beginning to crisp, 10-15 minutes.

Leaving the bacon in the pan, spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add the chopped onion and diced celery, and cook, stirring, until tender and slightly browned, 10-15 minutes.

Remove the kernels from the ears of corn. Reserve the kernels and add the cobs to the soup pot along with the milk and potatoes.

Push the corn cobs into the milk to fully submerge them. Bring the milk to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove the cobs. Stir in the reserved corn kernels along with the salt and pepper.

Simmer gently until the corn is tender, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove 1 1/2 cups solids from the soup and puree until smooth. Return to the soup and add the butter. Let stand until the butter is melted, then stir. Ladle into warmed bowls.

Verdict: So easy, although it did take a bit more time than I thought it would because I didn't dice the potatoes very fine. A great comfort food!

Barley Soup with Sausages (Minestra d'Orzo)

 From: Joy of Cooking cookbook

Ingredients:

• 6 oz deeply smoked sausages
• 16 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 1/4 cups pearl barley
• 2 large bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large head green cabbage, chopped
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large celery stalk with leaves, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp tightly packed fresh parsley leaves, minced
• Two 3-inch sprigs fresh rosemary, or 2 tsp dried
• 3 Tbsp tightly packed fresh marjoram leaves, minced, or 1 Tbsp dried
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 red or white new potatoes, peeled and diced
• salt and pepper

In a medium skillet, or on a grill, brown the sausages until brown on all sides and heated through. Slice them thinly and place in a large soup pot along with the chicken stock, barley, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat in a large skillet over medium heat the olive oil. Add the cabbage. Cook, stirring, until the cabbage begins to color, 5-10 minutes. Add the onions, carrot, celery, parsley and rosemary. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are browned, 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the marjoram and garlic. Add 1 cup liquid from the soup pot and scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen any browned bits. Stir the contents of the skillet into the soup pot along with the potatoes. Cover and simmer gently until the barley is tender but not mushy and the potatoes are cooked but firm, about 30 minutes more.

If the soup is too thick, thin with water as needed. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Ladle into warmed bowls and you may also sprinkle each serving with shredded provolone or Montasio cheese.

Verdict: Delicious! Really easy to make. I used sausage that was a bit spicy which added to the flavor in my opinion!

Creamy Broccoli Bake

From: Betty Crocker's Creative Recipes with Bisquick

Verdict: Thumbs up! SO easy and the combination of flavors was perfection! My 10-year of nephew basically made this by himself with me handing him the ingredients. I did use fresh broccoli, and we didn't actually measure the cheese. I probably used more like 3/4 of a cup of cheese. 

Baby Hot Browns

 From: Southern Living: All-time Favorites cookbook

Ingredients:

16 pumpernickel rye party bread slices

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 pounds thinly sliced turkey

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Arrange bread slices on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 500 degrees for 3-4 minutes.

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, whisking until cheese melts. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper. If desired, chill until ready to bake.

Top bread slices evenly with turkey. Top each with about 1 1/2 Tbsp cheese sauce. Sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese and bacon.

Bake at 500 degrees for 7 minutes or until parmesan is melted.

What I did differently: I used regular slices of pumpernickel/rye. I broiled them in the beginning instead of baking them at 500 degrees (basically the same thing, right?) My suggestion would be to add the milk BEFORE adding the cheese. That's how I make macaroni and cheese. I followed the recipe instructions against my better judgement and the cheese was super gooey and didn't melt as smoothly as I would have liked. Trust me. Pour your milk in gradually to the butter/flour mixture, keep whisking, let it thicken, and THEN add that cheese. And we only had to cook it for about 4 minutes in the oven for it to be done. Perfection!