side dish

Spinach Artichoke Cheese Ball

, , , , , , ,

Spinach Artichoke Cheese BallI’m oh-so-sorry that it’s been awhile since my last post. These past couple of weeks have been filled with lots of activities including a long-awaited friend’s wedding in Pittsburgh (Yay for seeing friends from all around the country!!), an unexpected family gathering, and a surprise trip with my parents (surprise for them, not us) to a cabin in Ohio. All this among the general craziness of the last few weeks of the school year. Whew! Am I tired? Yes. Does a delicious spinach artichoke cheese ball make up for it? ABSOLUTELY!

Spinach Artichoke Cheese BallThis was a bit of an experiment that turned out wonderfully! I love spinach artichoke dip…love, love, LOVE. I also love cheese balls. There’s no other way to explain how this recipe came to be but that I love them both and wanted them at the same time. Hence, the spinach artichoke cheese ball.

Spinach Artichoke Cheese BallYou definitely need to refrigerate the cheese ball before serving if you want it to hold its shape. Otherwise you’ll end up with more of a thick dip. I’m totally cool with that too. Just giving you all a heads up so that when you choose not to read the recipe all the way through I’m not responsible for the fact that you have 5 minutes until the party and a cheese ball that’s more of blob. But hey, it would be a delicious blob!

Spinach Artichoke Cheese BallAlso, just as an FYI, it helps to chop the spinach and artichokes into small pieces. Even though they are cooked briefly, it will make scooping SO much easier if they are chopped up well. There’s nothing worse than a long string of spinach that just does not want to be scooped up with a chip. Okay, yes, there is probably something worse than that but I’m going for dramatic effect here. Plus, you might as well not find out so…chop, chop!

Spinach Artichoke Cheese Ball
Delicious spin on a traditional cheese ball
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  2. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 1 can artichoke hearts (15-ounce), drained and finely chopped
  4. 1 bag fresh baby spinach, chopped (10-ounce)
  5. 12 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 1/2, 8 ounce containers)
  6. 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  7. 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  8. Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and artichoke hearts and saute approximately 2 minutes.
  2. Add the spinach and salt and pepper. You don't need much salt because the Parmesan cheese will add salt as well. Saute until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool.
  3. Cream the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth.
  4. Stir in the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and spinach mixture until combined.
  5. Crisscross 2 pieces of plastic wrap on top of each other and place the cheese mixture in the middle.
  6. Using the plastic wrap, shape the cheese mixture into a ball (making sure to cover the cheese ball completely with the plastic wrap). Place the cheese ball in a small bowl to help hold its shape.
  7. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to one day to set.
  8. Serve with crackers or chips.
Notes
  1. Make sure to chop the spinach and artichoke hearts into fairly small pieces, since it will be easier to scoop up with a cracker or chip when there are smaller pieces.
  2. The longer you leave the cheese ball in the fridge, the more firm it will set. Without refrigeration the cheese ball is a bit loose.
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Orange Cranberry Cashew Salad

, , ,

Orange Cranberry Cashew SaladIn general, I have to be in the right mood to eat a salad. Like if I could choose anything in the world to eat, my first choice would not be salad. It’s usually something more like pizza. Just saying. However, Travis and I ate this entire thing one day for lunch and loved it! The orange gives it a fresh citrus flavor, the cranberry is a little sweet and sour, and the cashews are salty and crunchy. YUM! I also have some creamy fresh mozzarella on there. And let’s face it…cheese makes everything better. End of story.

Orange Cranberry Cashew SaladThe great thing about this salad is that it’s *super* simple to make but seems *super* fancy. You could totally bring this to a fancy party and fit right in. But you could also make it in 5 minutes while binge watching TV in your sweatpants. It’s your life…I won’t judge. It’s hard to find something appropriate for EVERYTHING. This is it. This is the side dish that is perfect in any situation. You’re welcome.

Orange Cranberry Cashew SaladTalking about fancy, I am not very fancy. Fancy restaurants make me nervous and I usually leave hungry. Well, yesterday Travis and I went to this kind of fancy restaurant for an event with appetizers and such. As soon as we walked in I thought, “Something smells funky.” I mean I wish I spent the time enjoying meeting and talking to people but I mostly thought about how funky it smelled. I’m just being honest here. Anyways, they had some nice flatbread pizza and fancy fries and dips that of course we devoured. Afterwards, I told Travis that the funkiness was definitely from the fries. I thought it was a cheese or something but turns out they were truffle fries.

Orange Cranberry Cashew SaladNow, here’s the difference between me and someone fancy with a refined “palete” (yes, I had to look up how to spell that because I don’t use that word in real life). Turns out, I HATE the smell and taste of truffles. A fancy person would say that’s crazy and I don’t know what’s good. I’m sorry, but I’m not a fan. It must be one of those acquired tastes that only fancy people like. Or maybe I can just blame my heightened sense of smell and taste on the pregnancy. Perhaps I shouldn’t rule out such a supposedly wonderful thing so quickly. So instead I will say that as of today, I am not a fan of truffles, but who knows what will happen in the future.

Anywho, getting back to the salad. Regardless of how refined you palate is, this is a fancy and simple salad that you will love!

Orange Cranberry Cashew Salad
Super simple salad perfect for any event!
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 orange
  2. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  3. 1 tablespoon honey
  4. 1 teaspoon mustard
  5. salt and pepper, to taste
  6. 1/4 cup olive oil
  7. Spinach and/or salad greens of your choice
  8. Dried cranberries
  9. Cashews
  10. Fresh Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
  1. Cut the skin off the orange with a knife. To do this, I cut the top and bottom of the orange off, then ran my knife around the orange from top to bottom. Make sure to get all the white pith off in this process.
  2. Using a sharp knife, cut out the orange wedges by cutting just inside the white lines (see image above). This makes nice slices without the pith.
  3. Squeeze the juice from the leftover orange pith into a bowl. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt and pepper.
  4. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until it comes together.
  5. In a large salad bowl toss together the salad greens, dried cranberries, cashews, Mozzarella cheese, and a drizzle of the salad dressing, to taste.
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Naan

, , ,

NaanI have a confession. I do believe that when I made and ate this naan, it was the first naan I ever ate. EVER! Can you even believe that?? I am so ashamed. I feel like I’ve been living under a rock. If you’ve never eaten fresh naan before, I think it’s safe to say you’re living under a rock too. A very sad rock…with no naan. Don’t worry though, I was right with you there until recently.

NaanWhether you’ve had naan many, many times or whether this is your first time, you won’t be disappointed. These little guys are fluffy and light and chewy. Oh, and the garlic butter. Yeah. Enough said. I actually forgot to put the garlic butter on my first few naan because I didn’t know any better. Add the garlic butter. It’s wonderful either way…But trust me, add the butter.

NaanNaan is the perfect pair for many dishes! Try it with chicken tikka masala. Hello wonderful Indian food. I made mine with some lentil dhal (dahl? I’m still figuring that one out. HELP!). However you spell it…it was AMAZING! I think I even ate some leftovers with some hummus. Yum yum. 

NaanI’ll be honest, the naan is best within the first day or two but you can store it a couple of days in a plastic bag or wrapped in foil. Just make sure to wrap it up tight. If it starts to get a little hard, microwave for a few seconds and it should soften up a bit!

Naan
Yields 8
Delicious homemade naan that will leave your mouth watering!
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr 15 min
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr 15 min
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup warm water
  2. 2 tablespoons honey
  3. 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1, 0.25 ounce package)
  4. 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  5. 2 teaspoons salt
  6. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  7. 1 egg
  8. 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  9. cooking spray or olive oil to coat bowl
  10. 4 tablespoons butter
  11. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  12. cilantro, optional
Instructions
  1. Stir warm water and honey in your stand mixer bowl until the honey dissolves. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir with a fork. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy.
  2. Using a dough hook on your stand mixer, put mixer on low speed and gradually add the yogurt, salt, baking powder, egg, and flour.
  3. Mix on medium-low for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky but smooth.
  4. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased (with cooking spray or olive oil) bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.
  5. While the dough is rising, melt the butter in a small saute pan. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Strain out the garlic and set the butter aside.
  6. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and separate into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then use a rolling pin to roll into a circle about 1/4" thick.
  7. Heat a cast-iron skillet or sauce pan over medium-high heat. Butter one side of the rolled out naan dough and place buttered side down in the heated pan. Once in the pan, butter the other side. Let cook for about 1 minute on the first side, flip, and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
  8. Keep naan covered with a kitchen towel until ready to serve. Sprinkle with cilantro to serve, optional.
Notes
  1. You will know that the naan is getting ready to flip when large bubbles start to form.
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Jalapeño Popper Dip

, ,

Jalapeno Popper DipI originally made this dip for a party and it was gone in no time. In fact, I think I only got about 1 bite that I scraped off the bottom of the dish. Everyone was raving how good it was so of course I had to make it again to see what the hype was all about! Turns out the hype is that this dish is scrumptious and warm and gooey and makes your tummy happy.

Jalapeno Popper DipI’ve realized that I am very much in love with spicy food. Everything I’ve made recently somehow has ended up spicy. I blame it on our garden this year that resulted in an abundance of jalapeño peppers. Those peppers ended up in a lot of things. They also made a lot of things oh, so yummy.

Jalapeno Popper DipThis dip is a perfect blend of spicy and creamy. In fact, you might be surprised that this dip isn’t as spicy as you might think. I mean it does have 6 fresh jalapeño peppers in it. Seems super spicy…but, milk is supposed to offset spicy food so I think the package of cream cheese, cup of sour cream, and cups of cheese do the trick. Yep. They also make this dip so delicious and gooey and melty and creamy.

Bottom line is that this is bound to be a hit at any party. Maybe make an extra that you can devour once the party is over because the one you bring will be gone in a flash!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalapeño Popper Dip
Serves 8
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 4-6 fresh jalapeño peppers, finely diced + jalapeño slices for decoration (optional)
  2. 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces)
  3. 1 cup sour cream
  4. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  5. 3/4 cup + 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  6. 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  7. 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  8. 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Combine the cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl by hand or with a mixer.
  3. Add the cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and jalapeño peppers. Mix until combined.
  4. Transfer cream cheese mixture into an 8x8 inch pan and spread evenly.
  5. Mix together bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and melted butter in a small bowl.
  6. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over cream cheese mixture and spread until evenly distributed. Top with jalapeño slices, if desired.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs start to brown.
Notes
  1. I served my dip with tortilla chips, which was wonderful! You can also serve with bread or crackers. Heat immediately before serving for the best results.
Adapted from Spend with Pennies
Adapted from Spend with Pennies
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Orange Pomegranate Coleslaw

, ,

I have no clue why pomegranate popped into my head the other day but it did. When something pops into my head I tend make it a personal challenge to use that ingredient. Well, I happened to have about half a head of red cabbage left after making veggie packed peanut butter pasta for the 1,000th time. Hence, the orange pomegranate coleslaw was born.

If you are afraid of pomegranate, please don’t be! It’s really simple to work with. I just cut mine in half and put both halves in a bowl of water. I broke it apart easily with my hands, pulling the seeds out as I went. The theory is that the white pulp/shell will float and the seeds will sink. It works simply enough with a little time. Once you have the seeds pulled out, skim the pulp off the top of the water and drain the seeds.

Pomegranate seeds are like little explosions in your mouth. It’s seriously a strange sensation at first. It’s like a little pocket of sweet juice with every bite. The seeds are also a bit crunchy so it adds nice flavor and crunch to the coleslaw!

I am not a huge fan of coleslaw. I’m not opposed, but it is for sure not my go-to side dish. I think it’s the mayonnaise and the bland looking mix of cabbage. It’s so…well, blah. It’s time to take your coleslaw to the next level! The red cabbage definitely adds some visual appeal to the mix and the bright pomegranate seeds are a beautiful addition.

Orange Pomegranate Coleslaw
Serves 8
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 large head of red cabbage, shredded (about 8 cups)
  2. 1 pomegranate, seeds removed
  3. 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts
  4. 1 cup raisins
  5. 1/4 cup orange juice
  6. 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  7. 1/4 cup honey
  8. 1 tablespoon mustard
  9. 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Toss together red cabbage, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and raisins in a a large bowl.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt. Pour over coleslaw mixture and toss until combined.
Notes
  1. This recipe lasts in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To remove the seeds from the pomegranate, I cut the pomegranate in half and placed it in a bowl of water. The white pulp should float as you break the halves apart with your hands and the seeds will sink. Skim off the pulp and drain the water to get the seeds.
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/
 
1 2 3 4