Popeye Dip

This is my friend Marianna's twist on a simple, easy to fix appetizer.  She sautés the red onion and it gives this dip a wonderful flavor.  Thanks for the tip, Marianna.

Ingredients:

• 1 box chopped spinach, frozen
• 1 can water chestnuts, sliced 
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ C (½ stick) butter
• ½ C. mayonnaise
• 1 C. (8oz.) sour cream
• 1 envelope Knorr or Lipton vegetable soup mix

Directions:

1. Cook spinach as directed on box and drain.
2. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach and dry with paper towels.
3. Sauté onions in butter over medium-low heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
4. Chop the water chestnuts into small pieces.
5. Add each of the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well.
6. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
7. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tips and Tricks:

• I like the Restaurant style Tostitos tortilla chips with this dip.
• I use an egg slicer to chop the water chestnuts into thinner slices.
• I use light sour cream.

Pepper Jelly Spinach Salad

This is my version of the Zea's Pepper Jelly Spinach Salad.  I added the candied pecans, and I think I hit it "Out of the park".  You try it!  What do you think?

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. of fresh spinach
• 10 kalamata olives, halved
• ¼ C. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped in slivers
• ¼ C. candied pecans
• ¼ C. golden raisins
• ½ C. blue cheese, crumbled
• ½ C. pepper jelly vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Toss all the ingredients together with the pepper jelly vinaigrette 

Tips and Tricks:

• I make the candied pecans the day before I make the salad.
• I toss the salad with the dressing about 15 minutes before it is served.  The spinach leaves start to wilt a bit with the dressing (that’s the way I like it).
• Adding a roasted or grilled chicken breast to this salad is excellent.

Crustless Spinach Cheese Quiche

This is a great recipe from Paula Deen.  It is easy to fix and makes a great presentation for a brunch or breakfast celebration.  Don't let the spinach fool you into thinking this is healthy.  You'll realize it's not when you read the ingredients, but it sure is GOOD.

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
• 4 eggs
• 1 C. sour cream
• 1 C. small curd cottage cheese
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
• ¼ C. all purpose flour
• ½ C. Parmesan cheese
• ¼ C. of chopped green onions
• 2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Spray a 8” x  8” baking pan or corning ware with cooking spray, set aside
3. Cook the spinach in the microwave for 4 minutes, in a microwave safe bowl
4. Drain and then remove the excess water with paper towels, set aside
5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, flour, Parmesan, green onions, salt and Creole seasoning together
6. Fold in the spinach, then the cheddar cheese
7. Pour the mixture into the baking dish
8. Bake for 45 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 15 minutes
10. Cut into pieces and serve

Tips and Tricks:

• I use an immersion blender to whisk the eggs with the sour cream.   They are light and fluffy this way.  I use the immersion blender to incorporate all the other ingredients also.
• I usually double this recipe and bake in a 13’ x 9” dish.  I cut the quiche into 16 pieces.

Spinach Bread

This is another recipe from the cookbook my sister-in-law, Darlene made for me.  It's great served as an appetizer.  Crunchy bread with spicy spinach and ooey cheese, bring it on!

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of French bread
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 ½ C. onions, finely chopped
• 1 pk. Frozen chopped Spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
• 1 ½ T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ lb. Velveeta, cut into cubes
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 2 C. Mozzarella, shredded
• ½ C. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut the loaf of bread in half, spread ½ of the stick of butter on the bread
3. Use the other ½ stick of butter to sauté the onions in a skillet over medium heat
4. Add the spinach, Velveeta, Worcestershire, Creole Seasoning, and garlic powder
5. Cook until the cheese is fully melted
6. Spread over the bread
7. Sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmesan
8. Bake for 10 minutes
9. Cut bread into 2 inch slices and serve

Tips and Tricks:

• Really SQUEEZE the water out of the spinach.  You don’t want the spinach mixture to get too watery because it doesn’t stay firm on the bread if it is.
• I recommend using a cookie sheet to hold the bread, but be sure to line it with FOIL.  When the cheese melts, it makes a big mess and the foil makes for a much easier clean up.
• I use Reising's Poor Boy bread.  It comes in a clear, plastic bag and can be found on the bread aisle at the grocery store.  I have used the bakery bread for this but it is really too dense.  A traditional Poor Boy French bread is what you need.

Italian Wedding Soup

My Mom and I used to love the Italian Wedding Soup at Bravo.  I found a Barefoot Contessa recipe and I made it myself.  It is good, perfect for a chilly night.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• ½ lb. pork sausage, casing removed
• 2/3 C. Italian bread crumbs
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ C. Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• ¼ C. Parmesan cheese, grated
• ¼ C.milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper

Soup:

• ¼ C. olive oil
• 1 C. onions, finely chopped
• 1 C. carrots, chopped
• 1 C. celery, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• 12 C. chicken stock
• ½ C. dry white wine
• 1 C. small pasta like tubetini or Acini di pepe
• ¼ C. chopped dill
• 1 (6 oz.) bag of baby spinach, stems trimmed off, and cut into ¼
• Grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl (don’t over work the meat, just until everything is combined)
3. Using a 1 inch scoop leveled, form a ball (don’t pat the meatball, allow them to be loose formed)
4. Place the meatballs on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes
5. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot and add chopped onions, celery, and carrots cooking until veggies are soft, about 10 minutes
6. Add garlic for last minute
7. Deglaze the pot with the white wine (this step is NOT in the cookbook)
8. Add salt and cayenne pepper
9. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil
10. Add the pasta and cook simmering for 8 minutes
11. Add the dill and the meatballs and cook for 2 minutes
12. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute
13. Cut the heat
14. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with grated Romano cheese

Tips and Tricks:

• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.
• This recipe called for ground chicken and chicken sausage.  I couldn’t find ground chicken, so I used ground pork and green onion pork sausage.  I liked it, so I changed the recipe.
• This soup freezes great!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This is as close to the dip at Houston's as you will get.  I think it is even a little better than theirs.  It is rich and creamy.  You will love it.

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of chopped spinach
• 1 can of artichoke hearts
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ stick of butter
• 1 (8oz.) cream cheese
• 1 (8oz.) sour cream
• 1 (8oz.) whipping cream
• 8 oz. of Jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• ¼ C. parmesan cheese
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• ½ t. garlic powder

 Directions:

1. Cook spinach as directed on box and drain
2. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach and dry with paper towels
3. Drain artichoke hearts well and mash
4. Sauté onions in butter over medium low heat until limp
5. Add each of the ingredients to the pot (except the pepper cheese), stirring to incorporate after each
6. Add about half of the pepper cheese to the mixture and save the other half
7. In a microwave safe dish, scoop the mixture in and then cover with the other half of pepper cheese
8. Microwave on high for 5 minutes
9. Serve with tortilla chips

 Tips and Tricks:

• I serve this dip with sour cream and salsa on the side.
• When preparing the artichoke hearts, it is important to pick out any leaves that are hard.  They are usually on the outside of the artichoke heart and are darker in color.
• I use light sour cream and 1/3 less fat cream cheese.