Chicken Spinach Artichoke Squares

I made this recipe up the other night because I just happened to have these ingredients and was trying to use them all.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts cut in strips
Pkg of frozen spinach
1 can of drained artichoke hearts
8 oz sour cream
Parmesan cheese
Garlic salt (to taste)
1 can of crescent rolls

Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook chicken strips 5-7 minutes on each side or until done. Add in frozen spinach and artichokes and cook together 7-10 minutes. Add in sour cream, parmesan cheese (as much or little as you want), and garlic salt.
Heat oven to 350 degrees and open up crescent rolls. Put a small amount of mixture on each roll and fold up. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and cook 10-12 minutes.

Guacamole

I am OBSESSED with Guacamole! I keep the ingredients around and make it every other day or so. It is best with Tostitos chips with a hint of lime (in my opinion) ha!

I don't have a specific recipe because I'm not good about measuring (which is why I don't bake) - but since everyone has been asking me - this is how I make it.

Ingredients:

Roma tomatos

Avacados

One onion

Fresh cilantro

Jalepenos (optional)

Limes

I just slice up maybe one or two tomatos and maybe a half or less of an onion. Add several dashes of cilantro and salt. (just taste). If you like it hot - cut up a jalepeno - I prefer no!

Use one or two avacoados (usually one per person) and smash it up and mix all ingredients together. I usually squeeze 2 limes on this because I like mine with a lot of lime taste! Just add more or less of the ingredients you like.

Cheese and Pesto layer dip

I found this recipe by Paula Deen and used it at Harper's birthday party. I thought it was really good.

Cheese and Pesto Layer Dip

2 8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
16 oz smoked provolone shredded (I used mozzarella instead)
1 5oz parm cheese
1 cup Pesto
1 cup toasted pine nuts

Beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add cheeses and beat until combined.

Line a 9x5 loaf pan with heavy plastic wrap allowing edges to extend over sides of pan. Spoon 1/3 of cheese mixture into pan. Spoon 1/4 of pesto on top and repeat layers twice.

Cover and freeze for 4 hrs & up to 2 wks.

Before serving - unmold onto a platter, remove plastic and let stand for one hour. Press pine nuts on side (this takes a lot of work and I got lazy and just did a row instead of covering the whole thing).
Top with remaining pesto.
Serve with crackers

Oyster Crackers

My mom used to always make these at the holidays. They are SO addictive. She used to send me back to college with a huge tin of them and I won't tell you how long they lasted. They are the BEST snack.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (12 ounce) package oyster crackers

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, ranch-style dressing mix, dill weed, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Pour this spice mixture over the crackers in a medium bowl, and stir until the crackers are coated. Arrange the crackers on a large baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated 275 degrees F (135 degrees C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Spinach Dip and Cherry Limeade Punch

This is my signature spinach dip. I make it all the time and it is soooooo good. To me - it's the best spinach dip recipe I've ever found so I have to share.

Spinach Dip

1 pkg frozen spinach

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz Monterrey jack cheese

6 oz Parmesan cheese

1 can Rotel

Cook the spinach according to package. Add cheeses and melt in microwave for 3-5 minutes until liquid form. Add rotel and mix together. Serve with crackers or bagel chips or melba toasts.

Last night I made cherry limeade punch. Everyone wanted to know if my friends at Sonic gave me the recipe. I figure they would since I'm their best customer but I actually got the recipe off the net! It's very yummy. This recipe is just 1-1-1 so you can double or triple accordingly. (I doubled for last night).

Cherry Limeade Punch

1 can frozen limeade concentrate

1 bottle Sprite

1 jar of maraschino cherries

1 lime

Put in the limeade and then add the sprite. Pour in the juice from the cherries. Then add the cherries and sliced up lime for looks and taste.

Bunco Buns

One of my favorite little party foods is something my mom calls "Bunco Buns" or you could call them "Party Sandwiches" or just about anything you want to call them but they are so yummy!

You need:
1 pkg 24 party rolls (or I used 2 pkgs of 12 dinner rolls)
1/2 stick butter, melted
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
4 tablespoons mustard
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Sliced ham
Swiss cheese

In a bowl - mix together the butter, poppy seeds, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.

Spread sauce on both sides of rolls and put a piece of ham and cheese on each

Cover and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts. Best if served warm!!!!

Carmalized Onion Dip

Carmalized Onion Dip

I made this dip last summer and it is so good - I could get in the bowl and just swim around in it!

INGREDIENTS

2 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise

METHOD
Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch-thick half-rounds. (Yielding about 3 cups of onions)

Heat the oil and the butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat (it works better to NOT use a non-stick pan). Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook for 40 more minutes, stirring occasionally (but not too often-the onions should start to stick to the pan) until the onions are browned and caramelized.

Add the Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes. Allow the onions to cool.

This is what you want the onions to look like. Note that they are really dark because of the balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream and the mayonnaise. Whisk until smooth. Add all of the onions, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish, into the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine and mix well. Transfer to a serving dish and top with reserved onions. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to combine. Serve at room temperature with potato chips.

Makes 2 cups.

Party Food

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESE BALL

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving. But it can be hard to form a ball so I skipped the nuts and just put the mixture in a bowl. (I think it's better that way!)
   

B.L.T. Dip

1/2 Jar Mayonaise
16 oz sour cream
12 bacon strips cooked and crumbled
2 small tomatos - diced
2 Teaspoons Garlic Salt

Mix ingredients together and serve with crackers.