Stuffed Mushrooms

Margaret made stuffed mushrooms for the Halloween party and everyone loved them! I asked Margaret for the recipe and she was happy to share. She does apologize for being the little bit of this and little bit of that kind of cook. All I know is they are really easy to make and taste great!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

About 1 pound mushrooms (28 large mushrooms)

2 eight ounce packages of cream cheese

About 1/2 cup bacon bits

1 or 2 tablespoons garlic powder

Directions:

Mix the cream cheese, bacon bits, and garlic powder together. Wash and de-stem mushrooms then stuff. Broil them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or so and then turn down a bit and broil for another 5 - 10 minutes. Times may vary.

Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip

I tried this recipe for the first time yesterday and it came out pretty good. I knew the Starting Point Halloween party was coming up and I wanted to find something new to try. I flipped through an issue or two of Food Network Magazine and selected this because it sounded amazing. I'm usually not brave enough to take something I haven't tried to a party but I was already bringing another item and knew I could scratch the dip if it was a disaster. I struggled with it a little because I was rushing and burned my hands a few times in the process. This is suppose to be a healthy alternative to a more traditional recipe.

Are there any other recipes out there we enjoyed at the party that could be shared? Oreo balls, stuffed mushrooms, chili...

Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

1 10-ounce bag baby spinach

1 cup packed fresh basil

3/4 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

6 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese

1 clove garlic, smashed

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, squeezed dry and finely chopped

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 or 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Baked chips, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Stir the spinach and basil into the boiling water and cook until bright green, about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge in the ice water. Drain and squeeze dry, then roughly chop. Puree the beans, cream cheese, garlic and chicken broth in a food processor until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Transfer to a medium bowl and fold in the spinach and basil, artichokes, parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Add the cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Mist a deep 1-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread the dip mixture in the dish and top with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella. Bake until golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with baked chips.

Per serving (1/4 cup):

Calories 100; Fat 5 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 19 mg; Sodium 338 mg; Carbohydrate 7 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 6 g

Taco Soup

Hello y'all!

I was going to share this recipe with Suzi, so I thought why not just write it on the SP Recipe Blog?! I'm sure many of you have your own version of Taco Soup. This is just the way I do it. I've had many that are yummy! Feel free to leave a comment and share your own variation. I always like to try new things! :)

This is one of those recipes that does not involve "cooking." If you can open up a can (and brown some meat), you're golden.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground round
1 pkg. Ranch style dressing (dry mix)
1 pkg. Taco seasoning
2 cans chili beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can whole corn

Directions:
Brown meat. (I brown mine with onions.) Drain WELL.
Add all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil.
Simmer 30 minutes.

You could also make it in the crock pot. Sometimes the flavor seeps in better. It's great the day you make it, but it's even better the next day. It also freezes very well, so make extra to have for those [rare] chilly Houston days! :)

Serve with chips, grated cheese, sour cream, etc.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Baked Ziti

We are finally enjoying cooler temperatures! Here is a Paula Deen recipe to celebrate fall that is a little out of the ordinary.

Pumpkin Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

Butter

1 pound sweet Italian sausage (turkey sausage for healthy version)

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons oil

1 fifteen ounce can pumpkin puree

1 cup chicken stock

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup heavy cream (omit for healthy version)

1 pound cooked ziti pasta (whole wheat ziti for healthy version)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 cup freshly grated parmesan (1/4 cup for healthy version)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter 8 eight ounce ramekins. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until fat is rendered about 8 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and set aside. Discard any fat from the skillet in excess of 2 tablespoons. Add onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and oil to the skillet and cook stirring occasionally until soft for about 3 minutes. Stir in pumpkin puree, chicken stock, and sage. Mix together and add salt. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cream and sausage. Simmer until the sauce comes together and is thickened slightly. Add cooked pasta and parsley to the skillet and gently toss all the ingredients together to coat. Divide the mixture between the 8 prepared ramekins. Sprinkle the tops of each ramekin with parmesan cheese and bake for 35 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

Taco Soup

The recent cooler weather has definitely put me in the mood for soup! Mike and I love soup and are always looking for new recipes. Any other soup lovers out there who have some great recipes to share?

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion (chopped)

1 can whole kernel corn (drained)

1 can ranch style beans

1 can pinto beans (drained)

3 cans tomatoes

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes

1 package Hidden Valley dressing mix (dry)

1 package taco seasoning mix

Directions:

Brown meat and onion. Add other ingredients. May need to add water. Simmer until heated through. Serve with Fritos or Tostitos and cheese.