Spinach and Artichoke Dip Stuffed Bread

Last weekend we got our first snowstorm of the season. I made sure to stop at the grocery store beforehand so that I could spend the weekend testing new recipes. I figured if I was going to be snowed in, I might as well be snowed in with a loaf of bread stuffed with cheese. I posted pictures of this appetizer on my instagram account, and I got tons of requests for the recipe. So, here it is as promised! I've made this a couple times since then, and so far its a hit. I'm thinking this might even be a contender for a superbowl party appetizer. It definitely makes for great football food, and I can assure you this appetizer would go perfectly with your favorite beer.

Ingredients:

• 1 french bread
• 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 oz) bag baby spinach leaves (or frozen spinach works too!!)
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Parmesan cheese, grated, to top
• olive oil, to brush on top

Recipe: 

1. Saute the spinach, artichoke, and about half the garlic in a pot on medium heat. Add the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Mix until creamy.
2. Take the french bread, cut it into four sections, and hallow out the insides.  

3. Stuff the bread with the spinach and artichoke dip. Use a spoon to pack the dip down to the bottom.
4. Line up the four pieces on a cutting board to create one big french bread again.
5. Slice the bread as shown below. Brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and the remaining garlic.

6. Wrap the bread tightly in foil and bake the bread on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
7. Unwrap the bread and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

Check out the updated recipe here ---> http://www.girlsgonefood.org/2017/03/bacon-wrapped-dates-stuffed-with-blue.html

Arabic Saffron Rice

I absolutely love saffron rice. I have so many memories of my grandmother making this dish every holiday. I would eat plate fulls of it at a time. She was an incredible cook and estimated all her recipe measurements by hand. Unfortunately, her recipes are often difficult to recreate (at least for those of us who are amateur cooks) because she rarely wrote down her recipes. My dad was on a mission though to make saffron rice for thanksgiving, and it turned out pretty darn good. I liked it so much that I decided to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of saffron (usually comes in 1 gram or .03 ounce boxes)
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup water
• Salt
• 4 cups basmati rice
• 5 cups chicken broth 
• Slivered almonds
• Raisins  
• Olive oil

Recipe:

• Place saffron in a pestle and mortar. Add a pinch of sugar. Grind until the saffron is in powder form (or grind it as fine as you can). 
• Pour saffron mixture into a mug, add 1 cup of hot water, cover, and let it sit for approximately 20 minutes until you see the dark rich saffaron color.
• Rinse the rice thoroughly with water to remove any excess starch.
• Soak the rice with plenty of water for about 30 minutes.
• Drain the water.
• Add the soaked rice to the pot.
• Add the liquid to the pot with the rice: 1 cup of the saffron water and 5 cups of chicken broth. 
• Bring to a boil under medium-high heat, uncovered.
• When it starts boiling, cover and lower the heat to low.
• Keep the top of the pot on at all times, but stir the rice occasionally to make sure you have enough liquid. If you don't, add more liquid as needed. 
• After fifteen minutes, take the lid off. If there is any excess water, allow it to boil off. Fluff with a fork.
• Place about two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add slivered almonds. Fry the slivered almond at low temperature. Once they start browning, take it off the stove top. Repeat with raisins. 
• Add salt as needed. 
• Serve the rice garnished with almonds and raisins. 

 

Lottery Ticket and Liquor Birthday Bouquet

I was on the fence whether or not to post this. First, the picture isn't the best quality, and second, I made this literally 4 months ago (around the same time that I disappeared from the blogging world whooooops.....).  I figured I would post this anyways because one..I LOVE IT and two...these posts seem to be very popular. It's really such a great DIY gift. I made something similar for my brother's 21st birthday three years ago and it remains one of my most popular blog posts yet. You can see that here. I had so much fun making this birthday gift. I love making bouquets/baskets (or whatever you call it) for birthdays or other special events because you can personalize it and decorate it based on the their favorite things. It also looks so darn good.

What you'll need:

1. Some type of pot or can
2. Styrofoam ball or block to fit in can 
3. Wooden skewers 
4. Tape
5. Lottery Tickets, Liquor, Decorations (your choice!)

It is really quite easy to assemble! Place the styrofoam ball or block into the can. You can cut around the edges to ensure that it fits. Tape the lottery tickets and liquor bottles to the skewers. Stick the skewers into the styrofoam, arranging it so that small items are in the front and large items are in the back. Decorate around the bouquet with ribbons and other decorations.

 

Cheesy Pizza Dip

I love football Sundays. It gives me the excuse to hang out in my sweatpants and indulge in my favorite comfort foods. Even though you may not like football...I know you love cheese..and pizza..and yummy goodness. Voila....pizza dip. It is so delicious and requires minimal effort..the best of both worlds. I've been making this dip for a while now. In fact, it was one of the first recipes that I posted on this blog. Back in the day, my pictures were not the prettiest, so I decided to respost this yummy creation again. It's crazy what a DSLR camera and some good lighting can do. Now excuse me while I get back to this......

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• pepperoni slices 
• tortilla chips 
• french bread

Recipe: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix cream cheese, oregano, basil, cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese.
3. Spread cream cheese mixture into casserole dish, and top with tomato sauce.
4. Sprinkle remaining cheeses followed by pepperoni.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is browned.
6. Serve with tortilla chips and chopped bread.

 

Creamy Baked Gnocchi

It's hard to believe that its been almost 2 months since I last posted. I have been so busy this summer and it is just flying by!! After a busy long weekend with ongoing activities the only thing I wanted to do on Sunday was to rent a couple movies, enjoy some comfort food, and relax. I came up with this amazing baked gnocchi recipe. It's the next best thing, if not better, than mac and cheese. This recipe is especially creamy, cheesy, and indulgent. I'm telling you, the best thing I ever learned to make is a good cheese sauce. This girl loves her cheese, and I use it as a base for so many things!! I usually take the general gist of the recipe and use whatever cheese I have on hand. You can also add so many things to it (like the ham and peas I used in this recipe!). Hope you like it (actually I know you will !!)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound gnocchi
• 1 bag frozen peas
• 1 ham steak, cubed
• 2 cups shredded cheese (i used pepper jack)
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 yellow onions, chopped
• Olive oil
• Panko bread crumbs

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a pan with nonstick spray.
• Place chopped onions, cubed ham, and half a bag of frozen peas into a skillet with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee on medium heat until onions are sauteed and ham is browned.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook for about 2 minutes . Drain the gnocchi, toss with olive oil, then set aside. Return the pot to the stove.
• In the large pot, melt the butter then add the flour. Wisk until combined. Add milk and cream gradually, whisking to incorporate. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until it thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cheese gradually, whisking until the cheese is melted.
• Once cheese sauce is thickened to your liking, add the ham, onion, and pea mixture. Then, stir in gnocchi until everything is coated with the cheese sauce.
• Place gnocchi cheese mixture in the greased pan.
• Coat the top of the gnocchi with panko bread crumbs.
• Drizzle olive oil on the top of the panko bread crumbs.
• Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then place the dish under broiler for a couple minutes to brown the top.

Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

True or False...I should just make this a mexican food blog? Sorry for the similar recipes lately but I warned you that I L-O-V-E mexican food. Plus, I had leftover ingredients from the flautas I made on Thursday. Sometimes you just need to work with what you got!

I have to admit..I've never been a huge fan of quinoa. I've always found it kinda tasteless and boring. Its probably because I only make it when I'm on a diet and diet food just makes me sad. I've never had quinoa with enchilada sauce though, and now I'm kinda in love with it. The enchilada sauce, chiles, and everything else gave it so much flavor. Crazy goodness! Who would have thought quinoa could taste so good?!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce (I used green sauce because its my favorite)
• 1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained 
• 1/2 cup canned corn
• 1/2 cup pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups shredded taco cheese
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tomato, diced

Recipe:

• Cook quinoa according to the package instructions; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, combine quinoa, enchilada sauce, green chiles, corn, pinto beans, cilantro, cumin and chili powder.  Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.
• Pour quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. 
• Bake for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and melted. 
• Garnish with diced tomato and avocado