Spinach Artichoke Dip

A big happy birthday to my friend Elizabeth! We threw her a surprise birthday party and I made a batch of my spinach artichoke dip especially for her, since I believe it's her favorite of my vast array of dips thus far. :) I use a good amount of seasoning and garlic powder in this recipe - I hate bland spinach artichoke dips, so adjust the seasoning as you see fit. This recipe makes a BIG batch of dip, enough for a party, so you may want to halve it for a smaller crowd.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

INGREDIENTS:

2 8oz packages light cream cheese, softened
16 oz light sour cream
1 1/2 cups light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
10 shakes of your favorite hot sauce
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded Italian cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise together until thoroughly combined. Stir in garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried basil and hot sauce. Mix in artichoke hearts, spinach, and 2 cups of the shredded Italian cheese - reserve remaining 1 cup of cheese.

2. Spread dip evenly into deep 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil cover, switch oven to broil, and cook additional 3-5 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips or bread.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Delight

So this recipe is probably the most "Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee" so far. I really can't stand her, but I'm not ashamed to use some convenient products to whip up something quickly - hey I never said this was a foodie blog! Layers of peanut butter and chocolate, chilled to frozen perfection. ;) Despite using "light" ingredients, this is very rich dessert so start with small servings.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE DELIGHT

INGREDIENTS:
3 individual bags Nabisco 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Cookie Crisps
2 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread, melted
1 8oz package light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup extra chunky peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup Splenda sweetener
2 8oz tubs Cool Whip Free
1 package (1.4 oz) Chocolate Fudge Sugar Free/Fat Free instant pudding
3/4 cup skim milk


DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a standard loaf baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place Peanut Butter Cookie Crisps into a resealable bag and crush into coarse pieces. Mix with melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and spread evenly on the bottom of lined loaf pan. Place in freezer and allow to set, 10 minutes. In the meantime using a handheld mixer, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and Splenda in a medium mixing bowl until well incorporated. Mix in one container of Cool Whip Free until just combined. Remove loaf pan from freezer and spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie crust. Return loaf pan to freezer to set. Reserve remaining cream cheese mixture in fridge.

2. In a large mixing bowl with a clean handheld mixer, combine instant pudding mix and skim milk until well combined. Mix in HALF of the second tub of Cool Whip Free until just combined. Place in fridge to set, about 10 minutes. Once set, spread chocolate mixture on top of chilled cream cheese mixture in loaf pan. Return loaf pan to freezer to set, 10 minutes. Once set, spread remaining 1/2 of reserved cream cheese mixture on top of chocolate layer and return to freezer to chill 4 hours or overnight.

3. To serve, remove loaf pan from freezer, invert onto a plate and remove foil, then reinvert onto serving platter so cookie crust is on the bottom. Allow to sit 10-15 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into slices and top with remaining tub of Cool Whip Free. If desired garnish plate with crushed peanut butter cookie crisps, chopped peanuts, or chocolate shavings/melted chocolate.

Sinless Strawberry Trifle

This dessert is super easy and pretty low in fat/calories. You can subsitute store bought cake or pound cake, but this using the homemade "diet soda method" helps keep the calories down. It's best to assemble the trifle just a few hours before serving, otherwise it will become soggy.

SINLESS STRAWBERRY TRIFLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 box white cake mix
1 can (12oz) Sprite Zero
1 quart strawberries
3 tbls sugar or sugar substitute + 1/4 cup water
2 8oz tubs Cool Whip Free
4 snack packs fat free vanilla pudding



DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix cake mix with diet soda, spoon into 9x13 pan and bake according to package instructions - do NOT add any oil, eggs or water per the box instructions, only the diet soda. After baking, allow cake to cool. Meanwhile, wash strawberries and remove tops. Slice, toss with sugar/sugar substitute & water and chill in a covered container. Gently fold 4 snack packs of pudding into ONE of the tubs of Cool Whip - cover and chill.


2. Slice cooled cake into 2" strips for easier handling. In a large clear bowl or trifle container, arrange pieces of sliced cake in an even layer, top with pudding mixture, sliced strawberries, and plain Cool Whip, ending with a layer of Cool Whip and garnishing with sliced strawberries. Cover and chill 4 hours but no more than overnight.

German Chocolate Cake

This is the birthday cake I made for my husband this year. I got lots of good feedback on it, and my mother-in-law said she thought I had bought it from a "fancy bakery" and couldn't believe I made it - aww! This is a very dense, rich cake - you could get away with just adding some additional chocolate chips, baking it in a bundt pan, and serving it with just a dusting of powdered sugar if you like. The coconut pecan topping recipe can be found on the German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies post.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
1 cup melted butter
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Chocolate frosting of your choice

Coconut Pecan topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs (you may want to temper the eggs and butter together to prevent scrambling) and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then remove from pans. Frost one layer with a thin layer chocolate frosting and a layer of coconut pecan topping. Stack top cake layer on top and frost entire cake with chocolate frosting and top with remaining coconut pecan topping. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.

Luscious Lowfat Cheesecake Dip

Okay, so I'm sort of infamous for making desserts involving pudding, cream cheese, Cool Whip or a combo of the three. I should own stock in Jell-o. This is a dip that I came up with to jazz up a fruit platter, and the lowfat ingredients make it kind on the waistline too.

LUSCIOUS LOWFAT CHEESECAKE DIP

INGREDIENTS:

1 small package Jello sugar free/fat free instant Cheesecake pudding mix
3/4 cup skim milk
1 8oz container Cool Whip Free


DIRECTIONS:

1. Using a handheld mixer gradually blend instant pudding mix and skim milk until well incorporated.

2. Add Cool Whip Free and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate several hours or overnight, covered. Serve with assorted fruit.

Grilled Tilapia Fish Tacos

I've always wanted to try fish tacos and finally gave it a go. The version I made used grilled tilapia instead of the deep fried fish that a lot of restaurants serve. Both my husband and I really liked this meal - it was really flavorful and fresh but still hearty. I imagine we'll be making this a lot during the summertime. I was pressed for time so I ended up using a bottled marinade but next time I think I'll make a marinade from scratch. The zesty lime flavor is great!

GRILLED TILAPIA FISH TACOS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound fresh boneless, skinless Tilapia fillets
Lawry's Havanna Garlic Lime marinade
1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms2 limes
Flour tortillas, warmed
Shredded salad or cole slaw mix
Sour cream


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a shallow baking dish, arrange Tilapia in a single layer and drizzle generously with garlic lime marinade. If desired, add 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest. Marinate in fridge 30 minutes.

2. In a small skillet over medium heat and drizzled with olive oil, cook onions and mushrooms until golden and caramelized, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.

3. Preheat a large grill pan or frypan over medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil to coat and place tilapia in single layer onto grill pan. Grill each side until golden and fish is slightly firm/flakey, about 6 minutes, turning once.

4. To assemble tacos start with warm tortilla, add onions, mushrooms and a piece of grilled tilapia, then top with salad/coleslaw mix and sour cream. Serve with fresh lime wedges.

Mini Dipped Apple Bites

This was something I made for a party appetizer, inspired by those delicious looking dipped apples you see at Rocky Mounty Chocolate Factory and such. They were pretty simple to make and everyone really liked them. I imagine it would be a fun project to do with kids too.

MINI DIPPED APPLE BITES

INGREDIENTS:

4 large Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 bag caramel candies, melted
Assorted items for dipping - melted milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, nuts, sprinkles, cookie bits, etc.


DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop Granny Smith apples into bite-sized pieces. Toss with lemon juice until thoroughly coated. Skewer with toothpicks and dip bottom portion in melted caramel. Chill in the fridge on parchment paper lined cookie sheets until caramel hardens, about 30 minutes.

2. Once chilled, drizzle apple bites with any combination of melted chocolates and/or peanut butter and dip in nuts, sprinkles and cookie bits as desired. Chill again in the fridge on parchment paper lined cookie sheets until toppings are firm, about 30 minutes, and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

German Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

I must admit, I never was a coconut fan growing up. I think I always equated coconut with sunscreen, and that is not "good eats" as Alton Brown would say. So I missed out on what my husband would call the glorious splendor of German Chocolate cake. It's his favorite, and he requests one every year for his birthday. This is a cookie version of that wonderous cake.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 ½ cups flaked sweetened coconut
1 ½ cups pecans, chopped

Cookie dough:
1 (18.25 ounce) package Devils Food chocolate cake mix
½ cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, milk, 1/2 cup butter, vanilla and egg yolks. Blend well. Cook over medium heat for 10 to 13 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir frequently. Stir in coconut and pecans. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

3. Reserve 1 1/4 cups of the topping mixture and set aside. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, flour, melted butter and remaining topping mixture. Stir by hand until thoroughly moistened. Stir in semisweet chocolate chips. Cover and chill in fridge for 1 hour. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Using your finger or a spoon, make an indention in center of each ball. Fill each indention with 1/2 teaspoon of reserved coconut pecan topping.

4. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Blueberry Cobbler Bars

So, my husband is obsessed with blueberries. Seriously, it's fanatical. He's also really into peanut butter, so you'll probably find a lot of recipes involving blueberries and peanut butter on this blog, hopefully not at the same time. Although, one time we went to Coldstone Creamery and he had them mix blueberries and peanut butter into his ice cream - it was the first time I've seen one of the employees look surprised/slightly disturbed by a mix-in request. These bars are really yummy, and work well with frozen berries so it's easy to make even if fresh berries are out of season.

BLUEBERRY COBBLER BARS

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup nuts (recommended - sliced almonds, pecans & walnuts)
1/2 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together white and brown sugars, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter, egg and vanilla. Dough will be crumbly. Pat 3/4 of dough into the prepared pan. Bake pan for 5 minutes and remove crust from oven.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust.

4. Mix nuts and 1/2 cup brown sugar with remaining dough. Crumble evenly over the berry layer.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.