Spinach-Artichoke Dip Stuffed Mushrooms

Okay, I haven't been blogging. I haven't been cooking. I took an extended vacation...which means I HAVE been eating...all up and down the scenic beach road of 30A in Florida.

I had some leftover store-bought spinach and artichoke dip, and when I was wondering how to re-purpose it, I remembered seeing and pinning this idea from Linda at Eating Well, Living Thin.

I loved the sprinkling of cayenne pepper on the tops of these...gave them a great little kick and jazzed up a classic recipe. This is ideal party food and is quick and easy, whether you make your own dip or cheat like I did. Scrumptious...that's the perfect way to describe these little bites.

Large container white mushrooms
Spinach and artichoke dip
Cayenne pepper

Remove stems from mushrooms and place on rimmed baking sheet. Fill each cap with dip and top with a dusting of pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 

Ravioli Cupcakes

I'm a faithful follower of Recipe Girl, and her talented 12-year-old son has his own cooking blog, Recipe Boy, which is where I saw this recipe last week.

I'm treating this more of a method than a recipe. You wouldn't think these would hold/stay together, but they do...perfectly. I had a jar of vodka spaghetti sauce in my pantry, so I used that instead of traditional sauce. I was hoping to use some Portobello and Fontina ravioli that I had seen at my local grocery store, but they only had one package. I used Buitoni instead...and one package of that is enough (I bought two, unnecessarily). I also made mine meatless, just to cut out one extra step.

I had two of these for dinner, and, no lie, two guys at work polished off the other TEN the next day. Can't get much better proof that this is a winner.

36 uncooked refrigerated cheese ravioli
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. To each tin, add a spoonful of sauce, two ravioli, Mozzarella cheese, another spoonful of sauce, one ravioli, more Mozzarella cheese. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Enchilada Stuffed Mushrooms

I am kicking myself for waiting so long to try this recipe, courtesy of Lauren's Latest! It was easy to halve it...just as easy as it would be to double it for a party.

The mushrooms provide a "meaty" base for the rich, creamy filling (accented by taco seasoning)...and then the enchilada sauce over the top kicks it up a few notches. 

It's just a ton of flavor in a little package. I highly encourage you to try this...sooner than later!

Printable recipe
20-24 baby bella mushrooms
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup red enchilada sauce

Remove stems from mushrooms. Place into greased baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, taco seasoning, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon filling into mushrooms. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

OBG: Spinach Bake

Here's another Oldie But Goodie (OBG). When I was married, we grilled steaks every Sunday night. I always enjoyed finding a new side to accompany...but this dish made repeated appearances.

I have no idea where I originally found it, but it is a keeper. I told my cooking-challenged best friend last night: "You could do this. It's dump, stir, and bake!"

This makes a big pan and uses inexpensive ingredients...so it's great for both a potluck and cooking on a budget.

Printable recipe

1 box corn muffin mix (Jiffy)
2 eggs, beaten
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
1 can French onion soup
1 package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 stick margarine, melted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine first six ingredients and stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Crescents

I pinned this about a year ago from (don't roll your eyes) Plain Chicken. I wanted dinner to be "pick-up" food last night, and I remembered this recipe...and it fit the bill!

It's super-simple...and super-delicious. I got the crispy chicken strips, per her recommendation, and they hold up well in the sauce (not soggy). The sauce had a good amount of kick without being too spicy. I couldn't really taste the cheese, so if you want to leave that out, I don't think it would make that much of a difference.

Printable recipe

8 frozen breaded chicken strips (like Tyson)
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
1 tube crescent roll dough
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing

Whisk together buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing. Unwrap crescent rolls and separate into eight pieces. Dip each piece of chicken into buffalo-ranch mixture, and place onto crescent dough, along with sliced cheese, and roll up. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Drizzle with additional ranch dressing or serve dressing alongside for dipping.

Mushroom-Spinach Tortilla Bake

I saw this awhile back in Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. The original recipe uses chicken instead of mushrooms, but in the footnote, it offered a vegetarian option using black beans...and that gave me the idea of using mushrooms instead.

The star of this dish is the salsa verde-ricotta mixture. The creaminess of the ricotta cuts through the spiciness of the salsa verde...but there's still a nice little kick.

This is easy to put together and can be customized to personal tastes. YUM!

Printable recipe

1-1/2 cups salsa verde

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

4 large flour tortillas, cut into wedges

1 container sliced fresh mushrooms

1 bag baby spinach

2 cups shredded cheese

Whisk together the salsa verde and ricotta. In a greased 8x8 baking dish, layer one third of the salsa mixture, tortillas, mushrooms, spinach, and cheese. Repeat twice.


Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden-brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Ham-and-Cheese Cornbread Sandwiches

Salty ham and gooey cheese nestled in between layers of sweet Jiffy cornbread? Bring it!

I made this the very same day I pinned it from Southern Plate. It was good...but the original recipe called for two boxes of Jiffy (one on top, one on bottom), and it was pretty dense. The ham and cheese got a little lost in the mix, so I recommend using just one box instead.

Printable recipe

1 8-ounce package Jiffy corn muffin mix 
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
6 slices American cheese
6 slices ham 
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

Mix Jiffy, egg, and milk until thoroughly combined. Add mustard to batter, and stir until well mixed. Spread half of batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Top with ham slices and then cheese slices. Top with remaining batter and gently spread to cover. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden.