Tag Archives: cream cheese

Crab Dip w/Garlic Saltines and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ok, I can’t take the credit for this recipe but I will thank Tyler Florence for it! I saw this on his show on the Food Network one weekend and made it last week. It was delicious! Easy too! And the saltines are incredible! I am going to make another batch this weekend! Even John who doesn’t eat many carbs in the form of crackers loved them! He was adding peanut butter to the crackers! But the dip is awesome on it. It is also better to let it sit over night in the refrigerator. The flavors will meld better. I also used the lighter versions of cream cheese and mayonnaise in my version. A suggestion from John is to heat it up also and serve it as a hot dip. I haven’t tried that yet but when we do I will post the results on here! We had this as our appetizer to our Thanksgiving dinner last Sunday. Washed it down with a bottle or two of Prosecco.

INGREDIENTS:

For the crab dip:

1 (8oz.) cup cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (DO NOT USE REGULAR MUSTARD)

½ tablespoon lemon juice

About 1 tablespoon EVOO (Extra-virgin olive oil), optional

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1½ cups (about 12 ounces) fresh lump crabmeat, drained and picked over (I used claw meat and it was fine)

For the crackers:


2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

½ stick butter, melted (I used a butter substitute)

30 saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve)

For the tomatoes:

1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

EVOO, optional

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

For the crab dip:

1. In a food processor add the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, blend until smooth. Then add the lemon juice and olive oil, if desired and season with salt and pepper. Process until well combined, scraping down the sides as you go.

2. Scoop the mixture into a large mixing bowl and fold in the chopped chives and crabmeat. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper then cover and set aside in refrigerator.

For the crackers:

1. Meanwhile, prepare the saltines. Make a garlic butter by combining the minced garlic with parsley and melted butter.

2. Lay out a flat layer of saltines on a baking tray (I just sprayed it with cooking spray) and use a pastry brush to baste the saltines with garlic butter. Bake in the oven for about 5-7 minutes until golden.

For the tomatoes:

1. Split each tomato lengthwise and toss in a mixing bowl with balsamic vinegar. Toss the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil, if desired, over the top. Season with salt and pepper and bake in oven for 7-8 minutes.

To Serve:

Arrange the three components so they can be assembled by easily. Take a saltine, spoon a little crab dip on top and garnish with a piece of tomato.

Makes 4-6 servings

Smoked Salmon Spread

There is nothing better than a great bagel with cream cheese. My favorites cream cheese spreads are scallion and smoked salmon. The only problem is they can be very expensive buying them at the bagel store or in the supermarket. I have started making my own which not only give me more than that little container and I know exactly what is in it. I use the Neuchâtel cream cheese, which is lower in calories and fat. You can’t taste the difference at all. Besides, the bagel will have enough calories for everyone! This spread is also great on crackers, fresh vegetables, crostini, pita chips or whatever you want!

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) package Neuchâtel Cream Cheese (light cream cheese)

4 green onions (scallions)

4 ounces sliced smoked salmon

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard


DIRECTIONS:

Remove ends and roots of scallions. Place all ingredients into a food processor and mix till well blended.

Chill or serve right away

Makes about 1½ cups

Piña Colada Cupcakes

One of my favorite drinks is the Piña Colada. And not one made from a mix either, made from scratch. The flavors are so much better. But like all things we LOVE to eat or drink, most likely it’s loaded with calories and fat. One way to get that coconut/pineapple fix is with cupcakes! Using lower fat items we can still get that piña colada taste with fewer calories. Granted, it is not the same as the real thing but it’ll do in a pinch! On average an 8 ounce piña colada has about 350 calories and over 10 grams of fat! One of these cupcakes has about 120 calories and about 2 grams of fat! You do the math! The cupcakes are sweet and I can’t wait to make them again!

(Photo for illustrative purposes only)

INGREDIENTS:

For Cupcakes:

2 cups moist-style yellow cake mix (½ of an 18.25 ounce box)

12 ounces crushed pineapple in juice (not drained)

½ teaspoon coconut extract

For Frosting:

4 ounces crushed pineapple in juice (drained)

1 sugar-free vanilla pudding snack

1½ tablespoons fat-free or light cream cheese, room temperature

1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

1 packet Splenda (sucralose)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all frosting ingredients and mix till well blended. Refrigerate until cupcakes are ready to be frosted.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix with pineapple. Add the coconut extract and mix until thoroughly blended.

4. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups. Pour cake mixture evenly into cups.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.

6. Allow cupcakes to cool completely and frost. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 12 servings.

Liverwurst Pate

Stop wrinkling your noses! It’s good! It’s actually really really good! I used to make this quite a bit and end up eating most of it myself. Not good! I’ve made this for many kinds of parties and it always raises eyebrows until you try it. One year I made it in the shape of a football for our Superbowl party and used olives slivers as the lacing on the football. It is usually served best with crackers but it works well with celery and carrots as well. It is NOT a low-calorie dish either. (Though it is low carb actually) I do use the light cream cheese and light sour cream to help a little bit. I’m getting a craving for it right now just thinking about it! Our friend Kevin Dery loved it when he had it at one of our parties.

Liverwurst Pate

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces liverwurst (I use the tubes of Jones liverwurst)

1 package (80z) light cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons light sour cream

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Stuffed green olives for garnish, if desired


DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the liverwurst, half  of the cream cheese, onion, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce, combining well. (I do this in a food processor)

2. Place pâté mixture onto a serving dish or in a serving container of choice. Place dish or container in the freezer for about 15 minutes until firmed up.

3. Remove dish from freezer and ‘frost’ with remaining softened cream cheese. (I microwave the cream cheese till it’s spreadable like frosting. Microwave at 10 second intervals to get it soft enough to spread easily.)

4. Slice olives and decorate on pâté as you wish. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.

Makes 16 servings

John’s Famous Spicy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This is John’s famous recipe. He won’t even let me make it! I can be the sous-chef though! It’s still a great recipe and is usually a big hit. You can serve it with tortilla chips or crackers. Just make sure they are strong enough to hold the dip!

John's Spicy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2- 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained

1- 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1- 8 ounce package cream cheese

1- 8 ounce package sour cream

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

2 tablespoons TABASCO® brand pepper sauce

salt to taste

corn chips or crackers


DIRECTIONS:

1: Melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, ¾ cup Monterey Jack, ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, pepper sauce and salt. Stir until well blended and heated through.

3. Pour mixture into a ½ quart casserole dish and top with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese. Bake in 350º oven until cheese starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Serve with corn chips or crackers.


Makes about 4 cups

Crustless No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

This recipe is one of John’s favorites. He likes to make it himself. We don’t use a crust with it because as anyone who knows John, carbs are a no-no for him. But feel free to use a prepared graham cracker crust if you like! When you don’t use the crust it’s also harder to have the cheesecake slices actually look like slices. So just be imaginative and pretend they are slices. They will actually be more like a creamy pudding like dessert. Either way it still tastes awesome and refreshing! We also use a sugar-substitute in this, sucralose (Splenda). You don’t have to. If you want to use real sugar the amounts are exactly the same. We also use light cream cheese, light sour cream and light or no sugar added whipped topping, but feel free to use the regular kind!

DIRECTIONS:

8 oz. light cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar-substitute (we use sucralose)

1 cup light sour cream

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 oz. prepared light whipped topping (Cool Whip, etc.)

1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise


DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth with an electric mixer.  Gradually beat in the sugar. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until just combined. Fold in the whipped topping. Scrape mixture into a round pie dish. Chill for at least 4 hours in refrigerator.

2. Once chilled arrange strawberry slices as you wish around the pie. You can fill the entire pie if you have enough strawberries. Serve!

Serves 8

** If you use all the fully loaded ingredients and a pie crust each slice would be about 450 calories and 26 grams of fat!! Our version still tastes great and with a lot fewer calories and fat!

Party Snacks: Cucumber Crab Caps, Dilled Shrimp, Tortilla Roll-Ups, Pickle & Ham Roll-Ups

Finally getting around to doing my blog. Cleaned the house with the hubby which is always a fun thing to do! NOT! One day I will be able to hire Molly Maids again. But until then it’s just us.

Ok down to business. I am going to add 4 party snacks/appetizers today! I first made all of these appetizers for my sister Michele’s baby shower, for her 1st child! This would make it the shower for my god-daughter Heather, who is now 11! So yes, these have been around awhile. I was up till 3am the day before the shower preparing all the food with my friend Kerry! (Remember going to supermarket at 11am for mayonnaise Kerry?) If it wasn’t for Kerry I never would have gotten it all done, or slept for that matter!  All worked out and these snacks were a hit. There is one that I know most of you will wrinkle your nose at. But make it and tell me what you think. After the first time I’ve made it for people they say, ewww… But then at the next party if I don’t have it they ask for it.

CUCUMBER CRAB CAPS

INGREDIENTS:

4 ½ TBS mayonnaise

2 ½ TBS fresh lemon juice

5 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

salt to taste

1 cup shredded cooked crabmeat

¼ cup finely chopped celery

1 TBS chopped fresh chives

2 cucumbers (about 6 inches long)(You can use either regular or english style cucumbers)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a medium bowl, using a fork to blend, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and Tabasco sauce. Season to taste with salt. Stir in crabmeat, celery and chives. Cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight.

2. Under running water, thoroughly scrub the cucumbers. Using the tines of a fork, scratch lines on the cucumbers. Chill.

3. Using a sharp knife, slice the cucumbers into  1/3″ slices. You should get about 36 slices. Arrange the slices on a platter or serving tray and using a teaspoon, top each with the crabmeat mixture.

Makes 36 caps

DILLED SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

1/3 cup lemon juice

¼ cup sugar

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

2 TBS crushed dried dill

2 pounds medium-sized cooked shrimp, shelled and deveined

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar, onion and dill and mix well.

2. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. Serve with toothpicks on the side.

Makes 8-10 servings.

TORTILLA ROLL-UPS

INGREDIENTS:

8 large flour tortillas

2 cups (16oz) hummus or boursin cheese (or any type herb soft cheese)

1 cup watercress leaves or radish sprouts

2 cups grated carrot

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup thinly sliced yellow pepper

salt and pepper to taste

decorative toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lay out tortillas. Spread hummus or cheese thinly over entire tortilla, right up to the edge.

2. Sprinkle other ingredients evenly over the tortillas. Roll up as tightly as possible, using a bit of hummus/cheese to seal edges, if necessary. Press gently to ‘glue’ it all together.

3. Use a serrated knife to cut off and discard uneven ends. Cut the rest into 1¾” pieces. Pierce each piece with a toothpick and arrange on tray and serve.

**You can also wrap the rolls in wax paper and chill about an hour before slicing. It should make slicing a little easier.

PICKLE & HAM ROLL-UPS

INGREDIENTS:

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 package (8oz) sliced deli ham (the pre-packaged kind is best, like Dak, Plumrose etc. since they are all the same size)

8 medium to large Claussen whole kosher dill pickles (trim edges)

Ham & Pickle Roll-ups

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese on each slice of ham. Place one pickle on the edge of each slice and roll up tight, pressing edges to seal.

2. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

3. Cut each roll-up into ½” slices. You should get at least 6 slices per roll-up. Arrange on a slant with toothpicks.

Watch them disappear!!


Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

Ahhh the weekend. Yes even though I do not have a regular job these days the weekends are still the most enjoyable! Today’s recipe I got from my friend Karen’s daughter Nicole. Karen had brought this recipe to our annual Super Bowl Party in 2009. It was such a hit that I asked Nicole for the recipe and I made it for this past Super Bowl. Once again it was a huge success. There are many  different variations of this recipe out there right now but I stuck with this one and just changed a couple little things, nothing major. Nicole’s recipe calls for regular cream cheese and I used the lighter version and I also used the 2% shredded cheddar cheese rather than the full fat version. As the recipe stated “It’s like eating buffalo chicken wings without the messy fingers!” My husband John wants me to make this for dinner one night even though it’s really an appetizer dish. Serve it with sturdy tortilla chips, pita chips or any strong chip. The recipe calls for cooked chicken breast. You can cook the chicken anyway you like. Some people bake it and then shred with a fork or even microwave it till cooked and shred. I actually sautéed mine in a little olive oil. I put garlic powder on the boneless breasts and sautéed till the juices ran clear. (smells awesome while cooking by the way). And then in small batches I cut the chicken into small chunks and put them in the food processor and pulsed till all broken up and shredded/ground. It was easier than shredding with a fork and got much more uniform pieces. But it’s up to you how you like to cook your chicken. You can even used canned chicken but it’s better fresh. And if you go over the 3 cups it calls for that’s fine. A little more chicken won’t hurt.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cooked chicken breast (about 3 breasts depending on size)

(2) 8oz bars of cream cheese (I used light cream cheese)

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup of your favorite blue cheese dressing (Marie’s is always good but any dressing is good)

6 oz. of your favorite Hot Sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce)(You can also use more of the hot sauce if you like if you like it hotter)

2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used 2%)

Tortilla Chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all ingredients together EXCEPT for the cheddar cheese.

2. Spread into a 13 x 9 pan. Top with shredded cheese.

3. Bake at 350°  for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

4. Serve with chips!


Smashed Cauliflower


When I first tried smashed cauliflower I hated it. Normally I really like cauliflower so I was upset that I didn’t enjoy this side dish. It was a popular side for Atkins diets and anyone looking to lower their carbs, but I thought it tasted nasty. No flavor at all! Till now that is. I have played around with various recipes and have finally come up with one that my husband and I both love!  It’s an easy recipe but it does take some prep time, but it’s worth it. I have also used broccoliflower and even the orange cauliflower in this recipe. It’s a lower calorie version as well. Feel free to use full fat ingredients if you don’t like the fat-free or light ingredients. I use FF Half-and-Half and light ingredients. The amounts of the ingredients can be increased or decreased evenly depending on how big your cauliflower head is. And if you don’t have ricotta cheese or cream cheese you can leave it out. It taste so much better with these cheeses though! It’s goes well with any main dish: fish, beef, chicken, pork. Give it a try!

INGREDIENTS:

1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small pieces

1-2 TBS butter or butter substitute

1-2 TBS fat-free half-and-half or 1% milk (or whatever you have around)

1-2 TBS fat-free or light ricotta cheese

1-2 TBS fat-free or light sour cream

1-2 TBS light cream cheese

1-2 wedges light Laughing Cow Cheese (I like the garlic & herb one but any flavor is good)

1-2 scallions chopped (green and white parts)

3-4 cloves of garlic chopped (you can use less if you don’t like too much garlic)

1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese (for topping)

Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1: Place cut up cauliflower, garlic and scallions into a microwave safe container and cook on HIGH for about 6-8 minutes until cauliflower is tender and soft. Stir halfway through cooking time.

2: In a food processor or blender place cauliflower mix, butter, ricotta, half-and-half, sour cream and Laughing Cow cheese and blend until very creamy. It will still be a little grainy but should be on the creamy side. I usually have to do this in two batches in my food processor. I also sometimes need to add a little more milk to make is creamy. Adjust as needed.

3: Place the mixture into a small casserole dish, deep pie plate or any oven safe baking dish. Top with parmesan cheese. The mixture is still usually warm at this point. Then place the dish into a 350 degree oven until top gets brown and sides bubble a little. This may take about 20-30 minutes.

4: Remove from oven and serve! My husband likes to add hot sauce to his as well.



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