Almost-Famous Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 6, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published from Food Network Magazine – December 2010

Show of hands… Who loves hot spinach dip and secretly hopes that the table wants to order it when trying to decide on an appetizer even though there are much healthier things on the menu? 

I see, most of you in the audience.  Good! 

Who has secretly thought of stabbing your friend and/or significant other/spouse in the hand with your fork as they reach for the last scoop of that creamy, spinach-y goodness?

Ah, it’s nice to meet all of you.  I knew I wasn’t alone.

Now, who has scraped every bit of dip from the bowl with their spoon trying to get just one more bite?

Okay, not as many, but I see I’m still in good company.

Finally, who, after scraping the bowl with their spoon, has picked up the bowl and started to lift it to their mouth to lick clean being stopped only by your mortified husband who fears your lack of table manners will alienate the friends you have left after the last incident?

Oh, that’s just me, huh.

All kidding aside, there’s something hypnotic about these hot spinach dips that makes you eat until you’re so full that you can’t even look at your entrée.  Of course, there’s a pretty hefty price to this dip.  It tends to swim in calories, fat and sodium.  That didn’t stop me from running to the kitchen to put the ingredients on my shopping list for this little delight I found in Food Network’s magazine.

© You Want Me to Cook?
Almost-Famous Spinach-Artichoke Dip

My dip isn’t as pretty as their dip because I couldn’t find white cheddar cheese.  Well actually, I didn’t look in the right place.  Maybe… I don’t know.  Anyway, it is still pretty darn close to the picture in the magazine.  And before you ask, yes, those are sushi serving dishes.  It was the perfect serving size!

Asian Egg Drop Soup

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 6, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

 

Recipe originally published from Food Network.com, Tyler Florence (Food 911).

When I go for Chinese food (I can't seem to cook it right yet), I will get Egg Drop Soup.  Of course this is a fairly recent development.  I’m not a food-a-phobe, but it never appealed to me.  Luckily, my husband introduced it to me when we first started dating and now I love it.  Now, I know what you’re thinking… it looks gross.  At least that’s what I thought about it the first time I saw it.  But trust me; you’ll love it, so give it a try.

© You Want Me to Cook?

It looks like exactly what it is – a nice broth soup.  The egg feathered out beautifully and almost looks like noodles.  It also smelled wonderful.  The picture has me holding the spoon in it because I couldn’t wait to try it and was in the process of eating that bite before I realized I hadn’t taken a picture yet.

Marinated Antipasto Platter

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 22, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Simple and Delicious, December/January 2011.

My husband and I love marinated olives and cheese.  I mean we really LOVE marinated olives and cheese.  We once bought one of those huge tubs of mozzarella balls in marinade from Costco… finished it in a week or so.  If I could buy stuffed olives by the gross ton, I would, and salami?  Mmmmmm.  So when I came across this recipe, I was excited to finally have the ability to make my own marinated cheese and veggies.

My finished product:

© You Want Me to Cook?
Marinated Antipasto Platter

So I was excited that it looked so pretty.  It didn’t take much to make it look like this, so that was even more exciting.  Of course, the obvious issue is that I used sliced mushrooms.  See, I was placed on a new medication around this date and it made me kind of… hazy.  When I read the ingredients, I spaced out the “whole mushroom” part and went with what I usually buy, “sliced”.  My bad.

Fried Mozzarella Steaks with Crispy Salami

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February, 6, 2011.

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Every Day with Rachael Ray, October 2008.

Every time I eat a mozzarella stick, I wonder how it was made.  Cheese melts in heat and super hot oil has a lot of heat.  So I was really interested in making this dish, if not for anything but the experience of making cheese sticks without melting them in the pan.  Aw, who am I kidding – I LOVE CHEESE STICKS!!!  What I wasn’t expecting, was loving the salad that came with the recipe more than the cheese steaks themselves.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: © Every Day with Rachael Ray

Maybe I’m crazy (and definitely biased) but if I was offered these two plates and told to choose, I’d pick mine.  My cheese steaks look thicker and have a perfect golden crust.  Also, my salad doesn’t look like it’s been wilted.  I was super excited to get to try these, but I had to wait until I finished my Fontina, Caramelized-Onion and Pancetta Pizzas for our Super Bowl Fiesta.  I’m glad I made them save at least one steak and some salad for me.

Creamy Avocado Ranch Dip

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 6, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by Allrecipes daily e-zine on Friday, July 18, 2008.

I rarely can justify making dips.  All that is going to happen is that I’ll eat dip and chips for a meal one night; therefore, the small “intelligent part” of my brain says that this would be a bad idea.  However, this day was Super Bowl Sunday, and for the first time in a long time, we were having company.  I lined up a long list of things I had been waiting to try, hoping at least half would come out good enough to eat.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: © Allrecipes

None of the reader-uploaded pictures were very good.  This one was the clearest I could find.  Obviously, I didn’t want to take a picture of just a big tub of dip, so I scooped out some to show the thickness of the dip.  For the most part, they look pretty similar although mine does look a little chunkier.

Cheesy Chicken Empanadas

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – December 15, 2010

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Kraft Food and Family – Holiday 2010.

I subscribe to a lot of food magazines.  One of the biggest issues I have is that I’ll make lists of everything I want to try, and then when I revisit the recipe to make it, I’m not so sure it is all that appealing anymore.  This was one of those dishes.  Originally published as an appetizer, I didn’t feel like going through all of the work for finger food.  So I made the decision to make them larger so they could be a meal and move ahead with cooking.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Kraft Foods

Part of the problem was the amount of chili powder I used on top of the empanadas.  One teaspoon would have been appropriate to sprinkle over 16 of them, but way too much for 8.  You probably also noticed that mine are more triangular.  That’s because I quartered the pie crusts instead of using a biscuit cutter.  Didn’t affect the taste and really doesn’t look “ugly” in terms of food standards.

Shrimp Francesca

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – August 26, 2010

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published by AllRecipes in the daily e-zine “The Daily Dish”.

Another dish that can be served as a main dish or an appetizer!  I decided to serve this over a bed of brown rice and eat it as actual meal.  This was a recipe created by one of the website’s readers.  As I was scanning the comments, so many people were complaining about the calories.  At 391 calories, I can think of a lot worse meals to eat.  I also found it interesting that you don’t cook the shrimp in the butter, but you bake it and use the butter as a drizzle.  I decided to go for it.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © AllRecipes.com

Not bad, right?  I removed the tails from my shrimp.  I always do unless the recipe specifically tells me not to do it.  I just don’t like having to stick my fingers near my mouth while I’m chewing to pull it off.  With my talent for hurting myself, I can absolutely see me biting my finger.

Basil Chicken Meatballs with Ponzu Sauce

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 20, 2011

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Cooking Light, January/February 2011.

I enjoy finding double-duty dishes.  This dish is meant to be an appetizer; however, I cooked up some brown rice and made a meal out of it.  Perfect, especially when it comes to appetizer dishes.  Since it is just my husband and I, we don’t get a lot of use out of appetizers.  Of course, on occasion, I’m asked to bring one somewhere or we have people over.  Well I’m not a big fan of making something that I’ve never made before for a special occasion or for guests.  Thus, appetizers I can make for dinner are exactly what I’m looking for.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Cooking Light

I was really proud of the way the meatballs turned out.  Browning them in the pan was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated.  Set off the fire alarm a couple of times too.  But I held them together and went forward & they looked great in the end.  Had the rice not been there, I think the pictures would have looked VERY similar.

Havarti Shrimp Quesadillas

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – July 30, 2010

For a commentary-free and printer-friendly version of it, please click here.

Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, June/July 2010.

These quesadillas can be cut up into smaller sections for an appetizer or eaten as an entrée in larger portions.  I had never bought/used Havarti and was a little nervous because of the cost.  I mean, who wants to pay $5 for a brick of cheese and screw it up!  Fortunately, it is meant to be sliced and served so I really only needed to worry about burning the tortillas.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

The end result was fairly similar, but at the time I didn’t have a grill pan so I didn’t get the pretty grill lines across it.  Interestingly enough, I found these to be a little bland.  Although they weren’t bad, I definitely had to eat them with a salad and had guacamole and salsa as a side.