Hoppy Easter! Ok…almost. What can I say? I’m excited! More chances for me to look into new and exciting things to try and ~~turn my family into guinea pigs~~ see how much the family loves them! So this year, my aunt asked me to bring an appetizer–and of course, I can’t just do something normal like everybody else. Also of course, I can’t just find a recipe, make it, and bring it. I have to try it out first! Yes, I know I have a problem. On the good side, I’ve had a nice young man willing to help me ~~scarf down~~ taste test the results to make sure they’re what I was aiming for.

Thanks to the brilliant efforts to my friends, suggesting sprinkled cheese here, taste-testing there, I’m ready to share this with you just in time for you to share with your friends and family! These little suckers are one-to-two bite tastes of heaven with all the spinach, artichoke, and cheesy wonderfulness that goes with it! I mean, really–who doesn’t LOVE spinach artichoke dip??!!

Spinach Artichoke Puffs

Ingredients

For the Puffs:

1 c water
½ c butter (1 stick)
½ tsp garlic salt
1 c flour
4 eggs, room temperature
¼ c shredded Parmesan, for sprinkling on top prior to baking

For the Spinach Artichoke filling:

2 10oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
2 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
8oz cream cheese, softened
½ c mayonnaise
1 c sour cream
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 c mozzarella
½ c Parmesan shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

For puffs, heat oven to 425º. Melt butter and water and bring to a boil. Add flour and garlic salt, stir until ball forms.

Transfer dough to mixing bowl with mixer attachment. Let dough cool slightly. Add one egg at a time until combined. Drop by teaspoon-fulls onto cookie sheet, sprinkle with cheese, and bake 20 min.

Three quarters into baking, poke a hole into the puffs so they retain their shape when done baking.

For filling, mix everything into a bowl, pour into baking dish. Bake at 350º about 20-30 minutes.

Let the spinach dip cool only slightly. Cut the puffs in half around the center, and scoop 2 tablespoons-full into the center and set the top back on. Presto! You have spinach artichoke puffs!

….try not to eat them all….I dare you!

Spring Mix Salad with Pomegranate, Apples, Feta and Pecans

Happy Friday Campers! For some of you it’s probably been a short work-week. For others, you may not be returning until Monday! I hope your Christmas and New Years were good to you! I know mine was FANTASTIC! Christmas in my family is always a big family affair with everything Christmas-related all over my parents’ home, with a keepsake-ornament-full Christmas tree, lights everywhere, Santa’s village, Christmas stockings–the whole sha-bang! And Christmas was extra special this year as it was announced that my sister and brother-in-law will be adding to the number of stockings to be hung! We’re all so excited for them!

Now that the new year has started, everybody’s making resolutions to lose weight, eat healthier, live healthier, etc. In that vein, I wanted to share with you all this salad I have literally become addicted to! I made this not only for Thanksgiving, but also for Christmas dinner–and I promise you, it wasn’t enough! You can have this as a light meal, or as a sweet and tangy side salad. The flavors just pop all over the place!

Now you’re thinking….Pomegranates? Do I have to buy the arils? The answer is NO! You can buy the whole thing! Now you’re thinking “how do I seed them without destroying the fruit?!” There’s a few great videos out there that show you how–but the best way I found was to cut off the bottom, score the outside, and soak the fruit in cold water for at least 10 minutes. After that, it just pulls apart. Take the fruit out under the water as seen in this video. It’s great! Everything else floats to the top, and you’re left with the fruit that sinks to the bottom. And the rest of the salad is a breeze!

The salad dressing is a wonderful Raspberry Vinegrette that my friend JoAnn showed me how to make. I’ve adapted it a tad bit, but pretty much, this is all her! Thanks Jo!

Spring Mix Salad with Pomegranate, Apples, Feta and Pecans

Ingredients

Salad

1-2lb bag Spring Mix greens, or you can use 1 radicchio, and a mixture of spinach and romaine lettuce
1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped to bite-size pieces
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup pecan halves

Raspberry Vinaigrette

1 tsp honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup red wine pomegranate vinegar (regular red wine vinegar will work just fine)
1/2 cup raspberry syrup (you can find this by the maple syrup at the store)
1/2-1 cup vegetable oil
salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:

For the salad, toss together all ingredients, save the cheese and pecans until you’re ready to serve.

For the dressing, in a bowl, stir together the mustard and honey. Once combined, whisk together the vinegar and syrup until combined. Slowly drizzle the oil in, whisking constantly until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, I’d recommend about 1/2 tsp salt, and a few good turns of the pepper mill. Let the dressing stand a few minutes, whisk again, and pour desired amount on the salad.

Enjoy!

Aunt Kookie's Cookatorium

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