Sausage and Cheese Cresent Squares

Another picture I stole from Pillsbury...:( Not only did I not get a picture of this appetizer, I didn't even eat them! I had a little taste as I was cutting them into squares to be served, but actually did not try one throughout the course of the night. I got rave reviews though! I do have to warn you, these look really gross as you're preparing the sausage and cream cheese mixture. I had second thoughts about serving these at a party as I was cooking up the mixture! However, they seemed to go over well! Next time I'll have to actually eat one. ;)

Adapted from: www.Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1 lb spicy or mild bulk pork sausage
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. If using crescent rolls: Unroll 1 can of dough into 2 long rectangles. Place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust. If using dough sheets: Unroll 1 can of dough. Place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Remove sausage from skillet; discard drippings. To same skillet, add cream cheese. Cook over low heat until melted. Add cooked sausage; stir to coat. Spoon evenly over crust in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
If using crescent rolls: Unroll second can of dough on work surface. Press to form 13x9-inch rectangle; firmly press perforations to seal. Carefully place over cheese. If using dough sheets: Unroll second can of dough on work surface. Press to form 13x9-inch rectangle. Carefully place over cheese. Bake 21 to 26 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into small squares.

Gorgonzola-Artichoke Dip

No, I did not take this picture. I stole it from Pillsbury's website since I didn't get a chance to take one! I made this easy and delicious dip for my parent's annual Christmas party. Since everything was so hectic right before the party started, I didn't get a picture of this or the sausage cheese squares that I made. This picture looks better anyway. ;)

Adapted from: www.Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

5 slices packaged precooked bacon
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, well drained, chopped
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (2 oz)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz)
2 teaspoons lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch quiche dish, or 8- or 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Chop 3 slices of the bacon; place in medium bowl. Reserve remaining bacon for garnish. To bacon in bowl, stir in remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in dish. Bake 10 minutes. Stir dip; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until dip is bubbly around edges. Chop reserved bacon; sprinkle on top of dip. Serve warm dip with petite toasts, assorted crackers or baguette slices.

Baked Brie

So easy and so good! I'm not too happy with the presentation, but I was having difficulty getting the foil out from under the brie, so I just transferred the foil onto the plate and haphazardly put the crackers around the brie. I'll have to work on that....especially since I'm making this again for my parents' Christmas Party this weekend!

Adapted from: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/

INGREDIENTS
1 large sheet of puff pastry dough or 1 tube of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (I used crescent rolls)
1 round or wedge of Brie cheese (do not remove rind)
Raspberry Jam, or other sweet jam
Brown sugar
1/4 cup of maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 On a stick-free cookie sheet, lay out the puff pastry or the crescent rolls flat; put brie round or wedge on top.
2 Spread jam on brie, fold dough over top, cutting off excess dough. Drizzle maple syrup and place a handful of brown sugar on top.
3 Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with crackers and apple slices.

STOVE TOP Spinach Balls

Ah, the infamous spinach balls...I've been making these for a few years now. They're so easy and I get raves about them. I usually leave out the chopped onions because I'm not a fan (I think the stuffing flavoring of mushroom & onion is enough). They also freeze well. For a party, I will make twice the recipe (mix in separate bowls) and freeze a couple of weeks ahead of time. You bake them first, put in a freezer bag, defrost and then bake again at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes the day you are serving them. (Can be frozen for up to 3 months)

Adapted from: www.KraftFoods.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix Monterey Style with Mushroom & Onion
1-2/3 cups hot water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
2 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained and patted dry
1 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 eggs

DIRECTIONS
HEAT oven to 400ºF.
MIX stuffing mix, hot water and butter in large bowl until well blended.
ADD remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Shape into 60 (1-inch) balls. Place in single layer in 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans sprayed with cooking spray.
BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until lightly browned.

Gorganzola Fig Tarlets

Yes, I can do other things besides sweets! These tartlets were so good and very easy! It was great as a Thanksgiving appetizer (and I will probably end up making these for my parent's Christmas Party as well). I didn't have a 2" cookie cutter so I used a small glass we had that was about 1.75". Because of this I didn't need as many figs and baked them for 7 minutes. I also omitted the walnuts because 1 - I didn't have them and 2 - I'm not a big fan of them! I also was out of honey, which I think if it was drizzled on top would've made them even better!

INGREDIENTS
1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust (from 15-oz box), softened as directed on box
6 dried figs or pitted dates, coarsely chopped (1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Fisher® Chef's Naturals® Chopped Walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (2 oz)
1 tablespoon honey

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Unroll pie crust on flat surface. Using 2-inch cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from pie crust, rerolling crust scraps if necessary. Gently press 1 round in bottom and up side of each of 24 ungreased mini muffin cups.
2. In small bowl, mix figs, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. Spoon slightly less than 1 teaspoon fig mixture into each cup. Break up any larger pieces of cheese. Top each tartlet with slightly less than 1 teaspoon cheese.
3. Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Remove tartlets from pan to serving plate. Drizzle tartlets with honey. Serve warm.