Recipe: Individual Baked Spinach Dip Cups

eat me.

whoa, you guys. i found this recipe over at Picky Palate and considering my track record with her recipes, i knew i had to make it. she never fails me. 
i made these mini spinach dip cups for my parents friends for their annual christmas party. i'm happy to say that these, along with my other appetizers, were no where to found at the end of the night. you guys know how much i love when people like what i cook, and i love it even more when they compliment me. (bratty, i know)

mix me.

bake me.

Individual Baked Spinach Dip Cups
{slightly adapted *via Picky Palate}- adaptations in italics.
"1 roll of refrigerated biscuits
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped (1 medium frozen bag)
4 clove fresh garlic, minced
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 small container of Fage 0% greek yogurt (any kind of fat free greek yogurt will do)
4 Tablespoons fresh shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Ancho Chile Pepper
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Garlic Salt
1/8 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Sicilian Sea Salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 16 muffin cups with non stick cooking spray.  Unroll package of biscuits and cut each pre-cut biscuit in half.  Press each slice into about a 3 inch round, I did this by pressing in between my hands.  Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup.  Set aside.
2.  Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.  Cook and stir spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes then add garlic, cook and stir for another minute then turn heat off (mine took a bit longer since it was frozen).
3.  Place cream cheese, greek yogurt, cooked spinach and garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Ancho Chili Powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper into a medium bowl.  Mix until well combined.  With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dip into each of the centers of biscuit bowls.  Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15-17 minutes until just turning brown on edges.  Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from oven."

make these, you won't be able to stop eating them! thank you Picky Palate!

Recipe: Sausage Cheddar balls

finished product, so delicious!

this is a different version of a meatball! perfect for appetizers for any time of year!  i only made a few modifications to the recipe - i used lowfat sausage as well as low fat cheese. anything to make it a bit healthier this time of year!

ready to bake!!

i highly suggest you make these little guys! super simple, super flavorful, and crowd-pleasing!

Sausage Cheddar Balls
(slightly adapted *via Martha Stewart)
"Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups grated cheddar (1/2 pound) (low fat)
• 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (low fat)
• 1/2 large yellow onion, grated on large holes of a box grater (i diced)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Add cheddar and toss to coat. Add sausage, onion, and butter. With your hands, mix until well combined and roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls, 1/2 inch apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until balls are golden and cooked through, 25 minutes. Serve warm."

i'm obsessed with dogs....

lexie-lou

mac attack!

rosie posie!!

i just love these three pups to death! since my dog isn't allowed in public anymore to ensure the safety of the general public, i go out with my friends that have well-behaved pups! we brought them to the Scottish Parade in Old Town Alexandria this past saturday morning! it was the cutest, it was like one huge dog parade with lots of people in kilts and their tartans. had no idea there were so many Scottish people in the area, but it was pretty cool to see them all come together to share their heritage with everyone ! below are a few of my fave pics from the parade:

jaguar parade

pretty flags!

Santa! I KNOW HIM!

awesome band

the most Scottish family ever. they even have two Scottish terriers

Happy December!!

{*via Mimi+Meg}

can you believe its already december? like usual, we have lots to celebrate!!

happy december!

Cutest pitbull you ever did see!

gimme your food

cutest baby ever

stop following me with that stupid camera.

Thanksgiving: Italian Wedding Cookies!

papi requested these italian wedding cookies for thanksgiving without knowing that what he really wanted was french macarons.

doesn't really matter because i got a fancy new camera (Nikon D5100) and wanted to take a picture of anything and EVERYTHING!

aren't they pretty??? i have a lot more to edit, but i really wanted to share them with you!


for those wanting to make them - i did it differently this time. Instead of rolling out the cookie dough, which i'm terrible at, i used my hands to roll little balls of dough and flatten them with my palm. i then pressed them into the sprinkles before i baked them.  to make sure they were all the same size, i used two things - a mini muffin tin and a whoopie pie mold. both small circular shapes. keep in mind that using this method will make them a bit thicker and require a few extra minutes of baking. also - dont be an idiot like myself, and make sure to remember to poke holes in the cookies with a fork prior to baking. after baking, assemble the same way.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies!!

HOLY WOW!!! you guys!! you HAVE to make this cookie for your thanksgiving spread!

this is the ultimate come back from my baking hiatus! i finally figured out how to use my damn gas oven, and i'm pumped! these cookies are soft little pillows from heaven, and i swear by that. i didnt bother with icing - and the cookies were still ah-mazzzinggg!

i randomly got stressed out that i had unused pumpkin in my pantry, and immediately googled "easy pumpkin cookie recipe" - i kid you not, this was the first recipe that i saw that was on a blog and clicked on it. turns out, the recipe was super easy, super quick, and super delicious (and i had all the ingredients in the house already - hi, my name is madeleine and i am a food hoarder!). google for the win!!

Old fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

{via *Very Best Baking}

"Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely"

how easy is that?? i highly suggest getting a cookie scoop thinger for this, i had to use an actual teaspoon and it sucked because its a fairly sticky batter!

Enjoy!

Be Happy

{photos via *Life love laughter tumblr}

hey guys its me, i still suck at blogging!

i thought i'd say hi and tell you that i have a few great recipes to share with you. we'll see when i get the motivation to post them!

in the meantime, follow me:

on twitter: @madeleinefuster

on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/madeleinefuster/

add me on bloglovin': http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/2295609/a-big-to-do

or just follow my blog over there to the right ---->>> see that there. do it.

i'm funny on twitter & sparkly on pinterest - do it!

Toddlers & Tiaras: Ultimate Grand Supreme Beauty Queen

toddler is gettin' SASSY!

oh hey metro lines!! (you wouldnt get it unless you lived or travel to DC) :)

just a toddler on the metro

at whitlows with my loves!

had NO idea that this was a bar and not a stage!

night #2 :) love my girls!

ghostbusters came to save me hahahaha

ULTIMATE GRAND SUPREME TITLE HAS NOW BEEN PASSED DOWN TO MY SISTER. its a sad day for everyone in the Madeleine Fuster Fan Club.