Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

*1/2 cup or equal portions of cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, shredded mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese
*Add about 1 tsp dijon mustard
*dash salt and pepper
*chopped red onion
*Add chopped artichoke hearts
*chopped fresh spinach
*2 laughing cow cheese triangles ;)

Bake 350 degrees for about 15 min or in crock pot until hot

*Can also be served cold

Creamy Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is delicious..don't be discouraged by some of the ingredients.. this recipe does take some time to prepare, but well worth it! Props to Shelle Clouse for this recipe :)

2 bags of color rotini or bow tie pasta (cooked and cooled) add a little olive oil so they don't stick
2-3 cups mayo
2-3 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4-6 Tbsp red wine vinegar recipe or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sliced black olives or more
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 cup red bell peppers (opt)
sliced salami
chopped red onion
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
4-6 Tbsp garlic
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Mix ingredients well and enjoy!

let the red wine vinegar recipe sit in an air tight container at room temp for about 2 weeks prior

Red Wine Vinegar recipe:

basil
oregano
rosemary
thyme
bay leaves
garlic
orange peel
peppercorn pepper
Red Wine Vinegar
mix herbs 1:1 with about 2 cups vinegar

Orzo Pesto Salad

1 bag of orzo pasta about 1/2 jar classico pesto sauce/spread (more or less to your liking)
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
red onion, green onion, parsley, cilantro
feta cheese crumbles

chop the onions and fresh herbs, set aside. Cook the bag of orzo pasta with italian seasoning in the water..until al dente. drain and rinse in cold water. add the pesto sauce and mix.. start adding about 1:2 ratio of the olive oil and vinegar (1 being the vinegar and 2 the oil)..start with about a tablespoon and go from there to acheive the consistency and acidity you prefer. add the onions and herbs and mix in feta cheese crumbles

*store in fridge the night before a party and the flavors kick in even more! just make sure you check consistency to see if you need to add any more oil & vinegar.

(again I appologize I don't have exact measurements.. I invented this recipe just last week for Easter and wanted to see if everyone liked it before I wrote it down as a recipe)

Bolinhos

This is a common appetizer or side dish in Brasil. Very easy to make!
First, you make some mashed potatoes. I assume everyone can make mashed potatoes, but if not..here you go :
cut and peel potatoes and boil. I use a masher I got from Brasil, but you can mash them however you please. I like to mash them so they are fine and creamy. Add milk, sour cream, and garlic salt...mix. Let cool.
Dough:
mix cooled mashed potatoes with flour until you get a dough like consistency. Roll into long strips, that looks like a long snake. cut into 1/2in to 1 in balls..add a little more flour to coat the balls. Heat oil in a fryer. Add a few balls and wait until golden brown, add parmesan cheese and COMER BEM!

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

This spinach salad recipe is the best I've come by and everyone loves it!
(this recipe is thanks to a girl named Tara)
Poppy Seed Dressing:
1c olive oil

2/3c apple cider vinegar

1tsp salt

3/4c sugar

2tsp poppy seed

*blend ingredients in blender/hand mixer for about 3 minutes..add poppy seed last and pulse in.
Salad
1 bag spinach

1/2 red onion

feta cheese

1-2 avacados

red or yellow grape tomatoes

carmelized slivered almonds:

add about 1 1/2 c almonds to 1c sugar and roast on pan on med heat on the stove until sugar carmelizes. stir frequently then place on wax paper to cool. one cool, break up and add to salad!

add desired amount of dressing to prepared salad and you will be in heaven :)

Cheese Ball

Ok I'm sure most of you know how to make a cheese ball.. but I figured I'd post it in case you don't! they are super easy and fast

depending on the size of your ball you want, I used 2 packages of cream cheese (fat free..no one can even tell). add 2 triangles of laughing cow swiss cheese(they are in the cheese isle in a small round container), parsley, 1/2 packet of ranch dip seasoning (I like to use Gonga Breath brand), shredded cheddar cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese (keep adding the cheese until you get an even mix)..mix ingredients until well blended. Roll up your cheeses in a ball and roll in crushed walnuts (or whatever nuts you like). wrap in cellophane and store in fridge. serve with crackers.. like wheat thins or crackers hard enough to spread the cheese on it.

Broccoli Salad

This dish is visually appealing and surprisingly delicious! I made it for the first time for some friends at a BBQ.
Ingredients:
1 broccoli head

cherries (or even grapes)

carrots

feta cheese

pine nuts

red onion

salami

apple cider vinegar

sugar

mayonnaise

salt & pepper

Cut up the broccoli head into small florets, put in bowl. cut off the stem and slice into thin slivers (make sure you shave the outer layer of the broccoli stem first, leaves, etc). cut up a few carrots into thin slivers, add to bowl. cut red cherries; cutting around the seed (you should get 3-4 slices out of each cherry). dice up about 1/3 of a red onion. Add about 1 cut of feta cheese. Slice salami into strips and add to bowl.
Dressing:
Add about 2 large spoonfuls of mayonnaise. Then, add about 2-3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Add about 1-2 tbsp of sugar. Mix well, then grind a few pinches of salt and pepper to taste.
(sorry, these measurements may not be exact, you have to add wet ingredients on how they look according to how much dry ingredients you have...hope that makes sense)