Green Onion Cheeseball

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 green onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Form mixture into a ball and roll in sliced almonds.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.


THM - Serve with non-starchy veggies.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings

3 lbs chicken wings
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup salted butter
4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 250F and place a baking rack over a baking sheet lined with foil. Spray rack with non-stick spray to prevent sticking.

Pat wings dry very well. Sprinkle with baking powder, salt, and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Lay wings in a single layer on prepared baking rack and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 425F and continue to bake for another 30 minutes, until crispy. Transfer to a large bowl.

Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the garlic. Pour over the chicken wings and sprinkle with the parmesan. Toss well to coat.


Note: Can fry wings instead of bake, use same sauce recipe.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

24 large mushrooms, stems removed, or more as needed
1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Hollow out each mushroom cap, reserve stem and chop slightly.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage, onion, and reserved mushroom stems in hot skillet until sausage is browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and discard grease; return sausage mixture to skillet.

Stir 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley into sausage mixture. Cook and stir until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stuff each mushroom cap with sausage mixture and place on a baking sheet.

Bake stuffed mushrooms in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 ounce Parmesan cheese over mushrooms and serve.

*Next time try adding a little cream cheese

THM - replace bread crumbs with an extra 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)
1 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and hot pepper sauce until well blended. Mix in the Ranch dressing, chicken and Cheddar cheese. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. If oil collects on the top, dab it off using a paper towel. Serve with tortilla chips.

THM - S serve with non-starchy veggies or pork rinds.

Sausage Dip

1 pound sausage
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

In a large skillet, cook sausage over a medium heat until it is browned and cooked through.

Mix tomatoes and cream cheese into the skillet. Stir and continue cooking the mixture over a medium heat until the cheese has melted.

THM - Serve with non-starchy veggies or pork rinds.

Ranch Cheese Ball

2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ pkg ranch dressing mix, or 2 Tablespoons homemade ranch mix

Allow cream cheese to soften. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and ranch dressing mix. Form into a ball on a serving plate. Serve with crackers.


THM - S - Serve with non-starchy veggies.

Shrimp Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 quart half and half
½ cup butter
4 ounces shallots, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained rinsed and roughly chopped
1 pound raw shrimp, 61-70 count, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces spinach, washed, stemmed and  julienne cut (1 bunch)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 dashes paprika
2-3 packages French bread loaves

In a medium stock pot, heat half and half over a medium heat, stirring frequently, do not allow to boil.

In a large, high sided skillet, sauté butter and shallots over medium heat until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add the flour to the butter/shallot/garlic mixture mixing until all the flour is absorbed by the butter and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly.

Slowly add the heated half and half, to the shallot mix, stirring constantly, making sure there are no lumps.

Continue stirring while bringing the mixture to a slow boil and cook for three minutes stirring constantly. 

Add the artichokes, shrimp, cayenne, sea salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil. Cook for an additional 3 minutes until shrimp are thoroughly cooked stirring constantly so the mixture doesn’t scorch.  Stir in the mozzarella cheese and cook until cheese is melted, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the spinach and parmesan cheese.  Mix well until spinach is wilted.  Check for seasoning and adjust if needed. Transfer to either one large baking pan or two smaller pans.

If making this ahead, allow to cool, cover and store in refrigerator overnight.  Pull out of fridge 30 minutes before baking.

Top a couple of dashes of paprika for color and bake at 375 degrees until bubbling and heated through.

Serve with bias cut French bread.

Note -- I still make this but skip the first five ingredients.  I make my own alfredo sauce by simmering 2 cups of cream with 1 tsp minced garlic until it thickens then adding the other ingredients.

THM - S - With changes listed in note.  Serve with non-starchy veggies.