Savory Pumpkin Dishes

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

First and foremost, let me come out and say pumpkin is a winter squash.

It has come to my attention that many people don’t realize this, and they think pumpkin is just for pies and lattes. But actually, pumpkin is one of my favorite ingredients for savory dishes this time of year.

The smooth texture is great for sauces and soups, not to mention, it's packed full of nutrients like potassium, Vitamin C, and fiber.

It pairs very well with sage, smoked paprika, ginger, and cayenne, among other spices.

Spicy Sausage Pumpkin Gnocchi
Ingredients

• 2 pounds gnocchi
• 16 ounces spicy sausage
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup half-and-half (or heavy cream)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add gnocchi, stirring gently so they don’t all stick together. Cook gnocchi for about 2 minutes, or until they start to rise to the surface.
2. Drain gnocchi. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together and set aside.
3. Brown sausage in skillet; drain fat and set aside.
4. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of saucepan and heat at medium heat. Sauté garlic and sage in saucepan for about 1 minute.
5. Add cream cheese and heat until melted.
6. Add pumpkin puree, half-and-half, parmesan cheese, smoked paprika and chili powder. Stir until thoroughly combined and simmer on low for several minutes.
7. Gently fold gnocchi and sausage into sauce until combined.
8. Serve warm and garnish with toasted walnuts and more parmesan cheese if desired.

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tahini 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Pulse lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and salt together in a food processor or blender until smooth. 
2. Add garbanzo beans and olive oil and pulse until smooth. 
3. Add pumpkin, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper; pulse until well blended. Transfer hummus to bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. When ready to serve, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle additional smoked paprika on top.

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Bacon Buffalo Chicken Tachos

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I am feeling very refreshed this morning after a nice, relaxing weekend. Do you ever just crave ordinary weekends? I often have an Energizer Bunny mentality and “keep going and going and going,” so it felt good to move at a much slower pace on Saturday.

The top item on my “to do” list this weekend was visit a farmers market. I have been guilty of not visiting any of the incredible ones the Indianapolis area has to offer, so William and I biked to the Garfield Park Farmers Market.

Garfield Park is just a little south of Indianapolis, not far from Fountain Square. The park is huge and absolutely beautiful. They also have a beautiful conservatory with an incredible garden.

The farmers market is just past that. They had about 30 vendors, ranging from local farmers to local artisans. We picked up some beet hummus (I like that it’s PINK!) and peach Sriracha jam.

Have you heard of “Tachos”? Essentially, they’re nachos, but tater tots replace the tortilla chips. I’ve seen them popping up more and more lately, and I have been tempted to create my own version.

Since today is Bacon Lover’s Day AND the home opener for the Colts preseason game, I decided to experiment with a bacon buffalo chicken version. Wow. Talk about game day comfort food at its finest.

I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Sometimes my diet is a victim of my creations. But you only live once, right?

Bacon Buffalo Chicken Tachos
Ingredients

• 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen tater tots
• 2 cups shredded chicken (I just used all white meat from one rotisserie chicken)
• 1 cup Buffalo wing sauce
• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing (can be replaced with ranch or omitted completely if you don’t like blue cheese)
• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
• Abut 6 green onions, chopped (add more or less depending on taste preference)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying it with nonstick spray.
2. Spread entire bag of tater tots on baking sheet in single layer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
3. While tater tots are cooking, combine shredded chicken with buffalo sauce, butter, and garlic powder.
4. Remove tater tots from oven and place in cast iron skillet, casserole dish or pie dish.
5. Cover with shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. Place back in oven until cheese is melted, or about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and top with blue cheese dressing, bacon, blue cheese crumbles and green onion.

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Avocado Bacon Wontons

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

If you’ve been walking around planet Earth the past few years, you probably know that avocados are essentially the mascot of millennials. When is the last time you’ve been to a brunch spot and not seen a young person dining on avocado toast?

Fortunately, avocados are incredibly nutritious. Avocado is primarily fat, but it’s healthy fat that reduces inflammation and prevents the negative effects of aging.

My goal this week was to create a recipe that wasn’t a “health food,” but it also wouldn’t ruin your diet. Say hello to my newest creation: Avocado Bacon Wontons.

Some of you may be fans of The Cheesecake Factory’s avocado egg roll appetizers. That was the inspiration behind my ideas for these wontons. Except I knew I wanted to bake (not fry them), add cream cheese like a crab rangoon, and also include bacon because the saltiness is a good compliment to the avocado.

The most fun part of making these wontons is folding the wonton wrapper. The most basic shape is to fold the wrapper into a triangle. But my favorite shape is make a “flower bud.” I think it looks nice and it’s easier to pop the whole thing in your mouth. To do that, you for a triangle after sticking a teaspoon of filling in the center. Then roll the base (hypotenuse) of the triangle up halfway and bring the 2 sides together so they overlap. Squeeze them together so it sticks.

The trick to baking them so they become crispy like a fried wonton is to put a cooling rack over a baking sheet, spray the wontons with avocado oil (high burn point), and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then take the baking sheet out of the oven, turn the broiler on high, and stick the baking sheet back in for no longer than a minute.

I just so happened to choose a recipe this week that focused on my hands, so I could show off the very special addition to my left ring finger. I am very excited to announce that William proposed to me last week at my favorite place, Mackinac Island. And with that, he has officially sealed the deal as my official taste-tester! It’s a position that lasts ’til death do us part!

Avocado Bacon Wontons
Yield: About 40 wontons
Ingredients

• 2 large avocados, skin and pit removed
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 5 pieces of bacon, crumbled
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, diced with seeds removed
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
• Salt to taste or about 1 teaspoon
• 40 wonton wrappers
• Avocado oil spray (or another oil spray)
• Sweet chili or teriyaki sauce for dipping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine avocados, cream cheese, bacon, cup red onion, cheddar cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt in large bowl
3. Take 1 wonton wrapper and position it like a diamond with one point facing you. Dampen edges with water using pastry brush.
4. Put 1 teaspoon (no more!) of avocado filling in center, and fold the wonton wrapper so it’s a triangle. Pinch the edges to seal, making sure to squeeze out any excess air in the process.
5. Fold hypotenuse of wonton triangle up halfway and bring the two edges on either side together. Pinch to close. It may take some practice, but it should look like a flower bud.
6. Position baking rack on top of foil-lined baking sheet, and place wontons on rack. Spray generously with avocado oil spray.
7. Place in oven and bake for about 9 to 10 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown. Turn on broiler and bake for an additional minute.
8. Remove from oven and serve with sweet chili sauce, teriyaki sauce, or your favorite sauce. They’re best right when they come out of the oven. If you plan to reheat, do so in oven to ensure they retain crispiness.

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Strawberry Salsa

You all will not believe the birden (yes, I spelled it that way for a reason) I faced while trying to make this strawberry salsa.

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend William installed an herb garden on my patio, and it has been a dream. I don’t know how I lived without it. It’s been so much easier to incorporate herbs in my cooking.

I was very excited to use my homegrown cilantro for this strawberry salsa, however, was greeted with an unpleasant surprise when I stepped onto my patio: aggressive birds.

The sweet blue birds I thought were visiting me à la Cinderella were actually protecting a nest they so conveniently built in the corner of my porch. So when I stepped outside, the birds all started diving at me. It was truly terrifying. And the worst part is they don’t seem to be the least bit afraid of humans. When I yell at them to move, they just look at me. In fact, I would go as far to say they taunt me! I thought playing hawk sounds on my phone would help, but it did not.

So I put in a request with maintenance to have the nest removed. Unfortunately, it only made the problem worse. Now the aggressive birds are real life angry birds. And now there are about 8 of them that continue to swoop at my sliding door and look inside, like they’re devising a plan to enter and attack me. Also, I think they’re starting to build a new nest above my patio door. So that’s wonderful.

But I have GREAT news. If you don’t have to dodge angry birds trying to take your head off, this recipe is extremely easy with just a handful of ingredients. And guess what — if you don’t like one of the ingredients, just omit it!

Strawberry Salsa
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound strawberries, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced (for more heat, leave in seeds)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice (about the equivalent of juice from one lime)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and serve! Would be great with tortilla chips or served or chicken and fish. I like to serve with blue corn tortilla chips because I think it looks patriotic.
2. This is best the day it’s made otherwise the strawberries start to get mushy.

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Kentucky Bourbon Chex Mix

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

It's official: I have confirmed that I am indeed a crazy person. On Sunday, I signed up to run my first half marathon, the Indy 500 Mini Marathon. But here's the thing, the race is this Saturday! So clearly, I didn't train for it, other than my daily Orange Theory class. Oh yeah, and you know how I said this is my first half marathon? Well, what I really meant to say was this is my first race of any kind ever. Like I've never even done a 5K before. And by the way, all of this is in the midst of me preparing for a presentation and a final exam for my last required anatomy and physiology class.

So like I said, I am indeed a crazy person! Although, I probably didn't need to convince you.

Speaking of races, the Kentucky Derby is also this Saturday. I'm clearly not going but I wanted to make a Kentucky Derby-themed recipe. But I also wanted the recipe to be appealing to those who aren't interested in the Derby.

Let me introduce you to this Kentucky Bourbon Chex Mix! Party mixes are always a win in my book, and this one is particularly addicting. The flavors are unique, but they all work very well together. And can I just mention for a second that this is so incredible easy to make. Skills required include microwaving and mixing. That's pretty much it!

Kentucky Bourbon Chex Mix
Ingredients

• 2 cups Corn Chex
• 2 cups Rice Chex
• 2 cups Wheat Chex
• 1 cup pretzels
• 1 cup bagel chips
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup bacon bits or cooked, crumbled bacon
• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3-4 Tablespoons bourbon, depending on taste preference
• 1 teaspoon chipotle seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and prepare 2 baking sheets by either spraying it with nonstick spray or by lining it with parchment paper
2. Mix together Chex cereals, pretzels, bagel chips, pecans, and bacon bits.
3. Combine butter, brown sugar, and honey in microwave safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds, or until mixture is completely melted.
4. Wait 2 minutes for it to slightly cool, and add bourbon and chipotle seasoning.
5. Pour sauce over dry ingredients and stir to combine
6. Distribute mixture evenly between 2 baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

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Ravioli Nachos

Today is National Ravioli Day, but I'm sure you already knew that... right?! I'm sharing a very unique recipe on FOX59 News​... ravioli nachos! I already know some people are thinking, "What the heck. Why would you do this? Nachos are already delicious." But you know what, ravioli is also delicious. And if you toast them in the oven, you basically have the equivalent of a cheese-stuffed chip, and I never turn down anything stuffed with cheese.

Nachos are, of course, a very popular game day snack, and this ravioli version is just a little heartier and a little carbier (not a word, but it should be). With the NCAA tournament currently going on, this would be a great snack to watch your favorite team.

I started by toasting the ravioli to make ravioli "chips." There are a couple of ways to do this, but I found my favorite way by trial and error. First step: cook the ravioli per package directions. So I cooked these in boiling water on the stove for about 3 minutes. Then I tossed them with a little olive oil and salt, and I laid them out on a baking sheet. The olive oil is actually very important. I found them to be quite rubbery without the olive oil. Then you bake them at a very high temperature -- 425 degrees for 12 minutes.

Once you're done baking the ravioli chips, just load them up like nachos on the baking sheet. You're going to want to melt the cheese though, so it's important that the first toppings you add to your nachos can be heated. For example, I added bean, jalapenos and olives first before adding the cheese. Then I stuck it back in the oven so the cheese melted.

Then you'll want to add your fresh food items, like tomato, pico de gallo, green onion, etc.

Also, while I was focused on turning ravioli into nachos, I came up with another great nacho idea -- pizza nachos!

You start the same way with the toasted ravioli, but then you add pizza toppings on top, like sausage, green pepper, olives, tomatoes, and pepperoni; then that's all covered in pizza sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, with a little oregano. And top it off with a little basil.

Ravioli Nachos
Ingredients

• 1 (20 ounce) package ravioli
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Toppings of your choice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cook ravioli in boiling water for about 3 minutes
3. Drain and dry ravioli and toss with olive oil and salt
4. Space ravioli out evenly on baking sheet and bake for  about 12 minutes or until they start to turn golden
5. Remove from oven and add toppings like meat, beans, jalapenos, and cheese
6. Put back in oven for about 3 minutes, or until cheese has melted
7. Add additional toppings and serve

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Italian Pesto Sandwiches for a Crowd

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I love sandwiches so much. I could seriously eat one every day. Oh wait, I do! That’s right, I have a turkey sandwich every day for lunch and I never get tired of it.

In case you're curious, my sandwich that I've ever eaten was in Charleston at a restaurant called the Tattooed Moose. Next time you find yourself in South Carolina, definitely go there. They have a sandwich called "The Thanksgiving Sammy," and it's essentially Thanksgiving din ner between two slices of bread. It's served with a side of gravy for dipping because you're in the south, and that's how they do it.

The only thing better than a single sandwich is more sandwiches. So I’m sharing a recipe that makes 12 sandwiches at the same time. Actually, depending on the rolls you buy, you could actually make up to 18 sandwiches at the same. So you can either share them with friends or eat them all by yourself.

The concept is really easy -- just take the rolls out of the bag and while keeping them together slide a knife through the middle of them. Place the bottom halves of the buns in a pan, and just pile on whatever meats, cheeses, and toppings you like best.

Add the top of the buns to the sandwiches and coat generally with melted garlic butter. Could you skip this step? Absolutely. But the sandwiches won't be nearly as good. I only use Challenge Butter in this recipe because I know they use the freshest real milk, cream, and natural ingredients for a pure, superior taste.

Once your sandwiches are ready, stick them in the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt. And that's it! So good!

You can, of course, customize the sandwiches with any meats, toppings, and rolls your like. My personal favorite is Italian meats with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.

Italian Pesto Sandwiches for a Crowd
Yield: Makes 12 sandwiches
Ingredients

• 1 package (12-count) King's Hawaiian Rolls
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1/2 pound ham
• 1/4 pound salami
• 1/4 pound pepperoni
• 1/4 pound provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 4 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. While keeping the rolls in tact, cut them in half. Place the bottom half of the rolls in a 9x13 pan. Evenly spread pesto on bottom half of rolls.
3. Layer ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. Place top half of rolls over everything.
4. Combine melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in small bowl. Brush butter mixture over top of rolls.
5. Bake sandwiches for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. If the tops of the rolls start to turn brown, cover with aluminum foil.
6. Cut individual rolls with a sharp knife and serve.

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Pizza on a Stick

Oh pizza. Pizza is such a big weakness for so many people—myself included. But it doesn’t always have to be completely unhealthy.

The recipe I came up with for pizza on a stick is low in fat and loaded with veggies.

As I’ve mentioned before on my blog, I am currently going to school to become a registered dietitian. And even though a lot of the recipes I share on my blog are desserts and other indulgent treats, I am very passionate about childhood nutrition.

I obviously don’t have any children of my own, but I’ve been around enough kids to understand the struggle parents face when trying to get them to eat nutritious foods.

Fortunately, there are certain “tricks” to making vegetables and other healthy foods more appealing. One way is to get kids involved with the preparation of the meal. This pizza on a stick recipe is a great way to do that because kids will enjoy sticking the veggies and meats onto the skewers.

Also, it’s a lot more enjoyable for kids to eat food off a stick rather than a pile on their plate. And as you can imagine, anything is infinitely more fun when you attach the word “pizza” to it.

This recipe would also be great as an appetizer for a party because you can grab one and eat it while standing up and chatting.

Pizza on a Stick

Yield: Makes 8 pizzas on a stick

Ingredients

• 1 (13.8 ounce) tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 16 cherry or grape tomatoes
• 8 small mushrooms, sliced in half
• 6 sausage links, cut in thirds
• 1 (7-ounce) package pepperoni
• 1 large red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoons oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; if you are using wooden skewers as opposed to metal skewers, soak them in cold water while you prepare the ingredients.
2. Unroll pizza dough onto flat surface and use pizza cutter to cut dough lengthwise into 8 equal strips.
3. Pierce 1 tomato, 1 mushroom, 1 sausage, 1 or a few pepperoni, 1 pepper, and 1 onion onto skewer. Repeat process so there are 2 of each on the skewer.
4. Spiral-wrap dough around each skewer, securing in place by piercing dough on either end.
5. Repeat process for each skewer until no pizza dough remains.
6. Place skewers onto prepared baking and sprinkle mozzarella cheese and oregano on top.
7. Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until pizza dough begins to turn golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and serve with pizza sauce or pesto.

 Recipe adapted from My Turn for Us

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Slow Cooker Big Mac Dip

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

The Big Mac is an iconic American food consisting of "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun." And we all know the sauce is what makes the Big Mac so special.

For years, the sauce recipe was a big secret, but now if you search "Big Mac sauce recipe" online, it yields nearly two million results. It's the contrasting sweet and tangy flavors that make it taste so good. That's why I decided it would make a perfect dip!



Chips and dip are my favorite part of parties, and they're a great centerpiece for social interactions.

I decided to make this a slow cooker recipe for several reasons. If you use  a slow cooker, you don't need to do worry about prep work or mixing because everything just melts together. Also, you can take the slow cooker with you to the party to keep your dip warm.

This dip is thick and meaty and could double as a meal. Not necessarily a healthy meals. But a good splurge meal nonetheless.

I used tortilla chips as my dipper, but you can definitely use any kind of chip. Actually, I saw these dill pickle-flavored potato chips recently that I really want to try with it next!



Slow Cooker Big Mac Dip
Yield: Comfortably serves 6 to 8 people
Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound Velveeta 
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced and seeded 
• 1/4 cup onion, diced (you can add more if you like a lot of onion)
• 1/2 cup French dressing
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Directions

1. Brown ground beef in skillet and drain; add to slow cooker
2. Cut Velveeta into small cubes and add to slow cooker
3. Add cream cheese, tomatoes, French dressing, relish, and vinegar to slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour or on low for about 3 hours
5. Stir and serve with chips

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Spinach Artichoke Pretzel Skillet

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Dips are undoubtedly the heart of every Super Bowl party. If you search the definition of Super Bowl in Merriam Webster, the actual definition is “an excuse to have a party with lots of dips.”

But with so many people bringing dips to your Super Bowl party, how do you make your dip stand out?

Your cast iron skillet is currently in the back of your cupboard raising it’s hand and saying “Pick me! Pick me!” That’s right—a cast iron skillet is the secret to transforming an ordinary dip into the coolest appetizer at the party.

Cast iron skillets have obviously been around for centuries. But I’ve noticed that they have become very very popular in the past year. They are extremely versatile, and I love that the skillet is used as both the baking dish and the presentation dish.

I made my first dip with a cast iron skillet last month and it was a huge hit. My favorite part about the Spicy Cheese Pretzel Skillet is that the dip and the pretzels baked together in the same skillet. The soft pretzels were extremely easy to make (store bought biscuit dough for the win), and ultimately that’s what made the dish look deceptively stunning. So I decided to try the same concept with this skillet artichoke spinach dip. The creamy and cheesy dip with baked-in pretzel dippers is what dreams are made of.

In my last skillet post I went into great details about the science behind homemade soft pretzels. So this week, I’m going into great detail about the best practices for taking care of your cast iron skillet.

First of all, the best time to clean your cast iron skillet is immediately after using it. You can’t be a set-aside-to-soak kind of person. Soaking the skillet is one of the worst things you can do to it because it will rust.

Instead, immediately after you’ve removed all the food from it, wash your skillet by hand using a sponge or a stiff, non-wire brush. Don’t use soap! If there is food stuck to the pan that won’t come off with water, scrub it with a mixture of salt and hot water.

Completely, dry our skillet immediately after you’ve finished washing it so it doesn’t rust. I recommend heating the pan over your stovetop burner on high for about 5 minutes to ensure it’s completely dry.

After drying, add a thin layer of oil to the pan to keep it well-seasoned.

Store your cast iron skillet with a paper towel on it to absorb any moisture and protect it from dust.

I realize this entire post is about cast iron skillets, but I do want to point out that you can still make this delicious dip as well as the pretzel bites without a cast iron skillet. Just bake the dip in an oven safe dish and bake the pretzel bites separately on a baking sheet.

Or if pretzels aren’t your thing, you could buy a big loaf of bread, hollow it out to make a bread bowl, and then use the inside scraps to dip—similar to what I did with this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed French Bread. Enjoy and Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Spinach Artichoke Pretzel Skillet

Ingredients

For the dip

• 4 cups baby spinach
• 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dill
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce

For the pretzel bites

• 1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 Tablespoons water for brushing on dough)
• Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

For the dip

1. Place spinach in a bowl with 1 Tablespoon water and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute; leave covered 15 minutes to cool. Drain spinach well and add to medium bowl.
3. Chop artichoke hearts and add to bowl.
4. Add remaining dip ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the pretzel bites

1. Generously oil or butter your cast iron skillet.
2. Open can of biscuit dough, cut each pre-sliced biscuit into quarters, and roll into balls; set aside.
3. Bring water and baking soda to a boil in a small saucepan. Drop biscuit dough into boiling water and let cook for one minute. Remove biscuit dough from water with slotted spoon and transfer to cast iron skillet, forming a ring along the inside edge.
4. Brush biscuits with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Transfer spinach artichoke dip to center of skillet.
6. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown and dip is bubbly.
7. Let skillet cool about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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