The classic dip combination of spinach and artichokes in an Alfredo base, with Italian and cream cheese and crabmeat.

Alfredo Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Crab

We're kind of in that awkward stage of food seasons down here along the Gulf Coast. Summer is gone from the calendar and mostly along with all the great summer vegetables, and though fall has arrived, the weather here can get a little wacky. Some days cooler, then others downright summerlike.

One thing is for certain this time of year though.

Tis the season for football and football means appetizers and snacks! Sandwiches, wings, meatballs, gumbo, chilis, soups, snacks, a wide variety of finger foods and dips, of course! You can grab up some ideas by tapping on those categories, or right here at this link.

A classic spinach casserole based on Spinach Madeleine, made with spinach, sauteed vegetables and a simple, cheesy cream sauce.

Spinach Madeleine Bake - My Way

Known by a couple of names with some variations - Spinach Madeline, Calhoun's Spinach Maria, Spinach Supreme, Spinach Justine, Spinach Gratin, Spinach Pauline, Spinach Dorinne, or just simply Spinach Bake - if you enjoy spinach you're sure to like this.

It's really a basic skillet dish made of spinach, seasonings, some kind of cheese, half and half, milk, or heavy cream, sometimes eggs and is sometimes topped with cheese or buttered bread crumbs. Each recipe has its own unique twist and variation. I've even seen one recipe that uses phyllo! Spinach Madeline is a holiday favorite for sure - be sure to double the recipe!

Chicken Florentine with Mushrooms

Chicken breasts, pan seared or grilled, atop a bed of pasta with mushrooms and spinach in a cheesy Mornay cream sauce.

Chicken Florentine

You've probably seen Chicken Florentine recipes before, though there sure seems to be a wide variation on how it's made. While chicken and spinach are typically involved, sometimes seafood or even eggs, in a version similar to eggs Benedict, are substituted.

Some serve the chicken in layers over a bed of spinach with a Mornay sauce poured over that, topped with cheese and baked. More often it's simply cooked in the skillet. Some add pasta or mashed potatoes and top it off with sliced, cooked chicken and spoon the sauce on top. Some include mushrooms and some are prepared with a tomato based sauce. Some are creamy, and some even shortcut the sauce with cream soup, typically cream of mushroom.

Spinach Smoothie Green Drink, Clean(er) Eating and the Year in Review

 

Clean(er) eating, the year in review and my favorite Spinach Smoothie Green Drink

Clean(er) Eating and the Year in Review

Don't worry... that "cleaner eating" thing doesn't mean we're changing our website and recipes, and I'll explain on down the post, but I do want to first say Happy New Year y'all!

I hope you got in your traditional Southern New Year foods by now - or whatever is customary where you live - and I truly wish you much health, wealth and happiness in 2016. Yes, this is my first post of the new year - mostly because, well... I've been spending time with my family, my grandkids, the animal kingdom, and my favorite 3-Rs... relaxing, resting and reading.

 

Fresh baby spinach, blanched then chopped and cooked with butter, cream and a light sprinkle of shredded cheese. Garnish with chopped or sliced, hard-boiled eggs.

Creamed Spinach

This recipe is only going to appeal to the spinach lovers passing by, but if you enjoy fresh spinach like I do, and you haven't had the opportunity to try it creamed this way, you really don't know what you're missing.

I have always loved spinach. Fresh in salads, frozen, canned, doesn't matter to me. In soups, casseroles, and dips, sauteed in a skillet with a little butter, nothing like it. But... oh how much I love it creamed, especially with a beef entree, making it perfect for a holiday side dish.

My Way Spinach Bake and The Original Spinach Madeline

A classic spinach casserole based on Spinach Madeleine, a simple spin on Creamed Spinach, typically made with spinach, sauteed vegetables and a white sauce.

The original Nevill recipe starts with making a roux, and then adds in 1/2 cup evaporated milk, with 1/2 cup of the liquor from squeezing out the spinach. It also called for the now discontinued Kraft garlic cheese roll {or the also discontinued jalapeno roll, depending on which "original" recipe you are endeared to.

Grilled or Roasted Vegetable Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Seasonal vegetables, roasted or grilled, make a perfect spinach salad when served with a warm bacon dressing.

Roasted Vegetable Spinach Salad

This is the other salad I promised you the back when I posted those summer salads recently, and boy was it worth the wait. With the weather being so hot, I have been in the salad mode and was thinking that I had not posted a spinach salad.

Then I thought... why not take some of the great summer vegetables that are beginning to come in right now - summer squash, corn, asparagus, peppers, green beans, and tomatoes, to name a few - and incorporate them into a classic-style spinach salad!

And then, I thought... one of the best ways to bring out the flavors of vegetables is to roast them, and well, this salad was born. And, it did not disappoint.

 

Classic spinach and artichoke dip, made with spinach, cream cheese, mayonnaise, Monterey Jack cheese, garlic, canned artichokes and Knorr seasonings is always a crowd pleaser for any gathering.

Classic Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Another long-time party favorite! You know, I actually see kids diving into this dip at parties.

I prefer to still use the old school recipe using the Knorr vegetable mix (#ad) for seasoning because I think it's the best, but for more of an Applebees copycat or other variations, be sure to check out the variation in the recipe cook's notes too