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A little taste of wonderful :)

We were invited to some friends' house for Easter dinner this year and signed up to bring an appetizer and a dessert.  Like my earlier posts on appetizers I will reiterate that I love signing up for appetizers because it gives me the perfect opportunity to make a new recipe that I wouldn't have otherwise made.  But when I realized someone else had already signed up to bring deviled eggs I was crushed.  For this was the recipe I had planned to "wow" people with.  I searched for something different.... then got the text.... Deviled egg maker #1 was sick and wouldn't be making it to dinner.  Would I mind making the eggs in her absence...

Would I mind? I was secretly beside myself.  Shrimp and Bacon Deviled Eggs would make their debut! And much to my expectation, they were everything I imagined and more...

*recipe modified from Cooking Light*

Shrimp and Bacon Deviled Eggs

8 hard boiled large eggs, peeled
2 tablespoons instant potato flakes
1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup salad shrimp chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons Real Bacon Bits (not the fake granular kind)

Cut eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks.  Place 4-5 yolks in a medium bowl; reserve remaining yolks for another use (crumble over a salad?) Add potato flakes and next five ingredients (through pepper); stir well.  Stir in shrimp and parsley.  Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon yolk mixture into each egg white half.  Sprinkle with bacon.

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I frequently pull out and file recipes for yummy looking appetizers and then have no excuse to ever try them out. For this reason I was ecstatic when my friend, Molly, invited us to her home for New Year's Eve and announced that it would be an "appetizer party", asking if I'd be willing to contribute to the menu. WOULD I?? I immediately ran to my recipe file, pulling out much anticipated recipes which yielded amazing results.

1 carton (8 oz.) reduced fat spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 green onions finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup Hormel REAL bacon bits, divided

Remove stems from mushrooms using a metal measuring teaspoon to scoop out a small indentation and set caps aside; discard stems. In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, blue cheese, onions, garlic and 1/4 cup bacon bits. Stuff into mushroom caps, a scant tablespoonful in each.

Place in a greased baking pan and sprinkle with remaining bacon bits. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Spinach Cheese Triangles

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 Tbsp butter

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

3 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp. soft bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

12 sheets phyllo dough

Butter-flavored cooking spray

In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in spinach; cook over medium-low heat just until spinach is warmed. Transfer to a large bowl; add the cheeses, eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface with a long side facing you. Keep remaining dough covered to prevent drying out. Spray sheet with butter-flavored cooking spray; cut into 4 (9 x 3.5 inches) equal strips.

Place 1 Tbsp filling on lower corner of each strip. Fold dough over filling, forming a triangle. Fold triangle up then over, forming another triangle. Continue folding, like a flag, until you come to the end of the strip. Spritz end of dough with cooking spray and press onto triangle to seal. Turn triangle and spritz top with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Place triangles on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

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