Summer Parties are Sweeter with Coconut-Pecan Cream Cheese Spread

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

One of my favorite things about summer is all of the cookouts that we get to go to. Nothing beats spending the day with friends and family, sharing stories and laughs over good food. I was just looking at my calendar and realized that every single weekend through June is completely booked for us. It's going to be a really good month! If I'm not the one hosting, I always like to bring a dessert over a side dish, and since a lot of people like to bring pies or cakes, I like to find something unique to add to the table. Cream cheese is a favorite ingredient in a lot of my desserts, so I couldn't wait to try this Coconut-Pecan Cream Cheese Spread I found on Golden Blossom Honey recently. 

The pecans give it a nice crunch and the toasted coconut makes it the perfect summer party dessert. Serve with graham sticks, crackers, vanilla wafers, muffins, or it's even tasty on toast!

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup coconut, toasted*
1/4 cup pecans, chopped

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

What desserts will you be taking to your summer cookouts this year?

Spinach Dip Stuffed Mushrooms

With Thanksgiving happening next week, I have been trying to think of different side dishes to spruce up the menu. Don't get me wrong, I love the potatoes, corn and stuffing, but I like to throw in a new side each year to keep things fresh. When I came across this Spinach Dip Stuffed Mushroom recipe, I knew I had a winner. The recipe originally ran in the Taste of Home magazine, and I changed it up a little to fit my family's tastes. These mushrooms will seriously have your guests saying "Wow!" They are so mouth watering and creamy, they will get gobbled up quicker than the turkey!

Ingredients:

16 large fresh mushrooms
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 TBS olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
3oz cream cheese
1/3 cup shredded, part skim mozzarella cheese
3 TBS Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Remove stems from mushrooms and set caps aside. Discard stems.
In skillet, saute spinach until wilted. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and the spinach mixture. Stuff into the mushroom caps.
 Place in a baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.
Serve warm.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

I don't normally like to share recipes so close together, but since it is Labor Day weekend, I thought it would be ok to post an absolutely delicious dessert recipe that is so super easy to make, and will have your guests asking for more. This is one of my desserts that is requested at every family gathering, and there is never any left over for me to bring home. Which kind of sucks, because then I have to dig around for some late night sweets that aren't nearly as good as this.

(I ran out of pecans, so had to improvise here. The chocolate chips should be mixed in with the cream cheese, and the ball should be covered in the chopped pecans. Or, for those with nut allergies, omit the pecans altogether and put it together as pictured. Either way is oh, so tasty!)

Ingredients:

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of butter (no substitutes), softened
3/4 to 1 cup powder sugar (start with 3/4, add more if needed)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:

In medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in powder sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap, then chill again for 1 hour.

Roll the cream cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving.

Serve with graham cracker sticks (plain or chocolate).


Wishing you all a happy Labor Day Weekend! Will see you all again on Tuesday :)

Stuffed Strawberries

I know, I know, another strawberry recipe? I can't help it, I am on a strawberry kick lately! I really wanted to make these for Easter, but they weren't on sale that week. Go figure! I did make them for last years party and they were the first appetizer gone. They are super easy to make and deliciously sweet!

Ingredients:

1- 8oz pk Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

2 pints strawberries

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.

Rinse strawberries, then cut the green top off.

Flip strawberry over, and cut an X through the bottom, stopping about 3/4 of the way down.

Using a pastry bag, or a sandwich bag with the end snipped off, fill bag with filling, then poke through the X. Squeeze filling until strawberry is full.

Top with melted chocolate, if desired.

Serve.