I know I said I was going to take a small break from blogging, but today is too exciting not to post!
My beautiful, uber-talented, blogging BFF Sarah from Snixy Kitchen is pregnant, and Cheese Baby Girl is due in just a few short weeks…so we’re throwing her a surprise virtual baby shower. (Thanks for organizing, Alanna and Todd!)
The theme of today’s shower is “cheese and sweets”, because they’re two of Sarah’s favorite things to eat. Between me, Alanna, and the bajillions of other participating bloggers (Sarah is seriously popular, you guys!), we’ve pretty much covered the full spectrum of savory, sweet, and savory & sweet recipes featuring cheese. No, seriously. Just wait until you see what the other bloggers made – spoiler alert: it’s all UH-MAZING.
For my offering, I decided to feature two things that Sarah loves: cheese + artichokes. Like, a ridiculous amount of cheese, plus spinach, plus artichokes, rolled into balls, breaded and then fried. I know Sarah’s normally a pretty healthy eater, but I figured since it’s such hard work growing Cheese Baby Girl everyday, she deserves to treat her self a little.
These spinach & artichoke bites are definitely an indulgence. Golden-brown and crunchy on the outside, molten cheesy goodness on the inside. Also, totally portable and not as messy as the usual dip – which is great for snacking at parties or…ya know…snacking between diaper changes and feeding, maybe?
CONGRATULATIONS, SARAH!!! Can’t wait to meet Cheese Baby Girl 🙂
[Photo credit: Alyssa & Carla]
To see the deliciousness that everyone else made:
Cheesy Things
- the briny – Smoky Beans n’ Greens Enchiladas w/ Roasted Sweet Potato and Sunflower Seed Cheese
- Half Baked Harvest – Greek Falafel Melts
- Healthy Nibbles & Bits – Japanese-Spiced Goat Cheese Ball with Pistachios
- My Natural Kitchen – Brazilian cheesy thyme popovers
- Vanilla and Bean – Almond-Sage Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Gruyere
- Fix Feast Flair – Mixed Greens Salad with Lilikoi Vinaigrette, Honey Macadamia Nuts, and Goat Cheese
- FoodieCrush – Cheesy Sausage Pizza Bread
- Foodness Gracious – Avocado Feta Bowl with Couscous Grilled Chicken and Charred Corn
- Will Frolic for Food – Vegan Walnut Parmesan Zucchini Noodles
- Vegetarian ‘Ventures – Pimento Mac & Cheese Bites
- MJ and Hungryman – Cheese Stuffed Kimchi Pancakes
- Savory Simple – Cheddar Chive Crackers
Sweet Things
- the pig + quill – Mini Vegan PB+J Cheesecakes
- The Kitchen McCabe – Meyer Lemon Pudding Cakes + Honeyed Chevre Whipped Cream
- The Little Epicurean – Matcha Mochi Waffles Sundae
- Shared Appetite – Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
- The Pancake Princess – Vegan Aquafaba Lemon Meringue Pie
- The Food Charlatan – Lemon Bars {gluten-free}
- Kale & Caramel – Spiced Caramel Chocolate Nut Clusters
Cheesy & Sweet Things:
- The Bojon Gourmet – Blood Orange & Corn Flour Ricotta Cake with Whipped Mascarpone {gluten-free}
- HonestlyYUM – Sweet Cheese Puffs (for a Sweet Cheese Baby)
- fit for the soul – Queso Mais Ice cream {No-Churn}
- Completely Delicious – Chocolate Orange Ricotta Scones
- Good on Paper Design – Citrus Ricotta Mini Cakes (gluten-free)
- Floating Kitchen – No-Bake Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Layer {Gluten-Free}
- Hungry Girl por Vida – Gluten-Free Pretzel Goat Cheesecake Bites
- Heartbeet Kitchen – Roasted Citrus Bowls with Honey Marscarpone
- Salted Plains – Pavlova with Mascarpone Coconut Cream and Candied Citrus
- The Kitchen Paper – Candied Citrus Ricotta Cake
- le jus d’orange – White Cheddar and Apple Mini Pies with Cinnamon-Infused Honey
- 3 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 cups grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shaved parmesan
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- Canola oil, for frying
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Prepare a clean baking sheet. Line a large plate with paper towels. Set both aside.
- Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl, and use an electric hand mixer to cream mixture until smooth.
- Stir in chopped spinach, artichoke hearts, cheeses, green onions, and minced garlic..
- Chill the dip in the refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Using a small (tbsp sized) cookie scoop, scoop out small mounds of dip and use your hands to roll them into bite-sized balls. Set your rolled balls on your baking sheet.
- Set out three shallow bowls. Pour beaten eggs into one bowl, flour into another, and panko bread crumbs into the last bowl.
- Carefully roll each dip balls into flour, then egg, and then panko (make sure balls are well-coated after each dipping). Set rolled balls back on your baking sheet.
- Fill a heavy pot or wok with canola oil (the oil should go about 1-1/2 inches up the side of the pot). Heat oil over medium-high until tiny bubbles form in the oil.
- Fry 4-5 balls at a time until they golden brown, flipping half-way through.
- When done frying, lift finished dip bites from the oil using a slotted spoon, and let them drain on your paper towel lined plate.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
(Adapted from Host the Toast’s recipe)
Indulgent, yes. Balance, yes!!! So nice to ‘meet’ you and discover your blog, Tina at Sarah’s virtual baby shower! I know she is going to love these.. a perfect combination of two of her loves.. cheese and artichokes! hehe! These are going on the list. I can’t wait to start poppin them in my mouth!
Thank you so much! It’s nice to meet you too, Traci!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Omg what a gorgeous photo of Sarah!! And GORGEOUS CHEESY FRIED BALLS. Your deep-frying skills are perfection; I am deeply impressed, please teach me your ways. So happy to have stumbled across this amazing-sounding recipe, and your lovely blog! Yay for cheese, babies, and virtual friends!! <3
Thank youuuu! I ate all the slightly-too-burnt ones (i.e., the entire first batch) before taking pictures, so…smoke and mirrors 😉
Oh man these look SO GOOD Tina!!! Molten hot cheese surrounded by fried-ness….oh man. Somebody forgot to eat breakfast this morning. This could be breakfast right?? Please say yes.
Um, definitely yes, I ate like three for breakfast yesterday…no judgment here! Hehe
Duuuuuude – You know the way to my heart for sure. Also, the cat feels very special to not be forgotten in this tribute recipe (he’s going to have a hard time when #cheesebabygirl gets more snuggles than him…). Thank you for making a blogging comeback to share this recipe for my virtual baby shower! You inspired me to create this lil’ blog way back when so all of these beautiful recipes are in part inspired by YOU! xoxox!
Tina, I think you just planned out my Superbowl menu 🙂 I would eat 200 of these + a few cold beers. Thanks so much for taking the time to be a part of this special day for Sarah!! xo
Thank YOU for organizing, Todd!!!
Hi Tina! Love how #cheesebabyshower brought all of together!! I’m such a texture girl, and I can just imagine biting into this crispy cheesy goodness! And of course, eating with fingers always makes for a great time ;). Hope you enjoy some time away from bloging! I took a break for about a month last year, and it was the wonderful!
Hi Min!!! It’s so nice to finally “meet” you – I’ve been drooling over your blog/instagram for ages 🙂
Ohhhh goodness me!!! This looks exactly like the type of splurge food I’ve been craving this week….. :/ Beautiful job with the texture and execution! I often get all rushed and start getting crumbles here, pieces there, and end up with messy results. Ps: Loved being part of this little “gift” for Sarah! She’s such a sweet and one of a kind lady.
Thanks! Frying usually doesn’t work out well for me either – must be some of that Sarah magic rubbing off on me for the special post 😀
how may does your recipe make?
A lot! I actually only used up half the dip (froze the other half for later), and that made a little over 24 bites.
Cheesy fried spinach artichoke bites is combination of taste, I like a balanced diet, a variety of protein and vitamin supplements so that they will have good health. I really like. Thx for sharing Tina!