Have you guys heard of
houseparty.com? Well if not you should definitely check it out! They have a wide range of product brands that you can apply for to host a party - from BareMinerals to Seventh Generation cleaning products to Philly Cream Cheese. Once you sign up they send you emails whenever a new event is coming up, and you can apply to host. If you're not interested, just delete the email, and if it's a product you would use, apply for it!
The perk for you is that you get some sort of related free product, coupons to buy the product, plus lots of coupons and party favors for your guests. It's a win-win! :)
So last Monday I hosted the Philly Cooking Creme party at my house. Girlfriends + good food + good wine = good time!
Just some of the coupons/magnets/notepads, etc...
Cooking away! Seriously though, three of the four meals took me 15 minutes or less.
On the menu (all of which used Philly Cooking Creme or Philly Cream Cheese):
-Bacon-wrapped Jalapeno appetizer {delicious and SO easy, via
PW}
-Santa Fe Chicken Casserole {recipe to follow}
-Hearty Butternut Squash Soup {recipe to follow}
-Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Pasta {decent, but I like my homemade pasta sauces better}
-Tomato and Basil White Pizza {A-Mazing, recipe to follow}
-Caramel Toffee Dip with Apples {always a hit, pretty sure I've posted recipe before!}
-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie {also via
PW, and holy deliciousness, AND EASY!}
I also put sticky notes to point out how CHEAP these recipes are to prepare!
Butternut Squash Soup {tied with the pizza for favorite meal!} And total cost? $9.97!
This is the only one that took me a little longer, because of peeling the butternut squash {with a potato peeler, don't try a knife, it will take forever} and having to boil the veggies, but it was worth it! Mills was a fan, too!
I adapted this recipe from a Weight Watchers magazine page my aunt ripped out for me (Dec. 2010)
-1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
-1 onion, chopped
-3 celery stalks, chopped
-1 garlic clove, minced
-2 tbsp fresh rosemary (optional, but I had it on hand)
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1tbsp dried parsley
-3 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
-4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
-1 (32-oz) carton plus one cup low-sodium chicken broth
-1 container Philly Cooking Creme, Original flavor
Heat oil or butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, 1 tbsp rosemary, salt, pepper, and all remaining spices; cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add squash, potatoes, and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat a little and simmer until squash and potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir remaining 1 tbsp rosemary into squash-potato mixture. Puree mixture in batches in blender, returning each back to pot after pureed (slotted spoon is best for transferring veggies into blender). Serve with some crusty, delicious bread and a salad for a complete meal! And since this makes a hefty serving, you'll have plenty to freeze for a later date!
Now for the yummy Tomato and Basil White pizza:
{waiting to get popped in the oven}
-1 ready-to-use baked pizza crust {btw, Publix had an awesome selection - I'm a thin crust kinda girl and I got this two pack that was soooo thin and crispy!}
-1/2 cup Philly Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme
-Roasted tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes {I found the roasted ones in the deli area at Pubix and they were delish!} - Use as many as you like.
-Fresh basil leaves, torn {again, use as much as you like}
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Small handful of feta or gorgonzola cheese {totally optional, but I added a little gorg b/c I like stinky cheese}
Heat oven to 425. Spread pizza crust with cooking creme; top with remaining ingredients. Place crust directly on middle oven rack and bake for 10-12 minutes. DONE. It's that easy.
These ingredients cost me $14.67, and this is for two pizzas because I made one for Nicholas and I a couple nights later - and he loved it! You could always add chicken for a little protein. Oh, and Mills was a fan, too! :)
And here we have the Santa Fe Chicken Casserole:
-3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (cooked chicken night before)
-1 can (15-oz) black beans, rinsed
-1 can (14.5-oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
-2 green onions, sliced
-1 tub (10-oz) Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme, divided
-3 flour tortillas ( 6 inch) - I used whole wheat
-1 cup Kraft Mexican style shredded four cheese, divided
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first four ingredients in large bowl. Add 3/4 cup cooking creme; mix lightly.
Spoon 1/3 of chicken mixture into 9-inch pie plate; top with 1 tortilla, half the remaining chicken mixture and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Cover with second tortilla, remaining chicken mixture, 1/4 cup shredded cheese and remaining tortilla. Top with remaining cooking creme and shredded cheese; cover with foil.
Bake 20 minutes; uncover. Bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Have some salsa and chips on the side and it's a meal! SO stinkin' quick and easy!
We had a fun time hanging out, eating lots of food, and watching the Bachelor finale! And thankfully everyone brought to-go containers with them for all of the leftovers! I have to say I was really impressed with these Philly Cooking Cremes because of how QUICK and EASY they make dinner preparation! And with all of the coupons they have out, it makes it super affordable, too! It was fun to experiment with some of their recipes!
And of course, my #1 spokesperson, himself! :)
