This delicious recipe come from a new book by Hillary Munro: Alpenglow- Outdoor Celebrations for Every Season. From the book: Alpenglow is the magic hour when the sky turns shades of pink and orange not found on a color wheel, an experience that happens often in the mountains, regardless of the season, that fills your soul with a moment of joy.

From Amazon: Alpenglow is filled with creative parties and fun country activities throughout the four seasons. The stories and scenes are set in the high mountain valley of Jackson Hole, Wyoming―but the gatherings and parties could take place anywhere. Hillary Munro knows how to turn routine activities and yearly rituals into unique events, with delicious meals and take-home favors prepared with foods she grows and preserves and materials she forages in the woods.

It’s a beautiful book with some delicious, unique recipes to try!

Ingredients Needed:

• garlic
• dry white wine
• Gruyere cheese
• Emmentaler cheese
• cornstarch
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• nutmeg

How to make Classic Swiss Fondue:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

1. Rub the inside of a fondue pot, small crock or cast iron skillet with the garlic clove.
2. Warm the wine in the pot. Add the cheeses, cornstarch and lemon juice. Cook over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheeses begin to melt, about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low. Add nutmeg and cook, stirring gently, for another 3 minutes. Serve with bread, salami, pears and apples.

Best Classic Recipes:

• Classic Bread Pudding
• Classic Angel Food Cake
• Best Classic Shortbread
• Classic Egg Rolls
• Classic Popovers

Ingredients Needed:

• macadamia nuts
• Worcestershire sauce
• olive oil
• fresh thyme and fresh rosemary
• salt and ground red pepper

How to make Savory Nuts:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spread nuts in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
3. In a small bowl, stir together Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt and red pepper. Drizzle oil mixture over nuts; toss to coat.
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until nuts are toasted, stirring occasionally. Spread on foil to cool.
5. To serve, transfer to serving bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Best Nut Appetizers:

• Hot and Spicy Pecans
• Rosemary Maple Cashews
• Slow Cooker Candied Nuts
• Cinnamon Glazed Almonds
• Roasted Blue Cheese Pecans

I have a story about these stuffed mushrooms. I found the recipe in a magazine at a Dr.’s office a couple of years ago. In true RecipeGirl fashion, I tore it out of the magazine and brought it home with me to try. I messed with the recipe a bit. And I served it at a dinner party. Everyone loved them and couldn’t stop talking about them.

I lost the recipe, and then I found it again and made these artichoke stuffed mushrooms for our holiday party last year. I can’t even explain how popular they were. Everyone wanted the recipe. They really are delicious!

Ingredients Needed:

• extra virgin olive oil
• onion
• mushroom
• salt and pepper
• marinated artichoke hearts
• cream cheese
• grated Parmesan cheese
• sour cream
• garlic salt
• fresh parsley

How to make Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

1. Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a large baking dish with foil, and spray with nonstick spray.
2. In a large skillet over medium-heat, heat the oil and add the onion; cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the artichoke hearts, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, sour cream and garlic salt.
3. Stuff the mushroom caps with the artichoke mixture; arrange in the prepared baking pan. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is hot and bubbly, 17 to 20 minutes. 

Best Artichoke Appetizer Recipes:

• Easy Artichoke Pizza Bites
• Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip
• Baked Artichoke Hearts
• Cheese and Artichoke Bread Bites
• Artichoke Bruschetta

Baked Brie with Blueberry Sauce

I created this recipe a few years ago, and I’m re-sharing it with you today. I was staying in a beach house in Massachusetts, where I got the inspiration for this recipe because of the inexpensive blueberries that I kept coming across at all of the summer farmer’s markets.

Mexican Cheesecake Dip

There’s no question that cheesecake is my favorite dessert. But trying out a savory cheesecake recipe was a fun experiment on this cheesecake lover. This Mexican cheesecake dip is full of some delicious Mexican food ingredients (salsa, diced chiles and taco sauce), and you will be pleasantly surprised that this dip works fabulously to display at a party with tortilla chips. And if you love this recipe, you’ll most definitely enjoy making my Southwestern Cheesecake Dip recipe too!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• boiling water
• chicken bouillon
• cream cheese
• chili powder
• taco sauce
• eggs
• canned diced chiles
• salsa

✏️ How to make Mexican Cheesecake Dip

The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, mix the water and bouillon.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend together the cream cheese, chili powder, and taco sauce until smooth. Add the eggs and beat well. Blend in the chicken bouillon mixture. Stir in the chiles.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.
• Slide a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the ring.

✔️ Make Ahead Tips:

This dip may absolutely be made a day or two ahead of serving. Wrap the cheesecake well with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Defrost, and then spoon the salsa on top right before serving.

Favorite Dip Recipes:

• Dill Pickle Dip
• Clam Dip
• Creamy Taco Dip
• Pepperoni Dip
• Caramelized Onion Dip

Caramelized Onion Dip

Caramelized onions are pretty delicious. They’re sweet and creamy and they add so much flavor to recipes. Adding them to a classic onion dip is a great idea. You won’t be able to stop dipping chip after chip into this fabulous tasting caramelized onion dip.

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• olive oil
• sweet onion
• kosher salt
• sour cream
• mayonnaise
• garlic powder
• white pepper
• Tabasco
• red pepper flakes
• potato chips, for dipping

✏️ How to make Caramelized Onion Dip:

*The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-heat. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring every so often, until the onion begins to caramelize and turn golden brown, about 30 minutes. Don’t stir the onions constantly because you want them to brown, but do watch that they aren’t browning too quickly or burning and adjust the heat as needed. Remove the onions from heat and set aside to cool.

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• Don’t use regular onions. Use sweet onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla for the best flavor. They caramelize beautifully and have a mellow sweetness that complements the dip perfectly.
• Allow the caramelized onions to cool completely before mixing them into the dip. This prevents them from releasing excess moisture and making the dip watery.
• You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream. Please note that it will have a bit of a different flavor. I suggest experimenting with adding half Greek yogurt and half sour cream.

Favorite Dip Recipes:

• Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Dip
• Dill Pickle Dip
• Green Goddess Dip
• Clam Dip
• Whipped Goat Cheese and Ricotta Dip

Greek Crostini

I make this recipe quite often when I need an easy appetizer for a gathering with friends. It’s always well-received because pretty much everyone likes hummus. And it’s more delicious than just putting out a container of store-bought hummus with some vegetables!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• extra virgin olive oil
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• garlic
• pitted green olives
• celery
• baguette
• salt and pepper

✏️ How to Make Greek Crostini:

*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

PREPARE THE HUMMUS:

• In a food processor, combine the hummus ingredients. Blend to create a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

ASSEMBLE THE CROSTINI:

• In small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon oil, olives and celery. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Spread the hummus mixture among the baguette slices, and top with the olive mixture. Season with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• To make this recipe a whole lot easier, use store-bought hummus.
• And to make it more interesting, use a different flavor of hummus- such as roasted red pepper hummus.
• Use kalamata olives in place of green olives.

Crostini Recipes:

• Crostini with Clams
• Sweet Pea Crostini with Prosciutto
• Spinach Artichoke Crostini
• Crostini with Gorgonzola, Caramelized Onions and Fig Jam
• Cheese Crostini with Prosciutto

Mango, Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

This isn’t your everyday, plain-old cheese quesadilla! Instead, there are great things added in that make it a fantastic snack or appetizer. I like to make it for a light dinner alongside a salad when I don’t have to feed anyone else!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• low carb, fat free or regular flour tortillas
• crumbled goat cheese
• fresh mango
• canned black beans

✏️ How to Make Mango, Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadilla:

*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Coat both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. Place one tortilla in a hot skillet to brown. Flip the tortilla and add the cheese, mango and beans on half of the tortilla; fold the tortilla over to cover the ingredients. Cook until the tortilla browns, then flip and cook the other side; remove the tortilla to a cutting board.
2. Repeat with the second tortilla and remaining ingredients.
3. Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges and serve immediately.

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• In the summertime, substitute fresh peaches for the mango- yum!
• Add a sprinkle of fresh cilantro in these quesadillas, and top them with sour cream and salsa.
• Fresh avocado would be a great addition.
• Use a different kind of cheese, if you’d like. Monterey Jack or Cotija would be great too.

👍 Weight Watching Friendly

This is a good recipe to try if you’re watching your calories!

Vegetable Goat Cheese Spread

This is an easy-to-make dip that is perfect to bring to a party. It’s much more delicious than a store-bought dip. It’s a nice change from the always-favorite spinach artichoke dip. My curry dill dip is another favorite. But I love this vegetable goat cheese spread because it’s full of crunch and fresh flavor!

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• goat cheese
• low fat cream cheese
• heavy whipping cream
• Worcestershire sauce
• cucumber
• radishes
• red onion
• fresh chives, mint and thyme
• salt

✏️ How to make Vegetable Goat Cheese Spread:

*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. In small bowl with strong rubber spatula or wooden spoon, blend cheeses, cream, Worcestershire sauce, and salt until smooth.
2. Stir in the cucumber, radishes, red onion, chives, thyme and mint.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• Sub chopped green onion for red onion.
• Use celery in place of cucumber.
• Try using fresh basil in place of fresh thyme.

✔️ Make Ahead Tip:

This is a great dip for making ahead. Because there are so many fresh vegetables and fresh herbs mixed into the dip, I’d serve it the same day it has been made. But it can be prepared several hours ahead of serving time.

Goat Cheese Appetizers:

• Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
• Whipped Goat Cheese and Ricotta Dip
• Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta
• Goat Cheese Truffles
• Olive and Goat Cheese Spread