Author: windandwillow

Need some ideas to make Mom’s day special?  Does your family need some ideas to make YOUR day special?  Make a couple of recipes from this list for a wonderful mother’s day brunch or send this list to hubs and the kids.  These recipes are simple enough for the family to make and won’t leave the kitchen in a huge mess.  

Spinach Artichoke Puff Pastries

All you need from the store for this gorgeous recipe is cream cheese and frozen puff pastry! Combine cream cheese with Spinach & Artichoke Cheeseball & Appetizer Mix and fill small squares of thawed puff pastry. Place in muffin tins and brush with melted butter if you have it on hand before baking. Find the full recipe here.

Herbed Prosciutto and Apple

Sweet and savory is what brunch is all about. These little bites pack big flavor. Top slices of crisp apple with prepared White Cheddar & Chive Cheeseball. Then wrap the bite in a slice of prosciutto. For extra style points, tie fresh chives around the bite! Detailed recipe here.

Elevated Bagel and Shmear

Gourmet shmear elevates a simple bagel to an elegant and easy to prepare breakfast in bed. Take this recipe sweet or savory by choosing your favorite Wind & Willow Cheeseball Mix to combine with cream cheese.

Fresh Fruit Parfait

An extra decadent Fresh Fruit Parfait is simple to create. Layer a prepared Sweet Cheeseball Mix with crushed cookies or granola, fresh berries or other in season fruit, and top with whipped topping.

Cheesecake Stuffed Croissants

Last, but certainly not least, are these cream cheese stuffed croissants. Pick up fresh croissants from the store or your favorite bakery, fill them with Lemon Cheesecake Cheeseball Mix prepared according to the Quick Cheesecake directions. Top with berries, honey, and sprigs of mint or thyme for a fun pop of color.

Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed

Every mom deserves breakfast in bed and a mess free kitchen. Hopefully this list can serve as some inspiration for you and yours to achieve just that. Follow us on Social @windandwillowfoods for more recipe inspiration everyday.

Spring is here! With new warmth comes vibrant produce and the urge to be outdoors. Celebrate the new season with a party, saying goodbye to the winter blues with your closest friends.

Start by seeing what is in season near you. Your local farmers market is a great place to start. Gather everything colorful. Grab what you love and what you have never tried before!

With produce this fresh, you won’t need to do much if any cooking. Let the flavors of the veg do the talking! The first and most simple way to show off spring produce is to pair it with an equally vibrant Cheeseball like the one above made with Wind & Willow White Cheddar & Chive Mix.

Just as simple, prepare a Wind & Willow Dip Mix. To make it more visually interesting you can always nestle your dip bowl into a little Spring display of vegetables, greenery, or like the above photo, a nest!

To make it easy for guests to enjoy the perfect bite, prepare simple tea sandwiches with your favorite bread spread with prepared Wind & Willow Dip or Cheeseball Mix and topped with fresh vegetables and herbs. These bite sized beauties are so fun to graze on.

A fresh dish that doubles as a centerpiece is our favorite party hack. This one could not be easier! Fill a prepared savory tarte shell with prepared Bruschetta Cheeseball Mix. Top the tarte with sliced tomatoes, herbs, and the included topping for a show stopping dish that takes just minutes to prepare.

For a light dessert, try a fresh take on the classic Fruit and Cheese board by featuring Pear & Honey Cheeseball. Serve with simple cookies and complete the board with fresh pears, honey, and thyme tucked in for a pop of color and a delicious aroma.

The best part about fresh local produce is that it doesn’t take much to show it off. A garden party is ideally set outside, but if that is not possible in your climate, it can be so much fun to set up a picnic style dinner on the floor and dream of warmer weather with your friends and family.

What produce are you looking forward to in the coming weeks? Share how you pair fresh fruit and veggies with Wind & Willow products with us on social media @windandwillowfoods

The new Avocado Ranch Dip Mix is so delicious. It is all of the best things about guacamole and ranch dip all rolled into one. It is creamy, zesty, and just a tad spicy. What we love most is how versatile it is. We just want to put it on everything!

Every Wind & Willow Dip Mix is delicious prepared as directed with sour cream and mayo. We love serving them with chips, crackers, or fresh vegetables. Of course, Avocado Ranch is especially great with tortilla chips!

One great trick is to thin avocado ranch with a little bit of water or milk until it becomes loose enough to drizzle. This Avocado Ranch Sauce recipe is perfect for topping any and every Tex-Mex dish from tacos to enchiladas. We are seriously obsessed!

This recipe also makes a delicious salad dressing. Top your favorite salad with grilled chicken and a drizzle of Avocado Ranch Sauce for a healthy lunch or dinner that you will actually look forward to!

We would love to hear all the ways you are enjoying this new mix! Tag us on Social Media @windandwillowfoods so we can see your suggestions and for a chance to be featured on our page.

Our classic Quick Cheesecake recipe has stood the test of time! It is one of our favorite ways to serve a Sweet Cheeseball & Dessert Mix. The directions are right on the box. One of the most delicious ways to change up this long-time favorite is to experiment with a different type of crust and even adding a fudgy topping! Follow along as we show you how easy it is to make an extra special Chocolate Covered Quick Cheesecake.

Chocolate cookie crust

The first step in making a “Chocolate Covered” Cheesecake is the crust. It is easy to find a chocolate cookie crust at the store or follow your favorite graham cracker crust recipe replacing the graham with chocolate wafer cookies.

Quick Cheesecake

Next, whip up your favorite Sweet Wind & Willow Cheeseball & Dessert Mix using the Quick Cheesecake directions on the back of the box. This recipe would work great with Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Turtle Cheesecake, White Chocolate Amaretto, or Chocolate Covered Strawberry. Fill your chocolate crust with the whipped topping and cream cheese mixture and smooth out the top. Refrigerate while you work on your next step.

Ganache

Ganache sounds so fancy that you would think it is hard to make, but it is just two ingredients heated up over the stove together! Simply place 8 oz of semi-sweet chocolate in a heat proof bowl and pour 1 cup of warm heavy cream over the top (it should be steaming but not boiling). Allow these ingredients to sit in the bowl for 1-2 minutes before stirring to combine. This should create a thick chocolate sauce. Once it has cooled slightly, pour it over your fully set cheesecake.

Another option is to cover the top in ice cream shell topping. This will create more of a hard layer instead of the fudgy ganache topping, but would also look beautiful and taste delicious! In either case, it is best to sprinkle your included topping packet over the chocolate before it fully sets up so that it sticks to it.

Chocolate crust, gooey chocolate topping, and a fun pop of flavor to the cheesecake center, this recipe is show stopping! It is so quick and easy, but makes a big impact whether you whip it up for guests, or make it for a fun date night in, it is sure to impress!

For some, football watch parties are a ritual we have been practicing for a lifetime. Others may just now be ready to embrace the football mania! Rest assured, you don’t have to know every rule of the game to enjoy the delicious food and irresistible atmosphere of game day. We are breaking down the basics so new fans and even non-fans can throw the perfect get-together.

The Food

When it comes to food there are a few key boxes any app needs to check to make the cut for game day. Most importantly, there should be no fork, spoon, or knife required! We are talking hand-held, portable, and bite sized. You are going to be planted firmly on the couch and ready to get up and cheer at a moment’s notice.

Second, a game day appetizer needs to be full of flavor and have a nice crunchy element. The game can be so distracting that flavors have to be bold or they will fall flat in comparison! The crunch is for stress relief in those intense down-to-the-wire moments of the game. Trust us, this is all essential.

The Mood

Break out the football themed tablecloth, make a football shaped cheeseball, and while you are at it just set out a football for good measure. There is just something about creating a scene that gets everyone excited about the game. There is no shortage of football themed décor, so don’t be shy, deck out the buffet!

The Attitude

The most important step: become a super fan for a couple of hours. Whether or not you know a thing about the game, pretending to be all about it just makes it even more fun. Throw on a team color and watch others for cues on when to cheer. When things get boring, stressful, or exciting grab one of those lovely snacks you prepped!

Even the biggest sports fans can agree that game day is more about the food, mood, and attitude than anything else. No need to know the game inside and out to enjoy the day! Let us know how you are using Wind & Willow products for game day by tagging us @windandwillowfoods on social media.

Greet the New Year with friends, family, and good food. The only way to make it to midnight is a steady stream of appetizers, sweet treats, and bubbly drinks. We have hundreds of recipes that fit the bill! Check out our top 5 favorites below.

Mini Cheeseball Appetizer

Make your Cheeseball cocktail party approved by creating individual appetizers. Roll about 1 Tablespoon of a prepared Savory Cheeseball Mix into a ball and roll in topping. Place each on top of a cracker for an easy snack!

Stacked BLT Appetizer

Make bite-sized BLT sandwiches with just a few simple ingredients. Stack croutons, lettuce, a Tablespoon of prepared BLT Cheeseball, cooked bacon, and half a cherry tomato. Skewer each ingredient with a toothpick to keep them all together.

Sweet Dessert Cheeseball

Any Wind & Willow Sweet Cheeseball Mix would make an excellent dessert for a New Year’s celebration, but the almond flavor of our White Chocolate Amaretto Cheeseball Mix pairs especially well with Champagne and an elegant evening.

Spiced Cranberry Spritzer

For those opting out of Champagne, this little mocktail feels every bit as special. Combine Wind & Willow Original Mulled Cider Mix with cranberry juice, and top with sparkling water for a show stopping drink, fit to ring in a new year.

Spiced Apple Champagne

Gussy up your Champagne this year with a little warm spice. Original Mulled Cider Mix adds a sweet twist to the classic way to toast the New Year.

Summary

They say the way you start the new year is a sign of the year to come. So, surround yourself with delicious food and your favorite people. We are excited to see your Holiday and NYE spreads. Be sure to tag us on Social Media @windandwillowfoods for a chance to be featured

Pumpkin pie is a perennial favorite on the classic Thanksgiving table, but if you are looking to change up tradition this year, we have a few new ideas that are still a nod to the classic. From an elevated Cheeseball to an alternative pie option, we can’t wait for you to try out these pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin Shaped Cheeseball

Our Pumpkin Pie Cheeseball has all the traditional flavors of pumpkin pie in a convenient mix. The simplest way to enjoy it is by following the package instructions to combine it with cream cheese and butter, then roll it in the included graham cracker topping. To elevate this just a bit, we love to turn it into a pumpkin! Simply make indentions around the cheeseball with the back of a knife and top your little pumpkin with a bell pepper stem. It looks almost too good to eat!

Pumpkin Gooey Bars

If you ask our family here at Wind & Willow our all time favorite recipe, this would be a top contender! Crunchy, gooey, full of flavor, and easy to make, it doesn’t get much better than that. Check out the recipe here for step-by-step instructions. This may become your family’s favorite too!

Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Make the perfect portable pumpkin pie with this semi-homemade recipe that even the kids will love! Top sugar cookies with prepared Pumpkin Pie Cheeseball and finish with a dollop of whipped topping. With this recipe you can eat the entire pie!

Pumpkin Custard Pie

If you aren’t quite ready to depart from a pie this year, try this new take on pumpkin pie. The custard base makes for a smooth and creamy filling that is slightly less intense on the pumpkin flavor than a traditional pumpkin pie. Follow the detailed recipe here and get pumpkin pie skeptics hooked on this new take!

Pumpkin Whipped Dip

As fun to eat as it is to say, Pumpkin Whipped Dip is a favorite all through the holiday season. Follow the Quick Cheesecake directions right on the box (omitting the crust) and fill up a serving dish. This recipe is perfect for grazing on with cookies or apples.

New Take on a Favorite Flavor

We can’t get enough of that pumpkin spice flavor, so we are always looking for new ways to enjoy it. Let us know which one of these fresh takes on pumpkin pie you are most eager to share at your Thanksgiving gathering.

The perfect appetizer for Halloween is one that doubles as spooky décor for the table. We have a few new recipes and many from the recipe vault to share this season. Let us know which ones you are most excited for.

Cheeseball Spider

Making this spooky little spider is quick, easy, and sure to impress. We whipped up a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cheeseball to make a bigger spider, but one would do just fine for a smaller crowd. Place about 1/3 of the prepared mix in plastic wrap and 2/3 of the mix in a separate sheet of wrap. Refrigerate while you gather the rest of your ingredients.

You will need black licorice, red fruit leather, and candy eyes. Cut the fruit leather into an hourglass shape to resemble a black widow’s marking. Then, cut 8 pieces of licorice to appropriate length for spider legs (we used the excess to make pinchers). Once your two cheeseballs have become firm in the refrigerator, roll each in the included cookie topping.

Now it is time for assembly! Place the two cheeseballs side by side. The larger will be the body and the smaller will be the head. Insert 4 strips of licorice on each side of the body as legs; place fruit leather in the center of the body; position the two candy eyes on the front of the head (and pinchers below if using). Serve up our creepy crawly friend with cookies and fruit for everyone to enjoy!

Monster Mouths

These tasty little smiles only take a few ingredients to make. Slice up apples, prepare your favorite sweet cheeseball (we love pumpkin for the fall vibes and contrast in color), and gather a few marshmallows. To assemble, spread the prepared cheeseball on one side of each of the apple slices. Then, place mini marshmallows between two apple slices as the teeth.

More Spooky Recipes to Love!

We love snacks that feed into a theme and double as décor. Here are a few more recipes that are perfect for spooky, harvest parties and to enjoy all season long!

Freshly roasted pecans are crunchy, delicious, and perfect for snacking! With Wind & Willow Mixes they are also quick and easy to make. Whip up one egg white until it gets frothy, toss 3 cups of pecans until they are coated, then combine with our sweet Cinnamon Sugar Mix or the savory Cracked Pepper & Garlic Mix. Bake in the oven for 22 minutes and enjoy! If that isn’t enough, check out our list below for even more reasons to love Wind & Willow Roasted Pecan Seasoning Mixes.

Greet Fall with a Gift

Roasted pecans make the perfect fall gift. Pack them up in a cute glass jar to thank a teacher or the host of your next gathering.

Fill Your House with Warm Aromas

While seasoned pecans roast in the oven, sweet or savory, their fragrance begins to fill the whole house. Scented candles don’t hold a candle to the real thing!

Let Sweet Meet Savory

Is there anything better than the contrast between sweet and savory? We dare you to make a batch of sweet Cinnamon Sugar pecans and a batch of savory Cracked Pepper & Garlic pecans to enjoy at the same time. As hard as it is to stop going between each flavor, they won’t last long!

Bring Back Good Memories

The smell, taste, and even site of roasted pecans brings back memories of fall harvest festivals. Roll them up in a parchment cone for a little extra dose of nostalgia.

Make a Show Stopping Cheesecake

A classic Wind & Willow Quick Cheesecake gets a fall makeover when decorated with Cinnamon Sugar Pecans. The crunch they add is well worth waiting to cut into the pie before you eat them all!

Pump Up Game Day Snacking

Portable, crunchy, sweet & savory. Roasted nuts check off all the must haves for a delicious game day snack in our book!

Pick Up Both Flavors to Have on Hand

Check out all of our fall favorites here. Don’t forget to tag us on social media @windandwillow when you serve or gift one of our mixes. We love to show off your creations!

Served as a quick breakfast, an easy afterschool snack, or a fun appetizer, our everything bagel bombs are delicious any time of day! They are super easy and only require 4 ingredients. Let’s jump right in to the recipe!

First, combine Everything Bagel Appetizer Mix (reserve topping for later) with 8 0unces of cream cheese, and set aside.

Next, prep your biscuit dough. Each Bagel Bomb will take 1 regular sized refrigerated biscuit or half of a jumbo sized biscuit. (This recipe calls for 15 regular or about 8 jumbo biscuits). Gently roll or press the dough into a flat round disk.

Then, place a tablespoon of your cream cheese mixture into the center of each flattened biscuit. Gently gather the biscuit dough around the cream cheese, making sure to press the dough together to seal.

After forming each ball of dough, coat the top with an egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbs water beaten). This step will make sure the topping sticks and ensure a beautiful golden brown bagel bomb! Sprinkle the top of your bagel bombs with the everything bagel topping packet.

Lastly, bake or air fry the bagel bombs (careful not to overcrowd as they will expand) at 380 degrees for 8 to 11 minutes or until the outside is crispy and golden brown, and the dough on the inside is completely cooked through.

These jewels are super savory, crunchy on the outside, ooey-gooey on the inside, and a total crowd pleaser! Bagel Bombs are the perfect addition to your brunch spread or a super fun appetizer for game day!

Watch the video below for a quick visual on how to prepare Everything Bagel Bombs! Check us out on social media @windadnwillowfoods for more content like this!