Author: windandwillow

As the weather warms up, it’s time to pull out our favorite Mexican inspired recipes. These are our go-to dishes for when we want to feel like we are on vacation!

Chili Cheese Nachos

Can we offer you a plate of poolside nachos? This recipe uses Southwest Queso Hot Dip to punch up the flavor.

Santa Fe Stuffed Jalapeño

This recipe makes your average jalapeño poppers seem bland. Hot sausage, and Santa Fe Cheeseball Mix make these poppers a blast of flavor.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup is the perfect thing for a stormy summer day. This recipe includes a few extra goodies like corn and tomatoes that make this version heartier.

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ooey, gooey, cheesy, and packed with flavor, these are a Wind & Willow family favorite. Jalapeno Jack Cheeseball Mix cuts all the creamy goodness with a little bit of spice for the perfect bite!

Margarita Cheesecake

Don’t forget dessert! This one is just for the grown-ups. Our Key Lime Pie Quick Cheesecake recipe takes on a whole new spin with the addition of tequila.

Stay Inspired

We hope this list inspires you to get creative in the kitchen with your Wind & Willow products. For more inspiration everyday, check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest @windandwillowfoods

When you are in need of a hearty snack or quick lunch, there is no need to sacrifice taste! An easy gourmet toast topped with lots of fun fixings will be just the thing. You probably already have all the ingredients you need. Just be sure to stay stocked up on all your favorite Wind & Willow Appetizer Mix flavors.

How to Build your Easy Gourmet Toast

It is all about layering the flavors for this “recipe” (if you can even call something this simple a recipe). First, use your favorite bread or whatever you have on hand. Sourdough works especially well and we love a dark seedy bread, but even sandwich bread will do! Toast your bread to your liking and top it with prepared Cheeseball & Appetizer Mix (make it with regular or low-fat cream cheese and add butter or leave it out entirely). In the photograph above we used the Bruschetta Mix.

Next, stack the top of your toast with fresh veggies, a protein source, or something unexpected like a jam; here we used halved cherry tomatoes. Lastly, sprinkle your toast with the topping packet.

For a final touch, we drizzled the top of this toast with balsamic glaze. This step is optional but highly recommended for this flavor combination.

Some of Our Favorite Combinations

These simple gourmet toasts make a perfect quick lunch, hearty snack, or rustic appetizer for company. The best part is that there is no end to the possible combinations you could create. Here are a few of our favorites to get you started:

• Smokehouse Bacon & Cheddar topped with rotisserie chicken and hot sauce

• BLT topped with fresh veggies and extra bacon

• Everything Bagel topped with smoked salmon and fresh dill

What combination are you most excited to try? Tag us on social media with your creations!

There are a few essentials that every football party needs (chips, dips, and chicken wings to name a few), but how can you make this year’s spread stand out? Besides all of our Game Day Ready Recipes there are a few extra steps you can take with any of our mixes to make it Super special this year!

Make a Cheeseball Football!

Shaping a cheeseball into a different form adds a whimsical touch to a party that can pull in a theme! On game day try shaping Bruschetta or BLT into an oval football shape before sprinkling it with the topping. Then, cut a white cheese, like mozzarella, into strips to decorate the top with laces.

Have your bowl and eat it too!

The easiest way to elevate any Wind & Willow mix is to serve it in a fun and festive vessel. Our favorite is when the bowl is edible! Try Roasted Red Pepper Dip Mix in a halved and cored bell pepper, or serve Fresh Picked Spinach Dip Mix in a hollowed out loaf of bread.

Wind & Willow boxes come with a decorative label!

Guests are often curious what flavor of dip or cheeseball you have out, and one of the best things about a Wind & Willow box is that it doubles as a label. Simply cut a square out of the front of the box from just under the Wind & Willow banner and around the edge of the box. Fold in half and place it in front of your appetizer.

Creativity takes our mixes to a whole new level!

Though every Wind & Willow Mix is amazing as it is, our favorite ingredient you add is creativity! From recipes to new ways of serving an item, there is no end to the ways you can make a Wind & Willow Mix your very own.

Show us how you make Game Day special with Wind & Willow!

We want to see how you make Wind & Willow your own on game day. Tag us @windandwillowfoods on Instagram and Facebook. Check out our Pinterest and subscribe to our newsletter for even more tips, tricks, and inspiration!

There is certainly no wrong way to pack a lunch for your family, but if you are in a rut, we have some great tips to get you and your kids excited about lunch again! From using Wind & Willow products to boost flavor to making lunches visually interesting, this advice is sure to engage your kiddos and have them bringing an empty lunch box home.

The easiest way to make meals more interesting for your kids is by simply arranging the same foods in a new way. In the picture below, you can see that we could have simply packed toast with a side of fruit and cheese. Instead, try spreading a Sweet Wind & Willow Cheeseball on the toast and arranging the fruit into little animal faces. Just like that this lunch instantly becomes adorable! Check out our full Critter Toast recipe here.

Another easy way to get the kids more excited about their fruits and veggies at lunch is to cut them out into little shapes with mini cookie cutters. They are inexpensive to buy online and make a big impact. Pair star shaped cucumbers with Wind & Willow Ranch Dip or flower shaped red peppers with Fresh Picked Spinach Dip.

One of the quickest ways to add a personal touch to your child’s lunch is by adding a hand written note. It doesn’t have to be long or profound, just a little mid-day reminder that you are thinking of them. It is sure to put a smile on their face.

Our favorite way to add interest to a standard lunch is by bumping up the flavor! Simply prepare and spread your favorite Savory Wind & Willow Cheeseball onto a tortilla and roll it up. Cut it into 1″ cross sections for pinwheels with lots of flavor. You can use the same cheeseball as a sandwich spread the next day, or even try adding it inside a grilled cheese for a twist on a classic (served with Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup of course). Make an easy chicken salad by adding a prepared Savory Dip Mix to diced rotisserie chicken.

It’s hard to think about putting together a healthy yet exciting lunch for your kids on those hectic mornings before school. If you can take a few minutes on Sunday to cut out veggies for the week, prepare a Wind & Willow Cheeseball or Dip, and portion out fresh fruit for each day it can make throwing together lunches throughout the week quick and easy.

It can also be helpful to write down a game plan for the week. Even if you don’t stick to it perfectly, it’s much better to have something to go off of than nothing at all. Trying to think of a meal while getting the kids ready for school is next to impossible! Simply make a list of 5 main dishes and ensure you have everything on hand. Then add quick sides like fresh fruit or vegetables with a sweet or savory dip.

Lastly, the right containers can make portioning lunches easy, and often makes them look more fun to kids. Bento box style containers have several compartments to keep foods separate. If you have a single compartment container, use cupcake liners (reusable silicone liners work the best) to separate different items. This will keep each item fresher and will let kids mix and match flavors with every bite.

There is no wrong way to pack a lunch, but if you and your family are ready to change things up, Wind & Willow products are a great way to start mixing up the flavors you are used to. We hope these tips make it easier for you to create extra special lunches that get your kids excited for their mid-day meal.

We can’t wait to hear how you and your little foodies are using Wind & Willow to create new and exciting weekday lunches! Tag us on Instagram and Facebook @windandwillowfoods for a chance to be featured.

This fun dessert will be the life of the party! Just a shot full of your favorite tequila will kick up our quick cheesecake recipe to a whole new level. Follow these easy instructions to create this fun dessert that your friends will request over and over again!

First, gather your ingredients. There aren’t many! A Wind & Willow Key Lime Pie Cheeseball & Dessert Mix, 8 oz cream cheese, 1.5 ounces tequila (equivalent of one shot or 3 Tbs), and 8 oz whipped topping. Salt and lime are optional, but they give the dessert the full cocktail treatment.

If you want a salted rim (would also work with sugar), put about a half cup of course salt on a small plate-something with a ridge works best to keep everything in. Use a fresh lime wedge to rim the glass. Dip the rim of each glass into the salt. Set the finished glasses aside.

Next, prepare the cheesecake filling. Combine Key Lime Pie Mix (reserve topping for later) and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Slowly add in tequila until well combined. Fold in whipped topping. Fill margarita glasses (or a pre-made graham cracker crust) with the mixture. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When the cheesecakes are ready to serve, sprinkle the top with the graham cracker topping packet and garnish with lime if desired.

This recipe will fill four standard margarita glasses. For smaller individual portion sizes, fill large shot glasses with the cheesecake mixture or fill a prepared graham cracker crust and cut into slices when ready to serve.