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The Best Recipes for your Next Camp Out

Unplug and enjoy the great outdoors with Wind & Willow this summer! These easy gourmet recipes grantee that you won’t be sacrificing taste or convenience when you head out to your campsite.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

Combine Savory Cheeseball Mix of your choice and its topping packet with an 8oz package of cream cheese. Fill cored, halved jalapenos with the mixture. Place two filled halves together and wrap with a slice of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Carefully place the prepped jalapenos in an airtight container and bring to your campsite in a chilled cooler. Cook in a Dutch oven over a camp fire or in a cast iron skillet.

Soup Mixes Camping Style

Each Wind & Willow Soup Mix is simply prepared by adding water. This makes them super simple to prepare at your campsite over a fire in a cast iron pot. One of our favorite ways to stretch a Tortilla con Queso soup for a crowed is to add a can of drained black beans and a can of drained corn! Another option is to place the contents of a One Cup Soup Mix into a mug and then pour boiling water over them.

Chipotle Burgers

If you want to spice up your grilling this summer, combine 2 Lb of ground beef with Chipotle Cheddar Dip Mix. Tip: We love to prep our seasoned burgers into patties at home and store in an airtight container, keeping each patty separate between pieces of wax paper. Cook in a cast iron skillet right over the fire!

Roasted Corn

Simply combine Roasted Red Pepper Dip Mix with oil and brush it on to ears of corn while they roast on a grill or over a camp fire. They are packed with flavor and beautiful charred color. Everyone in the family will be asking for these each summer!

Everything Tastes Better on an Open Flame

There is something about being outdoors, watching a fire burn, and spending time with family that makes these recipes taste just that much better. Wind & Willow makes eating gourmet meals easy no matter where you are!

Be sure to take plenty of pictures when you cook outdoors with Wind & Willow this summer, and tag @windandwillowfoods on Instagram and Facebook for a chance to have your image shared!

How to Create a Vibrant Summer Grazing Board

Spontaneous gatherings with friends and family are a staple of the summer season. We love grilling out, picnics, pool parties, and just about any other excuse is enough to get us outdoors and with our favorite people. What we don’t love; planning what to make, what to bring, or having to make an extra store run! The solution is simple; a grazing board! It is like a charcuterie board but without all the fuss. There are just a few steps to creating the perfect spread.

#1 Keep the essentials on hand: If you have your favorite Wind & Willow Dip Mixes on hand along with mayo and sour cream (or replace with Greek yogurt for a lighter snack) a vibrant grazing board can be your go to all summer long!

#2 Take inventory of your fridge: Check out what you already have on hand. If you keep your fridge stocked with produce and a box of chips or crackers in your pantry, you likely won’t need an extra trip to the store to whip up this impromptu snack.

#3 Create your board: Place dishes of your favorite Wind & Willow dips on your board first. Then, add small stacks of produce, chips, crackers, and any other small bites you might want to include.

#4 Take a picture for your social because it is a masterpiece! This vibrant summer grazing board will be your go-to all summer long for every backyard BBQ, pool party, and beach bash. It is beautiful, tasty, and makes you look like the life of the party! When you post a picture of your beautiful creation, make sure to tag us @windandwillowfoods on Instagram and Facebook for a chance to have your image shared!

Easy Weeknight Pizza Recipes

Making homemade pizza doesn’t have to be a special weekend project. With these easy recipes, and a little help from Wind & Willow, you can have pizza on the table in minutes! Check out some of our favorite pizza recipes below.

Spring Veggie Flatbread

To create this beautiful flatbread pizza, top two warm store-bought naan or flatbread with your favorite Savory Cheeseball and Appetizer Mix; we love Bruschetta for it’s fresh flavor! Add fresh vegetables like cucumber, radish, sugar snap peas, and salad greens.

Homemade Oven Pizza

This recipe utilizes a refrigerated pizza dough to keep it quick and easy. Bake your crust half way, add your toppings, and then put it back in the oven for a few minutes to finish. With all the fresh and flavorful toppings, no one will ever guess you didn’t spend hours on the crust!

Southwest Fresh Pizza

This beautiful pizza is simple and easy! Bake a refrigerated pizza crust as directed, then top with a Santa Fe Cheeseball Mix (prepared with cream cheese and sour cream) along with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and olives!

Tropical Dessert Pizza

We always save room for dessert! Especially for pizza night. This recipe uses refrigerated cookie dough in place of a crust. Press the cookie dough into a pizza pan and bake until golden. Top with a prepared Key Lime Pie Cheeseball (or your favorite Sweet Cheeseball Mix) and add fruit of your choice or allow each family member to decorate their own slice.

Any Night is a Pizza Night

These recipes are perfect for any night of the week. Easy enough for a weeknight and special enough for a family night on the weekend. Which recipe is your favorite? Tag us @windandwillowfoods on Instagram and Facebook for a chance to be featured on our page! Follow us out on Pinterest to keep up to date on all of our latest recipes.

How to Create a Brunch Board

Creating a brunch board can take something simple, like bagels and cream cheese, and elevate it into something special. Turn a few humble ingredients into the unexpected centerpiece of a gathering. We love giving our guests the opportunity to pick and choose their favorite bagel and toppings. Each bite can be unique and creative. Follow this step-by-step guide to create a beautiful brunch board using ingredients you likely have on hand.

Choose your Spread

Start by preparing two or more of your favorite Wind & Willow Cheeseballs. On our board we used two sweet Cheeseballs, Carrot Cake and Lemon Blueberry, but you could also mix in a savory Cheeseball to give more options. Whether you choose sweet, savory, or a combination, starting with Wind & Willow is a must for creating the best gourmet spread!

Once your cheeseballs are prepared, place them on the board. This could be any food safe tray, cutting board, or even a sheet pan! Placing the cheeseballs in a bowl first is optional, but helps to contain them.

Add Some Color

Next, place fruit around the tray. Here, we chose berries, but depending on what cheeseballs you use, pair whatever fruit you like! If using savory cheeseballs, traditional savory toppings like tomatoes and red onions would be perfect in place of fruit.

Waffles, Bagels, and Toast… oh my!

Add waffles, toast, or bite sized pancakes to the board. Adding at least one option in addition to bagels ensures that everyone will have something they love. Plus, it makes the board look beautiful.

Finally, add a variety of mini bagels. The small size fits perfectly on the board and also means guests can try more than one flavor combination!

Serve this board as is or alongside savory fare and cocktails for a full brunch effect!

Brunch Made Easy

Using Wind & Willow Cheeseball Mixes takes a breakfast that could come across as pretty boring and turns it into a colorful centerpiece full of flavor! Gathering quality ingredients and being intentional about placement on your board makes all the difference in the world. We love taking simple everyday moments, like breakfast with your family, and elevating it to a moment full of memories!

We would love to see how you use Wind & Willow products to spruce up your brunch! We are on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram @windandwillowfoods. Tag us for a chance to be featured on our page.

NEW! Limited Time Spring Flavors

We have some fresh new ideas for 2021! New, limited time-only Spring Seasonal Cheeseball Mixes. No need to wait for warm weather to bring a little sunshine to your shelves. Seasonal flavors in bright, fun packaging evoke thoughts of sweet, simpler times. Faded denim blue and soft polka dots, fresh daisies and fresh new flavors! This year it’s all about fresh, fun, and bright. Are you in?

Lemon Blueberry

Lemon and Blueberry is a flavor match made in heaven. Sweet and tangy, this duo makes us think of picking blueberries and drinking lemonade. We cannot get enough!

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake has it all: sweet carrots, crunchy nuts, cinnamon, spice, and that decadent cream cheese icing! Get all of the things you love without going to the trouble of baking a cake. Plus, it is much easier to spread on bagels!

Brighten Up Brunch

The best part about our mixes is that they give you an easy way to dress up everyday gatherings. You can easily create a spring bagel board that is sure to impress. Simply prepare the Lemon Blueberry and Carrot Cake Cheeseballs, place on an extra-large serving tray surrounded with toasted bagels, waffles, and fruit. Minimal effort with maximum brunch effect!

How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your Friends

This year, celebrate the friends who have been with you through it all! Show your gals and pals some love with a Galentine’s Day party! Wind & Willow can help you whip up some festive snacks in just minutes. You can’t go wrong with classic flavors like strawberry and chocolate, but with our free downloadable PDF Valentine tags, you will be able to turn a number of Wind & Willow flavors into perfect Valentine’s Day gifts. Make these quick snacks and pour a little wine or sparkling juice into your fanciest glasses and make it a party!

First, let’s talk dessert. Nothing beats dipping fresh strawberries in Chocolate Lava Hot Dip. The warm, gooey chocolate makes this even better than those hard chocolate covered strawberries from the store! Cream cheese is the only ingredient you need on hand to create this decadent dessert.

For more Chocolate-Strawberry flavor, simply combine Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheeseball Mix with cream cheese and spread the mixture onto sugar cookies, mini cupcakes, or any other dessert that needs to be garnished. A Chocolate Covered Strawberry Quick Cheesecake (directions on the back of the box) would also make for a beautiful centerpiece for your party.

This holiday doesn’t have to be all about the sweets. Adorable tea sandwiches become a festive, savory snack by simply shaping them into hearts! Here’s how:

1. Press a heart shaped cookie cutter into your favorite sandwich bread. Create as many heart shaped sections in each slice as possible.

2. Spread the top of each cut-out heart with prepared Roasted Red Pepper Dip.

3. Top half of the hearts with jarred roasted red peppers and thin slices of fresh cucumber. Top with the remaining hearts to form a sandwich.

These Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches are every bit as tasty as they look!

Lastly, give your guests a Valentine as their party favor. Turn a Wind & Willow Cheeseball Mix into a Valentine by placing it in a cellophane bag, tying the top with ribbon, and attaching coordinating pun from our free printable PDF below.

If your friends love a corny joke, these are the perfect Valentines for them! Simply hit download below the image and print the tags (preferably on card stock). Cut along the dotted line and punch out the circle. Attach to your bag with twine or ribbon.

Galentine’s Day Puns Download

We love that there is a day dedicated to love. Love for our significant other, love for our family and friends, and love for ourselves! These quick ideas make easy work of showing the people in our lives that they are loved. We would love to see how you are celebrating this holiday and everyday moments with Wind & Willow. Tag us on Facebook and Instagram @windandwillowfoods.

Game Day Ready Recipes

It is almost time for the biggest football game of the year! Planning the menu might be as fun as watching the game. The key is to keep the prep easy, and the food even easier to eat. We are all about bite sized finger food so guests can keep their attention on the game. Check out these 4 recipes that you can have ready in a snap, while guests will think you have been cooking for days.

Charcuterie Bites

This app is like the perfect charcuterie board bite preassembled, so you don’t have to look away during the big game! Tuscan Olive Cheeseball Mix is prepared and smeared over slices of pepperoni and salami. Roll up each slice, cut in half, and secure with an olive topped toothpick. For all the details and tips, click here for the recipe.

Cheesy Bacon Zucchini Bites

This one-bite appetizer is so simple to make. Prepare a Wind & Willow Smokehouse Bacon Cheeseball Mix with 8 oz of cream cheese and dollop a tablespoon on top of summer squash slices. Bake in the oven and garnish (optional) with more cheese and bacon. For the step-by-step instructions, you can find the full recipe here.

Quick Spinach Dip

Transform your Wind & Willow Fresh Picked Spinach Dip Mix into a warm and eye-catching appetizer with the addition of a few ingredients like sour cream and extra cheese. Bonus points for broiling the whole dish off in a hollowed out bread loaf for a show-stopping presentation your family and friends will love. Check out the full recipe here for all the details.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Keep your guests on their toes with unique dipping options for your traditional game day chicken wings! Here we opted for Wind & Willow Roasted Red Pepper Dip instead of the traditional ranch or blue cheese. You could even serve a traditional dip like Back at the Ranch, alongside something fun and different like spicy Chipotle Cheddar.

The Best Snack for any Game

Wind & Willow products make it easy to whip up snacks for any game day get-together. With these mixes and a few ingredients on hand, you have these and hundreds of recipes at your fingertips. We would love to see how you are using Wind & Willow products to celebrate the big game. Tag us on Facebook and Instagram @windandwillowfoods for a chance to be featured on our page.

5 Ways to Dress up Baked Potato Soup

Best-selling Baked Potato Soup makes for the perfect, cozy weeknight dinner. Warm, hearty, and simple to make, this soup mix is perfect on its own! But, why not make a good thing better? Adding just a few ingredients that you likely already have on hand can stretch this soup just a little further – hello yummy leftovers for lunch – and change up this classic into something new and creative. Here are 5 ways to dress up your baked potato soup for a quick and easy dinner this week!

1.Upside-Down Chicken Pot Pie

upside-down chicken pot pie in a bread bowl

Once you have brought your Wind & Willow Baked Potato Soup to a boil, add frozen vegetables, a can of diced potatoes, and 3 cups of cooked chicken. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes before serving it in a hollowed out bread bowl. This recipe has all the hearty goodness of chicken pot pie without the hassle of puff pastry or pie dough!

2. Soup Lorraine

Bring a little freshness to your cozy soup with this recipe! After bringing your soup mix to a boil, add crispy bacon and spinach. Simmer for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish each bowl with shredded swiss cheese and more bacon!

3. Ham and Potato Soup

Once your soup mix is brought to a boil, add diced potatoes, carrots, celery, and cooked ham. Bring the soup to a simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Enjoy cuddled up on the couch next to a roaring fire.

4. Clam Chowder

Take your potato soup on a trip to New England with the addition of chopped clams, Worcestershire sauce, and chives. This recipe is so easy to make; simply prepare the soup, then stir in the fixings.

5. Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Turn your living room into a bistro with this loaded baked potato soup recipe! First, replace a bit of the water that the soup mix calls for with milk. Then, add a can of diced potatoes about 10 minutes into the simmer time. Lastly, add crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives to each individual serving.

Make a Weeknight Feel Special

There is something about Wind & Willow Baked Potato Soup Mix that is so hearty and satisfying on a cold day. When we have a little extra time, or have lots of mouths to feed, we like to throw in a few of these extra ingredients into the classic mix. Serving soup in an unexpected bowl is one of the easiest things you can do to make a weeknight dinner feel special. No need to buy anything new or even change up the ingredients in the recipe. Simply prepare the soup as directed on the package, then serve in a bread bowl, mug, or “the fancy bowls” for a wow factor with no extra effort!

We can’t wait to see your amazing creations. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook @Windandwillowfoods for a chance to be featured on our account.

How to Create a Dessert Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie boards traditionally feature a spread of savory appetizers, but they also make the perfect format to display a dessert spread. From nuts to cookies and candies, we love to throw a little bit of everything on our dessert boards. Follow along as we show you some key steps to making a picture perfect dessert charcuterie board.

First, choose your board. There are so many options to choose from, and there is no need to go out and but something new! A cutting board, food safe tray, or even a sheet pan would work great for this. Next, we found it easiest to start with something in the center to ground your board, such as a bowl of Roasted Nuts or a Sweet Cheeseball. From there you can Start adding groupings of your other sweet treats. These super festive Almond Sugar Cookies or our Christmas Cookie recipe are the perfect thing to start with! Add a variety of cookies to add depth and texture to the board.

Cookies and Nuts on a Dessert Charcuterie board

For a seasonal dessert board, color is key! Add Holiday color and flavor to your charcuterie board with recipes like these White Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Bites. Again, place each item in a few different places to bring balance to your board. Dessert Wontons and Gooey Bars would also make a fun addition!

White Chocolate Peppermint Brownies on a Holiday Dessert Charcuterie Board

Homemade or store-bought candy, like these white chocolate truffles, add a fun touch to a board. Candy canes, gum drops, or other seasonal sweets would work perfectly.

Candies on a holiday dessert charcuterie board

Use greens to fill in the gaps and add a contrasting color. Rosemary is perfect for a Holiday board, mimicking the look of a Christmas tree branch.

Rosemary on a holiday dessert charcuterie board

For a finishing touch add fresh cranberries, star anise, or try adding in a little bit more of everything to fill out the board.

cranberries and star anise on a holiday dessert charcuterie board

Charcuterie boards are not only a beautiful way to display appetizers, but also desserts! Show off all of your festive cookies from a cookie swap, or try a few new recipes yourself. Use up extra candies, and make your dessert table into a fun display. As your guests graze on the board, add more in to keep it looking fresh.

We would love to see your dessert charcuterie boards that feature Wind & Willow products. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook @windandwillowfoods for a chance to be featured on our page!

Spooky Bash in a Dash

Looking for some snacks that go perfectly with cold fronts and scary movies? Give your Wind & Willow products a spooky twist with these 5 easy serving suggestions. You will be ready to throw a spooky bash in just a dash!

Pumpkin Pie Cheeseball

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Cheeseball with bell pepper stem

If a Pumpkin Pie Cheeseball was not already the most festive item on our dessert table, shaping it into a pumpkin will send it over the top! After allowing your cheeseball to chill in the fridge, shape it into a ball and roll it in the graham topping. Then, use kitchen twine or the back of a knife to press ridges into the cheeseball. Top with a stem from a bell pepper to complete the look.

Graveyard Dirt Cake

Our take on dirt cake replaces the traditional pudding filling with a rich cream cheese stripe. Lay down a base of crushed sandwich cookies followed by a layer of Spiced Orange & Chocolate Cheeseball. Then, sprinkle on the cookie topping. Lastly, decorate with gummy worms and headstone cookies to add the graveyard feel.

Caramel Cheesecake Stuffed Apples

These baked apples are filled with Caramel Apple Cheeseball, drizzled with caramel sauce, and sprinkled with graham cracker topping. Its like a caramel apple meets cheesecake meets apple pie. Yes, please!

Trick and Treat Cheeseballs

Sweet and Savory Cheese balls for Halloween appetizers

Our friends Trick and Treat have a secret to tell. One is sweet and one is savory, but it is up to your guests to guess who is who! Decorate a sweet cheeseball with red licorice candy and taffy eyes. Meanwhile, hint at your savory cheeseball with chips, olives, and peppers.

Spooky Dessert Pizza

Spooky Halloween Dessert Pizza pumpkin Shape

This dessert pizza is spread with Pumpkin Pie Cheeseball and topped with caramel sauce, apple pieces, and festive candy. A bell pepper stem gives it the look of a pumpkin. This dessert is a crowd pleaser without a doubt!

Get More Entertaining Tips

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @windandwillowfoods for more recipes and entertaining tips. Tag us when you use our products for a chance to be featured on our page.

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It's getting spooky 👀 around here! These little Graveyard Dirt Cakes are so fun and the perfect size. ⁠ ⁠ We crushed oreos for the dirt and layered it with our @windandwillowfoods Spiced Orange & Chocolate Cheeseball. Then added cookies for the spoon and gummy worms to finish off the look. ⁠ ⁠ 🎉 Get recipe and party tips at windandwillow.com.

A post shared by Wind & Willow, Inc. (@windandwillowfoods) on Oct 14, 2020 at 6:09pm PDT