Cheesy Spinach Puff Pastry Pinwheels Appetizer Recipe #HolidayHelper

My recipe is part of a sponsored National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association campaign for Mom It Forward Blogger Network. 

Now that Halloween and Thanksgiving are behind us, it’s time to begin preparing for our Christmas and New Years parties! Believe me, I know how stressful it can be to plan a holiday party; what with the cleaning, decorating, menu planning and actual cooking, it can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task. But it doesn’t have to be! If you keep a few handy frozen and refrigerated food staples in the kitchen, you’ll be set to feed party guests at the drop of a hat – though we’ll hope it doesn’t come to that! Check out this super easy Cheesy Spinach Puff Pastry Pinwheel recipe I whipped up one afternoon using stuff I already had in the fridge and freezer!

Did you know that the freezer aisle has over 3,000 tasty food items, with everything from frozen fruits and veggies to pre-made meals, ice cream and all kinds of good stuff in between?

Frozen fruits and vegetables are picked and frozen at the height of ripeness, so all you have to do is thaw and enjoy. I always keep a few bags of frozen berries as well as an assortment of vegetables for last minute meal additions, smoothies and the like. I really try to limit the amount of canned veggies and fruits we buy because we have such limited cabinet space, so buying frozen fruits and veggies make perfect sense for our family. You’d be surprised at how fresh and vibrant the tastes are!

You can check out websites like EasyHomeMeals.com for ideas for recipes when guests show up at your door unannounced…or if you just really procrastinated before a big party! There’s also EasyHomeMeals.com on Facebook, believe me, you can never have enough easy recipe resources!

Every year my family throws a Progressive Christmas Dinner, and I am hosting the appetizer round this year. I decided to try a new recipe based off some of the items I had in the fridge and freezer. I had puff pastry sheets and spinach in the freezer, and a few different kinds of cheese in the fridge. These are things that we pretty much ALWAYS have on hand, because they’re so versatile and you can use them in so many ways.

Chris and Angeline are both slightly lactose intolerant; they can’t really sit down and drink a glass of milk, but they can have dairy in other forms without issues. So the refrigerated dairy aisle is where I go to find items to stock our fridge!

Sliced cheese, shredded cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, coffee creamers, yogurt – the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients 

1 package Puff Pastry Sheets
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 10 ounce package frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions 

Preheat oven according to package directions (mine said 350 degrees). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour the surface of the parchment paper.

Mix egg and 1/4 cup water in small bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix cheeses and spinach and powders.

Unroll your puff pastry sheet and brush with egg mixture. Pour cheese and spinach mixture onto the puff pastry and smooth so that it is evenly distributed, almost reaching to the edges.

Begin rolling the puff pastry away from you, like a jelly roll.

Roll completely and refrigerate for about ten minutes, so that it is easier to slice.

Cut into one inch slices with a sharp knife.

If the dough is too tacky and it falls apart, put it back into the refrigerator so that it can harden up a bit.

Place about two inches apart on your parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, forming into circles if they’ve lost their shape during the cutting process.

Bake according to package directions. Each brand of puff pastry will be a little different.

Mine said to bake for 10 minutes, and that was about right.

These Cheesy Spinach Puff Pastry Pinwheels taste best when served hot, so enjoy right away!

For more mealtime inspiration using items from the frozen and refrigerated dairy aisle, visit www.EasyHomeMeals.com, The Dish Diary Tumblr and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest! You can also check out the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association website, follow on Pinterest and Twitter!

This post was compensated by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association as part of my participation in a campaign with the Mom It Forward Blogger Network.