I am a forgetful sister-in-law.

I really can’t believe there are less than 10 days till Christmas.  Please, someone pinch me.  But before you pinch me, will you please wrap all the gifts that I’m hoarding in my guest room closet?  Thanks.  Anyways, I’ve been busy in the kitchen lately and have a couple new recipes to blog about (nothing healthy this month…I’m all about sugar, sugar, and more sugar in the month of December), but before that, I have a very special post that I need to get to.  We have a guest blogger this week!  This post comes to you courtesy of my hilarious brother-in-law, Christopher.  He made his infamous Pigs-in-a-Blanket for our Thanksgiving Party and I’m just now remembering to post it, so my apologies.   And now that I have Chris’ help, I can finish up my holiday baking so I don’t go another 2 weeks without a new blog post.  Take it away, Christopher! 

 

Pigs-in-a-Blanket by Christopher

This recipe is pretty simple.

1. Buy Little Smokies at the grocery store and buy the Original Crescent stuff. 
2. Roll the crescent dough flat and cut out small triangles that you can roll the smokies up in. 
3. Once rolled, put them in the oven at 375 for 12-15 minutes.  I think that was the temp and time…it says on the side of the crescent roll box how long to cook. 
4. Take out of the oven, put on a fun, festive holiday dish, add some exciting and tasty dipping sauces, and enjoy!

Fun tips or Facts

• I prefer to roll them in front of the T.V.  It can take a long time to roll 50 smokies, so why not enjoy some Seinfeld at the same time?
• I was first introduced to making Pigs in a Blanket by a girl from the South.  Atlanta, to be exact. 
• Lil Smokies are great for all occasions…Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Bar Mitzvahs!
• Lil Smokies are naturally low in sugar!  But they are high in saturated fat and sodium.
• For added flavor and excitement, try wrapping your Lil Smokies in bacon! 

Something that Paula Dean would love…Hillbilly Dip!

That’s right.  This recipe gets it’s name from it’s high class, gourmet ingredients…but I’ve got no shame in cooking with a good ole’ pasteurized cheese brick, Jimmy Dean sausage, and a can of Rotel (gotta get your veggies in there)!  This one comes straight from my “Southern” roots.  When I was in High School just outside Atlanta, this was always a staple at any social gathering.  It’s basically a Chile con Queso dip and you could always fancy it up by adding some diced fresh jalapeno, sauteed onions, or a garnish of cilantro…but really the beauty of it is the hillbilly-ness of it, so I would just leave it alone.  Get yourself some tortilla chips and some warm flour tortillas for dipping and you’ve got yourself a simple, Southern snack.  Enjoy Y’all!  (I really just needed to say “Y’all” at least once in this post or else my Hillbilly Dip wouldn’t be authentic.)

 

 

Hillbilly Dip (or Chile con Queso if you find the word “hillbilly” offensive)

• 2lb loaf of Velveeta Cheese, cut into 1 inch squares
• 1lb package of Jimmy Dean Hot Breakfast Sausage (You could use Mild, but Mild is for wimps.)
• 1 can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles

 

1. In a large skillet, brown the breakfast sausage over medium high heat.  Once fully cooked, drain the excess fat from the pan.  (Hey, I’m trying to make this dip a *little* healthy for ya!) 
2. Add Velveeta cubes to the skillet and melt over medium low heat.  Also add the can of Rotel, undrained. 
3. Stir occasionnaly until all the cheese is melted. 
4. Serve with tortilla chips and warm flour tortillas, cut into triangles.  Also, during serving, you must keep the dip warm in either a crockpot or fondue pot.  (No one likes cold, congealed cheese dip.)

A little Italian lesson. And no, I’m not teaching you how to curse in Italian.

Today’s post is part Italian lesson, part recipe.  You can’t make this recipe if you can’t pronounce it properly.  I won’t allow it.  Now, what is the name for a delicious, toasted, garlic bread covered with a savory topping?  If you answered “Bru-shet-a”, I’m ashamed of you.  Go away and just come back in a couple days when there is a recipe that you can pronounce.  If you answered “Brus-ket-a”, you may proceed.  And stay tuned because in a few weeks, we’ll go through the same lesson, but this time with Gnocchi…and I’m warning you right now that if anyone says “Yonky”, I’m just going cry. 

Now that we can all pronounce it the correct way, we can move on.  Bruschetta is a simple Italian appetizer that is the perfect party food, as it’s easy to make and looks oh so pretty on a platter.  It’s also very easy to prepare the toppings ahead of time and then just toast the bread and assemble as your guests arrive.  Traditional Bruschetta is made with a tomato, onion, basil topping, but any savory topping will work, so feel free to express your culinary creativity with this dish.  For a recent dinner party, I prepared the traditional topping, as well as an Artichoke topping.  I also added different types of cheeses to mix it up a bit.  There are no rules when it comes to Brushetta, except when it comes to how you pronounce it.  And I’m a stickler, but you’ll thank me later. 

 

 

 

Traditional Bruschetta

• 1 Baguette, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 large cloves of Garlic, peeled
• 3 Plum Tomatoes, seeded
• 1 small Onion
• 20 fresh Basil Leaves
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling
• Coarse Salt
• Optional to sprinkle on top: Crumbled Goat Cheese, Grated Pecorino Cheese, etc.

 

1. Preheat broiler to high.  Assemble bread on a cookie sheet.  Rub the garlic cloves over each slice and brush lightly with olive oil.  Char bread on each side under the hot broiler, but watch it carefully.
2. Dice the seeded tomatoes and place in a small bowl.
3. Dice the onion and add to bowl.
4. Chop the basil very finely and add to the bowl.
5. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of coarse salt.  Gently toss to coat.
6. Spoon topping on toasts and add cheese if you like. 

 

Artichoke Bruschetta

• 1 Baguette, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 large cloves of Garlic, peeled
• 2 jars of Marinated Artichoke Hearts
• 1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh Basil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (Please don’t use the stuff in the green can.  You will hurt my feelings.)
• 2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 

1. See above on how to prepare the garlic toasts.  I don’t want to type it twice and I’m too lazy to copy and paste.
2. Drain the artichokes, reserving about 2 tbsp. of the liquid they were packed in and place them in the food processor.  Add the reserved liquid, olive oil, parsley, basil, cheese and salt/pepper.  Process until mixture is a coarse puree. 
3. Spoon the mixture on the toasts and sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese.

The key to great salsa is marrying my husband.

Marriage definitely has a lot of perks…but I didn’t realize one of them included a really delicious salsa recipe, until I met Gus’ Aunt Carol.  The past couple summers, we have enjoyed spending a day at their beautiful lakehouse and lucky for us, each year Aunt Carol makes the tastiest Black Bean Salsa for us to enjoy.  If you know my husband at all, you know that he could live off of chips and salsa, so he was quite thrilled this year when Aunt Carol was generous enough to share her famous salsa recipe with me.  I have made it for several parties already and it’s always quite the hit…so much so that now Gus makes me hide a bowl of it in the back of the fridge for him, so that he has his own stash after the party has ended!  It’s a really fresh tasting dip, yet heartier than regular salsa and it has a nice kick to it.  If you are a wimp and can’t handle the heat, then just leave the jalapeno out.  Or if you are a rockstar, then double it.  We are always rockstars in my house. 

 

 

Aunt Carol’s Famous Black Bean Salsa (that’s the official name…and don’t let me catch you trying to take credit for Aunt Carol’s masterpiece.)

• 15 oz. can of Bush’s Black Beans (Don’t try to save a few cents and buy the generic brand.  Bush’s beans are firmer and hold up better in the dip.)
• 1 Tomato, diced
• 2 Green Onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup Corn (Fresh is always best, but barely steamed frozen corn will work too.)
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced with seeds and membrane removed
• 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed Lime Juice
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 2 tsp. Olive Oil

 

1. Rinse the black beans under cold water.  
2. Combine all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  
3. Serve with “scoop” chips, as it makes it easier to pick up the mixture and enjoy in large quantities.
4. If you have leftovers or are just trying to hide some for your salsa loving hubby, then store in Tupperware for up to 3 days.