Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Corn Souffle'


With only 2 days left to Christmas I am really feeling the crunch. We have returned from Mexico and are gearing up for our next trip! All the sudden I realized I haven't posted anything recently. My apologies and here is an easy side dish that even the picky, non-veggie eaters will like, Corn Souffle'.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!

Courtesy of Aunt Phyl

1 can whole corn
1 can creamed corn
8 oz sour cream
1 stick margarine
2 eggs
1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place in a greased souffle' dish. Bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Appetizer Sage and Bacon Meatballs


One of my husband's famous lines is " What's for snack?" He loves finger foods, especially mini versions of anything. When selecting my Thanksgiving appetizers it seemed only fair to let him pick one recipe out for me to make. Of course mini meatballs with bacon were his request.

Adapted from Better Home and Gardens Appetizers 2009 magazine

Makes 9 servings

12 slices bacon
1 egg, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup ground toasted pecans
3 tbsp snipped fresh sage
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 pound ground pork
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh sage leaves
9 four inch skewers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook four slices of bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Finely chop the crisp bacon; set aside. Cook remaining bacon for 4-5 minutes until just beginning to brown, turning once. Drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

In a large bowl, combine egg, 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream, 1/2 cup of the red onion, the pecans, 2 tablespoons of the fresh sage, the salt, and the pepper. Add pork and 3/4 of the finely chopped bacon; mix well.

Shape into 18 meatballs. Place meatballs in a single layer on a large baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until done. Cool 15 minutes.

Thread 2 meatballs and once slice of the partially cooked bacon onto a skewer, weaving bacon around meatballs. Repeat with remaining meatballs and bacon slices. Place on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from flame for 4 to 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp, turning once.

For dipping sauce: Cook the remaining 1/4 cup red onion and the garlic in the reserved bacon drippings until tender. Stir in the remaining whipping cream and the remaining snipped sage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the remaining finely chopped bacon.

Arrange meatball kabobs on a platter, garnish with sage leaves and serve with sauce.

Goat Cheese, Fig & Prosciutto Bruschetta

Goat cheese has become my new favorite ingredient. I see a recipe with it and I have to try it. This recipe originally called for ricotta cheese but I new the goat cheese would be better, and I was right. I was lucky enough to have a jar of homemade fig jam from my Aunt Sandy. This appetizer did not last on Thanksgiving and I will be making it again for sure.

Adapted from William-Sonoma Food Made Fast Small Plates

Makes 24 pieces

1 small baguette cut into 24 thin slices (I used an everything loaf)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup fig jam
8 oz goat cheese, divided into 24 pieces
6 thin slices prosciutto, each cut into 4 pieces
Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake until golden, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

To assemble the bruschetta; spread each slice with a generous teaspoon of the fig jam. Top with a piece of goat cheese and a piece of prosciutto. Season with pepper and serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash Dip

This Thanksgiving my husband and I spent at my parent's house. I was in charge of making appetizers. I had so many recipes I wanted to try and it was very hard to narrow it down to just three! When I saw this Butternut Squash recipe I thought it sounded very Thanksgiving-like and gave it a whirl. I am so glad I did. I made it up the night before and reheated it in the microwave at my parent's before serving with pita chips.

Adapted from Delicious Dips by Diane Morgan

Makes 2 cups

1 butternut squash cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1 very small yellow onion, cut in half lengthwise, stem and root end removed
2 large garlic cloves, skins left on
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sour cream
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
Fresh ground black pepper
Pita chips for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the flesh of squash, onion and garlic generously with olive oil. Arrange squash and onion cut-side down on a rimmed cookie sheet. Tuck a garlic clove in each cavity of the squash. Roast until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 50 minutes. Set aside and cool enough to handle.

Use a large spoon to scrape out flesh of squash and place in food processor, discard skins. Squeeze the garlic pulp from the cloves and add with onion to food processor. Puree until smooth. Add the sour cream, salt, nutmeg, crushed pepper, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process to combine and then adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a bowl and serve at room temperature with pita chips.