Sausage Balls

Yes, another snack and appetizer post.  I have been cooking real food too; check out my What's for Dinner? page to see what we've been eating.  But my focus lately has been our holiday favorites.  These sausage balls are another tradition from my family, a perennial favorite at my mom's annual holiday open house and one of our must-haves for Christmas morning brunch (the only rule- no flatware required.  Keep those hands free for opening presents!).

While I've seen variations of these a lot of places around the internet, with different ratios of sausage to cheese to baking mix and types of cheese and sausage, my mom first started making this more than 20 years ago from a recipe in the high school booster club's Jaguar Cookbook. 

Sausage Balls

What's in them:

2 c. baking mix
4 c. shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp with the sage sausage and mild with the hot sausage)
1 lb. bulk sausage (I like to use hot or sage sausage)

How to make them:

In a large bowl, combine all three ingredients.  I usually put them in the bowl in the order they're listed to keep the baking mix from making a dusty mess.  Knead the mixture by squeezing handfuls to form clumps, then break up the clumps and repeat until everything is thoroughly and evenly mixed.  This usually takes about 10 minutes (and can be pretty therapeutic).

When you're done kneading, roll into 1" balls, about a generous tablespoon for each, and spread them on a baking sheet that fits in your freezer.  Freeze sausage balls (they'll hold their shape better when you bake them), and store frozen in an airtight container or bag.

To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake sausage balls until cooked through and browned, about 15 minutes.

Not-Chex Mix

This is one of those foods that instantly takes me back to the holidays during my childhood.  While snack mix is generally not a traditional Christmas treat, it was in my house growing up- we only made it at Christmas, and maybe for the Superbowl (which was almost as important).  Amid all of the sweet offerings, this snack mix was a welcome hit of savory.

While there are a million different recipes for snack mix, we have always stuck with the original (not the microwave version), with one notable exception- we don't use Chex cereal, but Crispix instead.  In my opinion, they're crispier, and even better, the recipe uses just about a whole box, rather than a third of three different cereals.  In the past few years, I've also started playing around with the seasonings, cutting back on the salt, adding some cayenne and Dijon mustard, and upping the Worcestershire sauce in my favorite version.  The result is addicting; I'm almost embarrassed to admit it took us less than three days to decimate the first batch.

Not-Chex Mix

What's in it:

9 c. Crispix cereal (about 1 17.9 oz. box)
1 c. mixed nuts
1 c. bite-sized pretzels
1 c. garlic bagel chips, minis or regular sized broken into 1" pieces)
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with foil.

Mix first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter, about 45 seconds to one minute on high in the microwave.  Whisk remaining ingredients into the butter.  Pour about half of the butter mixture over the cereal mixture, and stir to coat well, and repeat with the remaining butter mixture, making sure that everything is coated.

Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets, and spread into an even layer.  Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Let cool, then store in an airtight container. 

Rosemary Candied Cashews

Does anyone else remember Good Things Catered?  Sadly (for me and its other followers), its author Katie took it down due to a move and a new job.  It's really too bad, the recipes were always just right, had a ton of great tips, and really demonstrated that good food didn't have to be hard. 

One of my favorite simple recipes was for rosemary candied nuts; luckily for me this was also published on Recipes Tap, so all is not lost.  I usually add a little cayenne for some heat, and I really think the salty-sweet combo is impossible to resist.  I had these out as part of the pre-Thanksgiving dinner snack table and there wasn't much left when we sat down for dinner!

Rosemary Candied Cashews
Adapted just a little from Good Things Catered

What's in them:

4 Tbsp butter
1/4 c dark brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
Cayenne pepper to taste, I like about a 1/2 tsp here
2 c whole cashews (or nuts of choice)
coarse grain salt

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet- I line mine with non-stick foil.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat butter, sugar, rosemary and cayenne, stirring until fully combined.  Add nuts and cook until the nuts covered in sugar mixture and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Spread nut mixture onto prepared baking sheet and bake until sugar has slightly hardened (will be bubbly), about 15 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and toss with large pinch of coarse salt.  Cool completely, tossing periodically to keep the nuts from sticking together.

Crispy Baked Thai Chicken Wings

I was pretty excited to get my recipe for this round of A Taste of Home Cooking's recipe swap.  Sunday afternoon means football in our house during the fall and into winter, and I love to have "football foods" for lunch while we catch the one o'clock game.  For this season's inaugural Sunday afternoon, I had already been planning on classic buffalo wings, so Jill's recipe for baked wings with Thai curry-lime sauce fit right into my plan.

I LOVED these wings.  The spicy-sour-sweet combo is one of my favorites, and the sauce here hits all those notes for me.  It's probably even going to make another appearance in my kitchen this week, as part of a shrimp stir fry.  I added a little more honey because I like my wings to be a little on the sticky side, and skipped the cilantro in favor of some toasted sesame seeds and scallions because as much as I want to like it, cilantro just never tastes good to me.  I also popped the wings back in the oven for a few minutes after their initial dip in the sauce for some caramelization, and thickened the sauce up while they were there for another thick coat of the good stuff when they came out.

Crispy Baked Thai Chicken Wings

What's in them:

4 pounds chicken wings
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ c (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 generous Tbsp of Thai red curry paste
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp soy sauce
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tsp cornstarch
thinly sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

How to make them:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken wings from the package and pat them really dry.  Place them in a large bowl, drizzle generously with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Spread the wings onto a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the skin gets crisp and brown, and the meat is tender. Flip the wings about half-way through cooking to ensure that both sides get golden brown.

While the chicken wings are cooking, place the butter, red curry paste, honey, zest of the lime and soy sauce into a medium saucepan. Warm the mixture over low heat, whisking frequently to incorporate all of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm until the wings are cooked.

When the chicken wings are ready, toss them, in batches if necessary, in the curry lime sauce, returning them to the baking sheet when coated.  Place the wings back in the oven, baking for another 5-7 minutes until the sauce begins to lightly caramelize.

Meanwhile, stir the lime juice into the remaining curry lime sauce, whisk in the cornstarch, and bring to a gentle boil, letting it cook and bubble until the sauce has thickened.  Plate wings, drizzle with thickened sauce, and garnish with scallion and sesame seeds if desired.

Hot Crab Dip

When I first clicked on the link for my recipe in this week's swap, I was a little scared.  The title was Dip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, but I was seeing photos of a full-out low-country boil.  While I love the food, I was not prepared to plan and host a crab boil within the two weeks I had to make my recipe and share it here!  The crab dip that was actually my assignment was delicious, and what I also loved about it was how it reminded me how small the world can be.  Nicole's inspiration for this came from right in my back yard, when she was in Annapolis for her brother-in-law's introduction to the U.S. Naval Academy.  Living in the DC area and working for the Navy, this is certainly something I can connect with!

I made this mostly how Nicole did, adding the horseradish and Tabasco she omitted from the original recipe because we do love spicy here.  I also increased the Old Bay because nothing goes better with crab, and increased the Tabasco as well because nothing is ever really spicy enough.  And if you have leftovers, the dip makes an awesome omelet filling, with a few avocado slices on the side.

Hot Crab Dip

 

What's in it:

2 packages (8-oz) cream cheese, at room temp
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 whole green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp milk, half & half or cream
2 Tbsp horseradish
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10 dashes Tabasco

16 oz crabmeat
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Combine all ingredients except crab and parmesan cheese.  Add crab and gently stir until just combined.

Spread into a heatproof baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and bubbly on top, broiling if necessary.  Serve hot with crackers, baguette slices, or crostini.
 

Baked Garlic-Beer Fries

Though it pains me, Vince is not particularly interested in food.  He likes eating it of course, but whenever I ask what he wants to have for dinner next week, my question is almost always met with a shrug and "whatever you feel like cooking."  So when he sends me a recipe, I do my best to work it into the menu.  Not surprisingly, the recipe that caught his attention involves beer. 

I used a beer made with roasted poblano peppers that Vince had brewed and bottled a few months ago this time around, but any beer that you'd drink with a burger works here.  Use something good though, because a lot of the beer's flavor comes though, despite the short soaking time.  I've also skipped the olive oil and used bacon fat leftover from baking bacon and it defnitely adds a whole other layer to the fries.  Fresh herbs are also delicious here.  These are awesome with any burger- definitely tons of flavor however you make them!

Baked Garlic-Beer Fries
from craftbeer.com

What's in them:

12 oz good beer
3 russet potatoes, about 3/4 lbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil, canola oil, or bacon fat
1-1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 425°F

Scrub and cut potatoes with skin on into 1/2" sticks.  In a large bowl, soak the cut fries in the beer.  Let soak for 15 minutes, tossing a few times so that the potatoes soak evenly.

Drain beer and toss the potatoes with the oil, garlic, salt and pepper, making sure that each one is well coated.

Line a large baking sheet with foil, and spread the fries in a single layer on the pan, using two pans if necessary.  Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how crispy you like them, tossing 3-4 times.

Add more salt and pepper to your liking and serve hot.

Spinach Balls

I have to admit, I was pretty excited when I saw my recipe for this week's swap from Melissa at I Was Born to Cook.  Spinach balls were always part of the spread at the annual holiday open house my mom always hosted when we lived in Pittsburgh, and so I associate them with all of the happiness and excitement at the holidays.  So much so, in fact, that I never considered making them any other time of the year.  But they really are perfect for spring gatherings, with the freshness of the spinach balancing the salty bite of the cheese.

I did adjust Melissa's recipe a bit, dropping it to two eggs instead of three at the mixture was pretty wet already without the third, and using plain breadcrumbs and adding my own seasonings.  I also went with dried onion instead of fresh, as I wanted the slightly less astringent, sweeter taste here.  Finally, I left out the butter accidentally, but these still tasted great without it.  I popped most of these into the freezer, ready to be reheated the next time an impromptu deck party happens.

Spinach Balls

What's in them:

1 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and really dried.  Seriously, wring that stuff out until it can't be wrung anymore.
1/2 c grated parmesan or pecorino romano
1/3 c unseasoned bread crumbs
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2  eggs, beaten

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Roll mixture into small balls (I ended up with 14 1-in balls) and place on baking sheets lined with foil.   Bake for 20 minutes.

Salami and Cheese Puff Pastry Swirls

I made these as a quick throw-together finger food for a get-together with friends.  At the grocery store, I had grabbed puff pastry and salami, figuring I could pull something together with those and the eight varieties of cheese sitting in my fridge from a recent trip to Wisconsin. 

So late Friday afternoon, with an hour until our friends were expected, I dug into the deli drawer of cheese, and found some gruyere.  This reminded me of a fantastic Ina Garten recipe, Soppressata and Cheese in Puff Pastry from Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? 

Her version combines soppressata and gruyere between layers of puff pastry, with some kick from a little Dijon mustard.  Since I was going for cocktail food, I made mine in pinwheel form, and these little two-biters did not disappoint.  Flaky pastry and crispy salami with just enough gooey cheese to hold it all together- delicious!  And the combinations are endless; ham and sharp cheddar, turkey and swiss, pepperoni and smoked mozzarella.

Salami and Cheese Puff Pastry Swirls

What's in them:

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

2-3 Tbsp. of Dijon mustard

6 thin slices of salami

3/4 c. shredded gruyere

1 egg

How to make them:

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/8-in thick.  Spread the mustard over the pastry, evenly covering all but a 3/4-in border at the top.  Lay salami on the pastry, then sprinkle cheese evenly over top. 

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix egg with a little water to make an egg wash.  Brush the border at the top of the pastry with the egg wash, then roll up the pastry carefully.  Cut the roll into half-inch slices, and lay them on a baking sheet (lining it with parchment paper makes clean up much easier!).  Brush each pastry swirl with egg wash, and bake until bubbly and brown, about 12-15 minutes.  Serve hot, and watch them disappear!

Roasted Sweet Potato Coins with Caramelized Onions and Bacon

Last Friday, I was able to go home for lunch when a meeting ended and I didn't need to be back in the office.  Since I usually pack leftovers in some form for lunch, it's pretty exciting for me to actually get to cook myself lunch on a weekday.  I started daydreaming about what I could make as soon as I pulled out of the parking garage.

A few days earlier, I had seen a recipe on The Jey of Cooking for a fancied-up spin on potato skins.  The combination of sweet potatoes, bacon and sour cream, with orange juice and chives to provide some brightness, grabbed me right away.  Luckily, I had the ingredients, or at least items that could stand in, plus some caramelized onions, hanging out in the fridge.  Thank goodness, because these little sweet potato stacks were as tasty as I'd hoped!

Roasted Sweet Potato Coins with Caramelized Onions and Bacon

What's in them:

1 small sweet potato
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 clementine, juiced
2 slices of bacon, diced
1/4 cup caramelized onions
1/4 cup sour cream
1 scallion, sliced

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut sweet potatoes into thick rounds and toss with clementine juice and brown sugar.  Spread the potato slices in a glass baking dish, and bake until soft, about 45 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon over medium low heat until crispy.  Set on paper towels to drain.

When potatoes have about 5 minutes left, top each slice with some of the caramelized onions and return to the oven.

When potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.  Transfer to a plate, and top each with a dollop of sour cream, and sprinkle with bacon and scallions.