Barbecue Kolaches

This is an easy recipe to whip up for brunch, tailgates or a potluck need. In April, I was making kolaches one morning and as I stared at the little smokie, I thought to myself: self, you love dousing these and cooking them in BBQ sauce, and you love them rolled up as kolaches. Why couldn't they be both? I decided they should be, but then filed that thought away for another day.

That day came in August when I decided to try it out for a fun girl's potluck brunch hosted by sweet Sara. The result was a very delicious combination that was gobbled up, and if it was gal-approved, I was certain the boys would love it too.

As football season began, my friend Elizabeth and I planned our spread for the first upcoming home football games on the SMU Boulevard. This is our 5th season on the Boulevard together and for all that time, our boys have been talking about someday when they have a tent spot. Their someday came this year when the group was able to finally get a coveted lot in a prime location on the Boulevard. This meant fabulous food spreads would be made, decor would need to be set and a TV with satellite to keep the boys distracted from realizing their tent was becoming a picture out of Southern Living.

Elizabeth and I brought a number of things and this was one of my contributions to the first game day spread. I hope one that you can enjoy them for your next tailgate! They are a little messy to make but sometimes in the kitchen, you just have to get your hands dirty.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 32 kolaches

• 1 package of your favorite Little Smokie brand sausages (I got Hillshire Farms)
• 1.5 cups BBQ Sauce (I use Austin's Own with a little heat to it)
• 2 packages Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls 
• Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese

To start, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and set out two cookie sheets, greased with non-stick spray. Place the little smokie's into a pot, then smother in the BBQ sauce. Cook them like this on low heat for about an hour. Note: the time frame is really up to you, I like to think that the flavor penetrates the longer it is cooked.

As your sausages sizzle in sauce, roll out the crescent dough and cut each individual triangle in half to create two mini triangles. If my memory and math serves me correctly, you get 8 regular crescent rolls per package, so with this method, you should get 16 per package.

Now the first time I did this, I used finely shredded cheese, which I preferred. This time, I thought we had shredded cheese but we did not, so I cut slivers of the colby-jack cheese instead. This works but if you can do shredded cheese, I would recommend that because it melts better.

Top the dough and cheese slice with a bbq-drenched little smokie and start to roll from widest end to skinny end. This is where the BBQ sauce may cause a little bit of a mess, but that's okay!

Place your rolled bbq kolache on a greased cookie sheet and when ready, pop it in the oven for 15 minutes, or until bread is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.

Remove and enjoy your little bites of barbecuey, cheesey, sausagey heaven!

Tastefully yours,

Crab Wontons

I'm excited to bring you a guest post by one of my favorite foodie friends and Girls Night In chickies, Meredith at Average Insanity. Mere and I went to "rival" elementary schools and have known each other since the 7th grade through mutual friends. We then ended up at the same college, and fate continued to put us together in the real-world; we realized that life really wanted us to be friends! When she had heard about a project I was developing, she was one of the first on board to help start the young professionals, non-profit organization for the pediatric hospital that I work for. We've worked closely together in this volunteer role, serving on the board together for now the third year, and she's become such a dear friend. Meredith is one of the most genuine, tell-it-like-it-is girls I know, with a true servant's heart. She works hard on all she does and is the first to say - let me help! I admire how fun she is, how humble she is, how real she is. At our monthly Girls Night In, it was her turn to host and her contribution consisted of these amazing little crab wontons. Without further adieu, meet Meredith!

 Hi, I'm Meredith.

Our Asian-Fusion themed girls cooking night started out with a great little recipe from the Reckless Abandon food blog.   Rachel is an amazing cook and blogger who we met through involvement in "The One" Society: Young Professionals for Children's.  These Mini Crab Rangoons are quite possibly my new favorite little appetizer to make and so easy.  Since there was only three of us, I halved her original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 package wonton wrappers
• 1 can crab mea, drained
• 1 block light cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup light sour cream
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 mini cupcake pan

I went to Whole Foods and they were out of wonton wrappers, so I figured the egg roll wrappers next to the empty row of wonton wrappers would do when in a pinch! 

1. Heat the oven to 350. 

2. Cut the egg roll wrappers to fit a mini cupcake tin and push into the cup to make a shell.  Once they are ready, place the muffin tin into the oven for around 5 minutes to get the shell crispy.

 

3. While the shells are getting all nice and golden browned add all the other ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. 

 

4. Once the shells are done browning, about 5 min, take them out of the oven and cool for a minute.   

5. Once the shells have cooled a bit, add about a tablespoon of the crab mix to the shell and top with a small square cut wrapper to cover the entire mixture inside.

 

6. Last but not least, pop them in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes until browned. 

 

7. Let them cool for about 5 minutes before eating. 

 

I made a little peanut/soy sauce dip to go with the rangoons, which was just a eyeballed combination of soy sauce and peanut sauce mixed together.  Easy peasy and soooooo yummy!  This is a definite keeper, thanks to Rachel for the GREAT recipe!!!!

 

Party Favorites!

With the Super Bowl, Valentine's Day and the Academy Awards approaching, social gatherings are in full swing. I thought I would provide you with some of my party favorites, tried and true, from me to you!

1.) This Chicken Bruschetta  is perfect as a pre-meal dish for you and yours to snack on before a romantic main course, to set on a party platter for the big game, or gabbing with the girls watching the red carpet. Diced chicken, fresh tomato and julienne basil tossed with goat cheese toasted together on a slice of fresh baguette.

2.) For the dip lovers, add in some greens and try this Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip. This was my first appetizer post, and one that has been a repeat contribution at parties. Serve with pita chips, wheat thins or tortilla chips.

3.) For the savory folk, I served these Chicken Caprese Sliders for an Academy Awards dinner last year. Creating a hearty spin-off on the typical caprese salad, these bite-sized buns are filled with a light pesto mayo, fresh tomato, mozzarella and a balsamic grilled chicken.

4.) Great for a group and easy to serve into multiple portions, here is a layered salad to take the place of an infamous layered dip that is a staple in a sporty spread. I affectionately refer to this as my Mexi-Texi Layer Salad with layers of crisp lettuce, a corn-black bean-bell pepper-cilantro mix, tomato-red onion combo, cucumber, avocado, shredded Mexican blend cheese and topped with your meat of choice! I used shrimp but either diced chicken or shredded beef would be a fabulous addition. Let your guests choose a salad dressing with options of a smokey-chipotle ranch or a cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

5.) Last but not least, a frothy treat you can feel good about consuming. Let the boys drink the brews, ladies this drink is for you! Taste the tropics in February with a low-cal Watermelon Margarita, made with fresh fruit.

Tastefully Yours,

 

Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans

Thanksgiving is just right around the corner! Holidays always provide us with a wonderful time to sit back and reflect on the past year since and the many years of memories that holiday brings. It also provides us with the most influential opportunity to eat some incredibly tasty food. It's magical. Last year over the holidays, I played with some new recipes including:

Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes with "Fried" Onions

Cranberry Baked Brie

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Buttermilk Chess Pie

This year, we've already contributed a few of our usual suspects to Friendsgiving dinners, including mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, but also wanted to bring something new to the table (pun not intended). This dish is rather popular, made several different ways, but it is my first attempt so here we go! Researching the dish, there were the three main ingredients found in each: green beans, bacon and brown sugar. I contemplated using prosciutto but after discussing that with a clerk at the grocery store, I was swayed back to bacon. It just cooks better and prosciutto is not meant to be crisped like bacon.

I added a clove of minced garlic, but I also had shallots so I decided to use the garlic in the sauce, then saute the chopped shallot and top each bundle with them as they roast in the oven. After combining the butter, brown sugar and garlic, I felt like I needed another liquid and soy has worked well with similar mixes so it earned a spot in this recipe. Finally, I added a little squeeze of lemon juice and it was perfect. After consuming it, very happy with the dish but I am still curious about the prosciutto. I didn't feel like the bacon crisped that much in the oven so it may work out well! I have two more Thanksgiving dinners coming up this week - eek - so I may just have to try it again.

Nutritional facts per bundle, calculated by SparksRecipes.com: 187 calories, 12g fat, 28mg cholesterol, 19g carbs, 3g fiber and 3g protein.

Grocery List:

• 8 strips bacon (I used uncured, maple smoked bacon)
• 3/4 - 1 lb. fresh haricot verts 
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• Juice from 1 lemon wedge
• 1 shallot, finely chopped

Start by setting your oven to 400 degrees. Place the haricot verts in a pot and boil in water, cook uncovered for about 8 minutes or until crisp-tender.

While the beans cook, combine the butter, brown sugar in a bowl, mixing until sugar has dissolved. Add the garlic, soy and lemon juice. It will have a thick glaze consistency.

While your beans continue to cook, saute the diced shallot in a little olive oil on low heat until they are transparent and golden.

Remove the shallots from the skillet and turn up the heat slightly. Cook the bacon in a skillet until cooked, but not crisp. I'm glad I had Mr. Max for this one because I like my bacon crispy which works well when you tend to overcook it (ahem, that would be me). He made sure it was medium-rare, rather than well-done. For those like me, it took about 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set it aside. When the beans are ready, drain and let cool a bit before the next part. When they are cool enough to handle, grab about 15-20 beans and wrap the bacon around, securing with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish.

The sauce had thickened as it sat, so I zapped it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Brush or spoon the bundles with sauce.

Finally, top with the diced sauteed shallot. Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Remove from the oven, let cool for about 2-5 minutes and place with the rest of your spread!

These would make a great appetizer to munch on before the big feast or a potentially healthier replacement for the traditional green bean casserole at your dinner!

Tastefully Yours,

Caprese Salad

For our homemade gourmet dinner, Sarah and I made this caprese salad as an accomplice to the rest of our meal. You will only need a few ingredients for this one. I like to make this classic dish "my own" by reducing the balsamic vin over heat into a glaze and grilling the slices of tomatoes for added taste and texture. This was the first time I've used heirloom tomatoes and as a girl who gets easily squeemish about tomatoes in general, this is my new favorite kind to use.

Recipe made enough for three people, for more, increase your tomato use.

Grocery List:

• 1 heirloom tomato
• 1 red, round tomato
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella
• 1 bunch of basil
• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil

Go ahead and chiffonade your basil by stacking 3-5 leaves of similar size on top of one another and creating a tight roll, then cut thin strips vertically across the roll of basil.

Now cut thick slices of tomato - the thicker the slice, the better they'll be on the grill, they will shrink a bit in the heat so don't be afraid of the thick chop. Such beautiful coloring!

Add your tomatoes to a grilling surface and let cook for about three minutes per side, until those handsome grill marks appear. We lost some good slices out there, this is why the thicker the slice, the better.

Now slice your mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices.

While your tomatoes are grilling, add the balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan on medium heat. Let thicken for about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn or overheat or your vinegar will stick to the sides. And... I know about this from experience....

As the tomatoes finish, begin to place them on a plate with the mozzarella slices in between, then top with basil. The mozzarella will slightly soften and melt just a tad to your tomatoes. This is called heaven.

Drizzle just a tad of olive oil and then spoon your balsamic glaze over the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil for a beautiful and sumptuous outcome. Serve as an appetizer or a side dish!