Appetizer

Christmas Morning Cheddar Breakfast Sausage Recipe

4 · Dec 3, 2015 · 3 Comments

This Christmas Morning Cheddar Breakfast Sausage Recipe is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Hillshire Brands Company. All opinions are entirely my own.

My sisters and I would stay up all night on Christmas Eve…

Well we would try to anyway. The anticipation for Christmas morning just a few hours away was almost too much to handle. What would Santa bring us? Would he bring us that magical toy that we had been dreaming of for months? How big would the pile of presents be under the tree? What would I be able to show-off when school came back into session in a week or so? What was Mom & Dad going to make for Christmas morning breakfast?

Yep, the 2nd most magical thing about Christmas morning is our Christmas breakfast that has been a tradition for years in our house. It all started with my Dad who is a waffle aficionado. This man can make a mean waffle & his pancakes are pretty amazing as well. One year he decided to come up with the most decadent Christmas breakfast and he hit it out of the park. He would make Belgium waffles topped with strawberries, vanilla ice cream & fresh whipped cream…. Yum!

Now when it comes to breakfast in our house my parents are a matched set. My dad excels in the waffle/pancake arena, while my mother has the savory options locked and loaded. She of course had to come up with a savory companion that could stand-up to this over the top sweet Christmas treat. She discovered a recipe for Cheddar Breakfast Sausages that fit the criteria perfectly!

Together these two savory and sweet treats made Christmas morning for our family almost as exciting as discovering what Santa had brought us for the holiday!

The tradition has followed me as I became a Mother and married a waffle loving man as well. Together we too are a matched set. Mike makes our waffles, the very same ones my Dad used to make when I was young and I handle the savory treat that my Mom used to make, her Cheddar Breakfast Sausages.

To be completely honest, and I mean no disrespect to the waffle loving men in my life… I look forward to the Cheddar Breakfast Sausages more than I look forward to the waffles. I LOVE them!

The other day my little guy and I headed off to Wal-Mart to grab our supplies so that we could make some Cheddar Breakfast Sausages to share with you, maybe this savory treat will make it into your Christmas morning line-up as well.

Of course we had to start with our favorite Jimmy Dean® Premium Pork Sausage!

They are super easy to make, and the really nice thing is… They freeze beautifully! You can make these days or weeks in advance when you have a few extra minutes in the middle of the holiday rush and you’ll be all-set for Christmas morning!

Here is what you’ll need…

2 lbs. Jimmy Dean® Premium Pork Sausage Regular

16 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375˚

In a large bowl combine sausage, shredded cheese, baking mix, onion, celery and garlic powder. Using clean hands mix ingredients just until fully combined

Shape into 1 oz. balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 160˚

Makes roughly 36 servings.

It really is just that easy and the fact that you can make it ahead of time, it’s a brilliant Christmas morning addition!

Looking for more fantastic Holiday recipes? Visit joytothemeal.com for all kinds of fun new recipes to create or add to your Holiday traditions.

Fresh Avocado Bites Appetizer

2 · Feb 1, 2015 · 2 Comments

+ This Fresh Avocado Bites Appetizer post brought to you by Avocados from Mexico #FirstDraftEver +

If I were stranded on a desert island and was given a choice of one fresh food plant to bring with me, I would choose an avocado tree. Yep, I love them that much. As a child I couldn’t get enough of them. Luckily my Grandfather had an avocado ranch and when we visited in the summer I could eat all the avocados a girl could ever want. Those are happy memories!

If I could I would add avocado to almost anything; sandwiches, soups, salad, egg dishes, salsas, smoothies, pastas… you can add it to almost anything! The cool thing is that Avocados from Mexico are available 365 days a year!

So, even in these cold dreary months, we can add a FRESH Mexican goodness into our lives.

Did you know that avocados are a FRUIT? Not only that, but they are part of the BERRY family? They are full of all kinds of vitamins and nutrients, plus they are a fantastic source of “good fat.” Yes, our bodies need fat to keep our cells strong, great news for fans of this incredible fruit! For all of the avocados nutritional facts, you can check out this site.

My family adores this fresh avocado salsa that I make for all kinds of dishes. Today, I’m making it for a fun appetizer to share during the Super Bowl. This is a simple dish that’s easy to whip up and the light, fresh flavors will have your guests coming back for more. Speaking of the Super Bowl… Have you seen the Avocados from Mexico Super Bowl commercial? It’s hilarious!! If you missed it, you can check it out HERE.

First you need to grab some wonton wrappers from the market. Using a mini-muffin pan, place your wrappers into the cup and press them down to create a “cup”. Spray with cooking spray and place in a 350˚ oven for 5-7 minutes, until they are nice and crisp. Remove from oven and let cool.

These cups can be made a day or two ahead and stored in an air tight container until you are ready to use them.

Now’s the fun part, making the fresh salsa… This is super simple!

Cut all of your ingredients into small bite sized pieces. The ingredient list is below.

Add your lime juice, olive oil and chili powder to the bowl and gently toss.

Spoon them into your wonton cups and top with the sour cream sauce and serve.

Looking for more avocado fun? Come join me along with Mario & George Lopez, the folks from Avocados from Mexico and a handful of other bloggers as we tweet it up during the Super Bowl today! Follow Avocados from Mexico on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for all kinds of avocado ideas.

Fresh Avocado Bites Appetizer

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

15 mins

These fresh avocado bites are a creamy burst of flavor in your mouth, your guests will adore the simple yet complex flavors of this appetizer.

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 48 cups

Ingredients

1 package of wonton wrappers
cooking spray
2 ripe avocados
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon diced jalapeño
½ a mango diced
1 lime
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ chipotle chili powder
½ cup green onion sour cream
green onion

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375˚
Place wonton wrappers in a mini muffin pan and press down to create cups
Spray with cooking spray and bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly brown and crisp
In a medium size bowl add your diced avocado, diced tomatoes, diced jalapeño, diced mango, juice from one lime, olive oil, chili powder and green onion. Gently stir. You want to make sure you don't mash the avocado.
Spoon avocado mixture into cooled wonton cups
Put sour cream in a squeeze bottle and top avocado bite with a drizzle of sour cream

Disclosure // This is a sponsored post brought to you by Avocados from Mexico via Mom it Forward. As always… All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own.

Orange Honey Butter Spread with Melt Organic

5 · Jan 14, 2015 ·

+ Orange Honey Butter Spread Recipe brought to you by Melt® Organic +

This is one of my favorite culinary times of year… Citrus Season! I don’t know about you, but I love the oranges this time of year. They are like candy and I just can’t get enough of them. Which is probably good since we all seem to be fighting the cold and flu war this time of year, a little extra vitamin C is perfect! I thought a lovely Orange Honey Butter would be a great addition to a brunch table, especially when looking for inspiration from Bee Inspired recipes.

Recently, I was invited to try a new product out on the market called Melt® Organic. It’s this really cool “butter like” spread that has all the stuff we love about butter, but it’s packed full of healthier fats and it’s dairy and soy free. I would have to say I was a little skeptical at first. Can this product made out of a blend of organic coconut, flaxseed, canola, palm fruit & sunflower oils really have the taste and creamy texture of butter? I decided to put it to the test.

First test, compound butter… Last Christmas, for my neighbor gifts, I made some lovely compound butters. I whipped together some honey, garlic & berry butters, packaged them up and gave them to my friends and neighbors for holiday gifts. They were a hit.

I wanted to give this idea a go with this new Melt® Organic product. I whipped it up the very same way, I place roughly 6 oz. basically half a container of Melt® Organic into my mixer with roughly 1 heaping tablespoon of orange marmalade.

Then whip the two together really well. Place in a small jar and serve immediately or store in the refrigerator and use as needed. It turned out beautifully!

I whipped up some black cherry butter spread with the other half of my container and I was all set for a lovely brunch.

What I LOVE about the Melt® Organic is that it is GMO-free and it’s helping get my healthy fats in the right way. Here’s the skinny about Melt® Organic…

Ideal balance of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids – 2:1
Good daily source of Omega 3 ALA’s at 425 mg – 26% RDA per serving
Good daily source of Vitamin E – 15% RDA per serving
Certified USDA Organic and OU Kosher Pareve
Verified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project
Absolutely no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
Trans Fat Free
Gluten Free
Soy Free
Dairy Free
Vegan
No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives

Not bad if you ask me!

The next test… Baking Cookies.

I mixed up a batch of our favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Cookies with Melt® Organic rather than butter. They mixed up beautifully and baked even better. My family didn’t even notice the difference.

I noticed a difference knowing that even though cookies aren’t exactly health food, and fat is still fat, I felt better knowing that the cookies they were eating were made from healthier fats. You can grab this recipe HERE, just substitute the Melt® Organic for the butter.

The next test… I sautéd some corn with Melt® Organic and I really liked that much better than butter. You still have the butter flavor without all the yucky fats. My family loved this test too.

All in all, my experience with Melt® Organic has been super positive and we have been converted for sure!

Click HERE to find a store near you that carries Melt® Organic. You can generally find it in the organic dairy section of your local super market. If not, you can always order it online. Grab some and give it a spin, tell me what you think!

MELT® Organic is a line of luscious, organic spreads made from healthy oils for butter lovers seeking a much healthier alternative, available in Rich & Creamy (original), Honey, and NEW Chocolate.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MELT Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.

Roasted Eggplant Dip Recipe

0 · Dec 4, 2014 · Leave a Comment

+ This Roasted Eggplant Dip Recipe brought to you by the folks at Pompeian +

Last fall I went on a trip of a lifetime… I joined a handful of bloggers as we traveled to Israel for an amazing food tour called the Taste of Israel. I shared a little of my experience in my post about zucchini hummus, you should check it out.

Today, I have another recipe that came from my Israel travels, Roasted Eggplant Dip.

If you are an eggplant fan, this dip is amazing! We learned all about it while spending the afternoon at the Dan Gourmet School of Kosher Culinary Arts. We had the pleasure to learn a few little tips and tricks from the director of the school Chef Amir Ilan.

I wish I could spend an entire week shadowing Chef Ilan. This man is amazing and his passion for teaching the culinary arts comes through in his work. When we first arrived in his kitchen he placed several eggplants directing on the gas burner and we just sat and watched them char as he taught us about the school.

Once the eggplants were fully charred, he removed them from the flame and then we, or shall I say, Kevin from Closet Cooking removed the charred skin. Then Chef Ilan cut the eggplant down the middle opening up the soft flesh, he salted it lightly, and added some prepared tahini, drizzled with a nice full bodied olive oil and that was it!

There’s Kevin and Ally from Ally’s Kitchen in the background snapping photos.

That was it! Just a simple eggplant some seasoning and a flavorful olive oil! Our hosts told us that this is an appetizer that is on almost every Israeli table when they entertain or have family over. Mainly because of the ease of the dish, but the flavors are divine as well.

You serve it with bread or pita and it’s lovely!

I thought with the Holidays upon us and the season of entertaining, this would be a great addition to your family table as well.

All you need is an eggplant or two. I don’t have a gas stove at my house (so sad, I know) and it’s to cold to grill right now here in Lincoln, I thought I would just roast my eggplant in the oven.

First, I washed and pierced my eggplant a couple of times and then just placed them in a 425˚ oven on a baking sheet…

After about 25-30 remove your eggplant and let cool for a few minutes. They come out looking rather sad, but trust me, they taste amazing when you are finished!

Now because the skin isn’t charred, you can skip the step of removing the skin. I just cut it into quarters, leaving the top intact.

Fan it out like so. Next, lightly salt the flesh of the eggplant. I then lightly drizzled some tahini sauce onto the eggplant. Tahini is a sesame paste that is made out of pressed sesame seeds. It’s well known for it’s role in Hummus, but’s it’s fantastic in all kinds of applications.

I then drizzled the eggplant with a lovely full-bodied Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Pompeian.

In the Middle East and Mediterranean countries, olive oil is way more than an oil to cook with. It’s more of a comment as well. When you are using it as a dip or dressing, you want to make sure you are using a GOOD olive oil that is rich and flavorful like the robust flavor of the Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I drizzle it right only my eggplant, add some pita chips and serve. Your guest scoop the dip right out of the eggplant, it couldn’t be simpler than that!

The flavors of the soft eggplant, the tahini & the olive oil are amazing! If you are an eggplant lover you should give this a try.

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Pompeian. I received product and payment for my recipe development.

Appetizer

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