Contest Entry - Sausage Potato Canapés

Contest:  Jimmy Dean "Crumble Rumble" Contest

Entry:  Sausage Potato Canapés 

This is my second recipe entered in the Jimmy Dean "Crumble Rumble" Contest.  A pretty little appetizer, not that you can tell with my bad pictures (grrr).  In this contest you had to mention on of the ten blogs that participated in promoting the contest.  I chose www.mywoodenspoon.com.  A neat blog from a Cowboy's Wife.  If somehow my crazy recipes should win, the Cowboy's wife and I will be going to see Rachel Ray  live in NYC.  We'll have to see what the Jimmy Dean folks think of the dishes first.

Sausage Potato Canapés

Created by Stephanie Almeda

INGREDIENTS
10 small new potatoes
3/4 cup Jimmy Dean Sausage Crumbles
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
dashes of salt/pepper
1/4 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Scrub 10 new potatoes then slice each in half.  Using a melon scoop, scoop out each potato half leaving a nice thick rim on the potato cup.  Take about a 1/4 inch slice of the bottom of each potato to create a flat bottom so the potato cups sit up right.  Bring a quart of water to a boil.  Place potato cups in boiling water till they are just soft when poked with a fork.  Remove potato cups, drain and let cool.  Mix together Jimmy Dean Sausage Crumbles, mustard, lemon juice, chives, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.  Place about a tablespoon of sausage mixture in each potato cup allowing the mix to mound on top.  Top each potato with a sprinkle of Panko breadcrumbs.  Place potato canapés on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Serve hot as a beautiful appetizer.

Scooping the cups.  I used a teaspoon, but a melon baller would be best.

OceanSpray Winner - Spicy Cranberry Chicken Sidekick Sliders with Spicy Cranberry Aioli

Contest:  OceanSpray NE Tailgate Contest  Source:  Denise LaRoche 1st Place Winner  I attended the OceanSpray New England Tailgate Contest live Cook Off as an alternate.  I loved the experience of talking to the 3 cook off contestants.  It was my first actual conversation with people who compete in this little world of contesting.  Denise was very nice and seemed to be a seasoned contester.  I promised myself if I ever won any money I would splurge and spend the whopping $25 to become a member of CookingContestCentral.com.  Denise and Danielle, two of the three finalist are members of this site and highly recommended it to me.  Love it so far!  In addition to listing every possible contest available in the country, It also lists all the winning recipes and provides a great community of support for contesters.  Now I can actually follow up on the contests I enter and make the winning recipes.  It is a great way to improve my entries and learn what winning recipes are made of. My blog has been neglected the past few weeks, but it is not because I haven't been cooking.  My little test kitchen has been hopping here; I am working hard on a new contest with Jimmy Dean sausage.  I will share the my entry once it is complete as well as the misses, there were some bad ideas with this one.   The following is a great recipe that won the OceanSpray NE Tailgate contest.  It is so so simple, it seemed too simple to be a winner until I tasted it.  Really a flavor is exceptional and more complex than the recipe would have you believe.  The whole family loved it.  I think my Thanksgiving Quesadillas could have given this a run for its money had I made the final 3, but this is truly a winning recipe.  No pictures, all came out terrible.  There is a big expensive camera, that we can't afford, on the top of my Christmas list.  I can hope!   SPICY CRANBERRY CHICKEN SIDEKICK SLIDERS WITH SPICY CRANBERRY AïOLI

INGREDIENTS:
SLIDERS
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup chopped Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
Salt and black pepper
Vegetable oil
8 miniature egg knot rolls or other small rolls
8 lettuce leaves

AÏOLI
4 cups Ocean Spray® Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Place chicken in large bowl. Add cranberries and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix. Shape into 8 small patties; sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Lightly brush grill grate with oil. Grill patties for 8 minutes on each side or until well done. Lightly brush cut sides of rolls with oil; grill until lightly toasted.

Place cranberry sauce in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon seasoning mix; pulse until blended. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each toasted roll. Top each with a leaf lettuce and generous dollop aïoli. Cover with top halves of rolls. 

Makes 8 servings.

Ocean Spray 2010 Tailgating Recipe Contest Winner
Denise LaRoche

Steamers - Clams or Mussels

Cooking For Fun - Steamers

We spent all of last week on Cape Cod, that is why there has been a shortage in blog posts.  Great week!  We have been spending the same week each August on the Cape for a few years now, in Falmouth the last 3 years.  My brother-in-law from Seattle and his girl friend joined us again this year.  Fabulous week with family, sunshine everyday and sandy tired little boys every night!  One night we had a seafood extravaganza!  OK so we just cooked seafood.  Grilled shrimp and scallops with an appetizer of steamed clams.  I often steam mussels, but guess I never actually steamed clams.  Same process, same great results, but we got some yucky broth from the clams.  They were bought on a whim so I didn't have a chance to properly soak and clean them, maybe you can have nice broth from cleaner clams, we didn't.

I write my blog as a way to share my cooking adventures, but I in no way feel I have the expertise to give hard facts and tips, however I did discover what I guess I already knew was my cooking strength.  No fear.  I just don't care, I'll try anything and if it works great, if not, who cares maybe I learned something.  I realized this as I started making steamers on the Cape.  My friends said she would never make steamers, they are too intimating. I can see how steamers could be a bit daunting, but they are actually soooo easy.  I watched my uncles do it once then just started making them all the time.  I will try to make anything once.  If it works, I will maybe make it again.  That is the strength I bring to cooking and hopefully the entertaining value I can bring to a blog.  Here is a basic and super easy process for making steamers.  Really, have no fear, they are about the simplest thing you can make and turns out it will also impress your friends!


Steamers
Source:  Various cookbooks - this is a pretty simple recipe

 l3-4 lbs of fresh live clams or mussels (the rule is 1lb per person for an appetizer)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot diced
2 cloves crushed garlic


1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
Big handful of fresh parsley diced maybe 1/2 cup or so

Cleaning:  Place in a large pot and let sit in slowly running cold water for 1/2 hour.

Once your steamers are clean, drain in a colander and set aside as you prepare the pot.  In large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil then add shallot and garlic.  Cook just until the onions are slightly soft, just a few minutes.  Add wine, water, parsley then set all the clams/mussels on top.  Place lid on pot and turn up the heat.  Steam, shaking the pot with the lid on frequently, every minute or two.  Steam like this for 8-10 minute or until your steamers are all open.  Transfer the steamers with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.  If the broth is pretty and clean  you might pour it over the steamers or serve in small bowls for dipping.  Can also provide bowls of melted butter.  Everything is better with butter!

Classic Pico de Gallo & Guacomole

Cooking 4 Fun - Pico de Gallo & Guacamole

This is not a contest entry, just a standard in my life worth sharing. A classic pico de gallo and the simplest guacamole. All the best summer has to offers in a bowl. I make big batches of both and just eat it with tortilla chips. Love this stuff!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients
3 Big Fresh Tomatoes
2 Fresh Tomotillos
Big Bunch Fresh Cilantro chopped maybe 1/2 cup, really as much as you want, I like lots of cilantro!
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Jalepeno seeds removed and chopped small
Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
Splash of Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Chop all ingredients small and mix well. The qualities can be changed to meet your taste or based on what is super fresh and available. One of those recipes where simpler is better!

Guacamole

Ingredients
2-3 large ripe avocados
1 clove minced garlic - maybe 1/2 clove if it is big
Big dash Kosher salt
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 small tomato - Roma is best, chopped small

Mash avocado in a bowl with a fork. Add garlic, salt, lemon juice and mash till smooth and well mixed. Stir in chopped tomato. Enjoy! Simple is best.

A heaping bunch of fresh ingredients.

Bowl of Guac. Bowl of Pico. Where are the chips!?!

Uncle Joe's Empanadas

Cooking For Fun Recipe - Uncle Joe's Empanadas

"The Uncles", my Uncle Bernie and his husband Uncle Joe, live a charmed life. They have spent the last two winters in Argentina Tango dancing. Nice life if you can get it and it seems they can. The routine in Buenos Aries is to Tango all night then eat empanadas at 2 am on your way home from dancing. The uncles have brought this tradition home. Since their return from Argentina this year, every family gathering has included making empanadas. We made them in Houston with left over BBQ, then we made them at Lake Winnipesaukee with my CSA veggies and fruit. The very process of making empanadas pulls family together. There is plenty of room for creativity, use for everything in the fridge and you can assembly line the process allowing everyone to get involved. Here is a very rough recipe for the wide variety of empanadas that Uncle Joe has been cooking up lately.

Uncle Joe's Empanadas
Ingredients
Preheat oven to 375

Vegetables:

• Frozen Premade Empanada Dough Discs - a couple brands, Goya of course, but there is another one that is better, don't have the name.
• Frozen chopped spinach or other green such as kale or collar greens, if using fresh cook down and drain first
• Chopped Onion
• Fresh Minced Garlic
• Diced Red Bell Peppers or your favorite variety of pepper
• Diced Carrotts
• Chopped Parsely,

Saute all of the above in olive oil with fresh oregano, salt, pepper and your favorite spices. Saute till veggies are soft. You can stop here and just make veggie empanadas or keep going and add some meat.

• Other ingredients you might add; sun dried tomatoes, olives with pimento chopped, red pepper flakes, capers & coriander
  

Meat

• Italian sausage with ground beef
  
• Ground pork
• Chicken
• Golden raisins are a great addition to meat filled empanadas
• Add any cheese you love. Cheddar, Asiago, Mozzarella or what ever you have on hand.

Brown meat then mix with the sauteed vegetables. Drain vegetables and meats well before filling dough. Place a few tablespoons of filling in empanada disc, top with cheese if desired. Fold over and seal with a fork or fingers. Brush with egg yolk then bake. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Fruit Empanada
Mix your favorite fruits with powdered sugar and fill dough discs. We have put a spoonful of jam or marmalade with fruit. Mixing apples and pear with berries is good, it helps soak up the runny berries. Fruit empanadas are bit more delicate, they tend to leak but still cook up delicious every time!

Preparations for brisket empanadas. Used green olives, brisket, carrots, spinach and onions.


Uncle Joe with a skillet full of veggies. He bought that ridiculous hat at Fiesta, the crazy international super market in Houston. Love Fiesta!


Joe is artist even with a skillet. I think he might have put pickles in this one. We had a lot left over from a catered BBQ.


Filling up the disc.


Sealing up the disc.


Production line. Making pretty pockets!


Fresh from the oven. Golden brown or as Joe calls it the "Golden Sunset".


These are fruit empanadas. You can see the dark berries through the crust. They leak a bit but are still full of juicy fruit and jam.


Irresistible to all! Really, the kids have loved every variation we have made. There is nothing handier with a large crowd then a big batch of empanadas. We make them for lunch one day then they are snacks anytime of day for the rest of the weekend. Love them!

CSA - Radishes

My relationship with radishes consists only of making roses to pretty up a table. I took a bite of a fresh radish and realized I may never have really eaten a good radish. It was hot! Seriously strong with a hard bite. When you slice them thin and use them, they are not too strong, but just to eat them plain, wow!

I had friends over on Saturday night, so I took the opportunity to make some fun appetizers. I served classic English radish sandwiches and fancy looking cucumber radish bites. The cucumber/radish bites were a bit hit, not just for the upscale look, but they were yummy. The radish sandwich was good, maybe too simple to wow, but a nice combination.

English Tea sandwich, open faced
Source: several sites, seems to be a pretty standard sandwich in England

Bread
Butter
Thin sliced radish
Coarse Sea Salt

Assemble - so simple. Enjoy!

Herbed Cream Cheese Cucumber Radish Appetizer recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
Source: www.finedinings.com

Makes 12 Appetizers

4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh mint, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 teaspoons fresh chives, snipped, divided
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, divided
English cucumber, trimmed, sliced 1/8-inch thick
3 small radishes, trimmed, sliced 1/8-inch thick
French sea salt for sprinkling

In a small bowl combine cheese, fresh mint, lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Add 2 teaspoons chives and 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest reserving the remainder for garnish.

Stack a cucumber and radish slice together with a dab of the cheese mixture between to hold slices in place, then top each with 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Garnish with the remaining zest and chives, place on a platter, sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.



My friend and fellow CSA Member, Janice, used her radishes in a simple stir fry and served it with pasta. She said it was great, gave some crunch to her stir fry and a bit of a bite. She just cooked the vegetables in oil and garlic. Nice and colorful!

Twice Baked Avocado-Potatoes

Contest: The Adaptable Avocado Recipe Challenge - entered by me

This is a cool contest! It is a blog contest so my original recipe will be judged right off my blog. I love avocados. There are so many reasons to love the avocado; the unique taste, the creamy cool consistency, they are very healthy and who doesn't love the color? There was no way I was not going pass up this contest - The Adaptable Avocado.

The title of the contest is The Adaptable Avocado. When thinking of how to use an avocado in a new way I stumbled upon a great adaptation that really hit home with our family. My youngest son has a dairy allergy. I think the avocado presents a perfect alternative to dairy when creating creamy dishes. We just discovered the little guy's dairy problems a few months ago, so it really has not had a huge affect on how the whole family eats yet. I have begun to make changes to easy dishes, use oil instead of butter where I can and making soy milk pancakes, but I still feel stumped everyday on what to feed this kid. He is only 15 months so he doesn't seem to notice he is eating something different than us, but the day is coming. The weather hit 90 degrees the other day so we went for the season's first ice cream outing. There we all sat with big bowls of ice cream and he had a banana. It was just so sad. Maybe I only imagined it, but I swear he gave my ice cream a long look then gave me big questioning eyes that said, " Really Mom? You get an ice cream sunday and I get a darn banana!" I just felt guilty. I have not tested the avocado in ice cream, but that kind of sounds kind of cool, I started testing the creamy affects of avocado in soups and mashed potatoes.

An avocado's flavor is mild enough when mixed with other foods it doesn't have to drastically changing the dish. I of course love the avocado flavor, so I like to actually enhance it when mixing it into a classic dish by adding "avocado friendly" flavors to create a unique twist on a common dish. Twice Baked Avocado-Potatoes are just a perfect example of how you can use an avocado to re-create a creamy classic. Just a few minor adjustments, like adding a pico de gallo topping turn this classic favorite into an awesome "all about avocado" dish.

I realize the following is not a dairy free dish as it has butter and is topped with cheese. I omitted the butter in a small batch for the dairy-free kid. The flavor was not as rich, but it was creamy and he still gets to eat what we do. I just feel like the avocado has opened a new door to us when cooking for our poor dairy-free kid. I can't wait to experiment more, I am thinking creamy soups, chicken and dumplings, and pastas. How could we mix it with macaroni for a faux mac & cheese? The wheels are turning... stay tuned... more to come on the adaptable avocado!

Twice Baked Avocado-Potatoes

Ingredients
4 Large Russet Potatoes
2 Large Mexican Avocadoes
4 Tablespoons Butter Softened
1 Small Lime
1 Teaspoon Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste for seasoning potato skins
8 oz Shredded Monterrey Jack and Cheddar Cheese Mix
Pico de Gallo - see recipe below
Sour Cream if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub 4 large russet potatoes and poke holes in the skin with a fork all over. Once oven is hot, place potatoes in oven right on the rack. Bake for approximate 1 hour or until they are soft when poked with a fork. Remove potatoes from oven and set aside until cool enough to touch and work with. Slice potatoes in half long ways and spoon out the flesh. Put all the potato flesh in a separate bowl. Do not spoon too close to the skin, leave about a 1/2 inch to create a solid shell.

Cut and scoop!

All scooped out.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and the juice from one lime to the potato in the bowl. You may need to really soften the butter in the microwave or use really soft butter if the potatoes are not very hot still. Cut two Mexican Avocados in half, remove the pit, scoop out the avocado and add it to the potato bowl. Add one teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper. Mash the potato and avocados well with a potato masher. If you really like a smooth mashed potato you can finish it of by whipping the mashed avocado-potatoes with a hand mixer. Spoon the mashed avocado-potatoes into the potato shells creating a mound in the skins but leaving the edges clean. Top each avocado-potato with shredded cheese. Add crumbled bacon now if you want a classic twice baked flavor.

Beautiful green mashed avocado-potatoes.

All stuffed and ready for toppings. Yes, I did try stuffing an avocado shell. Not nearly as good as potato skins. They turn into slippery little devils!

Topped and ready to go! I made some with bacon and topped them with Ranch dressing. Just another option, this is a very versatile dish.

Bake avocado-potatoes at 375 for approximately 20 minutes or until the cheese is perfectly melted. Let cool a few minutes then top with pico de gallo and serve with a side of sour cream. Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

Contest: Cinco de Mayo Recipe Challenge on Mixingbowl.com - entered by me

This is my ultimate "Go-To" recipe. Quesadillas are the top of the rotation list. When I moved to New England from Texas one of the things I missed most was good Tex Mex food. The first few years I was here everyone I met would insist on dragging me to all the "great Mexican places" in the greater Boston area. It became uncomfortable for all involved. My friends would be so excited and proud to bring me to a great restaurant only for me to be disappointed and horrified at what these restaurants call Mexican food. I realized my friends, who I feel are smart people with good taste, had no idea what good Mexican food was. There is a restaurant up here that combines Cajun and Tex Mex. You get dirty rice with your enchiladas. It is so wrong and no one up here knows it is wrong. This became all too much for me to handle, so I finally gave up, stopped trying the "great new Mexican places" and started cooking my own Tex Mex. I made quesadillas a few times for friends and now it is all people want me to make. I get bored with my original recipe so I change it up often with whatever is in the fridge. The best was a lobster quesadilla with Havarti cheese and corn. Yum! We made them last summer on the last day of our Cape vacation, it was all the stuff we were going to throw out of the fridge before giving up the rental. I just started playing with the Chipotle peppers and have been loving them! I entered the Mixing Bowl contests with this Chipotle recipe, the peppers are a great addition to my basic quesadilla.

Variations:
Remove the chipotle, add any of the following: fresh cilantro, red bell peppers, corn, black beans, and use any kind of cheese you like. I often use cheddar. I have made veggie quesadillas with mozzarella cheese and fresh summer squash. You can really put anything between two tortillas and as long as there is enough cheese to hold it together, it is a quesadilla. Clean out the fridge!

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1 4oz can diced green chilies
2 boneless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin powder
1 tablespoon chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
8 oz shredded Monterrey jack cheese
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
8 medium four tortillas
1-3 tablespoons olive oil for grilling
Directions:
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, add onions and chilies, cook until the onions are soft. Add chicken and brown the chicken with the onions and chilies. Add chili powder, cumin and chipotle pepper in the last few minutes of cooking. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove skillet from heat.

On large work surface, place 4 flout tortillas and evenly divide the chicken mixture over the 4 tortillas. Spread the chicken evenly over each tortilla. Top chicken with shredded Monterrey jack cheese and top with a tortilla. Heat a large flat skillet with oil. Place one quesadilla at a time on the hot skillet, grill 2-3 minutes each side till golden brown and the cheese inside is melted to seal the quesadillas. Slice into 4 quarters with a pizza cutter, serve warm with a side of sour cream and salsa.

This is a really unappealing picture of my beautiful quesadillas. I'll have to take a better picture next time I make them.

Salmon Pecan-Crusted Tartlets

Pillsbury 44th Bake Off Category Winner Entertaining Appetizers - Evelyn Henderson's Salmon Pecan-Crusted Tartlets

My husband is putting his money on this one. It is a tough call but, I am going with the Ice Cream Cups. I didn't get to make the Tomato Basil Eggs Alfredo today. I hope to tomorrow morning, but honestly don't have time. I need to pack up 2 boys to meet a friend for a big zoo outing in the morning. Not sure I can pull off a big homemade breakfast with a zoo trip.

This recipe is delicious! They melt in your mouth. The pecans in the crust sounded cooler than they turned out in my opinion. I only put pecans in half, again because of our nut allergy. There isn't much to say about this recipe, maybe that is the sign of a winner. It was easy to make and really great. Can't wait to see who wins on Oprah tomorrow!!!

Salmon Pecan-Crusted Tartlets

INGREDIENTS

1	can (6 oz) premium skinless boneless pink salmon, drained
1/4	cup finely chopped dill pickle
1	tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/3	cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2	cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
1	tablespoon lemon juice
1/2	teaspoon dried dill weed
1	box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
1/3	cup Fisher® Chef’s Naturals® Pecan Cookie Pieces or Fisher® Chef’s Naturals® Chopped Pecans, finely chopped
1	package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1	dill weed sprig
2	lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS

1.	In large bowl, mix salmon, pickle, onion, mayonnaise, cheese, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon dill weed. Refrigerate.
2.	Heat oven to 400°F. On work surface, unroll 1 pie crust. Sprinkle half of the pecans over crust; gently press into crust. Cut with 3-inch round cookie cutter into 10 rounds. In ungreased nonstick mini muffin pan, gently press each round, pecan side down, on bottom and up side of muffin cup, folding edge under and rounding to shape. Repeat with remaining crust.
3.	Spoon 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese into bottom of each cup. Spoon 1 rounded tablespoon salmon mixture on cream cheese in each cup.
4.	Bake 12 to 18 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool in pan on cooling rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan to serving platter; cool 5 minutes. Garnish with dill weed sprig and lemon wedges. Serve warm.

Caprese Pesto Margherita Stackers

Contest: 44th Pillsbury Bake Off Top 100 Finalist - entered by Julie Bedwith

I brought these little bites to Girls Night Out (GNO) this past Saturday. There are six of us in the GNO group and we have been taking turns hosting dinner every month for the past eight years. Usually the host makes dinner and the other girls all bring something. Of the six of us, there are four that have ties to the old country. Real Italians. So when it is my turn to host or bring something I never make anything slightly Italian as I am way too intimidated. I forgot this rule as I started making this little Italian appetizer. Luckily, the girls loved it. Might not by from the Old Country, but it was a hit. I think I have taken the whole "don't cook Italian for Italians" too seriously, turns out if you put a tomato and basil on anything they'll eat it. Love when they host, these ladies really know how to cook!

When making this I grew a greater appreciation for the Pillsbury bread stick product. Many of the finalist recipes require you to wrap dough around something, the crescent and biscuit doughs are really soft and hard to wrap. Bread stick dough is elastic like pizza dough, much easier to stretch around a ball... or so I thought! Turns out the cheese still found an escape on many of their crusts. The results did not look like the picture on the Pillsbury website. Just eating the little ball out of the oven was not too impressive, the basil and tomato really make the bite. Good recipe!

Caprese Pesto Margherita Stackers by Julie Bedwith
INGREDIENTS

1	container (8 oz) fresh mozzarella ciliegine cheese (24 cherry-size balls)
1	can (11 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated original breadsticks (12 breadsticks)
3	tablespoons basil pesto
1	tablespoon Crisco® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Pure Olive Oil
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
24	frilled toothpicks
24	grape tomatoes
24	fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

1.	Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Drain cheese balls; pat dry with paper towels.
2.	On work surface, unroll dough; separate into 12 breadsticks. Cut each breadstick in half crosswise; press each half into 3x2-inch rectangle.
3.	Spread rounded 1/4 teaspoon of the pesto lengthwise down center of each dough rectangle. Place 1 cheese ball on each rectangle. Carefully stretch dough around cheese; pinch edges to seal completely. Place seam sides down in muffin cups. Brush with oil; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4.	Bake 14 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan. With each toothpick, spear tomato and basil leaf; insert into cheese ball. Serve warm. They are pretty little appetizers. Very impressive looking and taste great too! This is my cheese problem. But it was also kind of cool looking, just not how they are suppose to look.

Fake Baked Crab Cakes

Contest: Better with Bisquick - submitted by me

I got an email this week that I did not win the Gorton's Fish contest. Boo! They did list the top 30 recipes and I think there is an on-line voting period until they announce the grand price winner. I have a few packages of their product left in the freezer, I'll try some of the finalist in the next few weeks. I am sort of disappointed. I thought my Focaccia Fish Cakes were good.

The following is another seafood inspiration. I entered this in the Better with Bisquick contest last month. I don't think I'll hear about winning or losing on this utill mid April. I feel like this is a creative dish. I'm pretty proud of the silly name. Hope it get's a chance!

Fake Baked Crab Cakes

1 1/2 Cups Imitation Crab Meat

1/4 Cup Fresh Red Bell Pepper, chopped small

1 Shallot chopped small

1/4 Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley chopped

1 1/2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 Cup Bisquick

1 1/2 Cups Milk

3 Eggs

Sauce

3/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a standard muffin pan (12 muffins). In bowl mix crab, red bell pepper, shallot, parsley and Old Bay seasoning. Divide this mix equally between all 12 spots in the muffin pan. In a separate bowl mix Bisquick, milk and egg till smooth. Top each muffin spot with 1/4 cup of the Bisquick mix. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and solid through. Let cool a few minutes in pan then transfer each crab cake to a cooling rack.

Sauce

Mix mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and lemon juice till smooth.

Serve crab cakes topped with sauce. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Crescent Puffs

Contest: 44th Pillsbury Bake Off T0p 100 Finalist - entered by Beth Dumell

Saturday night was my friend Tammi's birthday party. Everyone was asked to bring something, I took these things and they were a huge hit! HUGE! I dare to say they may have been the best thing there, rivaled only by the Rolo Turtle Pretzels. I have to take moment to discuss the Rolo Pretzel. It is so stupid, but sooo good! Take square snack pretzels, the ones that look like little square tennis rackets, then put a Rolo on top and a pecan on top of that. Bake them long enough to melt, about 3 minutes. The Rolo melts into the little squares in the tennis racket and make a perfect salty, sweet, bite size snack. Ridiculously addictive.

I think this recipe has a pretty good shot and if the party guests from Saturday night were voting Ms. Dumell would be a millionaire today. I felt like it was creative use of the Pillsbury product. Dipping the balls in butter and Panko is key to making these bites more than just an average app. It was a bit hard to wrap the dough around the little cheese balls, but otherwise an easy recipe. I'll make these again. Good luck Beth, I think you have a good chance!

Buffalo Chicken Crescent Puffs by Beth Dumell

INGREDIENTS

12	oz cream cheese (from two 8-oz packages), softened
2	tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce or other red pepper sauce
1/3	cup crumbled blue cheese (1 1/2 oz)
1/4	cup finely chopped celery
1	cup finely chopped cooked chicken breast
2	cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Place ’N Bake® refrigerated crescent rounds (16 rounds) or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/3	cup LAND O LAKES® Unsalted or Salted Butter, melted
1	cup plain or chicken-flavored panko-style bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1.	Line cookie sheet with sides with waxed paper or cooking parchment paper. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and pepper sauce. Stir in blue cheese and celery. Stir in chicken until well blended. Shape mixture by tablespoonfuls into 32 (1 1/2-inch) balls; place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
2.	Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. If using crescent rounds, remove from package, but do not separate rounds. If using crescent rolls, remove from package, but do not unroll. Using serrated knife, cut each roll evenly into 16 rounds; carefully separate rounds. Press each round to 3 inches in diameter. Place chilled chicken mixture ball on center of each dough round; shape dough around ball to cover completely.
3.	In shallow dish, place melted butter. In another shallow dish, place bread crumbs. Dip dough balls into butter, then roll in bread crumbs. Place 2 inches apart on large ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm. It was hard to close the dough around the balls completely, but the good news is - it doesn't matter! The cheese does not ooze out. Makes a tiny window to peek inside.