Snack, snack, munch - Holiday bites
"It was the best Christmas ever!" - Kei & Lei 2012
I must say, I have to agree with my sisters on this one...we really did have one of our best Christmases yet. 2012 was a year we were happy to put behind us and I think we all made the best of the time we spent together in ways we typically take for granted.
Per usual, even with all of the fam time, movies, cray shopping crowds, trips to visit family, skiing in Tahoe, etc. my mind was on the meals. Even just putting this recap together has me scheming my next culinary snack attack. And off we go.
Dreamy Hot Italian Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms...
You can put anything in a mushroom and bake it and I would probably love it. I went with some spicy italian sausage, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and some other secret special ingredients I can't mention, then topped with more cheese and finished with a dash of paprika. These mushies only take about 25 mins in the oven and once they are out you will keep popping them in your mouth until you find yourself fighting over the last one with your siblings. Seriously...
They don't even resemble the little fungi you pick out of your Mom's cooking. They did come out a little on the spicy side, which was perfect for me but you can always add more cream cheese to cool down the spice if you aren't big on sweating while you eat. Speaking of spicy...
Bacon-Wrapped Cream Cheese-Stuffed Jalapeños & Bacon-Wrapped Dates
These little guys left my hands on fire for a good hour. Lesson learned = wear gloves or use utensils when emptying the seeds from your peppers. You get the point from the photos...spread cream cheese on the inside of the pepper, wrap in bacon, and use a tooth pick to hold it all together. Bake until the bacon is cooked.
The dates were a big hit with my Mom, she really liked the salty sweet combo where as I was in too much pain from the peppers to really care either way. Seriously, wear gloves. The Jalapeños turned out to be pretty messy to eat and very spicy but were still irresistible. Next time I plan on doing the peppers a little differently so they are easier to eat. Stay tuned to find out how that goes.
Next food coma to look forward to: Cooking class date night please!