Sausage Stuffed Cherry Pepper Poppers – Because the Party with the Best Food Wins

Whether you want to admit it or not, its getting close to holiday entertaining season, and as far as Im concerned theres really only one measuring stick by which all holiday parties are judged – the food.

You can have the best DJ, the coolest place settings, even those novelty ice cubes in the shape of shapes, but none of that matters if your food is lame. Thats where these sausage-stuffed cherry pepper poppers come in.

The foundation of all great holiday party menus are the hors doeuvres and appetizers. Most people will be drunk by the time the main courses are served, but when the party begins, and senses are yet to be dulled, a bad or boring array of small bites will not go unnoticed.

These super-simple, but memorable cherry pepper poppers will get the party started right. The next day, instead of talking about you trying to moonwalk with a lampshade on your head, or how you spilled a Bloody Mary on the bosss wife, people will be raving about "those little, red, spicy sausage pepper things."

By the way, the hardest thing about this recipe is finding these Peppadew peppers. Except for a few annoying exceptions, you know I like to use easy-to-find ingredients, but these gorgeous peppers, from the Limpopo province of South Africa, have such a wonderfully unique, sweet/spicy/tangy flavor that I wanted to use the real deal.

I was having a hard time finding them myself, but it was my mother-in-law Peggy who came to the rescue (again), and mailed these down to us as part of our anniversary gift. You can get them online for sure, and they are often found at the better gourmet grocery stores, but if you cant find them, most supermarkets do carry some type of jarred cherry peppers. Enjoy!

UPDATE: While I was making this recipe, I couldnt for the life of me remember where I saw this done for the first time. Well, I just talked to my mom Pauline, who informed me these were my Uncle Bills invention. I should have known! Thanks Uncle Billy!




Ingredients:
8 oz Italian sausage
2 jars Peppadew peppers (about 32)
1 tsp olive oil
chopped parsley

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Beef Mushroom Stuffed Acorn Squash

A hearty stuffed acorn squash recipe- comfort food for omnivores.

Yours truly has been stewing. Not in the culinary sense, Darling. Stewing about Sting. And Oy, the photo of him ducking his head down in the back seat of his silver SUV outside the "exclusive" Hamburg brothel Relax. Ouch. A sheepish duck that possibly allegedly connotes canoodling guilt (okay, maybe he didn't actually canoodle-- maybe he innocently indulged in some very chaste and proper lap dances in a post-concert-suffering-from-exhaustion kinda way, you know, while sans wife Trudie and his six children).

Whatever.

I know I'm a little old-school on the whole marriage fidelity thing. I admit it. Marriage- in my book- means monogamy. If you can't keep it in your pants, Buster, why on Earth bother to marry? Go have fun. Who's stopping you? And, yes, even while I'm snug in my quaint monogamy I am well aware that many celebrity marriages are, shall we say, open arrangements (if not totally a sham-- arranged strictly for PR to hide a secret life and keep the heart throb action hero millions flowing in). But I have to ask. Exactly what brilliant meta message in a bottle does this send to your three beautiful daughters, Gordon? 

Oh well. I'm trying my best not to judge. Maybe Trudie's fine with it. Maybe she just got tired of all that tantric sex Sting blathered about in the press while their daughters were in middle school.

Back in the humble world of non-rock star status I may have to edit my Honda Fit driving playlist. I mean, there I was, scooting down to Santa Fe with my muffin-baking dish-washing stripper-free husband (to buy acorn squash, grass fed organic beef, roses and wine for our guests) and every other song blasting over the audio system- it seemed- was a Sting song. I spent half the time in the car reaching over to push the next button.

Man, said my ho-free husband, You're tough. So are you ever going to listen to him again?

The post-feminist warrior mother goddess stirred inside.

Done with Sting, I answered.

Read more + get the recipe >>

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A Twist on Stuffed Mushrooms

Most of us have made or at least have eaten mushrooms that are stuffed with breadcrumbs. I have even shared a recipe for basic Stuffed Mushrooms a few months back. What Im sharing today is a unique twist on Stuffed Mushrooms, its unique but still versatile as I feel most recipes are. Again, this is a recipe that I got from Rachael Ray. Her recipe calls for Portobello mushrooms (which I love) but sometimes these can be a bit pricey. I made these with Cremini mushrooms which are sometimes called Baby Bellas because thats what they are, portobello mushrooms that havent grown to their full size. These are a staple mushroom for me. I never buy white mushrooms because they have no taste and since creminis arent exotic they are affordable. If portobellos are available you should definitely use them. They are big and beautiful great for this stuffing.

Besides the mushrooms I used I didnt make any changes to the recipe. I really liked this recipe my only comment is that I didnt really taste the balsamic. Maybe if it was more of a syrupy balsamic like one that you purchase or reduce yourself it might have a more noticeable flavor. Otherwise this recipe is a keeper. If you use the Portobellos it makes a great presentation as a first course or if you are using the smaller ones they are great in an appetizer assortment.

This recipe can be found on the food network or see below.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobellos

Ingredients:

Portobellos:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, a drizzle
5 medium portobello mushroom caps
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Stuffing:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small yellow skinned onion, chopped
1 pound fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 can, 6 to 8 count, 15 ounces, artichoke hearts in water, drained well on paper towels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
3 slices Italian bread, toasted and chopped into small cubes
1/2 cup packaged or canned chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a handful

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of oil and the portobello caps. Season caps with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook 3 minutes on each side. Add balsamic to the pan and allow the vinegar to cook away as it coats the caps. Transfer balsamic glazed caps to a cookie sheet. Return pan to the stove and add oil, garlic and onion. Saute onions and garlic 3 minutes, add spinach to the pan and let it wilt. Coarsely chop artichoke hearts in the food processor and add to the spinach. Season veggies with salt and pepper and thyme. Add chopped toast and dampen stuffing with chicken or vegetable stock. Combine stuffing and sprinkle in a little grated cheese. Top each mushroom with 1/5 of the filling. Set mushrooms in oven for 5 minutes to set the filling. Cut each mushroom into 4 pieces and transfer to a serving dish.

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Crab Stuffed Corn Muffins – Just One Frosting Away From Being Cupcakes

I was originally going to call these “crab and corn cupcakes,” but since I’ve still not perfected my bacon frosting recipe, I decided to hold off and go with the slightly less exciting sounding “crab-stuffed corn muffins.” And no, I’m not kidding about the bacon frosting.

Besides, since these were inspired by the food wish for new, easy and interesting football party snacks, I think “muffins” sounds a little more gridiron than cupcakes. Regardless, they were simple to make, and (as I tested personally) quite delicious eaten while watching a football game, possibly with beer(s).

As some of you longtime viewers may have noticed, this is a variation on something we posted many years ago called “Kernel Porkers Barbecued Pork-Stuffed Corn Muffins,” and I always wondered how it would be with crabmeat. When I got the usual autumn avalanche of football-themed food wishes, I figured the time was right to find out, and I was very happy with the results!

As I mention in the video, they reminded me of a New England crab or lobster roll, where they simply pile warm, buttery seafood on those toasted rolls. This was heavier, but just as pleasurable. Anyway, unlike the replacement referees that are now calling the games, these didn’t suck, and certainly won’t be a season-long embarrassment to the league. I hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Crab-stuffed Corn Muffins
For the crab filling:

8 oz crabmeat

1 1/2 tbsp mayo

1 tsp crushed red chili sauce

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp fresh grated lemon zest

2 oz grated pepper Jack cheese (about 1/2 cup)

salt to taste

For the corn muffins:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup corn meal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp minced green onions

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

View the complete recipe

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