Italian Antipasto Squares

I was led to the Pillbsubry Bake-Off site through The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch and it has since become one of my favorite resources. The recipe states that it can be used as either an appetizer or a main course, and I can truly see it in either format. I made mine as a main course, cut it into larger squares, and served it with a salad. My only recommendation would be to make sure you allow a full 20 minutes after removing it from the oven before cutting and serving it. Like a lasagna, it needs to set up fully in order to keep its form. Otherwise, the recipe was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Even my 2 year old loved it-- telling me he wanted more 'pizza'!

Italian Antipasto Squares
2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans refrigerated flaky dough sheet
4 ounces thinly sliced salami
4 ounces thinly sliced Swiss cheese
4 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
4 ounces thinly sliced American cheese
4 ounces thinly sliced capocollo (cured Italian ham) or cooked ham
4 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 jar (12 ounces) sliced roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 egg yolk, beaten

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 13x9-inch pan or spray with cooking spray. Unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle and place in pan. Press in bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of pan to form crust, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Layer all meats and cheeses in order listed over dough. In small bowl, beat 2 eggs, the garlic powder and pepper with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over meat and cheese layers. Layer roasted peppers and olives over top. Unroll second can of dough into 1 large rectangle; press into 13x9-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Place over top of layered ingredients. Pinch edges to seal. Brush beaten egg yolk over dough and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Cool 20 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm.

Source: Pillsbury Bake-Off

Cookbook Review - Paula Deen Celebrates and Teriyaki/Buffalo Chicken Wings

The most common complaint I hear about Paula Deen is the amount of butter she uses in her cooking and baking. I recently watched an episode of her show where she was even eating butter by the handful. Eww. I do find, though, that if you can get past the idea of everything being soaked in her favorite ingredient, you will find that there are a lot of dishes that aren't overly unhealthy-- at least as far as Southern Cuisine is concerned. At first glance, she does appear to use a lot of butter... but when compared to other baking cookbooks, the amount isn't that much more (sometimes it is even less) than comparable recipes. I even found some recipes with no butter at all. . . Gasp!

One of my favorite things about this cookbook is that it is divided up by holiday. Unlike most cookbooks which go through the traditional format of appetizers, soups/salads, main courses, dessert, etc., Paula Deen Celebrates starts with New Year's Eve brunch and works through Christmas dinner. There are even some non-traditional 'holidays' thrown in the mix, including: Elvis's Birthday (featuring her famous fried peanut butter and banana sandwich), Sunday Afternoon Football Party, her Anniversary, etc. By going this route, you can get a better idea of what a sample menu might look like. You also get some really nice family anecdotes mixed throughout, giving you a better glimpse into their lives and what is important to them.

So far, in this book, I have made brussel srouts with onion and bacon, Cheeseburger Pies (which I posted earlier in the year... I've never received so many comments about a meal 'not looking good' yet I promise it was REALLY good!!), Teriyaki and Buffalo Chicken Wings (pictured above, recipe below), spinach salad, goulash, and many others. I haven't been disappointed yet! This is definitely a cookbook I'll use time and time again!

Teriyaki and Buffalo Chicken Wings

36 fresh, or frozen, chicken wings, tips trimmed

salt and pepper

vegetable oil, for frying

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons dry sherry

Buffalo Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Thaw the frozen wings under running water until the glaze has melted. Dry the wings thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. In a dutch oven, pour in 3 inches of oil and heat to 360 degrees. Using tongs, lower each wing individually into the oil. Fry until the wings are crisp and brown, about 12-14 minutes. Drain on paper towels. You will have to cook the wings in several batches. You can do this part of the recipe several hours before your party. Leave them at room temperature, covered loosely with foil, after they have cooled completely.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small measuring cup. Combine the buffalo sauce ingrediens in another small measuring cup. Place 18 wings in one baking dish and the remaining 18 wings in another baking dish. Pour the teriyaki sauce over the wings in the first dish and toss to coat. Repeat in the other dish with the buffalo sauce. Place in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the sauces have glazed the wings and the wings are heated through.

Salsa and Guacamole

A short while ago, I had some co-workers over to our house for dinner. A member of our first grade team is retiring at the end of this school year and we wanted to honor her before her last day. Her request was for a Mexican themed dinner-- which is certainly not my specialty! I needed to make something that didn't need a ton of last minute work as my husband was out of town and I was on my own with both kids. I decided to do a 'taco bar' with all of the fixings and also made chicken fajitas. I need to give special thanks to my other team members who brought some sides, dessert, and drinks. It was a really nice opportunity to catch up and relax a little in the middle of what is typically a hectic time of year!

I wanted to have some appetizers ready that my guests could work on while waiting for dinner-- and figured that I couldn't go wrong with some homemade salsa and guacamole. I wish I had more time to play with homemade tortilla chips, too! That will be my next project! I knew I had to make Pam's salsa once I saw it. It looked and sounded just like our favorite restaurant salsa and I was not at all disappointed. I tend to be a little weak when it comes to spice, so I did not make mine too 'hot'. This would certainly be an easy thing to adjust when making yours. For my guacamole, I had to go with my mom's old standby. It's a classic and still my favorite. Both dips come together very quickly and go far-- they'd be great outdoor appetizers with a great big margarita!

Salsa
10 tomatoes (I used vine ripened)
2-3 green onions
2-3 cloves of garlic
Handful of cilantro
2 jalapenos, seeded and deveined
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Clean tomatoes, remove stem, then gently cut an X on the bottom of the tomatoes. Heat a large pot of water until boiling. Add the tomatoes and boil for 10-15 seconds. Remove from water and put into an ice bath. Once the tomatoes have cooled, gently peel off the skin. Place tomatoes, garlic, green onions, cilantro, jalapenos, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper in a food processor or blender. Puree until thoroughly mixed. Taste and re-season if necessary. (Pam recommends letting the salsa sit in the fridge for a bit for the flavors to combine. I highly recommend this as well. My salsa tasted even better the next day.)

Source: For the Love of Cooking

Guacamole
4 ripe avacado
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
White pepper and garlic salt to taste
Handful of fresh cilantro (leaves only)
1 Lime

Mash the avacado in a medium sized bowl. Add the chopped onion and tomatoes. Finely chop the cilantro and add to mixed guacamole. Season to taste. Sprinkle with juice from one lime.

(No matter what you do, your guacamole is going to turn brown after sitting for a while. If you stir it up, it will return to it's green color. To try to prevent this from happening, you can store the guacamole with one or two of the avacado pits placed in the center of the bowl-- be sure to remove them before serving. The lime juice will also help with some of the color change.)

Source: Adele Fine