Mini Corn Dog Muffins

My kids love corn dogs, especially the mini ones, but making them at home is a pain and not all that easy... also not terribly healthy (ok, these aren't either, but they're healthiER).  This recipe is easy, you have a little more control over what's in them and kids LOVE them.  They're also cheap enough to make it into my budget recipe list at a whopping 73 cents per serving!  These make a fun appetizer or party snack for kids too.

1 package of turkey hot dogs, cut in quarters (you only need 6) - $2.99
2 packages jiffy corn bread mix - $1.00
2 eggs - $0.30
2/3 cup 1% milk -  $0.10

Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Spray two 12 cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

Mix corn bread mix according to package directions.  Place 1 hot dog piece in each muffin cup and fill with about 1 Tbs of muffin mix. 

Bake for 12-13 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with favorite dips (ketchup, honey mustard, cheese sauce, etc).  Makes 6 servings of 4 muffins each.  I usually serve these with some baked beans or cowboy beans.

Total cost: $4.39 alone  or a little over $6 with the baked beans

Bacon Cream Cheese Rolls

Twice a year we have a munchie night, where we don't really have dinner, we just eat junk food. The kids, of course, love this... heck they LIVE for it. They love it so much that they no longer look forward to New Year's Eve for any other reason than that it's munchie night.

To give you an idea of how bad this tradition is for you, this year's menu included bacon and cheese sliders, deep fried chicken wings, baked brie with raspberry preserves, gruyere and fontina fondue, and then these little heart attacks: the bacon cream cheese rolls.

Ok, I know... these are SO 70's, but believe me... they're incredibly addictive. If you've never made these, you really should... at least once.

Bacon Cream Cheese Rolls

1 lb of bacon
8-12 slices Pepperidge Farm Very Thin bread
3 oz cream cheese
toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cut bacon in half lengthwise.

Remove crusts from bread slices and cut each slice into thirds.

Cut cream cheese into small pieces, about 1/2 tsp each.

Lay out bacon slices and place one piece of the bread on each slice, then top with a piece of cream cheese.



Roll each slice and secure with toothpick. Place on cookie sheet about so that the rolls don't touch each other.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, turn and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes until bacon is browned and cooked through.

Sweet Potato and Scallion Latkes

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, but this time of year is a busy one in our family... so my time is a little more limited than usual. Expect an onslaught of posts after the new year though.

Let me preface this recipe by saying that, in early November, I got to do something awesome. I not only got to meet my favorite chef, Cat Cora, I also got to spend a little time talking with her and her family, watch her prepare one of the recipes from her latest cookbook (Cooking From the Hip), AND sample the food too! As if anything could be better than that, we got to do all of this at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival in Walt Disney World. How all of this came about is a bit of a long story, but let me just say that Ms. Cora is a truly wonderful person who went FAR out of her way for a couple of her fans.

Anyway, I was given a copy of Cooking From the Hip during our visit, and promptly began reading it when we got home. This is one of the many wonderful recipes from the book. I highly recommend the book, the recipes are fun, classy and delicious!

1 pound sweet potatoes, grated (about 2 medium)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup, plus 2 tsp all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
3 Tbs chopped fresh chives or scallions for garnish
(Cat also recommends creme fraiche and smoked trout as garnishes)

Grate sweet potatoes using the large holes of a box grater or food processor blade.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes and scallions and mix until the potatoes are well coated.

Heat 3-4 Tbs of the oil in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Spoon 1 Tbs of the potato mixture into the oil and flatten with a spatula to about 3 inches in diameter. Repeat, adding 2 to 4 more latkes and more oil as needed, but don't crowd the pan. Give yourself room to flip them without breaking any. Reduce heat to medium and cook until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer lateks to a paper towel lined plate to drain and then keep warm in a 300º oven. Add more oil to the pan as needed in between batches.

To serve, sprinkle with chives or scallions, or top with a spoonful or creme fraiche and a chunk of smoked trout.



Many thanks again to Cat Cora, Ashley and the staff at Disney for an awesome day!

Artichoke Toasts

When my family gets together there tends to be massive amounts of food involved. Whether it's a mid-afternoon birthday gathering for one of the kids, a get-together for a visiting family member or friend, or just the typical holiday activities throughout the year.. we ALWAYS have a ton of food. In order to keep things interesting, I'm always on the lookout for really great appetizers that I can either bring fully prepared, or at least do most of the prep work ahead of time and throw together quickly in my Mom's kitchen. This is one of those recipes. I originally got the idea from an episode of $40 a Day with Rachel Ray, but have put my own twist on things to make the prep more simple and less time consuming, and also to suit my taste a bit more.

1 thin French Baguette (about 1 1/2" in diameter)
olive oil
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Thai chili garlic paste
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp honey
1 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper (the jarred ones work fine)

Preheat oven to 300ºF.

Slice baguette into 1/2" thick rounds and lay out on a baking sheet. Brush tops of bread slices with olive oil and bake until lightly toasted (about 7 minutes).

Mix together the mayonnaise, chili garlic paste, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, honey, cheese, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Coarsely chop artichoke hearts and mix with chopped red pepper in a small bowl.

When the baguette rounds are toasted, spread a generous amount of the mayo mixture onto each one and then top with the artichoke pepper mixture. Serve immediately.

Everything but the assembly of these can be done ahead of time. If I make it the day before and have to refrigerate the ingredients, I usually warm the assembled toasts in the oven for a few minutes so they aren't ice cold.

Clams Casino

One of the advantages of growing up on the New England coast was the seafood. In the summer clams were a staple. Whether it was my grandmother's clam chowder at a family picnic or steamers on a night when my parents just felt like eating outside... we ate a LOT of clams back then.

Now that I live in Florida, I can still get some of those New England clams, but it comes at a slightly steeper price these days, so I tend to reserve the clam consumption for days like the 4th of July. On Thursday I stopped by the best seafood market in town (best because they fly clams and lobster in daily from New England) and picked up some beautiful steamers and chowder clams, as well as some Florida little necks. On Friday, we had a clam feast... Rhode Island style chowder, steamers with drawn butter and... these wonderful little things. This is my father's recipe for clams casino.

1/2 stick butter
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 doz small hard shell clams (like little necks)
Italian style bread crumbs (optional)
8 slices of bacon, partially cooked and cut into 1" pieces

Preheat broiler.

Melt butter over low heat in a small pan. Add chopped peppers, onions and garlic and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, just until vegetables are tender crisp. Set aside to cool.

Pour about 1/2" of kosher salt on a baking pan large enough to hold all the clams. Shuck fresh clams over a large bowl to catch the liquid. Discard top half of the shell and place bottom half with the clam onto the salt (this will keep the clams straight, and keep them from spilling the butter). Spoon a little of the butter and vegetable mixture into each clam shell and top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and partially cooked bacon.

Place clams under broiler, about 6 inches from the heat and broil about 4 minutes, or just until the bacon crisps up. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.