BLOGMAS 2016 ~ DAY 15 ~ PARTY FOOD IDEAS

WOW this is a HUGE category!  One of my new favorite recipes is from just this year.  Some friends took us to lunch at Jack Allen's Kitchen when we were visiting in Round Rock this past summer and the food was SOOOOOOOOO good that I bought the cook book and have been experimenting ever since.

One of our favorite new recipes is for pimento cheese spread made from scratch.  I made some last week and wanted to use it for this past Saturday's 1st Christmas dinner, but didn't want the mess of a knife and cracker crumbs so I decided to try and make a fun new way to serve it.

I had some fresh pecans and decided to grind them fine.  Then I rolled the cheese spread into small balls and then rolled each one in the pecans.  I chilled them overnight and then used toothpicks for serving. Sorry I didn't get a picture when they were on the pretty plate.

PIMIENTO CHEESE
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/2 pound Medium Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Duke's mayonnaise
1 large Red Bell Pepper, washed, seeded, roasted and chopped fine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Sherry Vinegar*
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Vinegar and salt until smooth.
• Blend in the grated Monterey Jack cheese and grated Cheddar cheese.
• Fold in bell pepper until well distributed.
• Chill well.
• Serve with crackers.

*I didn't have any so I used Golden Balsamic Vinegar

We also love to make VAMPIRE SLAYER ARTICHOKE BREAD and cut it into small bites for appetizers. OMG This appetizer replaces any entree - it's ooey, gooey, cheesy and literally melts in your mouth all the while tantalizing your taste buds from the very first bite!

VAMPIRE SLAYER ARTICHOKE BREAD Adapted from Crumb
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced fine

14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained REALLY WELL and chopped small
1 cup shredded Face Rock Vampire Slayer Cheddar cheese
½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
¼ cup sour cream
1 bunch green onions, finely minced
1 package Seattle Sourdough Ciabatta rolls
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

• Preheat broiler, and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until foamy. 
• Add garlic and green onions sauteing until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
• Remove from heat, and stir in artichoke hearts, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan and sour cream until combined.
• Slice the bread lengthwise. 
• Place the bread halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut side up, and spoon the cooled cheese and artichoke mixture over top. 
• Lightly salt and pepper to taste.
• Broil until cheese is melted and bread is hot. 
• Cut each half into pieces and serve right away, while the cheese is still nice and melted.

Another of our go to "PARTY" foods that I tend to only make at Christmas time is Cowgirl kisses.

COWGIRL KISSES
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons Foothill Salad Seasoning
1 slice bacon per pepper
Jalapeno Peppers
Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (see below)

• Mix cream cheese and Foothill Salad Seasoning until well blended.
• Clean and remove seeds from peppers.
• Fill peppers.
• Wrap each pepper with a slice of bacon.
• Bake or grill over low heat until bacon is crisp.
• Serve with raspberry chipotle sauce. 

RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE 
1 cup Raspberry Jam 
2 tablespoons diced chipotle peppers
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider or rice wine vinegar 

• Whisk all ingredients until well blended.
• Chill until ready to serve.  
• Warm before serving.