Sausage Hot Puffs

This recipe for Sausage Hot Puffs is only five ingredients, looks so fancy, is really simple to make, is perfect for snacking, parties, tailgating, sports watching noshing (try saying that fast three times), and is ready to pop into your mouth in under 30 minutes!  

Back in my career-girl days in Nashville, there was a members-only club that offered fine dining for lunch called The Cumberland Club. It was in the tradition of The Old South, with waiters in white jackets, white linen table clothes and china service. Chartered in 1947 by a group of Nashville businessmen, and originally housed in the old Maxwell House Hotel, it moved several times over the years.

I dined there frequently, as a guest of members who were many of Nashville’s business leaders, both when it was in the First American Center, and later when it was in its final location at the Nashville City Center. The food was always delicious, the service impeccable, and the atmosphere beautiful.

At some point, a local newspaper published this recipe for what the Cumberland Club called “Cajun Hot Puffs.” It’s a simple little appetizer that is like a jazzed up pigs-in-a-blanket. So delicious…

I can’t remember what sausage they used in theirs, but I have used a smoked andouille. The sausage, along with a slice of pickled jalapeno pepper and some pepper jack cheese, is wrapped in a square of puff pastry, rolled in some corn meal and baked.  Simple.

Here are the five ingredients:

• Frozen Puff Pastry
• Smoked Link Sausage
• Pickled Jalapeno Pepper Slices
• Hot Pepper Cheese
• Corn Meal

In the recipe, I’ve given you the order to stack the stuffing…and I have a confession to make. I tend to get this backward. A lot. So, start with the cheese on the bottom of the stack. When you turn the pastry over, seam-side down, that will put the cheese on top to melt down over the pepper and sausage.  This is one of those do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do, things. It won’t ruin them if you don’t, but they are better if you do. *smile*

This appetizer is great hot or served at room temperature, but it’s also good cold. Whenever I make them, and if we have leftovers, I eat them cold straight from the refrigerator (although I’m sure that would have horrified the servers at TCC).

Jazz up your pigs-in-a-blanket with this version of hot piggy goodness.

P~

Sausage Hot Puffs (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

22 mins

 

Smoked sausage, jalapeno slices and hot pepper cheese all wrapped up in puff pastry, coated with corn meal and baked make for a spiffy makeover of pigs-in-a-blanket.

Author: The Saucy Southerner via The Cumberland Club

Recipe type: appetizer

Serves: 15-30

Ingredients

• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed (one sheet for 15 – two sheets for 30)
• Smoked link sausage, sliced in ½” pieces
• Sliced Pickled Jalapeno
• Hot Pepper Cheese, cut in ½” thick pieces about the same size at the sausage sliced.
• Corn Meal for rolling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Roll the pastry out to 15″ x 12″ rectangle.
3. Using a pizza wheel, or sharp knife, cut the pastry into 3″ squares (two cuts along the length and 4 cuts along the width, you will have 15 squares).
4. Place a cheese slice, topped by a jalapeno pepper slice, topped by the sausage slice in the center of the pastry square (that order allows the cheese to melt down over the jalapeno and sausage as it bakes).
5. Fold the corners of the pastry up to the center, over the sausage, and overlap the edges, pressing to seal.
6. Roll the filled pastry in some corn meal to cover lightly.
7. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Spicy Cheddar Cheese Ball Pumpkin

Happy Five Ingredient Friday! And since it’s Friday, with football games and tailgating going on this weekend, and with Halloween so close, not to mention Fall festivities ahead, I decided to make a really simple cheese ball for you…pumpkin shaped to fit any of your Autumn entertaining needs.  

I’ve been doing parties and entertaining for years; it’s one of my favourite things to do! Through the years, I’ve done countless cheese balls and shaped them to match the theme of whatever party I was having.

There have been pineapple-shaped cheese balls, fish-shaped cheese balls, football-shaped cheese balls, and one of my all-time favourites, a hot chili pepper-shaped cheese ball that was coated in paprika and had a green pepper stem. That’s just to name a few, but you get the idea. I love using creatively shaped cheese balls to enhance the party “story.”

If you’ve been following my recipes, you know how much I love cheddar cheese straws. As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago I brought you Cheese Straw Crackers shaped like pumpkins. So, I decided to bring those same zippy flavours to this cheese ball.

I used a combination of cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese. I actually combined white and yellow cheddar, but you don’t have to do that. All I added was some cayenne pepper, garlic powder and Tabasco. Super simple. Then, using my hands, I formed a flat-ish ball with an indentation in the top, pressed grooves into the sides with my finger and used a gourd stem for the pumpkin stem.

So, here are your five ingredients:

• Cream Cheese
• Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Tabasco

I couldn’t be easier, or more darling. Bring a little whimsy to your Fall entertaining, or snacking by making this Spicy Cheddar Cheese Ball Pumpkin recipe.

P~

5.0 from 1 reviews

Spicy Cheddar Cheese Ball Pumpkin (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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With flavours reminiscent of a Cheddar Cheese Straw, this simple cheese ball can be transformed into festive shapes to add a touch of whimsy to your entertaining.

Author: The Saucy Southerner

Recipe type: Appetiser

Ingredients

• 10 ounces Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated (I used 5 ounces of Vermont White and 5 ounces of Wisconsin Yellow)
• 1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your comfort)
• 2 teaspoons Tabasco
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste (I didn’t salt ours)
• gourd stem for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Shape mixture into a flat-ish ball, make an indentation in the top center to hold your stem.
3. Using your finger, make vertical grooves in the ball to resemble the grooves in a pumpkin.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Place the gourd stem into the center top of the cheese ball and serve with crackers and vegetables.

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Authentic Buffalo Wings

Today’s Five Ingredient Friday post is a two-fer: I’ve got the recipe for (purportedly) the authentic recipe from The Anchor Bar in Buffalo New York for Buffalo Wing sauce (and how I obtained it); I also have a review of the The Ninja® Professional Frying System. 

Let me begin with the latter, The Ninja® Professional Frying System. I met the folks from Ninja Kitchens when I was in Austin for BlogHer Food back in June. They were a sponsor and had a booth set up with their products displayed. I visited the booth with a couple of gals I met at the convention and all of us were just overwhelmed with the incredible features of their products.

At the time, they had a contest going on and a drawing where the winner would receive The Ninja® Professional Frying System. Of course, I entered the drawing…for the first time ever I was really interested in a fryer.

While I would deep fry all the time, I always used deep, heavy saucepans for the task. I could never commit myself to a fryer when I’d look at various products in the stores. They all seemed like they would be far more trouble than they were worth. The Ninja® Professional Frying System was different. Every single feature appealed to me, so I was just hoping upon hope I’d win it.

Well, I didn’t win it, but my friend Becky did! I was so thrilled for her! And honestly, I was a bit jealous too! When I got home from the trip, I actually talked about the fryer to Mr. Saucy, since I loved it so much and since he loves fried foods so much…it seemed like something we really needed to own.

The very next day, I received an email from Ninja asking me if I would be interested in trying one of their products. Of course, I was thrilled! I told Sarah that I would love to try the fryer! *cartwheels* In mid-July, my The Ninja® Professional Frying System arrived.

Now, you may ask why in the world it’s taken me so long to tell you about this appliance? Here’s the honest truth. I have used this fryer no less than 25 times since I received it. The reason I haven’t written about it before is…well, we have gobbled down everything that has come out of it so quickly that I haven’t been able to get any photographs before now! I had to plan a day that Mr. Saucy wouldn’t be around and I could fry these Buffalo Wings without him standing over my shoulder ready to snatch them off the cooling rack.

Since I received it, I have fried:

• Okra
• Squash
• Green Tomatoes
• Dilly Beans
• Egg Rolls
• Buffalo Wings
• Potato Skins
• Fritters (corn AND crab)
• Battered Fish*
• Fries
• Onion Rings

You get the picture…just about everything. I can say, without equivocation, The Ninja® Professional Frying System is everything I could have wanted in a fryer and more!

It is quick to heat, and with their Fusion Heat Technology, it maintains and recovers heat very quickly when you add even frozen foods to the oil. The great thing about that is that the foods do not absorb as much oil. In fact, in my experience, there is so little oil absorbed in what I fried as to be negligible. I do strain and reuse my oil (which their ingenious pour spout makes SO easy to do), but I had to discard oil because it got dark (after MANY uses), rather than having to replace oil that was imparted to the foods.

They claim that it uses 40% less oil than other fryers, but I’d bet it uses far less than that. I was astonished at how little oil was lost in the frying.

Another great feature of The Ninja® Professional Frying System is the immersion basket, which is lidded to keep the food submerged in the oil as it fries. There is absolutely no flipping of food, since it fries on all sides at once under the oil.

One real sticking point in my ever owning a frying system in the past was the thought of the clean up. It just didn’t seem worth the effort. With The Ninja® Professional Frying System, I kid you not, the clean up is a breeze! The oil reservoir removes from the base and is dishwasher safe. The lid for the system, that is fabulous for containing oil splatter, is dishwasher safe. The immersion basket and lid…yes, you guessed it, dishwasher safe. The only things that must be hand-washed are the oil pour spout and the heating element, but both of those clean easily and quickly.

This is my The Ninja® Professional Frying System after much use:

The Ninja® Professional Frying System with the unit, immersion basket with lid and oil pour spout

The Ninja® Professional Frying System Lid and Heating Element

The Ninja® Professional Frying System Oil Reservoir with Oil Pour Spout attached

I love it. I cannot say enough good things about it. It is VERY reasonably priced with a retail cost of $99.00; I hope you’ll check them out. We’re enjoying fried foods so much more, just because it’s so easy to use and there is so little oil absorbed into the foods, it’s a lot healthier frying.

Now, the recipe. Back in the 80′s when I was a single girl and Buffalo Chicken Wings were first all the rage, I still lived in Nashville; I’d spend my Sunday afternoons curled in a ball on the floor of my living room with the New York Times, some fresh bagels and cream cheese and a pot of coffee. I’d drool over the Food Section every week and figure out what new thing I needed to try in my own kitchen.

One such Sunday, there was a recipe printed in that food section which purported to be the original Buffalo Wing Sauce from The Anchor Bar (the origin of the Buffalo Chicken Wing), in Buffalo, New York. This is it. I’ve used it ever since and even though there are many recipes out there that say they are the authentic recipe, nothing compares to this one in my book. Along with The Ninja® Professional Frying System and this recipe, we have enjoyed the most fabulous made at home Buffalo Chicken Wings we’ve ever eaten.

Really, you need this fryer. And these wings.

P~

*Note: I do have separate bottles of oil I use for vegetables/poultry and for fish.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Authentic Buffalo Wings (Five Ingredient Friday) (The Ninja® Professional Frying System Review)

 

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Purported by The New York Times to be the authentic recipe from The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York for Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce. This recipe makes enough for 24 wings, or approximately 4 pounds.

Author: The Saucy Southerner via The New York Times Food Section circa late 1980′s

Recipe type: Condiment

Ingredients

• Oil for frying
• 24 chicken wings (approximately 4 pounds)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2-5 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (this is what the recipe specified and what I have always used, but you could substitute any Louisiana-style hot sauce)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Instructions

1. Salt and pepper the cleaned wings and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, Frank’s hot sauce and vinegar, set aside.
3. Preheat the oil to 375°F.
4. Place a portion of the wings into the oil, not overloading the frying vessel, and fry for 7-12 minutes (mine were on the upper end of this time range each time I’ve done them because they were enormous wings).
5. Remove cooked wings to a rack while you continue to fry the others.
6. Once all the wings are cooked, put the wings into the bowl with the sauce and toss with tongs to coat.
7. Remove the coated wings to a serving platter and pour any remaining sauce over them.
8. Serve with celery (and carrots because I love them) with chunky blue cheese dressing (or whatever you like) for dipping on the side.

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Disclaimer: While Ninja Kitchen provided me with The Ninja® Professional Frying System at no cost to me, there was no obligation to endorse the product; the opinions are my own and are heartfelt.

Cheese Straw Cracker Pumpkins

Today’s Five Ingredient Friday is a seasonal remake of a traditional Southern favourite, the Cheddar Cheese Straw.  Using Cheddar cheese and pumpkin seeds (instead of the more traditional pecan), the plain ol’ cheese “straw” is transformed into a Autumnal cracker in the shape of a pumpkin, perfect for Halloween and Fall entertaining. 

It seems like most of the Halloween treats I see are sweet; while that’s great, since Halloween seems to be all about the candy, I crave salty far more. Living in The South, where Cheddar Cheese Straws are a “must have” for any holiday entertaining, I couldn’t resist transforming this simple recipe into something that would bring some salty fun to Halloween and beyond.

The great thing about the pumpkin shape is that this snack will work all the way past Halloween and be a great addition to pre-feast snacking at Thanksgiving, too!

With a mixer or a food processor, this simple five ingredient recipe is ready in a snap! The five ingredients are:

• Butter
• Cheddar Cheese
• Flour
• Cayenne pepper
• Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Another great thing about this transformation is you don’t have to be “perfect” about forming your pumpkins. Every pumpkin in the pumpkin patch is unique, so it’s fine for all of your crackers to have their own little personality!

I rolled the dough into logs, just like in this recipe for Cheddar Roquefort Rosemary Snaps. I eliminated the refrigeration time from the snaps above, since they were easier to form when soft.  I made the dough, formed it into a log and sliced them; then I just squished them into a pumpkin shape and flattened them with my fingers. Using a toothpick, I scored ridges into the dough to resemble the ridges on a pumpkin. I reserved one slice of the dough to form little stems and pressed them into the pumpkin shaped crackers.  After 15-17 minutes in the oven, you’ve got the cutest, cheesiest, zesty pumpkin crackers. This recipe made 24 crackers.

I hope you’ll try them for your Fall festivities!

P~

5.0 from 1 reviews

Cheese Straw Cracker Pumpkins (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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An Autumnal twist on a traditional Southern snack, the cheddar cheese straw. These crackers are formed into a pumpkin shape and baked for the perfect, cheesy, fall snack.

Author: The Saucy Southerner

Recipe type: appetizer

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 1 stick salted butter (8 tablespoons)
• 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups flour (all-purpose)
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• pinch of salt
• ¾ cup coarsely chopped toasted pumpkin seeds (of course, you could use pecans or whatever nut you like)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a food processor (or with an electric mixer), cream the butter and cheese.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture forms a ball.
5. Remove the mixture from the processor, divide into half.
6. Roll each half into a log, about 2½ inches in diameter.
7. Cut slices about ¼ inch thick and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Using your hands, press the round of dough to shape it with an indent in the top for where the stem will be and flat-ish on the bottom.
9. Using the dough from one slice, pull off small sections to form stems and press them into the top of the pumpkin shape.
10. Using a toothpick, press curved grooves into the dough to mimic the ridges of a pumpkin.
11. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.
12. Cool on a wire rack.

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Roasted Red Pepper Relish

This Roasted Red Pepper Relish is courtesy of a friend of mine and it couldn’t be more simple, or more delicious! She said it would be a perfect salad dressing, dip or sandwich spread and she was right. Five Ingredients and just seconds in the food processor and you too can enjoy this lovely relish.  

Back in June when I went to Austin for the BlogHer Food convention, one of the gals I met, and really hit it off with, was Addie over at Culicurious. Most everyone arrived before the start of the convention on Friday, so there were a ton of events hosted by sponsors of the convention on Thursday night.

We met at Bloggers and Bites, a party hosted by Whole Foods Market, whose headquarters are in Austin. Sometimes you just know when you’re really going to like someone, and Addie was one of those people. We were talking about food, of course, and our philosophies on cooking; she and I had so much in common.

Since we’ve been back home, we’ve kept up with each other and follow each other in our cooking. Honestly, it seems like everything she posts makes me drool. I just love her take on food, and our tastes are so, so similar.

Last week, she posted this recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Relish and I knew I had to make it. This isn’t the first time I’ve made one of her recipes, but it is the first one I’ve shared. Because I had to share this one. Not only is it incredibly, amazingly, perfectly simple, it is loaded with flavour, beautiful and so versatile!

I made some sourdough bread last week, so using this as a sandwich spread for a Dagwood-style sandwich was ideal. The fresh taste of the basil, along with the garlic, the brininess of the capers and the sweet roasted red peppers make for a delightful combination.

And…it’s only five ingredients! They are:

• Roasted Red Bell Pepper
• Fresh Basil
• Capers
• Garlic
• Salt

This recipe is wonderful. I hope you’ll try it; I also hope you’ll go visit Culicurious and check out her recipes. She’s truly talented.

P~

5.0 from 1 reviews

Roasted Red Pepper Relish (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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Roasted red bell peppers combine with fresh basil, garlic, capers and a titch of salt to make a delightful relish. This can be used as a dip, a sandwich spread, a salad dressing…let your imagination be your guide.

Author: The Saucy Southerner via Culicurious

Recipe type: Condiment

Ingredients

• 1 cup roasted red bell pepper
• ½ tightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained of brine
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until no large chunks remain.
2. Use immediately, or transfer to an air-tight storage container (can be stored in the refrigerator for a week).

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Chocolate Macadamia Biscotti

I recently polled my readers on Facebook about whether they would be interested in baking items that began with a cake mix; they indicated that they would, so here you go! Five Ingredient Friday this week is a recipe for a five ingredient Chocolate Macadamia Biscotti that starts out with a box of Devil’s Food Cake mix. Simple, divine, chocolate…perfect for dipping in your favourite coffee, or milk, or tea. 

Today’s Five Ingredient Friday is brought to you a day early. Tomorrow I’ll be baking for a local competition, The Blue Ribbon Country Fair, held in conjunction with a local Heritage Festival.  All of the baking for that must be scratch recipes, and the recipes must be provided to the judges. Since that’s how I bake anyway, you’d think it would be a cinch, but the nerves…they happen.

I’ve entered the competition the last two years and have been fortunate to have come away with ribbons for my baking entries both years. The pressure is on! Keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck because I’ve got some new ideas this year that I only came up with a couple of days ago.

This recipe is a sure success for anyone, though. By starting with a box of Devil’s Food Cake, and the addition of four more ingredients, you can have the most delightfully chocolate-y, nutty biscotti to nibble.

This recipe uses macadamia nuts, but you could just as easily substitute the nut of your choice. I even toyed with the idea of using chocolate chips instead of nuts. Feel free to play with it to suit your tastes, or what ingredients you have on-hand.

Yummy is what they are…and easy to prepare. So, no excuses to not bake. Make these simple biscotti today!

P~

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chocolate Macadamia Biscotti (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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Beginning with a box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix, these biscotti are simple to bake. Just four more ingredients and mostly passive baking and cooling time and you’re on your way to dipping Heaven.

Author: The Saucy Southerner

Ingredients

• 1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts (or the nut of your choice)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet (at least 16 inches in length) with parchment paper.
3. In the mixing bowl, place all of the ingredients (nuts included) and blend with a mixer on low-speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides to incorporate all of the ingredients well.*
4. The dough should come together into a ball.
5. Transfer the ball of dough to the parchment lined baking sheet and form into a log that is about 14 inches long and about 3 inches wide.
6. Then, press the dough out and down on the length of the log so that the center is mounded and the sides tapered, the center of the dough should be about half and inch thick.
7. Place the baking sheet in into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
8. Leaving the oven on, remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool the biscotti (left on the baking sheet) for about 10 minutes.
9. Using a serrated knife, slice the biscotti (directly on the baking sheet) on the diagonal, into about 1 inch thick slices.
10. Gently turn the slices on their sides, using the same baking sheet.
11. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. Turn the oven off, but leave the baking sheet in the oven for another 30-40 minutes to allow the biscotti to crisp.
12. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the biscotti to a rack to allow them to cool completely.
13. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks.

Notes

*I actually blended mine by hand, without a mixer, using a sturdy spatula. It took about the same amount of time to mix it fully.

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Artichoke and Gruyère Pizza with Prosciutto

Is Friday Pizza Night at your house? This Five Ingredient Friday Pizza loaded with marinated artichoke hearts, Portobello mushrooms, cheese and prosciutto is a five ingredient fabulous change of pace from the ordinary pepperoni pizza. It’s ready in minutes, so get that movie set to play! Your weekend is about to begin!  

Mr. Saucy loves my cooking; he’d be the first to tell you that. But Mr. Saucy has a not-so-secret-anymore (since I tell the tale often) love of frozen pizza. This passion of his resulted from a real tragedy, though. Let me explain.

When we first started dating, Mr. Saucy was quite the cook. Really. On our first date, Mr. Saucy actually cooked dinner for me at his house. He drove across town to pick me up, drove back to his house where he had an enormous vase of flowers on the hearth and an orchid for me to take home; he also had a really wonderful meal for us. I was quite impressed.

As our relationship grew, we cooked for each other often. And he would ask me for my recipes, which he would actually cook! Once we got married however, Mr. Saucy, sadly, was stricken with chronic condition. No known cure. Cooking Amnesia.  The only memory of cooking he retains is the ability to bake pizza. Frozen pizza. While I think this is a convenient “illness,” I think it’s pretty funny. *wink*

Any time I go away on a trip, or am away for the evening, or not feeling like cooking, Mr. Saucy will offer to cook, bless his heart. “I’ll cook tonight, girlfriend (he still calls me that even though we’ve been married almost twenty years now…isn’t that cute?), I’ll just pull out a frozen pizza!”

Not being a huge fan of the frozen pizza myself, I will acquiesce nonetheless. Cravings must be indulged, I know. But every once in a while, I want pizza. Not frozen pizza. So, I’ll make what we’ve lovingly termed “Prissy Pizza.”

I suppose this could be a “Prissy Pizza,” but I prefer to call it simple and delicious. And it really was! It got the Mr. Saucy Pizza Seal of Approval. And it’s only five ingredients! They are:

• Store-bought pizza dough
• Cheese (I used Gruyère, but any mild white cheese would work-think Fontina, Swiss or even Mozzarella)
• Marinated artichoke pieces
• Portobello mushroom slices
• Prosciutto cubetti

I could easily see this pizza done in small, bite-size pieces on a party buffet or as an appetizer for a dinner party. The combination of flavours was fantastic. I’ll be making this one again. I hope you’ll try it.

P~

5.0 from 1 reviews

Artichoke Mushroom and Gruyère Pizza with Prosciutto (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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Store-bought pizza dough along with marinated artichoke, Portobello mushrooms, Gruyère cheese and topped in the end with prosciutto cubetti make for an outstanding five ingredient pizza. Perfect for parties, in bite-sized pieces.

Author: The Saucy Southerner

Recipe type: Entree, Appetizer

Ingredients

• Store-bought pizza dough (or make your own)
• 1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese (or any mild white cheese…Fontina would be great, Mozzarella, or Swiss)
• 6 ounces marinated artichoke pieces, drained of liquid, chopped
• ½ cup sliced Portobello mushrooms
• ¼ cup diced Prosciutto (I bought some cubetti from the deli)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
2. Dust a work surface with cornmeal and roll out the pizza dough (mine was a 10″ round).
3. Transfer to a baking sheet, or onto a piece of parchment paper if you’re going to bake the pizza on a stone.
4. Place the dough in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven.
6. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the dough, add the artichoke pieces and mushrooms over the cheese.
7. Sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper.
8. Return the pizza to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are browned.
9. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle with the diced prosciutto.
10. Serve hot.

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Bacon Leek and Tomato Linguine (BLT Pasta)

Have you ever had “one of those weeks” where nothing you do turns out the way you expected? I know…we all have them. Well, this was “one of those weeks” for me. Fortunately, I pulled it out. At the last-minute. And with this amazingly simple, unbelievably delicious pasta recipe for BLT Linguine: Bacon Leek and Tomato in a creamy, herb-y “sauce.” Take a peek at this Five Ingredient Friday dish…

I know I’ve said it before, but not everything I cook makes it onto this site. I get these really “great” ideas and they just don’t turn out the way I envision them and they require some more tinkering to get “just right.” Or, I try a recipe and it’s a real stinker. Yes. Even I get stinkers.

This week it seemed like every single thing I tried either needed more work or was a real stinker. I was despairing that I wouldn’t have a post for a Five Ingredient Friday for you. Honestly, I was about to get online and tell you all that I had failed. And then, you ask?

Well, then…inspiration hit. Usually when I’m having a hard time being creative for our dinner, or I’m just tired, my old fallback is BLT sandwiches. Who doesn’t like BLT sandwiches? Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato are a trio of ingredients that just work! I had seen someone post a photo of a BLT sandwich and thought I’d probably make some for us for dinner.

I started digging in the refrigerator and realized I had a leek; I also had some beautiful yellow tomatoes in a basket on my chopping block. And then…pasta was born instead of a sandwich! The “L” would be leek instead of Lettuce! So that meant I had four ingredients already: Bacon, Leek, Tomato and Pasta. That left one more ingredient.

You probably don’t really care, but it’s pretty hard to come up with five ingredient dishes. I mean, I normally use FAR more than five ingredients. And I pondered a lot of options…a titch of cream maybe, or some Parmesan cheese perhaps…no, no…and then I spied some of the Boursin I made a bit ago. I had a small ramekin of it that I hadn’t frozen…creamy, cheesy, herby…it would work! That “one” ingredient would add the flavour punch I needed without adding garlic, herbs and cheese…and increasing my ingredient count.

If you haven’t made the Boursin, make some. I mean it. But, here’s the deal. You can use an herb cream cheese, or even store-bought Boursin too. Either would work.

I took some bacon and diced it, crisped it in a skillet and removed it from the pan. Then I used that bacon fat to sweat the leeks; I added the tomato, pepper and a tiny titch of salt (the bacon was salty enough almost). I cooked the linguine, drained it, added it back to the hot pan, stirred in some Boursin, then topped it with the leek/tomato mixture and added the crisped bacon on top.

Y’all? I took the photos, drooling all over my camera. I got the shot I wanted and then? Well, then…I ate some of this for breakfast. At 7 a.m. this morning. I forced myself to cover it and put it away for dinner tonight. It was hard.

This is just fabulous! So, recapping your five ingredients:

• Linguine
• Bacon
• Leek
• Tomato
• Boursin – or herb cream cheese

That’s it. And this is something I can assure you you’ll love…and I will make again and again. So, try it!

P~

5.0 from 3 reviews

BLT (Bacon Leek Tomato) Linguine (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Five simple ingredients come together to make one of the tastiest, but easiest pasta dishes ever. Bacon, Leeks and Tomato and pasta with herby Boursin stirred in for a creamy “sauce.” To. Die. For.

Author: The Saucy Southerner

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pasta, cooked according to package instructions for al dente
• 4 slices thick cut bacon, diced, crisped
• 1 cup sliced leeks, washed and drained (about ½ leek)
• 2 cups diced tomato (I used yellow because that’s what I had on hand-this was one large tomato)
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
• 2 tablespoons Boursin (or herb cream cheese)

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a medium-sized skillet, over medium-medium high heat, crisp the diced bacon.
3. Remove the crisped bacon from the skillet and set aside.
4. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium.
5. Add the leeks and cook for about 4 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes, salt (if needed) and ground black pepper.
7. Stir, cover and remove from heat.
8. Drain the cooked pasta and add back to the saucepan.
9. Stir in the Boursin cheese.
10. Place the pasta into a bowl, add the leek/tomato mixture and then top with the crisped bacon.
11. Serve hot.

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3.2.2124

Salmon Asparagus and Orzo Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette

Orzo with broiled salmon, blanched asparagus and red onion, then tossed with a lemon dill vinaigrette is the recipe on the menu for Five Ingredient Friday. This simple but very delicious dish is ready in under 30 minutes. 

Not too long ago I was in the market and they had the most amazing, tiny, just like spring asparagus. It was imported from Peru and I have to thank that country for growing such beautiful asparagus, it was a treat to see it at this time of year. The tiny spears pair beautifully with lemon, of course, and are a perfect accompaniment with salmon.

I had some silver salmon fillets in the freezer, orzo in the pantry, a bowl full of lemons, some homemade feta, and an abundance of dill from the Wee Kitchen Garden. Perfect!

This salad was so easy to throw together, too! A few minutes under the broiler and the salmon fillets were ready to flake; the asparagus gets a very short 3 minute blanch in the same water in which you’ll be cooking the orzo; then, just toss those ingredients with some red onion and lemon dill vinaigrette and you have supper on the table.

Here are the five ingredients:

• asparagus
• salmon fillets
• orzo
• red onion
• lemon dill vinaigrette

Delicious, light, filling, refreshingly tangy, this recipe is a really great meal on any hectic night. I hope you’ll try it.

P~

5.0 from 1 reviews

Salmon Asparagus and Orzo Salad (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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Prep time

3 mins

Cook time

18 mins

Total time

21 mins

 

Orzo with broiled salmon, blanched asparagus and red onion, and tossed with a lemon dill vinaigrette recipe is a simple but very delicious dish that is ready in under 30 minutes.

Author: The Saucy Southerner via Oxmoor House

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• ½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup orzo, cooked according to package instructions
• 12 ounces salmon fillet, skin removed after broiling
• ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• Lemon-Dill vinaigrette (see recipe below)
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan.
3. Add asparagus, cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.
4. Remove asparagus from water with tongs or a slotted spoon (I set a mesh colander holding the asparagus into the blanching water for easy removal of the asparagus) reserving water in pan.
5. Plunge asparagus into ice water; drain and set aside.
6. Return reserved water to a boil.
7. Add orzo, and cook according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
8. While orzo cooks, sprinkle fillet evenly with salt and pepper.
9. Place fish on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray.
10. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
11. Remove from oven.
12. Using 2 forks, break fish into large chunks.
13. Combine salmon, orzo, asparagus, onion, and Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

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3.2.2124

5.0 from 1 reviews

Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette (Five Ingredient Friday)

 

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This light, tangy dressing is ready in minutes and is perfect as a topping for fish, vegetables and in your favourite salads.

Author: The Saucy Southerner via Oxmoor House

Recipe type: Salad Dressing

Serves: ⅓ cup

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

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3.2.2124

Since Labor Day is this weekend, rather than a Five Ingredient Friday post, I’ve decided to give you a Five Recipe Friday post for the upcoming weekend celebrations. There are links for Slow-Cooker Carolina-Style Pulled Pork, THE potato salad – Southern-Style Mustard Potato Salad, Cowboy Caviar (Black Bean Salsa), The Endless Summer Cocktail, and Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream. All of these recipes can be made ahead of time, leaving you to be able to celebrate the last long weekend of summer with fabulous food while relaxing!

First up on is the Endless Summer Cocktail. You can use this for two different manners of celebrating an Endless Summer. If you’re happy summer is over and kids are heading back to school? Perfect! If you’re wishing you could keep summer bottled in a glass to have close to you all year? Perfect! This light, fruity, citrus-y cocktail carries the glow of a warm summer sun in an icy-cold, refreshing adult beverage.

Endless Summer Cocktail

Next up are the ingredients for a fabulous end of summer picnic. The key to starting a party off right is a great snack. And this recipe for Cowboy Caviar, which is just a simple version of Black Bean and Black Eyed Pea Salsa; it is always a hit! Have plenty of chips on hand, and don’t expect there to be even a smidge leftover.

Black Bean & Black Eyed Pea Salsa

Then move the feast forward with Slow-Cooker Carolina-Style Pulled Pork. This stuff is so easy to throw together and let your slow-cooker do all the work! It’s really delicious to eat with your favourite BBQ sauce, it can be used in a variety of ways, and it freezes really well (if you have any leftovers). Make it ahead of time and just reheat it in the oven in a covered dish, or in the microwave.

Carolina-Style Pulled Pork

Then, of course, it’s not a picnic/cookout weekend without THE potato salad. Southern-Style Mustard Potato Salad. The quintessential potato salad…loaded with hard-cooked eggs that give it that distinct southern flair.

Southern-Style Mustard Potato Salad

Finally, put a cherry on top of your summer with Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream. Nothing screams summer like ice cream. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  The subtle flavour of Bourbon and the delightful taste of cherries in a custard-style ice cream provide the perfect dish to finish summer and slide into fall.

Bourbon Cherry Ice Cream

I hope your summer has been as delightful as mine has been! I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to all of the delicious foods of Fall.

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend!

P~