Pretzel & Bratwurst Nachos with Apple Jalapeno Pico

My last entry for the Desert Pepper Trading Co Blogger Recipe Contest might be my favorite. This is Oktoberfest, gameday and fall flavors in one delicious package! Pretzels, bratwurst and queso with a bright and spicy apple jalapeno pico de gallo? Sign me up!

Pretzel & Bratwurst Nachos with Apple Jalapeno Pico

1 Tablespoon butter

1-pound fresh bratwurst sausage

¾ cup green apple, diced

1 large fresh jalapeno, chopped

¼ cup minced red onion

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups Desert Pepper Chile Con Queso

2 teaspoons mustard powder

8 ounces Pretzel chips

 

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the bratwurst to the pan and break apart as it’s cooking, allowing it to crumble as it cooks. Cook for about 10 minutes until the meat has browned.

 In a small mixing bowl, stir together the diced apple, jalapeno, red onion, vinegar and salt.

Heat the Desert Pepper Chile Con Queso in a small sauce pot over medium low heat until warmed through, stirring frequently. Whisk in the mustard until smooth and keep warm.

To assemble, lay the pretzel chips on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with queso, sprinkle with bratwurst and top with the apple jalapeno salsa. Serve immediately. 

You can purchase Desert Pepper Salsa products at your local Sprouts, Publix, Hannaford, Harris Teeter, Shop Rite, Walmart, Giant Eagle, Market Basket, Jewel, Meijer

You can follow Desert Pepper on their Website, on Facebook and Instagram 

#desertpepperrecipechallenge #desertpeppertradingco #desertpeppersalsa

Cantina Style Braised Short Ribs & Queso Grits

My second entry for the Desert Pepper Trading Co Blogger Recipe Contest is a fall dinner dream! Short Ribs are a favorite in this house, and these were caramelized first and then braised in Desert Pepper Trading Company Cantina Medium Red Salsa until fall apart tender. Served atop Queso Polenta that only takes 5 minutes to make and you've got cozy comfort food perfection!

Cantina Style Braised Short Ribs & Queso Grits 

1 Tablespoon cajun style seasoning blend

4 Tablespoons flour

4 ½ pounds Chuck Beef Short Ribs

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, minced

3 cloves minced garlic

1 jar (16 oz) Desert Pepper Trading Company Cantina Medium Red Salsa

1 cup beef broth

1 bay leaf 

1 (9.2 ounce) package instant polenta

1 cup Desert Pepper Trading Company Chile Con Queso

½ cup chopped Cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

 

Combine the cajun style seasoning blend and flour together. Blot short ribs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle all sides evenly with the seasoned flour mixture. Heat the oil over high heat in an Instant Pot or crock pot. Working in batches, sear each side until they are nicely caramelized.

Once the ribs are all seared, place them all in the pot along with the onion, garlic, salsa, beef broth and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours if using a slow cooker OR cook on Manual/High Pressure for 45 minutes with a 15 minute natural release if using an Instant Pot.

When the ribs have 30 minutes left of cooking time, prepare the Instant Polenta according to the box directions. (I use a box mix that only requires water and salt) Once the polenta has cooked, whisk in the queso until smooth and set aside.

When the meat can easily be pulled off the bone, it is ready. Skim any grease that may have risen to the top of the braising liquid and remove any bones that may have already fallen off. To serve, ladle the polenta into shallow bowls, top with the short ribs and gravy and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

 You can purchase Desert Pepper Salsa products at your local Sprouts, Publix, Hannaford, Harris Teeter, Shop Rite, Walmart, Giant Eagle, Market Basket, Jewel, Meijer

You can follow Desert Pepper on their Website, on Facebook and Instagram 

#desertpepperrecipechallenge #desertpeppertradingco #desertpeppersalsa

Sweet Potato Praline Crème Brulee

Creme Brulee is one of my absolute favorite desserts and if you are still undecided on what to serve for Thanksgiving this year I am begging you- let it be this!!  It needs to be made ahead anyway, so less time stressing about that on the big day AND it's gluten free, so any of your guests who can't have pie will be thrilled to dig into these!

 I love the crispy just torched sugar topping, the ultra rich cold custard underneath and  the extra crunchy praline pecans give it so much nutty texture and crunch. You'll still get the essence of pecan or sweet potato or pumpkin pie only way more decadent!

Sweet Potato Praline Crème Brulee 

Sweet Potato Crème Brulee

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup Florida Crystals Organic Brown Raw Cane Sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Florida Crystals Organic Raw Cane Sugar

8 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup pureed cooked sweet potatoes

Pour 4 cups of hot water into a 9×13 baking dish, place it in the oven on the middle rack and set the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup raw cane sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy and lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly to prevent scrambling, add the hot cream mixture to the egg yolks about ¼ cup at a time. Add the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and sweet potatoes, and whisk until smooth.

Set a fine mesh strainer over the pot you cooked the cream in and pour the egg mixture through it to strain out any lumps. Pour the custard evenly into 6 (4-oz) ramekins.

Carefully place the ramekins in the water bath and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the ramekins are just barely set in the center. Remove from the water and allow to cool. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve sprinkle each ramekin with the remaining sugar and using a small kitchen torch cook the sugar until bubbling and melted. Allow the sugar to cool and harden for a minute or two, top with pecan praline topping and serve. 

Serves 6

Pecan Pralines

1 ½ Tablespoons Florida Crystals Organic Raw Cane Sugar

1 ½ teaspoons water

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup chopped pecans

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, water, vanilla and salt. 

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the pecans to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the nuts are lightly toasted and you begin to smell them pour the sugar mixture into the pan, stirring constantly for 15-30 seconds or until the nuts are evenly coated. Remove the pan from the fire and spread the mixture into an even layer onto a piece of parchment paper. Allow to cool completely. Once the nuts have cooled, break into pieces and serve with the prepared crème brulees. 

Look at that crispy crackly sugar and crunchy coated pecans - that's double the texture to go along with the super creamy sweet potato custard underneath!

You can find more about Florida Crystals by following them here, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest  and following along for delicious recipe ideas!! Florida Crystals products are available at local retailers

#FloridaCrystals  #FCChallenge #Sweeps #Ad

Shrimp and Brussels Sprout Udon Stir Fry with Pomegranate Glaze

This is my second entry for the  "JSL Foods Fortune Noodle Blogger Recipe Challenge"! I have worked with JSL Foods in the past and have always been impressed with their products. This time, they sent me a generous assortment of their gluten free products to work with! These Fortune Gluten Free noodles are NEW to market, shelf stable and can be found in the Asian Dry Grocery Section of your grocery store!

Shrimp and Brussels Sprout Udon Stir Fry with Pomegranate Glaze

1 (4.75 oz package) Fortune Gluten Free Garlic Chicken Flavored Udon

½ pound medium-large peeled and deveined shrimp

2 Tablespoons pomegranate juice

2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons gluten free soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili garlic paste

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup sliced red onion

1 ½ cup shredded Brussels sprouts

Bring 3 cups of water up to a boil over high heat in a medium sauce pot. Add the Fortune Gluten Free Garlic Chicken Flavored Udon noodles to the water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the noodles, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Toss the seasoning packet with the shrimp in a small mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the pomegranate juice, hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, chili garlic paste and toasted sesame oil.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the onion and Brussels sprouts and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Add the seasoned shrimp and sauté for 1 minute or until the shrimp start to turn pink. Add the noodles and sauce to the pan and gently toss to evenly coat the noodles. 

Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings 

You can purchase Fortune Gluten Free Noodle products at: Albertsons, Von's, Safeway, Dierbergs Markets and Cub Foods.

You can find JSL Foods and all of their fabulous products HERE, on Facebook, Twitter and 

Instagram

#glutenfreenoodles #cooklikeawokstar #fortunerecipechallenge

Super Bowl worthy Supreme Pizza Gyoza

When I was asked to participate in "JSL Foods' Super Bowl Finger Food Recipe Challenge" I was thrilled. I've been having so much fun creating recipes for their "JSL Foods Fortune Noodle Blogger Recipe Challenge" that I knew almost instantly what I would do for this theme. 

If I'm being totally honest, I'm more excited about the food than the game when it comes to football parties and I don't think I've ever been to a Super Bowl party that didn't have pizza. Did you know that 12.5 million pizzas are bought on Super Bowl Sunday each year?! Isn't that insane? 

Give your delivery guy a break and whip these up instead. Your guests will be thrilled you did. 

Just look at those crispy bottoms! So yummy!

 Super Bowl worthy Supreme Pizza Gyoza

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh mushrooms

2 Tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper

2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion

4 ounces room temperature cream cheese

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup diced pepperoni

2 Tablespoons finely chopped black olives

19 Twin dragon Gyoza Wrappers

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Place the mushrooms in a large non-stick skillet and cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and onion to the pan, and continue to cook for about 3 minutes, or until the vegetables have just wilted but aren’t browned. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Once the veggies have cooled, add them to a medium mixing bowl along with the cream cheese, mozzarella, basil, oregano, garlic salt, pepper, pepperoni and olives. Stir to combine.

Holding a wrapper in your palm, place about 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of the dough. Using your finger, moisten the rim with water and fold the edges to create 6 pleats. Press to seal and place on a large cookie sheet, covered with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Once all gyoza are ready, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Place the gyoza in the pan and cook just until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour 1/3 cup water on the side of the pan and place a lid on the top. Allow the gyoza to steam, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook just until the water has evaporated. Serve immediately.

Makes 19 gyoza

You can follow JSL Foods here, on Facebook and on Twitter

#TwinDragon #ChefYaki

You can purchase JSL Foods Twin Dragon products at Albertsons, Shaw's, Von's, Stater Bros, Lucky's, Food Maxx, Fred Meyer, QFC, Cub Foods, Rainbow Foods, Safeway, Associated Stores, Price Rite, Shop Rite, Winco, Price Chopper and Gelson's!

Brats N Beer Cheese Bites

Bratwurst, mushrooms and onions in a crispy crunchy wonton shell dunked in a pool of dreamy melted beer cheese dip. This combo should be a requirement for Super Bowl Sunday, am I right? I think beer and bratwurst are actually a tailgating requirement in the Midwest, but why should they be the only ones to enjoy this classic pairing? I promise your friends and family will gobble these up!

What's your go-to Super Bowl snack?

Brats N Beer Cheese Bites

1 Tablespoon butter

½ cup diced onion

1 cup diced mushrooms

8 ounces bulk bratwurst sausage

1 cup beer

6 ounces cubed processed cheese 

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

18 Twin Dragon Wonton Wrappers

6 cups vegetable oil

In a large non-stick sauté pan cook the butter, onion and mushrooms for 3-5 minutes over medium low heat or until softened. Add the bratwurst to the pan and brown the sausage, breaking it apart while cooking, into crumbles. Cook for 8 minutes, or until well browned. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly.

In a medium sauce pot over medium high, bring the beer and processed cheese sauce to a simmer. Whisk until the cheese is fully melted. Slowly whisk in the grated cheese and mustard powder until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

Working one at a time, use your finger and moisten the outer edges of a wonton wrapper with water. Add about 2 teaspoons of the sausage mixture in the center. Bring the 2 bottom points together in the middle of the wonton and pinch. Repeat with the other 2 corners and pinch to form a square bottom and pointed top.

In an electric fryer or large high sided skillet fitted with a candy thermometer, bring the oil up to 375 degrees over medium high heat.

Working in batches, fry the wontons for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to drain on a cooling rack placed in a cookie sheet. Serve with warm beer cheese sauce.

Makes 18 wontons.

You can follow JSL Foods here, on Facebook and on Twitter

#TwinDragon #ChefYaki

You can purchase JSL Foods Twin Dragon products at Albertsons, Shaw's, Von's, Stater Bros, Lucky's, Food Maxx, Fred Meyer, QFC, Cub Foods, Rainbow Foods, Safeway, Associated Stores, Price Rite, Shop Rite, Winco, Price Chopper and Gelson's!

Pumpkin Amaretto Bisque with Blue Cheese Honey Crostini

Here in Texas, we are officially in the stage of watching everyone else on Facebook and Instagram enjoy the beginning of Fall, pumpkin spice everything and breaking out the scarves and cute boots while we continue to roast daily. So, even though it's in the high 90's and the humidity is out of control, The Home Town Cook’n Recipe Contest is gearing up for the holidays and they're looking for the best dishes to serve on Thanksgiving. I thought highlighting pumpkin in a savory way and adding a healthy amount of booze would brighten up the holidays even if Mother Nature decides not to cooperate in my neck of the woods. 

Using canned pumpkin makes throwing this soup together quick and easy. I pureed mine in my Vitamix for an ultra velvety finish and the sweet and salty crostini are the perfect crunchy dippers!

Pumpkin Amaretto Bisque with Blue Cheese Honey Crostini

3 Tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 ½ teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2/3 cup Amaretto liqueur

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups pure pumpkin puree

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

12 (1/4 inch thick) slices baguette

3 ounces blue cheese

2 Tablespoons honey

½ cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Pour in the Amaretto and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow to simmer until Amaretto is reduced by half.

Add the stock, pumpkin puree and nutmeg. Simmer, over low heat for 15 minutes.

While the soup simmers, place the baguette slices in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Place the bread in the oven and toast for 10-12 minutes, flipping them over halfway through. Spread the blue cheese evenly over the crostini and return to the oven for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is warm and melty. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey.

Turn off the heat, remove the thyme stems and stir the cream into the soup. Using an immersion blender or Vitamix, puree until smooth. Serve immediately with warm crostini.

Serves 6

Apple-gato

It's finally fall! 

Which, in Texas, means nothing since it's still hot and it will be for quite some time. Every Halloween my kids come home from Trick-or-Treating and we have to peel them out of their costumes, since they're covered in sweat and sugar. 

One of my favorite treats this time of year is the Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks. I don't get them often, but it truly is like drinking an apple pie! Hot apple cider, cinnamon, caramel and whipped cream all combine to make a comforting, delicious drink.

Since Starbucks isn't cheap, and there isn't one close to my house, I decided to start making them myself and skip the ridiculous drive through price tag. While enjoying my copycat drink at home I started thinking about what would happen if I combined my Caramel Apple Cider with an affogato?! Affogato means drowned in Italian, and it is made by pouring a shot of hot espresso over scoops of vanilla ice cream.

My concoction takes cinnamon infused hot apple cider in place of the espresso and pours it over caramel gelato and a drizzle of salted caramel sauce! Decadent I tell you!

These are dead simple to put together but also look pretty impressive. If you want to serve these at a party, or before heading out to trick-or-treat, just keep the apple cider mixture in a crock pot (it'll make your house smell amazing as well) and let guests ladle the hot mixture over their gelato right before serving.

If you really want to be naughty, a shot of butterscotch schnapps is delicious mixed in as well!

Apple-gato

1 cup apple cider

1 cinnamon stick

2 Tablespoons jarred salted caramel sauce

4 cups caramel gelato

Place the apple cider and cinnamon stick in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick.

While the cider is simmering, place the caramel sauce in a small shallow plate and holding the glasses upside down, dip the edges into the sauce.

Place about 3 scoops of gelato into each rimmed glass and pour about ¼ cup of the cinnamon infused cider in each glass. Serve immediately.