Dim Sum Dumpling Burgers with Crispy Wonton Crab Rangoon and Napa Cabbage Slaw

 It has been almost 4 months since I've had a contest to create a recipe for and I can not tell you how happy I am to be able to have the chance to be back in the kitchen working on entries again! This one I'm sharing today is for a contest that I have entered before and never won. I'm really hoping that what I've created this year catches the judges eyes and the $10,000 prize because I can promise you the flavor is insane in these! 

Dim Sum Dumpling Burgers with Crispy Wonton Crab Rangoon and Napa Cabbage Slaw

4 ounces room temperature whipped cream cheese

¼ cup finely sliced green onion

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 cup shredded imitation crab meat

1 ½ cups thinly shaved napa cabbage

¼ cup thinly sliced green onion

¼ cup cilantro leaves

1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, sliced thinly

1 Tablespoon olive oil

12 ounces cremini mushrooms

2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons finely minced ginger

2 Tablespoons panko

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon white pepper

½ pound lean ground pork

½ pound lean ground beef

½ cup sweet Thai chili sauce

4 sweet Hawaiian hamburger buns, toasted

1 cup fried wonton strips

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the cream cheese, green onion and white pepper. Gently stir in the crab meat until evenly mixed and place in the fridge to chill.

In a separate medium mixing bowl gently toss the napa cabbage, green onion, cilantro and jalapeno slices together.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Roughly chop mushrooms and add them to the hot oil. Cook for 10 minutes or until mushrooms have browned and softened. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger and sauté for 2-4 more minutes. Place the sautéed mushroom mixture in a large mixing bowl and set aside to allow them to cool. 

To the large mixing bowl with the chopped sautéed mushrooms, add the panko, salt, white pepper, ground pork and ground beef. Mix thoroughly to combine and shape the meat mixture into 4 patties. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, add patties to pan and cook 5 minutes or until a brown crust has formed on the underside of the patty. Flip burgers over and cook another 5 minutes. Brush the patties with the sweet Thai chili sauce. 

To serve spread the remaining sweet Thai chili sauce on both sides of the toasted buns. Top each bottom bun with the cabbage mixture, a mushroom burger patty, some wonton strips, a scoop of the crab Rangoon mixture, more wonton strips, and the top bun. Serve immediately. 

Jalapeno Popper Ham Chowder

My second entry into the Clifty Farm Blogger Recipe Challenge is the perfect thing to warm up with on a chilly day.  This Jalapeno Popper Ham Chowder has little bit of spice and a ton of flavor! Don't let the amount of jalapenos scare you- the cream cheese and milk in this super creamy chowder tames the heat and my kids had no problem eating two bowls each! 

If you can't find the package crispy fried jalapeno pieces at your store feel free to sub them with crispy french fried onions instead (you know, the type you sprinkle on top of classic green bean casserole)  for that delicious crispy topping- it will be equally delicious!

Jalapeno Popper Ham Chowder

4 Tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

4 large jalapenos, seeds removed and chopped

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 package (2 pounds) Clifty Farm Country Ham Seasoning Pieces (or 2 pounds cubed ham)

2 Tablespoons flour

1 ½ cup chicken stock

2 cups milk

8 ounces room temperature chive and onion cream cheese spread

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

¼ cup packaged crispy fried jalapeno pieces

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 7-10 minutes. Add the jalapeno and garlic and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. 

Add the Country Ham Seasoning Pieces and fry for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the ham and continue to cook for 3 minutes, or until the flour has been completely absorbed.

Whisk in the chicken stock, milk, cream cheese, pepper and garlic salt and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with crispy fried jalapeno pieces.

Serves 6

You can follow Clifty Farm to find out more about their products and free recipe ideas on their Website, on Facebook and Instagram. There's also a $1 off Coupon Link for you to download too! 

#CliftyFarm #countryham #southerncooking

Hasselback Ham and Cheese Garlic Bread

Can you really ever have enough super simple appetizer ideas in your back pocket? I really don't think so. Whether it's for Christmas, New Years or Super Bowl I think my Hasselback Ham and Cheese Garlic Bread is just the thing! It's delicious, impressive and super easy -sure to impress at your next get together!  Who doesn't love garlic bread? Combine that with classic ham and cheddar cheese and you get this gooey pull apart bread that can feed a crowd. This is my first entry for the Clifty Farm Blogger Recipe Challenge and I guarantee you if you make this, it will disappear fast!

Hasselback Ham and Cheese Garlic Bread

1 baguette

1 (6 ounce) package Clifty Farm Country Ham Biscuit Slices

6 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon minced chives

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Slice the bread into 1/2-inch slices crosswise, without slicing all the way through. (Leave about 1/4 inch intact at the bottom.)

Prepare a sheet pan with one large long piece of aluminum foil long enough to wrap the entire loaf in.

Place the bread on top of the aluminum foil on the baking sheet. Alternate placing pieces of ham and cheese slices in the cuts of the bread.

In a small sauté pan melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, reduce the heat to low and add the minced garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes. Whisk in the garlic powder and chives. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread loaf.

Fold the foil closed and place the bread in the oven for 12-14 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10

You can follow Clifty Farm to find out more about their products and free recipe ideas on their Website, on Facebook and Instagram. There's also a $1 off Coupon Link for you to download too! 

#CliftyFarm #countryham #southerncooking

Pulled Pork Muffulettas

Smithfield Pork is hosting their Shake It Up Contest and they asked for people to send in their best ideas and pictures of ways to Shake Up dinner in your kitchen using their pork products. 

Having grown up in New Orleans, my love for muffulettas runs deep and I knew immediately what I would make for this challenge - Pulled Pork Muffulettas

This contest wanted a picture and a brief description of your recipe idea. Here's what I submitted:

"I shake up a New Orleans classic by filling my Muffulettas with Smithfield Pork Butt instead of deli meats! Dusted with Cajun seasoning, slow cooked and shredded, the pork is the star of the show! Pile on toasted buns, top with provolone cheese and olive relish and dinner is ready in no time!"

I'm thrilled to say that I was chosen as one of the Top 20 Finalists and the prize is a $100 gift card. The grand prize winner gets $5,000 (WHAT?!?!) and was supposed to be announced on the 20th. I will not tell you the embarrassing amount of times I've checked to see if it's been announced yet but I will say that I have my fingers crossed that they pick my dish as the winner. Wish me luck!!

Update!! Unfortunately, I did not win the grand prize but my fabulously talented friend Lidia H. did and I'm so very happy for her! Congrats Lidia on a job well done!

Harissa Honey Grilled Ham Skewers

Look at those layers y'all!

These Harissa Honey Grilled Ham Skewers are a little spicy, a little sweet and take less than 10 minutes to cook! The prep is equally as simple, and easy enough for kids help with. Thanks to Frick’s Quality Meats Sliced Applewood Quarter Ham being pre-sliced and fully cooked, most of the work was already done for me.

 A few weeks back, when I was in St Louis, I tried harissa for the first time at a fabulous cafe for breakfast and I immediately fell in love with it. I knew the smoky and spicy flavors of the exotic hot sauce would pair perfectly in something sweet like a glaze, and after a short time on the grill the flavors get even better. If you can't find harissa in your local grocery store, order it on Amazon. Mine was less than five dollars and so very worth it!

Harissa Honey Grilled Ham Skewers

1/3 cup apricot preserves

3 Tablespoons honey

3 Tablespoons harissa

1 pounds 6ounces Frick’s Quality Meats Sliced Applewood Quarter Ham

1 green bell pepper

1 yellow or orange bell pepper

1 red onion

Heat a grill or large grill pan to high heat.

Whisk together the apricot preserves, honey and harissa in a small bowl and set aside.

Cut the Frick’sQuality Meats Sliced Applewood Quarter Ham, bell peppers and red onion into 1 ½ inch squares. Thread the cubes evenly onto 6 large skewers.

Once the grill is hot, grill the skewers for 3 minutes. Flip the skewers and brush with half of the glaze. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Flip the skewers again and brush with the remaining glaze. Remove from the grill and serve immediately.

 

The skewers are all prepped and ready to go. You can totally make the skewers and the glaze well in advance if needed and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you're feeding a crowd.
Let's talk skewers and assembly: if you're using metal skewers you're good to go. If you have bamboo skewers, you will want to soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before putting your ham and veggies on them. This will prevent them burning or causing any flare ups.

You (or your kids) can put the veggies and ham on in any pattern you'd like but I really loved keeping at least 3 cubes of Frick’s Quality Meats Sliced Applewood Quarter Ham right next to each other on the skewers. That way the glaze that got in the middle of the slices and stayed juicy, while the outer edges got nicely charred and thickened. Totally a personal preference, but that was my favorite part of these!

Update: I'm happy to say that this recipe won first place and $500 in the "On The Grill" category of this recipe contest!

You can find all of Frick's Quality Meats here, on Facebook and on Instagram. Be sure to follow them for tips and recipe ideas!

#fricks #smokedmeats #itsfrickingood

Cranberry Char Siu Pork Tenderloin

I'm so excited to be using Cape Cod Select premium frozen cranberries for their Holiday Blogger Recipe Challenge! They were nice enough to send me two bags of the most gorgeous cranberries I've ever seen to work with. Farm fresh, recipe ready, no additives, preservatives or GMOs, what more could you ask for?

Char Siu Pork, or Chinese BBQ Pork, is a delicious dish that combines juicy savory pork covered in a sticky sweet glaze. It’s absolutely delicious. The only problem is, when trying to re-create this dish at home, I realized that the signature red color of the meat was due to an alarming amount of red food dye.

Not so appetizing, right?

Well, when I was brainstorming what to create with these gorgeous cranberries it hit me! Why not turn these gorgeous red berries into a naturally bright red, tangy and delicious Char Siu Pork! No red dye needed. I hope you love my version as much as my family did!

Cranberry Char Siu Pork Tenderloin

Brine:
1/4 cup kosher salt
3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup ice cubes
2 pork tenderloins, (about 14-16 oz. each) trimmed of all silver skin

Pork:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Sauce:
1 ½ cups Cape Cod Select Premium frozen cranberries
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
2 teaspoons chili garlic paste
3 tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

In a large zip top bag, dissolve the salt in the warm water. Add the remaining brine ingredients and the tenderloins. Brine for 15-20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the pork with half of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 425°F.

While the pork is brining, make the sauce. Stir together the cranberries, hoisin, Chinese five spice, garlic, ginger, chili paste, honey, soy sauce and sesame oil in a medium sauce pot over low heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens.

Heat the remaining oil in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When oil is very hot and rippling, add the tenderloins. Sear each side until browned, about 2 minutes per side.

Brush with cranberry sauce, and place the pan in the oven. After 15 minutes of cooking, brush with the glaze again. Roast for another 10-15 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temp of 145-150 degrees. Remove the pan from the oven. Tent lightly with a piece of foil and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with remaining cranberry sauce.


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To find Cape Cod Select Premium Frozen Cranberries near you click HERE