Call me Betty

I had Christmas Eve off work and I chose to spend it cooking!  All day.  We had a few different Christmas dinners to attend and I had offered to bring things. 

First up?  Chex Mix.  I recently came across the best chex recipe ever!  Don't you worry, I will share.  Since Tony is a chexaholic, I decided to try and make it myself instead of buying the huge bags at the store.  It was just as easy as the reviews said, which made me happy.  Sometimes I think people's 'easy' isn't the same definition as mine.



Grediants..

 Here's whatcha need for Spicy Nut Chex Mix:
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 cups Corn Chex® cereal
2 cups Rice Chex® cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex® cereal (I overfill this one b/c they are my fav)
1 can (11.5 oz) mixed nuts  (or I've subsituted 2 cups of pretzels and it was just as good...and cheaper)


DIRECTIONS
In small bowl, mix sugar, chili powder and red pepper; set aside.

In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in cereals and nuts until evenly coated. Stir in sugar mixture until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes, until mixture just begins to turn brown. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

And there you have it!  Yum.

Scrumpsh

 Next up?  Sausage Cheese Balls (that's what she said).  I hadn't planned on making these, but I got an email from Pillsbury informing me that they were the #1 favorite appetizer.  So of coarse, I had to make them if they are 'the best'. 

Mix up everything and roll into balls...

saus & cheese balls

 Eh, they were alright.  See how nice and round the before shot was?? When I baked them, they all flattened out like mini biscuits.  They were ugly, but tasted okay.  Nobody likes ugly food... we had leftovers.  No after shot, as they took way longer to cook than expected and we were running out of the door as I was scraping them onto the serving platter.  Not worth posting the recipe, but if you want it you can go here. 


Now for the green bean casserole.  I am always in charge of the greenie casserole for Tony's side Christmas dinner.  I have made it the same for 3 years, so this year I decided to switch it up.  Bad idea.  I'm still mad at myself.  I tried a variation with cheese and stuffing for the top instead of the french fried onions.  Blah.  Not even linking the recipe.

Dumb Decision Dish

However, it looked nicer than the sausage balls

 Pineapple Pecan Cheeseball.  Always a hit!  This makes enough for 2 cheeseballs.  Great, I thought!  One for Christmas lunch and one for Christmas dinner with Tony's fam.  I forgot the one for our lunch.  I ate most of it for a snack Sunday night...

Mix together and refrigerate overnight



Great dippers!

Saved the best to share for last.  You are going to want this recipe.  I got it from Sarah (thanks Sarah!) and everytime I make it people want the recipe.  It requires a few steps, but the end product is SO worth it!

BEST Bruschetta Ever!


Cut french bread into thin slices and broil briefly until browned.

Prepare Wind Willow Tuscan Olive cheeseball mix by mixing with 1 block cream cheese.  (I find this mix at Ranchmart ACE hardware - random I know.  Some other specialty stores might carry it too)

Cut cherry tomatoes (about 2 boxes) into small pieces and marinate in zesty Italian dressing for 15 - 45 minutes. You can also chop some fresh basil and mix with the tomatoes. I usually add dry basil to the marinade, but I bet fresh basil would be awesome!

Spread cheeseball mix on the slices and top with tomatoes.

It makes about 50 smaller pieces of bruschetta.  If you get wider bread you can make bigger pieces if you don't need as many.  Enjoy!
I didn't take an after picture...I was finishing assembling these beauties at the same time I was getting pissed at the sausage balls.  You'll just have to trust me that they looked pretty.


Sooo overall I fared 3 out of 5, but I got to wear my pretty apron that Valerie got me last year.  Next year I'll be better.  Maybe try a pie or something... woah, let's not get too crazy...