Sass!

This dip is absolutely the holy grail of southern dips.  It is truly a master piece of the southern Gods and you will want to flop a lip over this one. If you want to be the popular kid at the party, go on and take this appetizer.    

Collard Green and Artichoke Dip
Go and get-
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallot, chopped
2 (10-ounce) boxes collard greens, thawed and drained
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and white pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced
Dash or so hot sauce
Dash or so Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
Additional parmesan cheese to top dip, optional but recommended

This is how you do it-
Get your oven preheated to 375 degrees. Melt that butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, don’t you dare burn the butter. Next, let’s add the garlic and shallots and sauté until tender and the aroma from that goodness slaps you all up in your nostrils. That will take about 3 minutes or so. Stir the collards and sauté for a few minutes or so.  Next add your cream cheese, Pecorino Romano (we can’t pronounce this but it’s some good stuff) and parmesan cheese and cook until the cheese has melted. Add salt, white pepper, lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire and stir that goodness up real good. We know that’s a lot of fattening ingredients in one dip but it makes it so darn good. Grease you up a casserole dish and pour that yummy mixture in. Top with additional parmesan cheese, if you dare. Bake that casserole dish filled with goodness for about 20 minutes or so. You want it to be bubbly and golden brown on top.  Go on and get you a chip and lap up that goodness. Now that’s what we are talking about, it just don’t get much better than that!

The cold weather is finally here in South Georgia and we are so excited. With the cold weather here we can start making chili, soup, stew and gumbo. In the south it’s just too darn hot to enjoy these one pot wonders during the spring and summer months. We love to throw all the ingredients in the crock pot before work and come home to a  hot and tasty meal. We like to serve our chili with corn muffins or our beach bread (got to have something to satisify our dipping pleasures).

This is what you need-
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 bell pepper (diced)
1 sweet onion (diced)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 16 oz can pinto beans, drained
1 16 oz can black beans, drained
1 16 oz ark red kidney beans, drained
1 16 oz can sweet whole kernel corn, drained
2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
Dash or 2 Hot Sauce
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream
Chopped green onions (for garnish)

What to do-
First go ahead a turn you crock pot on to medium heat so it can get good and  hot. In a skillet, cook beef and pork over medium heat add in onions, bell pepper and garlic cook until meat is no longer pink and veggies are tender; drain. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the next ten ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Garnish individual servings with cheese, green onions and sour cream if desired.

This is The Sister’s take on pigs in a blanket. We like to serve these on game day or any day for that matter. Our guests love when we serve these puffs of goodness.

La Chicks in La Blanket

What’s in it-
1 ½ pounds chicken sausage, with provolone and Italian herbs
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Flour for work surface

Make it-
Crank your oven to 450 degrees and let it get good and hot. Slice sausage in 1 inch pieces, about the size of a Hershey kiss. Clean you some space off of your counter and flour the surface. Don’t get in a rush, work with one sheet of puff pastry at a time. Take your rolling pin out and roll the puff pastry into a 14×11
inch rectangle, about the size of an album cover. If you don’t know what an album cover looks like, Google it or use a ruler. Using a pizza roller, or if your fancy a pastry knife, cut lengthwise into seven 1½ -inch wide strips. Cut each strip into 6 rectangles, these will be your blankets for your little chicks. Make you an egg wash by beating the egg and 1 tablespoon water; put it over to the side, you will need it shortly. Place a piece of sausage on the pastry and cover it with the blanket. Make sure the chick is covered up good. Brush the la chicks in la blanket with the egg wash. Place chicks on a greased baking sheet. Refrigerate those babies for about 15 minutes. Pop in the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15-20 minutes. Mix equal amounts of mustard and mayonnaise for your dipping pleasure.

This salmon dish is very easy to make and it is delicious. You can use bottled Caesar dressing if you do not have time to make the dressing. I’m not a huge fan of bottled dressing but Girard’s does make a pretty good one.

Caesar Salmon
What you will need-
2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2/3- 1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 lbs fresh salmon
Salt and pepper
Romaine lettuce
Parmesan cheese slivers
Cherry tomatoes
Croutons

How to-
Add the first 5 ingredients to your blender, stream in the amount of oil that you like the consitency of your dressing to be and then add your parmesan cheese.  Season the salmon with a little salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt because the Worcestershire sauce and anchovy paste is very salty. Coat salmon with about 1/4 cup of the dressing or to your likings. Pop in the fridge for a couple of hours and let the dressing do its magic.
Remove from fridge and preheat oven to 375 degree. Bake for about 8 minutes and then turn the oven to broil.   I keep the door cracked and watch closely. Broil for about 5-8 minutes or until fish is done.  When the fish begins to flake and there is a little whiteness coming out from the side, you know it is ready. Don’t overcook salmon. There is nothing worse than overcooked salmon. Yucko!  Keep in mind that the fish will continue to cook after you take out of the oven. Remove from oven and let rest for about 8-10 minutes.  Toss lettuce with caesar dressing and add your toppings. Serve fish on top of salad.

These shrimp are out of this world and they are so easy to make. We like to serve the leftover shrimp on salad greens or angel hair pasta. Yummo in my tummo! 

Get-
1 pound peeled and deveined, large cooked shrimp
1 (14-oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 (6-oz.) can sliced black olives, drained
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 (4-oz.) Package of tomato and basil feta cheese
4 spring onion, chopped
1/2 cup zesty Italian or Greek dressing or to taste
Fresh basil leaves

How to-
In a large mixing bowl add shrimp and the next five ingredients. Add dressing to shrimp and stir to coat all of the ingredients.  Refrigerate the shrimp for at least 8 hours. Pour into glass or trifle bowl and garnish with basil leaves.

Just because you are dieting doesn’t mean that you can’t have a dessert. This recipe is one of our favorites and can be made with low fat ingredients or full fat ingredients. Both recipes are very delicious. It is great with any berries or any combination of berries. We also like to add bananas to this recipe. It is so easy and people love it. Your family will never know that this is a low fat dessert.

What you will need-
1 large angel food cake, cubed (bite size)
1 (16 ounce) container frozen sliced strawberries in sugar, thawed (can slice your own strawberries and sweeten with splenda)
1 (8 ounce) block reduced fat or fat free cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) container reduced fat or fat free whipped topping
Fresh strawberries, sliced (for garnish)
Mint leaves (for garnish)

What to do-
In a mixer combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. In a trifle bowl layer 1/3 of the cake, strawberries, cream cheese mixture and whipped topping. Continue until all ingredients are used, ending with whipped topping. Garnish with fresh strawberries and mint leaves.