SAILOR WIFE

I don't know how rugelach came into my life but at some point it did and never left. I love making rugelach for holiday parties because they are universally loved and basically made to travel. They need time to cool and set up (they aren't served warm, so hello travel!). This year, I tested two kinds of rugelach recipes: one was a cold butter & cold cream cheese dough and the second was a melted butter and sour cream dough. I liked them both. The cold butter dough was definit

This started as a pizza sauce but ended up on a baguette as an appetizer. After the snacking ended, I spread it on homemade dough, topped it with mozzarella, chicken, red onions and sun dried tomatoes. This cream sauce is also my favorite on a plate of gnocchi. Pesto Cream Sauce Ingredients: 1/2 cup pine nuts 6 cloves garlic, minced 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan kosher salt, to taste 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups good oliv

When it comes to hosting parties, the most important thing is finding the right balance between dishes that need to be served immediately & low maintenance dishes that can be made ahead of time and are just ready to go when you need them. This crockpot dip is the latter. Throw everything together and let it all just hang out together until it's ready to be eaten. The only part of this dish that takes any thought is remembering TO DRAIN THE SPINACH. I'll say this approximately

Pimento Cheese traces its origins back to 1870 in New York. Sometime in the early 20th century pimento cheese found its way down to Georgia where pepper farmers added mayonnaise and slathered the mixture between two pieces of bread (if you love cheese history as much as I do, you can read all about it here!). Fast forward to 2018, and HELLO still a favorite appetizer. I serve this with a spread of fresh veggies & crackers. Pimento Cheese Dip 4oz cream cheese, room temperature

I don't remember when or how these little morsels came into my life, but at some point they did, and they never left. They are easy. They are crowd pleasers. They can be made days in advance. All the signs of the best kind of party appetizers. Ranch Crack 1/3 cup olive oil 1 (1oz) package of ranch seasoning mix 1 tablespoon dried dill 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 (16oz) Cheez-It bags Preheat oven to 300 degrees Whisk together olive oil, ranch seasoning mix, dill, and garlic p

You might be thinking- sausage schmear??? I don't blame you but I have no way to describe this other than a sausage schmear. It doesn't sound pretty, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, you won't care what it sounds like after you eat it. I was intending on making a filling for a zucchini lasagna, but it never made it to the zucchini. I went to taste it for seasonings and it was so good it ended up slathered on a baguette, baked, and topped with a variety of toppings. Roasted Garlic Crostin

Are you recovered from the beer and/or cheese induced comas of Super Bowl??? Super Bowl is one of my favorite food holidays because it's alllllllllllllll about the appetizers. Oh, and I guess football or whatever too. I actually like watching football, but I'm not a big enough fan of any team to climb light poles or eat horse poop if my team wins... talk about commitment. So I'll just stick to the appetizers... Nothing flew off the table quicker than these pizza roll dippers.

I love hummus and when I set out to make it at home, I figured it was going to be easy (there's only like 5 ingredients after all!). The first few batches I made used canned beans with a few cloves of roasted garlic. It was okay, but it wasn't has smooth or as flavorful as hummus I had elsewhere. After a bit of research, I found the secret ingredients to really smooth hummus: dried beans & baking soda. Yep, baking soda. And to make it extra flavorful? Blending whole cloves of

Brussels sprouts are polarizing little nuggets. Some people love 'em, some people HATE them. I'd guess it has a lot to do with how they are prepared. Lucky for you, I've got a way that everyone loves them- stuffed with cheese. Who can turn down ricotta & Parmesan stuffed anything??? They make the perfect bit sized appetizer and it gives you a warm veggie dish to compliment the rest of your holiday treats. Not only is this recipe easy, but you can make the mixture ahead of tim

'Tis the season of family get-togethers, friendsgivings, and work potlucks, but back away from the pre-cut fruit salad! If you need a festive dish to bring to your parties this season, whip up this easy fall fruit salad... Ingredients 1/2 cup of pecans, toasted 4 pears, sliced into thin slices 3 honeycrisp apples, sliced into thin slices 2 red delicious apples, sliced into thin slices 1 cup of pomegranate seeds 1 cup of grapes, halved 1/2 cup craisins 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/2