Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

First off, I have to say, the above picture is my Uncle David's...as is this recipe. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the finished peppers we made, as they were pretty much inhaled as soon as we took them off the grill. Oh well. Can't blame us.

Here's what you need to make these bad boys:

• Jalapenos


• Breakfast sausage


• Velveeta cheese


• Cream cheese


• Bacon

When buying the jalapenos for this recipe, make sure you pick out the really big ones..."stuffin size" as we call 'em. Get as many as you want.

Chop off the ends and core the insides out. After you core them, rinse them under water to make sure all the seeds are outta there.

Cook the breakfast sausage. I used about 1/3 of the roll of sausage for a dozen peppers. We usually cook a few dozen peppers, and in that case use about 1/2 of the package of sausage. Mix up 1 pack cream cheese, the cooked breakfast sausage, and grated velveeta cheese (a handful or two). I used cheddar here, as I didn't have any veveeta on hand...

Once you got it mixed up, stuff each pepper. You're going to have to use your fingers here...

Wrap 1/2 a piece of bacon over each one. By the way, check out this cool jalapeno rack! It's a "custom design" by Uncle David. :) You just stick each jalapeno on a shish kabob, sit it on the rack...
and then sit the rack on the grill. I also didn't get a picture of the jalapenos cooking, so this one is from my sister. Steph, where's your bacon?!

Leave on the grill until they're how you like 'em. The longer they cook, the less hot the jalapenos become. We made some for superbowl and Danny was smoking a big Boston Butt (yum!), so we let them hang out on the smoker for quite a while. Obviously, they took a lot longer on the smoker since it's indirect heat, but boy were they good!

Bacon Ranch Cheeseball

This is a slight variation of my sister's recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages Cream Cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons (or 1 package) Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1 package real bacon bits
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup (or so...I've never measured) chopped pecans

It's pretty simple. Add everything in a mixer and combine. Wet your hands slightly to keep it from sticking to you and shape into a ball.

Place your chopped pecans on a sheet of wax paper and roll the cheeseball in the pecans to coat. You can actually shape it to whatever figure you want. I did a football here with string cheese on top.

Firecrackers

This is my sister's wonderfully addicting recipe. Thanks Steph!! All you need is:

• 2 boxes Mini Saltine Crackers
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp craked red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
  

It's pretty simple. Pour the crackers in a big bowl (one that you have a lid for), or you can use a big ziplock bag...Add the oil, red pepper flakes, and ranch seasoning...cover with lid and shake to distribute evenly over the crackers. Taste and add more red pepper if you want some extra kick. You can cut the recipe in half if made for a smaller crowd. We made this delicious snack for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and 2 boxes didn't last long! Enjoy!

Sausage Pinwheels

These little things are delicious! Perfect for a party or to whip up when company is coming over.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 lb breakfast sausage
• 1 package croissant dough
• grated cheddar cheese
• chopped green onions

First, roll out the croissant dough and piece together each triangle to form a solid rectangle. Roll this out a bit to thin the dough...I'd guess it's around 11x13 or so in size...

Now with your sausage (it's 1/2 of the package of the standard breakfast sausage), spread it out over the croissant dough.

Sprinkle on a handful of grated cheese and top with chopped green onions.

Roll your creation up like you're making cinnamon rolls (roll the longest side), and slice into about 1 inch thick pieces.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake following the directions on the croissant package.

Serve and enjoy!

Bruschetta

I am absolutely in love with Bruschetta! I *love* ordering it in restaurants, and after a while I decided to give it a shot at home. It turned out dee-licious, and I now make this all the time!

So here goes - it's not really a recipe...just throw a couple ingredients together and you're done!

I use the little baby grape tomoatoes - they're so stinkin' cute and all you have to do is cut em in half...
Throw in some fresh chopped basil...

Stir it up with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and a little bit of garlic...

Now, spoon it on your toasted pieces of bread, eat and enjoy!

Texas Caviar

This is a great, easy recipe that you can throw together in no time! I first had it from my friend Kacie, and I just made a couple adjustments and came up with the following recipe.All you do is mix all the ingredients below into a bowl and you're done. It's that easy!

2 (15.8 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 can sweet corn, drained
2-3 fresh jalapenos, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

After everything is together, I add a bit more seasoning to taste. Whatever you like; I throw in some more salt and cilantro. Enjoy!