How To Build The Best Charcuterie Board

My family loves to make boards!

We take turns designing and creating the perfect

mix of nuts, fruits, cheese, meat and spreads.

It is how we start our family dinners just 

sitting around by the fire outside, visiting and 

sharing smiles and wine. My favorite store to find

goodies for our board building is Trader Joe's.

I will set you up for success!

Pick up these perky finds below for your next board!

Ok my friends!
There ya go!
Have fun boarding!

More Board Ideas HERE

 

Mama's Sauce

My sauce is a happy sauce!

It is a recipe that combines the tricks and tips

of many chefs! It is a recipe that has most definitely 

evolved as I have aged. Most importantly I have learned

that the longer I leave it alone, and let it do it's own thing,

the better it comes out! So as you take a look at the ingredients

and instructions, remember to "make it your own" by adding/subtracting,

tossing and turning it all up so it becomes YOUR sauce.

Just enjoy the process and have fun feeding your people.

Ingredients

2  14.5 oz cans of good diced tomatoes (San Marzano is my choice)

3  14.5 oz cans of crushed tomatoes                        "

1  14.5 oz can of tomato sauce                                 "

1  empty tomato can filled with red wine          

5  cloves of garlic peeled and crushed

1/2 of a bell pepper cleaned of seeds - do not chop

1 cup of fresh basil and more for garnish

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon of white sugar

sea salt and pepper to taste

freshly grated Parmesan  

Start with a great pot. A pot that is heavy like a dutch oven.

Your going to cook this all day so you don't want to have to 

babysit your sauce in a pot that will easily burn food.

Add all of your ingredients except basil into you pot and bring to a low boil.

Stir it well, cover and reduce heat to a low simmer.

Simmer all day if you can or at least 5 hours. In the last hour add the basil.

Ladle over your favorite pasta with fresh basil and parmesan and you are GOLD!

If you want to add Italian sausage links to this sauce then you will want to 

first sear the sausage links first in the same pot with a little amount of olive oil.

Do not cook the sausage all the way through just brown outside and then 

add all of the remaining ingredients to the pot and simmer all day. 

Meatball lesson will be on another day! 

Last tip!

Do not underestimate the amount of entertainment 

a small human in a high chair can bring when presented

with a plate of pasta and a LOT of red sauce!

Isabella Louise enjoying spaghetti!

Beautiful Bountiful Beets

I have to admit I have a love/hate relationship with beets.

I want to really love them but I kinda just like them.

I hate them when I peel them after a nice bake in the oven 

and the dark purple shades of color end up on 

my fingers and everywhere else in the kitchen.

But once all the work is done, and I do mean work, 

then I really love them!

If you are smart you will pick out the golden colored beets or 

the slightly pink beautiful beets and plop those babies in your 

buggy instead of the dark purple ones.

I really do not taste the difference and my 

hands and towels are cleaner for it.

Wash them under cold water, pat dry and wrap each individually

in foil and place them on a metal pan and send them

to the oven for about an hour at 375 degrees.

Check for doneness with a fork and let them cool before

handling. Once they are cool then carefully 

peel off the skin and discard.

The fun part is slicing them and discovering 

the beautiful spirals of color inside.

What you do with them next is really your preference.

You can throw them into a salad, add them to a charcuterie board,

eat them right then or toss them in a beet salad pictured below.

However you decide to serve them up you will

surely not be disappointed.

Beet Salad

3 Beets baked, peeled and diced

2 chopped green onions

1/2 cup of mayo

1 Tbs of white wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Toss and cool covered in the refrigerator for one hour before serving.

Chicken Flautas

Who doesn't like a big plate of chicken flautas to munch on

during a football game and or a Saturday night movie date!

These flautas are so easy and really do satisfy the munchies!

Chicken Flautas

Instructions

3 fresh jalapeños

1 bunch of cilantro chopped

1 2c bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1 2c bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken

12 flour or corn tortillas

1 small onion chopped and sauted in 1/2 stick of butter, adding cumin to taste.

Canola Oil in Spray Can

Heat your oven to 375. Spray a large metal baking pan.

Take one tortilla at a time, spray both sides and then add chicken, onions, cilantro and cheese.

Slowly roll the tortilla up and place seam side down on the baking pan. Continue until all 12 tortillas are rolled. Give the flautas an extra spray of oil to generously coat the tortilla so the crisp up nicely.

Place in the oven and keep an eye on them until the start to slightly brown and crisp up. Check after 15 minutes and then continue cooking in 5 minute increments until the cheese is melted and the flautas are crisp.  Plate them up and sprinkle more cilantro on the top. Serve with your favorite salsa, sour cream and guacamole for dipping!

You will also want to make this Salsa

And this Queso

Wedding Cake

Cherry Cake or Almond Wedding Cake

1 cup sifted flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/3 cups of tap water

1 cup sour cream (whole milk)

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

1 1/4 tsp Almond extract (organic)

1 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract (organic)

4 medium egg whites

Dash of Cinnamon

1 box of white cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)

(1 cup of fresh cherries, pitted and cut in quarters - for Cherry Cake)
No cherries for Almond Wedding Cake
If making a larger cake with multiple layers I double or triple recipe.

Directions

Grease and flour pans to be used.

Preheat oven to 325.

Gently stir the cake mix, flour, salt and sugar in a medium size bowl.

Add to the bowl water, oil, sour cream, extracts, cinnamon, cherries and egg whites. Beat on low for about 3 minutes.

Pour into greased pans and bake until tops are brown about 25 minutes.

Test with a toothpick to see if it is done before bringing out of the oven.

Cool on wire racks.

Ice with your favorite icing recipe and decorate as you wish!

My daughter loves to make a simple butter cream frosting and really loads it up. This is amazing and we love to store it in the refrigerator and bring out about 15 minutes before serving! 

Icing
Pure unsalted butter softened/ room temp  2 sticks
4 Cups of confectioners sugar
1 Tablespoon of half and half
1/2 tsp almond extract

Combine sugar, butter and extract in a bowl and mix using a paddle attachment on low speed to combine ingredients. Bring to High and beat about 2 minutes until it is fluffy. Add the half and half if needed. 
Store this in the refrigerator until ready to use and then bring back to room temp to frost cooled cake or piping for making flowers. 
Double if needed!

Christmas Morning Recipe!

This is an all-time favorite at
Mama Holli's house.

ALL THE TIME
ALL DAY

It is a tradition to serve these
Christmas morning

while we open our gifts but this recipe is not reserved
only for special occasions!

These puppies also make a wonderful

manly appetizer!

The menfolk just love to munch
on these while standing in front
of the TV watching some
kind of sporting event.
I pull them out of the freezer and zap
in the microwave for a quick kiddo breakfast.

The best thing about this recipe is that

it can be made ahead and frozen
until ready to use!

HOLD ON COWGIRLS....

Here we go!

 Easy Ingredients

1 pound of mild pork sausage

(This Texas Mama uses only Jimmy Dean)

2 cans of crescent rolls

(Pillsbury - YUM)

1 block of cream cheese, softened

(Philadelphia - Going for it - No fat free)

Sausage Crescent Rolls

Brown and drain sausage. Add cream cheese to sausage.  Spray baking sheet.  Open rolls but do not separate triangles.  You will make 2 loaves from these rolls.  Place 4 triangles together on a baking sheet.  Press out the perforated holes to seal as one piece. (Now you can buy them in sheets but either will work) Spread half of the sausage mixture on top.  Cover with the remaining 4 triangles pressed together.  With your finger press all around the edges to seal the top and bottom pieces of dough.  Repeat the procedure to make the second loaf. 

Mama Denise in Texas brushes egg whites over the tops of the loaves and  sprinkles poppy seed over the egg whites. I don't do that step but if you feel like being a little fancy then go for it!  Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Slice loaves and serve hot.  You may let them cool on a wire rack and place them single layer in a Ziploc bag and freeze.  No need to thaw just reheat on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees. 

I like to spice this up a bit and I add 

1 Tbs. green chilies 

and 1/3 cup of pepper jack cheese 

to the sausage and cream cheese! 

WAIT!

If you have discovered this recipe while looking for 

Superbowl super food then you will want this 

QUESO recipe too! 

It is ridiculously fattening and worth the calories!

Either way it is delicious!
WAIT!
If you like this recipe then
you need this next recipe as well!

Go HERE 
for the 
Drunken Cheese Tray
and 
Go HERE 
for the 
Triple C Rolls

Mama Holli's Avocado Chicken Salad Is Amazing!

Well the Mamas have asked

and

they shall receive!

This recipe is most definitely 

a frequent flyer at our house!

We will pack it up when 

hiking in the mountains

for an easy lunch. We will serve 

it at parties, slap it in a tortilla or 

gobble it up with some greasy, 

salty homemade tortilla chips!

This Christmas, IF I have 

any turkey leftover, 

I will substitute turkey

 for the chicken and I am sure 

I will not have any complaints!

And IF I do.......

Well they can just wash the dishes!

Little Spoiled Brats!

😜😜😜😜

Mama Holli's Avocado Chicken Salad

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of cooked chicken or turkey

2 medium Poblano pepper -broiled, (place on baking sheet and broil, turning until all sides are blistered and slightly brown) sweated, (place peppers in a sealed plastic bag directly from oven to sweat for 10 minutes) and then chopped up discarding seeds, skin and stem.

(Poblano peppers are not hot especially if you make sure all the seeds are rinsed out)

1 medium jalapeño pepper - finely chopped (if you want you can remove the seeds to take some heat out or just leave this pepper out entirely) I like it HOT!

1  Cup of Cilantro loosely diced - no stems!

1 small purple onion - chopped

The juice of 2 large limes

2 Cups of Cilantro (no need to chop as this is for the dressing)

3/4 Cup of olive oil

1 small clove of garlic 

1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

1 dash of white sugar

sea salt to taste

3 avocados - medium diced (save avocado pit)

Chicken - Here is the easy part! You can use any cooked chicken and or turkey you like.

I love to take leftover chicken from the grill and mix this together for lunch the following day!

You can even buy a rotisserie chicken at the store if you don't have time. It is entirely up to you!

Either way you will want to start with COOKED chicken or turkey, dice it up and throw it in a bowl.

To the chicken in a good size mixing bowl, add your diced purple onion, diced cooked poblano peppers, diced jalapeño if you choose, and 1 Cup of diced cilantro. Set aside for a minute.

In a blender or a food processor ad 2 cups of cilantro, the juice from the limes, and garlic clove. Pulse to get it good and chopped up. It won't be smooth yet but we will fix that. Add the olive oil and vinegar and continue to blend until it is all mixed together. Taste it and add your sea salt. If you taste a slight bitterness you can add the sugar and that usually does the trick. Pour this yummy dressing over the chicken and toss it around to get it all good and coated.

Last you will gently fold in the avocado. Throw a pit or two in the middle to help it stay fresh, cover and refrigerate to get it good and cold until you are ready to chow! 

Serve on a bed of lettuce, in a tortilla, as a dip with chips or super scoop fritoes (oh that is so good) or on your favorite bread. Any way you serve it up it is a huge hit!

Enjoy!

Mama Holli

Here's another 

Chicken Salad Recipe!

Go HERE

Go HERE for a list of all the yummy recipes!

World's Best Sugar Cookies

Every once in awhile a mama will come 

across a cookie recipe 

that knocks her slippers off! 

This Sugar Cookie recipe will do just that!

I do not lie my friends!

I received this recipe from Carol Siedhoff!

I was honored to attend a Christmas gathering at her house

many moons ago. I went nuts over her cookies!

So as I helped dry a few of her dishes after the party had 

ended I made my best attempt to get her to 

share this family heirloom recipe!

And she was so sweet and said she would mail it to me!

Below is the original card she sent to me!

There is never a time that I share these cookies that

someone doesn't beg me for the recipe!

YES

They are that good!

These puppies freeze very well and that makes 

them extra dangerous because I can keep a stash 

hidden in the garage freezer which 

allows easy access when I need a fix!

You can decorate them if you like but honestly

they are so good all by themselves!

Santa LOVES these cookies!

Each year I add an extra one to the plate 

and they just disappear like magic!

Thank you Miss Carol for sharing your recipe!

Thank you Karen aka "Graphics Fairy" 

for sharing these amazing Santa Graphics!