Our second recipe submission comes from Debra Keil of Eliot’s Eats. These little chicken meatballs are so cute and are perfect for a party appetizer (I’m thinking potentially for this weekend’s tailgate party!). Check out the recipe below, and make sure to visit Debra’s blog for a chance to win some Saucy Mama products!

Stuffed Hot Wing Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
1 c. Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
1/4  c. loose flat Italian parsley leaves
1/4  c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4  t.  pepper
1/4  c. crumbled blue cheese
1/8 c. Saucy Mama Hot Wing Sauce
For garnish:
2 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into 1 inch ieces
1/8 c. Saucy Mama Hot wing Sauce
1 T. crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

Cut chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in food processor with blade until you have a very coarse ground.  Place chicken in a large mixing bowl.  Add apple, parsley, bread crumbs, garlic, egg, salt and pepper.  Mix with hands until incorporated.

Using a 1 inch ice cream or cookie scoop, form each meatball around a crumble of blue cheese, sealing the cheese inside.  Each meatball should be about 1 inch.  Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and glaze with 1/8 c. Saucy Mama hot wing sauce.  Garnish with celery and bell pepper as an appetizer.  Serve with remaining 1/8 c. hot wing sauce topped with crumbled blue cheese on the side for dipping.

Makes about 42 meatball appetizers (enough for at least 12 people).

It’s finally time! It took us a while to get out all 50 sample orders for our “I am a Saucy Mama” Contest, but the participant’s recipes are starting to come in! This is such an exciting time for us; we get to see fresh, innovative ideas for Saucy Mama sauces and hear what our contestants think about them. Eventually, we will try all the recipes too (that’s our favorite part), and determine the winner, who will receive a $1000 cash prize. This month is going to be filled with trying these new dishes and sharing the recipes throughout our community on the web. Make sure you check back here for great new recipes from your favorite food bloggers…I can assure you, there’s going to be some really fantastic ones!

Here is the very first recipe we have received: Hot Wing Wontons. Submitted by Jodie from Eatin’ on the Cheap, these little babies look absolutely delicious and original, and we can’t wait to try them! The recipe is below; however, make sure you check out her page too, because she has some Saucy Mama goodies for giveaway. Also feel free to download our button for your own page if you like Saucy Mama!

Hot Wing Wontons

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
1/3 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 large carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup Saucy Mama’s Hot Wing Sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 package of Wonton Wrappers
Canola or vegetable oil for frying ( about 1/2 gallon )
Blue Cheese dressing for dipping

Directions:

In a deep sided pot, heat your oil to 350 using a thermometer.
Meanwhile mix together chicken, cabbage, carrot, celery and wing sauce. Lay out a few wrappers and put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each.Brush all 4 sides with a little egg wash and then fold wrapper over and press out all the air and seal the edges. You can then either leave them in triangles or, for a more bite size package, fold the corners in to create a little purse. Continue until all the wontons are done.
Gently drop 4 or 5 wontons in the hot oil at a time, frying until golden brown all over, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove and drain on paper towels.

 Serve with Blue Cheese dipping sauce and enjoy!

Mozzarella, Basil, & Grilled Cherry Tomatoes

Jan and I got a “come on over for dinner” call from our good friends Mary Alice and Bob. We had been working in the yard, and it was the perfect thing to look forward to for the evening. I love spur of the moment get togethers. There is no pressure to put on the perfect party; it is just good friends having a great time together.
 
I picked basil and cherry tomatoes out of my garden for the appetizer I decided to bring. I had purchased a baguette to go with our dinner I had planned for that night, but I still had to send Jan to the store to pick up some fresh mozzarella. I made crostini by slicing the baguette and brushing both sides of the slices with olive oil and sprinkled them with garlic salt. I placed them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them into a 425 degree preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until they were crisp and golden brown. Meanwhile, I put the cherry tomatoes into a grilling basket in a single layer. If you are doing a lot of tomatoes, do more than one batch you because you want them to carmelize, not steam. Grill them over a hot fire until they burst and are blackened on the outside. Don’t worry about the juices leaking onto the fire- what remains of the tomato will be delicious! Slice the mozzarella and place on a platter with tomatoes and whole basil leaves.  Serve with a basket of crostini. 
 
Mary Alice served perfect martinis and made a wonderful pork tenderloin dinner. After dinner, we discussed what were our biggest “nigglies”. Nigglies are, you know, those things that are really of no importance, but still really bug you. Just be careful that your niggly isn’t something that the person sitting next to you does all the time! Or worse yet, that their niggly is something you do all the time. Oh well, when it comes to friends, the nigglies just aren’t nigglies anymore. We had such a great time!

It’s a warm summer evening here in Oregon, and there is nothing better for dinner on these nights than some fresh grilled vegetables! Here’s another recipe submission from last year’s food blogger contest from Laura at Real Mom Kitchen. It’s simple, yet delicious. And it’s what I will be munching on tonight for dinner…along with some grilled chicken! You can see Laura’s original recipe on her own blog as well…check it out! 

Ingredients:

2 medium sized zucchini
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Parmesan Garlic Marinade
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Wash zucchini. Then cut in half lengthwise and crosswise. Marinade zucchini in Saucy Mama Parmesan Garlic Marinade for 2 hours. You can do it for less if desired, but the longer the better. Grill on outdoor grill approximately 5 minutes on each side until browned. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

The 4^th of July just kind of snuck up on me. I got back from New York and the Fancy Food show on the 1^st and had not planned a thing. Mike and Chris had gone camping with their families at the coast, so Jan and I were on our own. We quickly found others that had no family around for the holiday, and all of a sudden, there was a party at our house!

Anyways, this salad is perfect and light for summer. Sometimes, we even eat it as a main dish. Plus, it’s easy. If you are really pressed for time, you can simply substitute the bread with large croutons. To fill up the menu, our other guests brought some delicious stuff, and we were definitely well fed.

My perfect cherry tomatoes

Bread Salad with grilled Cherry Tomatoes

 Ingredients:

• 8 oz loaf Italian bread, cubed
• 2 lbs cherry tomatoes
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed
• ¾ cup Basil, roughly chopped
• ½ bottle Food and Wine Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and spread into a single layer.  Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Allow to cool.

Place the cherry tomatoes in a large grilling basket that has been sprayed with non stick spray, and grill over hot coals or a gas grill on high until slightly blackened on the outside. Shake the basket to make sure the tomatoes char evenly.  Toss all ingredients together and serve. Quick, easy, and delicious!

In our small town of Pendleton there are so many get-togethers where everyone pitches in with food and even decorating, so  a great time can be had without host and/or hostess stress.  It also makes getting ready for a party as much fun as the party.  I have to bring an appetizer to one of those parties and leave for out of town early the next morning.  I am thinking really easy to make, really tasty, and really appetizing to look at.  Savory Smoked Salmon Spread fits the bill and I will still have lots of time to pack.

Savory Smoked Salmon Spread

2 – 8 ounce packages cream cheese
8 ounces smoked salmon, flaked (reserve about 2 tablespoons for garnish)
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Saucy Mama Horseradish
2 tablespoon minced chives (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
1 teaspoon Saucy Mama Hot Wing Sauce

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients except for garnish and blend thoroughly.  At this point you can place the spread in a serving bowl or form into ball and wrap with plastic wrap.  Either way chill for at least 1 hour up to 1 day.  Place on serving platter topped with the reserved flaked salmon and minced chives, and surrounded with a sliced baguette or crackers.

I love to have this left over smeared on my morning whole wheat bagel and topped with thinly sliced sweet onion.

My good friend Jo Simpson had our monthly Bunco night at her house out in the country last night. Cheryl Doyle, another very good friend and I were co-hostesses.  Jo ordered a Mediterranean Chicken light crust pizza from our local Papa Murphy’s www.papamurphys.com so she could just slip it into the oven after we all arrived.  I made an asparagus salad using Saucy Mama Sesame Ginger Dressing.  For dessert Cheryl brought raspberry sherbet and butter cookies.  It all made for a very tasty very easy meal with no stress and lots of fun.  It was great to sit out on her deck watching the evening colors change on our beautiful Blue Mountains, catching up on each others lives and doing a whole bunch of laughing.

This salad is easy to make and travels well.

Asparagus Orange Salad with Glazed Almonds

Serves 8

1/2 cup whole almonds
3 tablespoons Saucy Mama Sesame Ginger Dressing
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
2 large oranges
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 large avocado cubed
1/3 cup Saucy Mama Sesame Ginger Dressing
2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Place almonds in a heavy skillet set over medium heat.  I use my trusty old cast iron skillet.  Stir until almonds are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
Increase heat to medium high and add dressing and soy sauce.  Stir until the liquid has evaporated and the almonds are coated.  About 1 minute.  Transfer the almonds to a cutting board and coarsely chop as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

Cook asparagus in a large pot of rapidly boiling water for about 2 minutes until bright green and just tender.  Immediately plunge the asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain well.

Use a sharp knife to remove the peel and pith from the oranges and divide the orange sections removing the membrane.

Toss the asparagus, oranges, onions, avocado and dressing together.

Place into a pretty serving dish and top with cilantro and almonds.

Last spring I got a call from my fabulous daughter-in-law, Irene, saying she wanted to sell me in an auction for Bridgeport Elementary School in Tualatin. Turns out she wasn’t planning on getting rid of me, but on having a Martini and appetizer party at her house. Well, last Thursday was the day. What a good time we had!

I started the evening with a cheese platter out and a Martini bar set up. I had recipes for the different martinis alongside the needed ingredients. I made the first few martinis and then let the guests prepare their own. This freed me up to make the appetizers, and Chris and Irene to mingle with everyone. My first appetizer was a baked brie with apricot pepper jelly, sweet ‘n hot stone ground mustard and Oregon hazelnuts. That was followed by blanched snow peas and asparagus with herb dip. I then made shrimp with our cracked pepper marinade. Everyone ate like crazy, which I love.

I used a little trick to prepare the brie … I found this HUGE wheel of L’Edel de Claron (still in its stapled wood container) and froze it for about two hours.  This gave it just enough firmness for me to cut and then scrape away the top rind with the edge of my knife, leaving the round beautifully prepared for its toppings.

The apricot jelly I used for the brie came from Rose City Pepperheads. (It’s an Apricot with an Attitude, and I think it is terrific.)  I spread a thick layer of the jelly over the top of the brie, then finished it with a rough-cut cup of Oregon Hazlenuts.

Next, I popped it in the oven (IN its wooden container!) at 350 degrees for about an hour (it was a BIG round, mind you; you’d probably cut the time in half for a smaller round).

I served this with simple sliced baguettes – and when we ran out of that, I added a load of crackers in a basket and watched those disappear at record pace as well!  I thought for sure I’d have leftover brie for a month. How wrong I was!  That appetizer was by far the big hit of the party, and we were left with only the wooden box in which it came.  Yum!