Recipe: Crockpot Sweet Bourbon Glazed Kielbasa

Don't forget!!! THURSTY THURSDAY is back this week!! Hope you can stop by and party with us!!

On Christmas Eve my husband's family always gets together for apps and dinner. This year we decided to cut back on the number of appetizers we usually prepare because we always end up not really wanting to eat dinner by the time we're done snacking.

We kept it to a minimum but added in a few new appetizers to keep it fresh. Making these Sweet Bourbon Kielbasa bites was literally a last minute decision and boy am I happy we ended up going with it. It was so easy and these were super delicious and a huge hit!

It's only 4 ingredients and a crockpot meal so.....can't get much better than that! Unfortunately, they were so good we ate them all up before I could get a good picture....so use your imagination with this one...

Sweet Bourbon Glazed Kielbasa

2 shots bourbon, or to taste

1 cup pepper jelly

1 polska kielbasa, sliced

1/2 cup syrup

Put all ingredients together in crockpot. Let cook on low heat for about 4 hours. If you have a "Keep Warm" setting reduce heat and let sit about 30 minutes to let glaze set. Enjoy!!

See, I told you it was the easiest appetizer you will ever do!! And they are delicious!! We added a little more bourbon but it's totally up to your tastebuds. 

      

Christmas is in the Air: A Foodie's Christmas

First off, don't forget to join us tomorrow for Thursty Thursday!! I have a mean cocktail that will leave you cold in the heart! lol. Confused?? Don't forget to stop by!!

This week on the Christmas is in the Air linkup the theme is A Foodie's Christmas. We usually get stuck bringing the same thing, either macaroni and cheese or corn pudding, every year. I have to admit I have tried a few recipes throughout the years and let's just say they were less than successful.

This year we are doing Christmas Eve with Mike's family at our house. Christmas Eve is usually an entire day dedicated to appetizers and then we try to stuff in dinner and dessert at the end of the night. But only because that's what you're supposed to do.

I've been search around Pinterest for some new apps I can make this year. Hopefully they turn out great and I can add them into my growing list of go to recipes. :)

What are you favorite Christmas appetizers?!?

Head on over and linkup for Christmas is in the Air!!

Thirsty Thursday! Mardi Gras Edition!

IT'S MARDI GRAS TIME!!!! 

Welcome to Thirsty Thursday. The last Thursday of every month we come by and link up our party ideas!! Since Mardi Gras is coming up I figured this month we would have a Mardi Gras theme. There's no party like a Mardi Gras party!!!

First off, if you don't know about Kiki La'Rue you should. They have the cutest clothes and I might have to stop following them on Instagram and Facebook because I'm broke and can't buy all the things!! But....they posted this picture the other day and I thought, "That would be the perfect Mardi Gras outfit!!!" and had to share with you!

Love it!! And the colors are perfect for a Mardi Gras night out on the town!!

If you're going to party you have to decorate. And I found the easiest DIY project ever!! These cute little trees would be perfect for your table decor!! Just get some colored wire and twist them around a styrofoam cone, or just wrap them around your curling wand!! Or, you could go to etsy and buy them.

I also knew I couldn't do a Mardi Gras party without some crawfish!! I looked around Pinterest and found these awesome looking crawfish beignets that I want in my mouth right meow. I'm not even sure I like crawfish, but I would so totally eat these!

And the recipe looks hellah easy, too. You know me...if it's easy and tasty it's in my mouth. twss 

And of course, you can't have a Mardi Gras Party without some DRANKS!! The Hurricane is the official drink of New Orleans, but it's totally not pretty, so...I found some King Cake Jelly Shots!!!

Not sure exactly if I would take this, not enough alcohol for Mardi Gras, but they sure as hell sound yummy and look amazeballs!!

The website gives you three different ways to make the shots, so you can take your pick. One is way more involved than the others, but if you have time and you're up to it, they look fantabulous! I would totally add more liquor though, haha.

And....I found this gem that I also want in my mouth right now. Please tell me this does not look awesome...

It's called Muses Rum Punch and I can't wait to make it!! Oh...and drink that shit!! Hopefully, somewhere on a beach with the sun in my face. Mostly because it's so cold I can't feel my hands as I write this.

OK your turn!! Go link up and tell me about your Mardi Gras partay!!!

1. Follow Hopelessly Ever After and Southern Beauty Guide via GFC or Bloglovin'.
2. Grab a button from below or my sidebar and put it in your post.
3. Write about your favorite alcoholic beverage.
4. Come back here and link up!!!
5. Get some new recipes or drink ideas for the weekend and make a new friend!! 6. Send a tweet with #ThirstyThursday and include @leggs532 and @etagurl89 so we can see it!!

Anyone interested in co-hosting (it’s free) email Kristin at: hopelessly_ever_after@yahoo.com

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Mini Pizza Bites

     This was another one of the hor d'oeuvres I served at our Book Club meeting this month. (Ok, I could have said "appetizers" but, i just really wanted to use that word. :P) I wanted something that was easy, but also didn't taste like they were from a box. I found this recipe off of, yes folks, Pinterest. Surprised??? Probably not.
     I don't usually get home from school until about 5pm and I scheduled Book Club for 6 this month so I knew I didn't have a whole lot of time. I decided to prepare all of the dry ingredients on Sunday so all I would have to do was add the wet ingredients and put them in the dish. This worked out great and I even had some down time to change before people came over. Always a plus when I can get out of my work clothes first!!
     Not only were they easy but they were also very tasty. (At least, in my opinion.) I should have warmed up the pizza sauce but I think I got too lazy by then. I recommend it, however, because it's a good way to keep the bites warm when you eat them.


Mini Pizza Bites
INGREDIENTS:
     3/4 cup flour
     3/4 teaspoon baking powder
     1 tablespoon italian seasoning
     pinch of salt
     pinch of red pepper flakes
     1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
     1 egg, lightly beaten
     3/4 cup milk
     1 cup shredded mozzarella
     1/4 cup grated parmesan
     1 cup cubed pepperoni
     1/2 cup pizza sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder, italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Whisk together. 

3.Whisk in egg and milk. Stir in parmesan, shredded mozzarella, and pepperoni.

4. Let stand for 10 minutes.

5. Stir the batter and divide between the mini muffin cups. Bake until golden; about 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Heat up the pizza sauce and serve. :)

Enjoy!!

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip

MMMMmmmmmmm, this was DELICIOUS!!! First off, we did this as our side for the meal, but this would be a great appetizer, too. It's perfect for finger foods if you're looking for something healthy(er) and it even tastes great heated back up. So make A LOT because you're going to be craving some leftovers the next day. Trust me!!

I found the recipe for this here and decided I would go for it. Lucky for me we have a wonderful little produce stand right down the road from my house so I stopped on the way home and picked up 2 zucchini. It calls for 3 medium-sized zucchini. They want you to eat!!! I only used one because it was just the two of us and because we were using at as a side. This still made plenty for just us.

Here is one downside of this, however. The prep time for this is about an hour. Initially, you have to let the zucchini sit for an hour....just so you know. It's not a hard process just a little time consuming.

So here we go...

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip
INGREDIENTS:
     1-3 medium sized zucchini (depends on how much you want. The other ingredients won't change much.)
     1 tbsp. salt
     1 cup Panko or bread crumbs
     1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
     1 tbsp. pizza seasoning or italian herbs
     2 large eggs

Sweet Onion Dip  
     1 tbsp. butter
     1 medium onion
     2 tbsp. cider vinegar
     2 tbsp. honey
     1 tbsp. prepared mustard
     1 cup mayo

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut each zucchini into 3" sticks about the diameter of your finger.

Photo Courtesy of: kingarthurflour.com

2. Put the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let them drain for about an hour. (I forgot to use the bowl, but mine still worked) While the zucchini are draining start working on the dip.

     a. melt butter in a medium-sized frying pan over moderate heat, and add 1 medium onion sliced.

     b. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion softens, and then caramelizes. When the onions are medium-brown remove them from the heat

     c. Put the onions, cider vinegar, honey, and prepared mustard into a food processor and process until fairly smooth. (I don't have a food processor, so I used my hand blender. It took a little longer, but it worked)

     d. Remove from processor and stir in the mayo. 

3. Rinse the zucchini to get rid of any excess salt. Then, pat them dry.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. and Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil. (I didn't have parchment paper so, I didn't use any. I just sprayed the baking sheet.)

5. Combine the Panko, parmesan, and pizza seasoning or italian herbs and mix until combined

6. Beat the eggs in order to make your egg wash.

7. Dip your zucchini sticks into the egg wash and then roll them in the bread crumbs. 

8. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn them over. Bake for another 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. 

YUMMMMMMM!

Recipe courtesy of: kingarthurflour.com