Cheese Tower Christmas Tree

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Love, love, love this! This was the cheese appetizer my daughter brought to our family Christmas yesterday. Everyone was in awe and snapping photos. She used four different cheese chunks (purchased pre-cut from Costco), parsley springs for the green, raspberries and sliced strawberries for the red.

What made this even more awesome was the cutting board used. My husband (the wine guy) received this from one of the wineries he represents. The grooved edge was ideal for arranging a border of cheese chunks.

I thought some of you might this idea useful over the holidays!

What is a Jicama?

This was a question I posed to my husband last week? I needed a Jicama for a salad recipe I wanted to make for an upcoming dinner party. My husband is in a line of work that affords him opportunity to experience all food types; so, was able to answer. I placed Jicama on my grocery list and decided to learn more about this bulbous looking food. Here is what I discovered:

• It is actually just that... a bulb and is part of the legume (bean) family.


• It is primarily grown in Mexico and South America, though different varieties are grown throughout the world.


• It has a crunchiness somewhat like a water chestnut.


• Peeling it can be a pain. I learned that first hand as you will see in above picture. I tried to use a vegetable peeler. Not a good idea. The skin in tough and you will need a very sharp knife to peel away the outer skin.


• It taste something like a cross between an apple and potato.


• It is most commonly eaten raw though it can be cooked and eaten and prepared like you would potatoes.


• It pairs well with salads and can be used as an appetizer for dipping. Just cut into strips and dip in a mango salsa. I noted that some suggest cutting and sprinkling with lime juice and chili powder. I even saw a picture where cookie cutters were used to cut out dipping shapes. Now that's a fun idea.

So how did I end up using this peculiar looking bulb? Below is the tropical black bean salad that I served this weekend for a dinner party. It was a hit and I loved the crunchy texture that the jicama added to the salad. By the way, the "J" is pronounced as "H"... hicama.

The Best Ever Sausage Dip

Last night was Bunco night and there were appetizers galore. Occasionally, there's an appetizer everyone rants and raves over and it's usually one of the easiest to make. This was the case with Mo's Sausuage Dip. It was a hit!

I'm certain that we've all sampled a version of this same dip at some time or another. Perhaps, we Bunco girls were just particularly hungry last night. But, for whatever reason, we pounced on this dip like a racoon on garbage. I believe we would have licked the dish if we thought no one was looking.

Anyway, my good friend, Mo (short for Maureen) emailed this recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we Bunco Girls did.

Recipe:

5 green onions chopped
1 lb. roll of Bob Evans Zesty Hot Sausage
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 up parmesan cheese
2 oz jar chopped pimento (drained)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat, drain. Add everything but 1 onion. Put in 1 quart baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes, uncovered. Garnish with other green onion.

Hey...this is also great as a baked potato topping. DELISH!!