Christmas is just days away and New Year's Eve will be here before we know it.
Leslie Dabney, The Vineyard Mom, joined Jenny Hardman with some recipes for your holiday get-togethers.
Lobster Salad on Endive
2 lemons, halved
¼ teaspoon salt
2 lbs. live lobster tails
⅓ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 dash of hot sauce
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
2 heads of endive, leaves washed
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the water, then add the squeezed lemon halves into the water. Add the salt to the water and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Add lobster tails, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove the tails from the water and run cold water over the lobster to stop the cooking.
Remove the meat from the tail and roughly chop it into ½ inch pieces. Transfer meat into a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, the juice of the 2nd lemon, dijon mustard and hot sauce together in a medium bowl. Add child lobster meat and celery. Toss to combine. Add salt if needed. Divide the lobster meat mixture between the 2 endive leaves on a serving platter.
Sprinkle the top of the meat with chopped chives. Serve chilled.
Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
9.5 ounce jar of blue cheese stuffed olives, drained and patted dry
Vegetable oil for frying
1 sprig of rosemary for garnish
Put the flour in a shallow dish. Pour the beaten egg into another shallow dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the rosemary, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and black pepper in a third shallow dish.
Working in batches, coat the olive first in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg, then dip in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat. Set aside on a plate.
Heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Using a fry thermometer, heat to 375 degrees. Add the breaded olives to the oil in batches and fry until golden. This will take about 1 minute. Turn the olives over and cook for another 30 seconds to make sure all sides are browned. Let the olives cool on a paper towel for 5 minutes before serving. Place olives on a plate and garnish the plate with a sprig of rosemary. Serve.
Salmon Mousse
1 lb. canned Alaskan salmon or Sockeye salmon, drained
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon yellow onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
½ teaspoon salt
Chives or parsley for garnish
Place drained salmon into a food processor, making sure there are no bones or skin. Add the cream cheese, lemon juice, onion, horseradish and salt to the food processor.
Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally. Transfer into an airtight container and chill for 2 hours. Serve with cucumbers, tomatoes, baguette slices or crackers.
Spicy Sausage Balls with Brown Mustard Sauce
1 lb. spicy Italian Sausage
3 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups baking mix, such as Bisquick
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
Spicy Brown Mustard Dipping Sauce
¼ cup spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Whisk the mustard and honey together in a small bowl. Serve with sausage balls.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the sausage, cheddar cheese, baking mix, garlic powder and salt and knead it with your hands until it forms into a homogenous dough. This will take 5 minutes.
Scoop a tablespoon of the dough and roll into a ball. Make balls until all the mixture has been used. Place sausage balls on the baking sheets arranging them 1 inch apart.
Bake until the sausage balls are golden brown and cooked through. This will take 25 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with brown mustard dipping sauce.
Pair this one with a red wine and it will be delicious!
Recipes are courtesy of: Leslie Dabney, The Vineyard Mom @thevineyardmomliving on IG.
