So here's what I've been doing...

First off, thank you for such a warm welcome! How exciting it was to see comments! Yay! The past few nights I've been checking out other blogs.. purely for the fun of it. I've come across so many excellent blogs out there, you guys rock! My thing is, I find a blog that looks interesting and then go back to the very first post and read until the most present. I get so hooked that I can't stop reading. And the recipes! Oh man.. I'm going to have to set aside 6 months, cook 3 dinners a day along with umpteen sides, appetizers and desserts - just to get through 1/4 of what I've found that sounds yummy! I was hoping that I'd have pictures to show off my recipes, but I can't seem to get this damn photo uploading thing to work yet. But I don't want to not post anything until I figure it all out. So tonight I'm going to post a couple tried and true recipes and then maybe somewhere down the road, after I figure out the photo thing, I'll add the pictures then. If anyone has any spare time and they'd like to help me figure this out.. I'd sooooooo appreciate it! On with the recipes =) Antipasta Squares This recipe can get a bit expensive as it calls for different lunchmeats and cheeses. But it's also extremely adaptable - as you can use any combination of whatever you like. I lean towards the more italian side, but this would be outstanding with ham, turkey breast, bacon & cheese for a more "club sandwich" type appetizer.. use your imagination =) 2 (10 oz.) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls 1/4 pound thinly sliced Proscuitto di Parma 1/4 pound thinly sliced Provolone cheese 1/4 pound thinly sliced Genoa salami 1/4 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese 1/4 pound thinly sliced sandwich pepperoni 1 (12 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, drained, cut into thin strips 3 eggs 3 TB. grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper Preheat oven to 350º F. Unroll 1 package of crescent roll dough and cover the bottom of a 9" x 13" Pyrex baking dish. Layer the ham, provolone, salami, swiss cheese, pepperoni and peppers on top of the dough. In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly and stir in the grated cheese and black pepper. Pour 3/4 of this mixture over the peppers. Unroll the second package of dough and place over the top of the peppers. Brush with the remaining egg mixture. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove foil and bake another 10 to 20 minutes, or until dough is fluffy and golden brown. Cut into squares. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Appetizers sound good tonight.. especially since I need to figure out what I'm going to make this weekend for a game day with some friends. So here's another terrific appetizer that everyone loves. It's a bit sticky.. but they are worth it! Brown Sugar Smokies 1 (16 oz.) package of little smokies (I find that the all beef kind don't work so well in this recipe) 1 pound bacon 1 c. brown sugar (or to taste) Dipping sauce: 1/4 c. mayo 1/4 c. red chili sauce 1/2 c. brown sugar hot sauce to taste *optional* Cut bacon into thirds and dredge in brown sugar, then wrap each strip around a lil smokie. *Note: Here's where you choose.. you can place them as they are (individually) in a large ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight, they will turn syrupy. OR After you've rolled 8 to 9 smokies, skewer them on long kabob skewers and then store all the skewers in a large ziplock bag in the refigerator overnight making sure to not puncture the bag as the syrup that forms will (believe me) run all over your fridge shelves and you'll spend hours trying to clean it up. Reasoning for skewering them is when you go to broil them, it's a lot easier turning over a skewer full of them rather than trying to turn over each lil smoking because the sugar will make them sticky and the bacon might fall off. Arrange on a foil wrapped broiling pan (foil the bottom of the pan for easy clean up) and sprinkle them liberally with more brown sugar. Broil for 10 to 12 minutes, turning and re-sugaring once halfway through. They should turn out brown and crispy. Dipping sauce: Combine all ingredients well and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or overnight) so flavors can meld. Enjoy!!