Recipes: Ham and Bacon Spread - Rotisserie Pork with Smoky Barbecue Aioli - PreMoo Cheese Spread - Seafood Cheese Spread - Blue Cheese Guacamole - Chicken Enchilada Dip

For starters, I SOLD OUT of the Stock Up Saturday wine - Coppola Rosso/Bianco.  A couple of customers came in early because I posted I'd probably sell out and I'm glad you did. By 3:15 my tasting was over.  Food and wine - gone.  You know I always say, "you come late to the party ..."

Heads up! Next weekend I also have the Stock Up Saturday wine.  I'm looking forward to it!  It's a new one.

This weekends food sampling sort of put me off balance.  I am an organizer and list maker.  When I went into the store on Wednesday and found out that TFM Corporate had required samplings for a Super Bowl Fest and I was to coordinate it for the store ... I had more papers and recipes in my pile than I knew what to do with. Corporate s samplings were a must and I had to scrap some of my samplings (meatballs and kielbasa for one) because it was too much to do.  Before posting today I had to sort it all out.  Talk about NOT motivated.  BUT, while I was texting my friend Pat she said it sounded like I needed some wine.  So, here I am with a glass of Conn Creek, Rutherford, Cabernet 2008 sipping away.  With every sip, there's more motivation.  Thanks Pat!

The first three recipes are customer favorites and repeats from 2013.  PreMoo Cheese Spread, Rotisserie Pork with Smoky Barbecue Aioli on White House Rolls, and Seafood Cheese Ball. (Click on these and you will go to the recipe post.)  For the Seafood Cheese Ball I cut corners and made it a spread by mixing Robert Rothschild Peach Coconut Mango Habanero Seafood Sauce into the seafood mixture.  And Ooops!  Forgot the smoked almonds.  

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Ham and Bacon Spread

8 oz. Greek Cream Cheese & Greek Yogurt, softened

¾ c. diced red  onion

¼ c. mayonnaise

8 oz. shredded Adams Reserve Cheddar cheese

6 oz. TFM Classic Uncured bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 lb. Mickleberry ham, chopped    

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

Serve with Pretzel Crisps or your favorite TFM crackers.

Yields: 10 to 12 servings

Taste testers and customers enjoyed this.  Kristen (front end) and I think it might be lacking something.  I served this with Pretzel Crisps and it was  nice change from crackers.  I used Greek Cream Cheese & Greek Yogurt because it's less sweet than regular cream cheese.  Who knows, maybe that's what was lacking for Kristen and I.

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This next recipe I adapted from a Fine Cooking e-mail I received.  It was for Blue Cheese-Smoked Almond Guacamole.  

Blue Cheese Guacamole

1 container TFM Home Style or Spicy Guacamole

 ¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

4 oz. St. Pete’s Blue Cheese, crumbled

Place all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir until thoroughly incorporated.  Serve with tortilla chips.

 Kristen was at the sampling table with this.  She said some customers enjoyed it.  Other customers asked, "why'd she put blue cheese in guacamole?"  So here's my thought process ... I thought it sounded interesting and different.  Nicole had St. Pete's Blue Cheese that was new into the store.  Customers like easy, so thought I'd use TFM's Home Style Guacamole (in produce). And,  I didn't see what smoked almonds brought to the party so I omitted them.  It was worth a shot.  For me it was enjoyable, but in the end, I'm a traditional guacamole girl.  FYI -  the next day, the blue cheese was overpowering.  

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Excuse me while I get another glass of motivation ...  I need it for this last recipe.

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Lastly, is TFM Corporate's recipe.  I have to tell you it threw me for a loop when I read it and re-read it.  No where did it say to shred the chicken.  Aghhhh!  The preparation instructions below are my re-write.

Chicken Enchilada Dip
3 lbs. boneless chicken thighs
1 can Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce
16 oz. TFM cream cheese
1 lb. shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
tortilla chips

Remove any excess fat from chicken thighs and place thighs in bottom of the slow cooker.

Pour Enchilada Sauce over chicken.  Cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Remove chicken from slow cooker. 

Add cubed , softened, cream cheese and Pepper Jack cheese to slow cooker.  Stir.  Continue cooking on LOW while you shred the chicken.

Stir shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.  Cook for 30 to 60 minutes on HIGH.  Stir and serve.

Although tasty,  Kristen told me many customers questioned why it wasn't thick.  The hotter it got, the looser the consistency.  We were only able to sample this out on Friday.  I have a lot left and it's frozen until next weekend.  I'll sample it out again, but if it gets too loose, I'll turn it into a soup.  Check back next Sunday for the continuing saga.

On another note with this recipe ... a few customers asked me if they could use breasts instead of thighs.  Thighs are recommended as breasts tend to be too dry.  But ultimately the choice is yours.  Also, an option for reducing the cooking time, is use rotisserie chicken.  Just mix all the ingredients with shredded rotisserie chicken and heat before serving.