National Pigs in a Blanket Day

This Sunday, while Christians are celebrating Easter, the calendar also has a silly little holiday mentioned. National Pigs in a Blanket Day!

Pigs in a blanket are simply cocktail franks, wrapped in dough and baked in the oven. Meant to be an appetizer, these tasty little treats would be perfect to serve at your holiday gettogether. They can help delay your meal so that you can wait for those family members who are always late or be a part of your pre-meal spread.

These are simple enough to make on your own. Just purchase a package of smoked sausages or cocktail franks- there are several varieties in many flavors. In your supermarket's dairy aisle you will find refrigerated dough to wrap around each individual smokie. Pillsbury even makes crescent dough that you can cut yourself to accomodate anything. This is a chore that with a little direction your kids can handle doing.

Have them prepare them the night or day before and then just put in a preheated oven 20 minutes before you want to serve them. Have bowls of dipping sauces (ketchup, mustard,etc) and it makes a nice appetizer.

Here are some other springtime recipes for warmer weather foods and also some ideas for what to do with Easter leftovers.

Delicious potato salad

Remember that this weekend is Easter and if there is a little one in your life, an Easter basket makes a nice gift. Click this link to ideas for making an Easter basket. How to make an Easter basket for kids

Sunday One-Skillet Breakfast

Tired of the same old Sunday morning breakfast? This one-skillet dish is simple to make and really tasty!


Ingredients:

8 large eggs
3 small new white potatoes (skins on)
5 oz package of Jones turkey sausage (you can find this in the frozen food section)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons red onion - chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon butter or butter substitute ( whichever you prefer)
1 ounce extra sharp cheddar cheese

How to get started.
You will need a large skillet, preferably a deep one. You will also need Ziploc steaming bags. If you do not have these put them on your shopping list. They are great for vegetables and cut down preparation time for many recipes. If you do not have steaming bags, you can use your microwave without the bags to cook your potatoes.

Step 1- Cut sausages in half. Place in skillet with olive oil and begin to brown over a low flame.

Step 2- While sausages are browning, wash potatoes well and cube them. Place them in a steamer bag and microwave for 4 minutes. If you do not have the steaming bags, put them in a microwave dish and add about 1/4 cup water and cook for about 4 minutes. You want them to be fork-tender.

Step 3- Chop your red onion and add it to your sausage. Allow it to soften for a few minutes.

Step 4- Your potatoes should be done by now so add them to the skillet also.

Step 5- Stir in paprika and allow mixture to cook for about 2 minutes. Remove ingredients to a bowl.

Step 6- Beat your eggs well. Add butter to the skillet and start to scramble your eggs.

Step 7- Once the eggs are almost completely scrambled, add the potato, onion and sausage mixture. Stir together well and allow eggs to finish cooking.

Step 8- Shut the heat off under the skillet and grated the cheddar cheese on top.

You are now ready to serve!

I did not add any extra salt or pepper to this. Allow each person to add their own to taste.
This will serve 4 to 6 people, depending on their appetites. You can serve toast or English muffins on the side with this.

Secret tip here: I just fed this to my husband who despises turkey anything. He had no clue that this was turkey sausage. One turkey sausage link has only 20 calories - 10 from fat. It is lower in fat, sodium and cholesterol than pork sausage. It browned very nicely using little olive oil.

I hope you try this recipe. It would also make a good dinner or brunch for when the family is over.