Appetizers + Breads

BACON WRAPPED JALAPENOS

Submitted by Brian Kisko | P+D – RDU

INGREDIENTS:

1lb Bacon 8-10 Fresh Jalapenos 1 Block Cream Cheese 1/2 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese 16-20 Toothpicks

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400* F. Cut off stems. Slice jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out seeds and membranes. Fill halved jalapeno with cream cheese and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Wrap jalapeno in bacon (approximately 1/2 slice per each jalapeno half) and secure bacon with toothpick. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

This is an appetizer that my family would prepare and eat before special holiday meals like Christmas and Thanksgiving. I always enjoyed getting to eat this snack while waiting for the rest of the meal to finish cooking. It has become a tradition in our family.

FURIKAKE CHEX MIX

Submitted by Danielle Dunker | Administration – RDU

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups each Rice, Wheat Corn Chex 1 bag Bugles 1 bag stick/mini pretzels 1 container Wasabi peas (4.5 oz/half tube if Asian crackers have wasabi peas) 1 bag Cheetos 1 bag Asian rice crackers (any variation but I prefer the glossy rice crackers. If unable to find, half a packet of the round discs is just as good) Honeycomb, Peanuts, Marcona almonds, Popcorn (optional/swap-ins) Sauce: 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup Light Karo syrup 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup canola/grapeseed oil 2 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce) 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons Tapatio hot sauce (I’ve used Sriracha or Franks) 1 bottle Nori Komi Furikake Rice Seasoning (DO NOT OMIT) *This is in the International/Asian aisle at some grocery stores, but you’ll likely find it at an Asian grocer. There are different variations so be sure to get the Nori Komi Furikake Rice Seasoning unless you deliberately prefer a different seasoning blend.

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Put 3/4 cup each butter, Karo syrup, sugar and oil in a pan and cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add 2 tablespoons each shoyu, Tapatio hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring until well combined. Preheat oven to 250ºF. Pour sauce over cereal mixture and mix well in a reusable roasting container (you’re going to need something really big to distribute and mix evenly). Place into the oven and stir every 10 to 15 minutes. After the first stirring, mix in one bottle of Nori Komi Furikake. Mix well to evenly distribute the furikake nori and the sauce. You can tell the mix is done when it’s dry--the sauce has been evaporated and is no longer sticky--it takes 1 to 2 hours, depending upon the humidity. Don’t take it out too soon, it will be sticky and not crunchy. Store in airtight containers to stay fresh. Enjoy!

- Recipe link: http://www.foodjimoto.com/2011/08/furikake-chex-mix.html

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

I’m submitting a fan favorite recipe. I can’t take credit because I got it from my friend back home in CA but ever since I brought to this side of town, it’s been pretty darn popular. I generally make it during special occasions (i.e., birthdays, larger gatherings, or holidays) and it’s always a hit!

SAUSAGE DIP

Submitted by Gevon Lockhart | Human Resources – RDU

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. sausage of your choice (Jimmy Dean – Sage and Regular, or Sage and Maple flavors work well) 8 oz package of cream cheese 10 oz can of diced tomatoes

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown the sausage, season to taste and drain. Melt the cream cheese in a crock pot (or soften in advance) and then add the can of diced tomatoes. Blend the cream cheese and tomato mixture, then add the sausage and stir. Cook the sausage mixture on high until hot. Stir to blend well and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion Serve with your favorite tortilla chips as a nice compliment to the sausage dip. I love Tostitos Scoops! - Note: Double the ingredients for a larger group. Also, you may prefer a cheddar cheese blend instead of cream cheese.

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

This dip has become a family favorite. The last time that I made it for a family event was Thanksgiving 2019 (PreCOVID) for my family in Winston-Salem, NC. It’s something for guests to snack on until dinner is ready to serve. When there’s ever any leftover dip, it’s always a fight over who gets the last bit. It warms my heart that something so simple is loved by all. It’s such a family favorite that I can’t show up without the sausage dip... and my famous deviled eggs!!!

BEER BREAD

Submitted by Lara Hall | P+D – DFW

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups self rising flour 1/2 cup sugar 12 oz beer (any kind, but we use shiner) 1/2 cup butter

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, and beer. Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray and pour in the mixture. Bake for 50 minutes. Pull the bread out after the 50 minutes and pour the melted butter over the top. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown on top. Once cooled remove from the pan and serve.

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

This recipe comes from my husband’s side of the family and has been passed down through the years. We love it for toast in the morning as well as with our favorite soups in the winter.

MEXICAN CORNBREAD

INGREDIENTS:

2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix 2 eggs 1 lb. hamburger meat 1 cup cheese 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 can cream style corn

Submitted by Lara Hall | P+D – DFW

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook your meat, jalapeno and onion until browned. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. spray a 9x13 metal pan with cooking spray, then pour in mixture. Bake around 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

This is a go to dish in our family that was passed down from my great grandmother. Served best with a good pot of beans.

GRANDMOTHER’S FAMOUS CRANBERRY BREAD

Submitted by Paul Black | Civic Spaces - RDU

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 cup cold butter 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. grated orange peel 3/4 cup orange juice 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped 1 1/2 cups golden raisins

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange peel and orange juice all at once, stirring just until mixture is evenly moist. Then fold in cranberries and raisins. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to cool on wire rack.

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

This was a recipe from a children’s book called Cranberry Thanksgiving I had as a kid growing up in New England.

SWEDISH BREAD

Submitted by Paul Hesselblad | P+D – RDU

INGREDIENTS:

Dough: Makes 2 loaves 6 Tablespoons of Butter (3/4 stick) 1 Cup of water (can sub with milk or 1% milk) 1 Tablespoon fresh ground Cardamom 1 ½ Packages Active Dry Yeast (Fleischmann’s) or Rapid Rise 3 ½ Cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/3 Cup sugar in the raw ¼ Teaspoon salt

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Assembly: Mix the sugar, salt and cardamom in a small bowl. Sift 4 cups of flour into large mixing bowl and add the sugar etc. and mix in the flour. Heat water or milk to between 110 to 115 degrees. Heat the butter to between 110 to 115 degrees. Put yeast in the bowl with the warm liquid (water or milk) and watch the yeast “foam” this can go on for up to 5 to 10 minutes. Add the liquid (yeast/water or milk) slowly in the flour and mix / knead, add the warm butter, knead until the flour is elastic and starts to pull away from the bowl, the dough should be fairly dry and not wet and sticky. If it is, add more flour. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm (80 degrees) draft free place. Let the dough rise until doubles in size, about 60 minutes. Cut the dough in half. Use a rolling pin to make the dough into 2 rectangles. Cut each rectangle into three equal size strips. Roll the strips into a log then Braid the three strips into a braided loaf. Place the 2 braided loaves on the baking sheet, cover with a towel and let dough rise again about double in size.

Glaze: 1 Egg beaten – brush on bread just before going in oven Course sugar (sugar in the raw) to sprinkle on top of egg wash Chopped or sliced hazelnuts or almonds (optional)

Baking: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the course sugar. Put in the oven for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 (may want to apply an egg wash in spots) and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

Our family does not go a single holiday season without making this simple breakfast/dessert/anytime “traditional” braided sweet bread. The bright aromas of cardamom and malty caramelized sugars go exceptionally well with some morning coffee. The recipe comes from my father’s mother, Margarete Mooney (Irish) who married into a Swedish family. Beware, it is wicked delicious right out of the oven; so be ready to make more.

PANETTONE BREAD

Submitted by Verity Burk | P+D – DFW

INGREDIENTS:

24 grams sourdough starter 72 grams all-purpose flour warm water 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast 350 grams bread flour 165 grams granulated sugar 5 egg yolks 213 grams unsalted, softened butter (about 2 sticks) 168 grams bread flour zest of half an orange 1 tablespoon of vanilla salt candied lemon peel candied orange peel 63 grams crushed pistachios, unsalted 6 grams almond flour 4 grams corn starch or bread flour 4 grams cocoa powder 5 grams oil 80 grams granulated sugar 30 grams egg whites (about 2)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Start with 24 grams of mature sourdough starter. Add 24 grams all-purpose flour and 12 grams of water at 85 degrees. Mix and cover starter. Place in oven with light on. Feed with 24 grams of flour and warm water every 4 hours, 2-3 times. Let sit for 12 hours at room temperature. Measure out 203 grams of water, separate 50 milliliters at 90 degrees and add 1/8 of a teaspoon of instant yeast. Dissolve and add back into the rest of the water. Add 350 grams of bread flour to mixer. Add 83 grams granulated sugar and mix into flour. Start mixer and add in bloomed yeast mixture. Add 3 large egg yolks. Add 57 grams levain. Scrape sides as needed, and mix on low until the dough comes together. Add in 83 grams unsalted softened butter and continue to mix. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 12 hours. Once tripled in size, add in 168 grams bread flour. Add half an orange of zest, a tablespoon of vanilla, 6 grams salt, 2 large egg yolks. Mix ingredients on low speed. While mixing, add in 55 grams water at 85 degrees, reserve 10 grams. Mix for about 5 minutes and switch the speed to medium. Add in 82 grams sugar in 3 batches. Mix for another 3-5 minutes. Switch to low speed and add 130 grams unsalted butter. Switch to medium low speed and mix until dough starts to pull from the sides of the bowl. Switch to low speed and add 120 grams candied orange peel, 55 grams candied lemon peel (cut into strips), and 63 grams crushed pistachios. Place in a separate bowl and cover for 1 hour. At halfway mark, stretch and fold dough and cover for the remaining 30 minutes. Transfer to a board and separate into portions. Using bench scraper, while lightly oiled, push dough under itself until you have a taught ball. Divide into two molds and proof in the oven with the light on and a tray of hot water for 6-8 hours. In a separate bowl, mix together 6 grams almond flour, 4 grams corn starch or

bread flour and 4 grams of cocoa powder, 5 grams oil, 80 grams sugar, and 30 grams egg whites. Spread a layer of mixture on top of proofed bread and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 35-50 minutes. Remove from oven and skewer the base of each loaf. Cool the loaves upside down between level pots or bowls.

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

It’s a holiday Italian bread that my dad ate growing up in England. Panettone means Christmas to us like pumpkin means Thanksgiving. It’s much better than store-bought!

CHOCOLATE HONEY BREAD

Submitted by Quinton Libsack | Residential - RDU

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pound pre-made loaf of raw frozen white bread dough (such as Bridgford Ready-Dough) Baking spray 2 Tablespoons of butter (Salted or unsalted) 1-2 cups of milk chocolate chips (depending on how chocolatey you like it. I prefer 2 cups) 1/2 cup of honey

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

***Start thawing the bread dough the night before!!***

Grease a 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan with the baking spray, and cover the frozen loaf with a layer of baking spray, and insert the frozen loaf into the pan, bottom side up. Cover with plastic wrap and let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

Take out the thawed dough Thanksgiving morning, remove plastic wrap, and place on a high shelf to allow the dough to rise (3-6 hours) until it is about 1/2” above the edge of the pan. Once the dough has risen, cover your working area with a sprinkle of flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the tray or table, and use a roller to roll out the dough to about 1/3” thickness. Not too thin! The dough should be flattened into a rectangular shape at this point. (We’re going to be rolling the dough up from one short side of the rectangle to the other in the next step.)

Now microwave/melt your butter and use a brush or spoon to cover the top side of the rolled out dough with butter. Cover the dough evenly with your honey and chocolate chips. (pro tip: leaving a little space at all edges of the dough prevents the honey and chocolate from leaking out when baking and makes sealing the edges easier). Once the dough has been covered with the honey and chocolate ingredients, ROLL up the dough starting on one short side of the dough rectangle. Roll it back up into a loaf shape. Once rolled up, pinch it so it stays rolled and pinch both open ends of the rolled loaf closed with your fingers to make sure all ingredients are sealed inside.

Place the rolled-up dough back in the greased loaf pan (tip: seam side down) and bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees F. Once complete, remove from the loaf pan immediately to cool (30-45 minutes), and enjoy!

WHY THIS DISH IS MEANINGFUL TO MY FAMILY OR CULTURE:

I’ve been making and eating this as long as I can remember my family Thanksgivings. Every year for 23 years! Always made by the kids of the family no matter how young - it’s impossible to mess up, made with your hands (get messy!), and the easiest way to sneak some chocolate before dinner. I’ve always eaten it alongside my Thanksgiving meal, but this also makes an excellent desert. I hope you enjoy!