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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Crostini with Voodoo Chicken Dip for #SundaySupper

The last couple of days have been haunting to me. What happened in Connecticut and the loss of all those innocent lives saddens me to my core. I work in an elementary school, I have elementary age children and to be honest sleeping the last few nights have been next to impossible for me. Today, I woke up and decided I have to put on my smile and make this Holiday season a good one for my family. I will not let that mad gunman ruin one more family's Holidays. With a painful reminder that we are not guaranteed tomorrow, I will be hugging my boys a little tighter and enjoying all these moments, big and small, for all they are worth. So in keeping with the Spirit of #SundaySupper and bringing families back to the dining table,  I am sharing the post that I typed up before this tragedy at Sandy Hook, an appetizer that can shared with family and friends this Holiday season. . .

Last weekend for #SundaySupper we covered fun, festive Holiday Cookies. I shared my grandmother’s recipe for Ricotta Cookies. While cookies are always fun and certainly a big part of my holiday menu, the #SundaySupper team presented a super fun and tasty Appetizer and Cocktail party.  From Martinis, Cosmos and Spritzers to Dips, Cheeseballs, Tarts and Pinwills, the team over at #SundaySupper has your appetizer recipes and cocktail creations covered. 

I decided to adapt a recipe that a friend had given me for Voodoo Chicken Pasta. It pairs an Alfredo like sauce with tomato paste and Cajun spices. What is not to love with that? The Voodoo Sauce has actually ruined me for regular Alfredo sauces; it’s the spicy part that gets me. Oh so good.  In order to change a sauce to a dip, I needed to bulk it up. Give it some substance, no longer is it for covering pasta but it needed to stand up on its own. This involved cheese…Lots of cheese. 




 What you will need:

1 16oz soften cream cheese

 ½  of a cup of half and half… maybe more to thin the dip to a desired consistency

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of Cajun Spices… I used Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

1 to 2 cups of shredded chicken… I bought a rotisserie chicken to save on time

Awesome Seasoning
¼ cup of Mozzerella and some extra for topping dip

¼ of extra sharp white cheddar cheese


½ cup of grated Parmesan



1 Baguette for toasting to make the crostini



In a sauce pan, over a medium low heat, combine the cream cheese and tomato paste. Mix well and then add in the Cajun spices. Once that is combined, I then add in the half and half. Stir until smooth. Next add in the cheese. Once everything is incorporated the shredded chicken can be added. I like to add this mix into a baking dish or ramekin to melt extra mozzarella cheese under the broiler. There is just something extra appealing about bubbling melted cheese.

 
 But, what is a Dip without something to dip in it? This lead me to think Crostinis. Crostini are toasted slices of bread. I used a Baguette. I sliced the bread and then toasted them in the oven on a cookie sheet. These little toasts are perfect for topping with the Voodoo Chicken Dip. They hold up to the weight of the chicken and cheese. Plus, the crunch with the creamy dip is an irresistible combination. If you prefer to spoon the dip onto each piece of crostini, you can do that too and set them out on a platter. The little toasts hold up to the sauce well. This will be a hit at any party. I tend to pair up crostini with wine. Call me old fashion lol. I make a Red Wine Sangria and have posted that recipe before, but really any cocktail to ice water is good with this appetizer. 


I hope you all Enjoy. 

: )




I couldn't resist the Chicken cheese spreader

 

Holiday Cocktails

Holiday Appetizers or Hors d’oeuvres

In honor of the Sandy Hook victims and their families, we have cancelled our regularly scheduled #SundaySupper Chat this week. Let this be a time when we renew our faith in the power of love and realize the importance of time with our families.

 Family Foodie , has linked ways to reach out and help those in Connecticut on her site. I copied these links to share here:

An official fund for victims’ families, and the community as a whole, has now been established: The Sandy Hook School Support Fund, set up by the United Way of Western Connecticut will provide support services to families and the community. All donations to this fund will go directly to those affected.

The Red Cross has also been on the ground, offering food and water to first responders, and providing more than 50 units of blood to Danbury hospital where some of the victims were transported. They have set up a center for emergency grief counseling.

You can send words of support and messages for families affected in an evergram here. They will be collated and given to the families in the future.


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23 comments:

  1. Love how you put the voodoo in the chicken! Sounds fabulous!

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  2. Thanks! The spicy is so good. Kinda addicting lol

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  3. I'm down with anything spicy, especially appetizers because they really start the evening off with a kick!

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  4. Looks so yummy I can't wait to try.

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  5. This is a nice hearty dip, yum! I can't wait to try it.

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  6. Love Cajun spices and this is right up my alley :)

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  7. Love Cajun spices and this is right up my alley :)

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  8. Thanks everyone! It's such a great dip I could make a meal out of this appetizer and be a happy camper.

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  9. Yum!!! I love that Creole seasoning...I use it all the time...such a yummy idea to put in a dip!

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  10. This sounds amazing - and ENTIRELY addictive. I'd be hanging out next to that dip until it was gone. Yum!

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  11. Very well said! We can't let one crazy person mess up our lives and our kids lives.
    Love the idea of this dip, sounds wonderful!

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  12. It is so difficult, I know I too have lost a lot of sleep over this. But I agree I won't allow the fear that gunman inflicted on us to ruin my life or my holiday. Because if I allow that fear to paralyse me then evil wins. This dip does sound amazing.

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  13. The dip is really good and to make the pasta sauce, you just omit some of the cheese and add in more cream until it is your desired consistency. The cream cheese helps it to be rich and coat the pasta really well. I think I may love the dip more though. It is the combo of sauce and bread that I love. Yum! Thank you all for the kind words. Sandy Hook is on my mind this morning as I am making breakfast for my boys and get us all ready for school.

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  14. Bravo, Shannon, for your eloquent statement. There are no guarantees about tomorrow so best to appreciate the family and friends who are here today. And your yummy dip and crostini are a beautiful way to do just that =)

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  15. The dip looks delicious! And I LOVE the spreader!!! I love chickens :)

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  16. Thank you for sharing your eloquent thoughts in this post. You're totally right about not letting the shooter ruin the holidays for your family - we shouldn't give him any more power over any more lives. Instead, we should focus on our loved ones and appreciate being together. As for you dish - YUM! This dip looks sooooo good. You definitely had me at "lots of cheese" :)

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  17. Thank you : ) lol Cheese is always good!

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  18. This dip sounds great-love the use of Cajun spices.

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