Three Little Smokies

Bacon-wrapped SmokiesLittle Smokies from Hillshire Farms are delicious little sausages that you can turn into lots of different interesting snacks. They’re perfect for get-togethers with your pals, such as an afternoon in front of the TV watching the game, or as an appetizer at a cookout. Here are three of my favorites.

Note: Before preparing any of these recipes, drain Little Smokies and pat dry.

Bacon-Wrapped Smokies

Ingredients:

16 oz. package of Little Smokies
1 lb. Thick Cut Bacon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Toothpicks

Instructions:

Wrap a Little Smokie in bacon until the bacon overlaps itself. Secure with toothpick and cut bacon.

Keep wrapping. There are a lot more little sausages to cover.

Place wrapped sausages on large cookie sheet, leaving a good amount of room between the sausages.

Bake at 400° for ten minutes. Remove from oven and turn. Continue baking for another ten minutes, or until bacon has browned and the brown sugar has melted into a sauce.

Serve immediately.

Smokie PuffsSmokie Puffs

Ingredients:

16 oz. package of Little Smokies
Puff pastry or pre-made pie crust
Mustard – brown or yellow – your choice – but I prefer brown for this recipes.

Instructions:

Cut pie crust into strips just a little thinner than the width of the sausages.

Place a small dollop of mustard at one end of the pastry. Wrap a sausage till the pastry overlaps, then cut pastry and press the edges together.

Continue until all sausages are wrapped.

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, seam down. The paper will prevent the sausages from sticking.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Variation:

You can use puff pastry as well, but you need to add an extra step, as follows:

Beat one egg with one Tablespoon of water. When wrapping the sausages, brush the two edges that you will pinch together with a bit of the egg mixture. This will help the puff pastry stick together. Bake as described above.

Smokie KabobsSmokie Kabobs

Ingredients:

16 oz. package of Little Smokies
2 bell peppers – your choice of color: red, green or yellow
20 oz. can of pineapple chunks, drained
12 oz. asparagus spears, cut into 2″ pieces
2 cups grape tomatoes
1 cup sweet and sour sauce
3-1/2″ wooden toothpicks

Instructions:

Cut bell peppers into one inch squares.

Put one each of the sausages, peppers, pineapple and tomatoes onto each skewer.

Place skewers on baking sheets and brush with sweet and sour sauce.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Serve immediately with a little extra sauce for dipping.

Variation:

Substitute your favorite barbecue sauce for the sweet and sour sauce.

There you have it – a hat trick of Little Smokie recipes to liven up your next hang. Try them all, then leave me a comment to let me know which was your favorite. And don’t forget to…

Play with your food!

Lane


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Lane

About Lane

Lane Baldwin is a an internationally-acclaimed singer, songwriter, author and food lover. He wasn't trained in France, and he doesn't have his own TV show. He just loves to cook, and loves sharing what he's learned over the years. In his "real life," Lane has toured the world, bringing his special brand of Blues-infused Americana to millions of fans. At home he leads a quiet life filled with good books, good food and good friends.