I have adapted this recipe from Hapa Nom, it is amazing! You can use it as a side for you Holiday Dinner or use it in mushrooms for an easy appetizer.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

8 cups plain white bread, crust on, cut into 1-inch cubes

¼ cup of Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce

1 lb pork sausage

3 tbsp butter, unsalted

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 large celery stalk

1 granny smith apple, skin left on, ½ inch cubes

1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1 cup chicken stock/broth, low sodium

1/3 cup low fat heavy cream

1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

2 tbsp butter, melted (extra for brushing)

Thyme leaves, small sage leaves, chopped parsley, optional garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 320°F. Spread bread out on tray (squished is fine). Bake for 8 minutes until lightly toasted – pale gold ok, should be soft on inside but crispy on outside. Transfer into large bowl.

Meanwhile, place about 1 tsp butter in a large skillet over high heat. Once melted, add sausage and cook, breaking it up as you go. Once cooked with a few golden bits, add the Saigon Street Sauce and pour over bread (yes, including all the fat!). Return skillet to stove, turn down to medium. Add remaining butter. Once melted, add onion, cook 2 minutes. Add celery and apple, cook for 3 minutes. Add pecans, chicken stock, heavy cream, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir. Bring to simmer, then cook for 2 minutes, then pour it into the bowl. Mix well, ensuring all the bread is evenly coated. Get in there with your hands if needed!

Taste and add more salt if needed (depends on saltiness of sausage). Transfer into a 2 quarts baking dish. Cover with foil, bake 40 minutes. Remove foil, brush with melted butter if desired. Then broil on high for 2 to 4 minutes until the top is nicely browned (watch it carefully)

Serve warm, sprinkled with parsley, fresh thyme or some small fresh sage leaves if desired!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

8 ounces neufchâtel cream cheese, softened

6 ounces Cabot White Oak Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and fig spread until combined. Form cheese into a ball. If the mixture is moist, place in the freezer for a few minutes so it’s easier to work with. Place pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries on a large shallow plate and mix. Roll cheese ball into cranberry and pistachio mixture to coat. Serve cheese at room temperature with crackers.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family here at Bellisari’s to yours!

Ingredients

3 tbsp. melted butter, plus more for greasing cups

3 large eggs

1 c. milk

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 jar of Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeño & Fig Spread

confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease six (6-oz.) custard cups or cups of popover pan with melted butter. Set on rimmed baking sheet.

In a blender, combine eggs, milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt; blend until smooth. Pout about 1/3 cup batter into each custard cup, or fill popover pan cups half full.

Bake 50 minutes, then quickly cut a small slit in top of each popover to release steam; bake 10 minutes longer. Immediately remove popovers from cups, loosening with spatula if necessary. Serve hot and with a jar of Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread.

I wish I could take credit for this recipe…it is amazing. I substituted our Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread for their ricotta. (Theroastedroot.com)

Makes approximately 24 rounds

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato sliced into ¼-inch rounds

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 pinch Ground cinnamon

1 jar of Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread

For Serving:

1 cup raw walnuts roasted and chopped

¾ cup dried cranberries

honey

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the sweet potato slices to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt and ground cinnamon over rounds. Use your hands to rub the oil and seasoning on both sides of the sweet potato rounds. Arrange rounds on a large baking sheet (or two if necessary). Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the rounds, then bake for another 17 to 20 minutes, or until rounds are cooked through and crispy on the edges. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet. 10 minutes before the potato rounds are finished cooking, place the walnuts in the oven to roast.

Remove sweet potato rounds and walnuts from the oven. Place walnuts on a cutting board and chop.

Place oven on high broil setting and move the oven rack second to the top shelf. Place a dollop of Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread on each sweet potato round and place in the oven for 2 minutes, just until it is melty and warm.

Add chopped walnuts and dried craisins to the rounds. Drizzle with honey and serve!