Canastas de Navidad/Sausage Dip

Every Holiday season I cater a party for my dad's office, but this year I will be on my honeymoon so that will not happen.  However, we went to a part last night and I made my "famous" Canastas de Navidad (Christmas Baskets) and Dustin and I ate the leftovers as a dip for lunch today.

Canastas de Navidad

Yield: about 90 phyllo cups or 45 cups + 3 cups of dip or 6 cups of dip

1 pound bulk sausage

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 medium sweet red pepper, diced

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped ripe olives, drained

1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix (follow directions on package)

Phyllo cups

In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add cheeses, peppers, chilies, olives and dressing mix; mix well. Set aside. Fill each phyllo cup with about 2 tablespoons of the sausage mixture. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.

If you have leftovers, spread in a pan or an ovenproof bowl and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. This makes a delicious dip with tortilla chips.

Egg Nog Cupcakes

Here is the recipe I used for egg nog cupcakes...I substituted the rum with brandy and did not add it to the frosting because I brought them to a party where children were present.  If you would like to see the link for the recipe, it can be found here.

Yield: about 18-20 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

¼ cup dark rum or bourbon (optional)

1 cup eggnog

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

For the frosting:

20 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2½ tbsp. eggnog

1 tbsp. dark rum (0ptional)

Directions:

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; whisk to combine.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the rum, eggnog, vegetable oil, vinegar, and sugar.  Beat on medium-low speed until well blended.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling the cups 2/3 full.  Bake 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 20-30 seconds.  Add in the powdered sugar, salt and nutmeg, and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add in the eggnog and  whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes.  With the mixer on medium-low speed, blend in the rum.