Southern Protocol

As noted earlier, the extra pounds that result from football season are NOT just from the early morning, sugary mimosas and carb-heavy beers. The excess calories also hit the belly in the form of dips, burgers and other addicting little bites. Enter Hungry Girl cookbooks – a very health savvy lady took all the recipes we all love and tweaked them here and there to completely change the awfulness of their nutrition. Some of my favorites for gameday below!

Spinach Dip (makes 8 servings*)
Per serving (3 heaping tablespoons): 72 calories, 1 g fat, 310 mg sodium, 9 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 4 g sugar
One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly
4 ounces canned sliced water chestnuts, chopped
4 ounces fat-free block cheese (any kind)
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping
1.3 cup plus 2 teaspoons fat-free mayo
1.4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 ounce light soymilk
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cook garlic and shallots over medium heat in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, until softened but not burned (a minute or two). Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt block cheese over a low flame with the soymilk, stirring occasionally. Once cheese has melted and the mixture is well blended, add mayo, sour cream, and Parmesan. Stir until thoroughly mixed (still over low heat).

Next, add garlic, shallots, and water chestnuts and stir. Add spinach to the pot and mix thoroughly.
Spoon dip into a medium casserole dish and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
*I always wish that I doubled the recipe – it’ll get eaten quick!

Portobello Skinny “Skins” (makes 4 servings)
Per serving (1 mushroom): 67 calories, .5 g fat, 404 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 2 g sugar, 10 g protein
4 large portobello mushroom caps
2 slices (about 1 ounce) extra lean turkey bacon
2.3 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1 small tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon minced scallions
1.4 teaspoon salt
1.8 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Over medium heat, cook bacon strips, in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, until crispy (about 5 minutes). Once cool enough to handle, crumble bacon into small pieces and set aside.

Line a baking pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray. Wipe mushrooms clean with a moist paper towel and let them dry. Spritz caps lightly with nonstick spray (mist both sides as well as mushroom edges). Sprinkle the flat side with salt and black pepper, and then place, rounded-side down, on the baking pan.

Divide cheese among mushroom caps. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven or until cheese melts and edges begin to brown. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle bacon, tomato, and scallions over mushrooms.

Return pan to oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until mushrooms are thoroughly heated.

Most late spring calendars are positively chaotic with business – it makes for a fun and festive introduction to the warm months of summer. There’s Mother’s Day, graduations, Memorial Day, Kentucky Derby parties, and just the plain old “it’s gorgeous outside let’s get together tonight” gatherings galore.

Join Southern Protocol, Stems, and Canape on Wednesday, April 21st for a laidback evening of how-to entertaining in preparation of all your late spring soirees. Southern Protocol will outline two different tablescapes, sneaky tips and tricks, plus activities that will engage your children; Stems will show you how EASY it is to grab local, in-season flowers and transform them into elegant centerpieces and accent decor; and of course Canape will treat you to an easy, quick appetizer and a few variation recipes. What a night!

Grab a girlfriend or two and come on over to 208 Coming Street! Wednesday, April 21st from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Seats are $30. Please RSVP with name and email to contact@southernprotocol.com.

You’ve had your entertaining break from the holidays, now it’s time to get ready for spring festivities! The first of our two Spring Entertaining classes will focus on early spring soirees, including Easter, Passover and general “it’s finally getting warm again, let’s have a party” parties.

The class, on March 24th, will take place from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Seats are $30 a piece and include the following:
Fresh entertaining ideas
Budget outline
Tablescape examples
Cost effective and trendy recipes – that you get to taste! – courtesy of Canape
Wine
Tips on assembling floral centerpieces, courtesy of Stems

For more information or to RSVP, send an email with your name and preferred email address to contact@southernprotocol.com. We’re looking forward to having you!

Smoked Salmon Shooter

One of the biggest trends in food and entertaining right now is something very chic, simple and fun: serving appetizers in desserts in shot glasses! Hence the name “shooters.” Not only do they add a new twist on your presentation, but most of them are essentially no-cook preparation…how easy is that?

Be sure to get the clear shot glasses so you can see all the gorgeous color these little babies carry. You don’t need anything fancy! Just simple 2 ounce plastic shot glasses are perfect.

Try these two below – one a smokey, savory appetizer, and the other a sinfully decadent dessert.

Smoked Salmon Shots – fills 12 shot glasses
1 container (8 ounces) onion and chive cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 package (3-4 ounces) smoked salmon, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
Bagel chips, bread sticks or toast rounds

In small bowl, combine cream cheese and milk; beat until smooth. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in each of twelve 2-ounce shot glasses. Top with about 1 tablespoon salmon, 1teaspoon onion, and 1/2 teaspoon capers. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

To serve: Insert bagel chip into each shot glass. Serve with additional bagel chips so your guests can get all of the delicious appetizer out of the glass!

We actually used pita chips with this one, as opposed to bagel chips, and it was just fine! The bread product you choose doesn’t really make a huge difference – it’s mainly used for a dipping device. Try this recipe with some chilled champagne for a New Year’s soiree, and you’ll be the best hostess around!

Berry Cheesecake Shooters
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup berry fruit sauce
1 1/4 cups No-Bake cheesecake filling
12 fresh raspberries
12 mint leaves

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, butter and sugar. Place 1 tablespoon crumbs in each of twelve 2-ounce shot glasses; gently tap down with another shot glass. Top with 1 tablespoon berry sauce. Stir cheesecake filling until smooth; spoon generous tablespoon over sauce. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

To serve: Top each shooter with raspberry and mint leaf. You will have to have mini spoons on hand for this dessert, but it’s well worth it! They’re quite the hit at holiday get togethers. Extra fun fact: sometimes just a little bite of sweetness is all we need (especially around this time of year with sweets overload!); these shooters are perfect for that, and only pack 140 calories in each glass!

Ham delights are one of the best crowd pleasers out there in terms of cocktail party finger foods. Try to follow some of the crazy-detailed recipes, however, and the tedious work hardly seems worth it! Luckily for you, we have a recipe from Southern Protocol friend, Juli Bevon,  that is absolutely delicious; simple without sacrificing quality.

Ham Delights
1/2 pound soft butter
3 T mustard
3 T poppyseed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 trays party rolls
1 lb baked ham
At least 1/2 lb Swiss cheese – shredded or sliced 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, mustard, poppyseed, onion and Worcestershire sauce. Slice the party rolls in halves. Spread the mixture over each half of rolls. 
Inside the rolls place the ham and as much cheese as desired.
Bake until cheese is melted.

The best news is that this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled – feeding parties big or small. This definite crowd pleaser is sure to be a favorite. Try it at your first tailgate party to really kick off the football season!