What’s a great day in front of the TV without a great snack?  Whether it’s movie night, game day or just an evening of watching TV with the kids (every Saturday they get to pick the shows), a snack is called for and in my opinion it’s hard to beat a good homemade bean dip.

Aside from being a lot healthier than sour cream based dips, bean dip tends to hold up better to serious snacking, especially when there are two pre-teen boys or a group of men involved.  it’s more filling, far more savory and suited as a condiment for a slew of different applications, including burritos.

This is a simple recipe that tastes best if allowed to sit for a few hours before serving.  The flavors never seem to come together unless it has a chance to rest.  When ready to serve just sprinkle with some cheese, bake for a few minutes and enjoy!  You’ll be glad you did.

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Please welcome my lovely wife TSGT Jessica Russell who writes today’s guest post from Turkey.  Welcome, honey.  We’re glad to have you.

I want to thank my husband for letting me hijack his blog for a moment or two.

In my decade + years in the military I’ve found that good food brings a group together like nothing else in the world. If an army marches on its stomach then the Air Force soars on theirs. :) No jokes, please.

W. Drell was the wonderful guy who eased my way into the unique world that is Turkey. The country changes like the weather in Texas, and trust me, that’s often. People who were here five years ago barely recognize the area or the way we do business. In such a unique climate, having a group of people you enjoy working with makes all the difference. I’ll be sad to see Drell go, but he’s off to be with lovely wife in Germany. It’s a small world and even smaller career-field, I’m sure we’ll run into each other again. So from me and my husband…Thank you for all your help.

B. Gray and his lovely wife, C. let us take over their kitchen to make these delicious jalapeno poppers. Drell said he found the original recipe on Instructables and tweaked it to his liking. What follows are pictures and the recipe from the event.

The recipe was simple, easy, and makes a great quick meal idea for any game night. Since football season is in full swing, you know these little babies will be a hit (especially with toothpicks so you don’t have to get pepper on your fingers!). Note, the preparation involves direct contact with jalapeno peppers and the seeds, so make sure you’re careful to not rub your eyes. We had benadryll on standby just in case I had a reaction. ;)

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Let’s face it, sliders are fun.  you get all the flavor of a full-sized burger in an easily had held and extremely portable package that’s perfect for tailgating, game day parties or any other circumstance where you need to have a lot of food handy without the requirements of plates and flatware.  They’re also perfect for kids parties, since sometimes a full burger is too much for a little mouth to handle.  With sliders they can just go back for more if they’re still hungry.

This particular dish is a riff on two recipes.  The first was this recipe for Italian Turkey Sliders, written by the lovely and always charming Anne from short Order Mom.  The recipe made me want to jump in and make sliders and I’ve been trying to get around to it since I first saw her recipe.  The idea for the relish is my personal spin on a burger topping I saw Gordon Ramsay create on his BBC show Kitchen Nightmares.  His was for a beef burger, but I thought that the concept would make the perfect condiment for the turkey and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

Of course, fresh basil is out of season at the moment, but I’ve got a bunch of it in the freezer, thanks to this method from Kalyn’s Kitchen. Now I always have at least a semi-fresh supply of basil at my disposal, rather than having to run to the market and pay inflated prices for a few wilted leaves in a plastic package.   In this case, the garlic was by far the more inferior of the ingredients, but still totally serviceable noetheless. And if you’re not in posession of fresh or frozen basil, feel free to use dried basil, but only use half as much.  it will still be wonderful.

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