Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Squash Cakes

I can’t believe we’re already down to 12 on American Idol. The finale will be here before you know it, but in the meantime I’m still cooking up snacks for Yahoo!’s Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog.

The theme this week is Songs From the Year You Were Born. So I decided to make some snacks from back in the day. Tonight’s recipe is one of my all time favorite family dishes. I thought I would try something totally different and turn it into a snack. There are two VERY important things to remember when making this dish:

  1. Make sure the consistency of the cornbread stuffing mix is sticky enough to form cups.
  2. Make sure you form the cups up the sides completely or else they won’t be cups but a pile of squash when you pull them out.

If you don’t want to bother with the cups at least make the casserole…it’s to die for.

Check out tonight’s feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Spinach Mash Martinis

Since we’re on the theme of food to my soul, or pretty much the best comfort food ever, I thought I’d throw one more classic (with a twist) out there for tonight’s results show on American Idol.

All throughout this season of Idol I’ve been guest blogging (or cooking to be exact) for Yahoo! Music’s Lyndsey Parker and her all things reality blog, Reality Rocks. This week’s theme, songs from Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, inspired me to cook up some of my very own classic comfort food…food for the soul!

By the way…holy hell Jessica Sanchez…did you really just dominate I will Always Love You last night?? An amazing job and stellar tribute to the late grate Whitney Houston. She blew my mind.

On to the food…

Check out my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Rotisserie Mac & Cheese

Happy almost Friday!! I had a last minute trip to Austin yesterday and didn’t get back to Dallas until late last night. Soooo….I didn’t get to post yesterday’s recipe for Yahoo! blogger Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog.

Last night on Idol the top 13 had a soulful night with songs from Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston. Since we’re talking about two of the most soulful singers of this (and past) generation I thought I would try something a little different. Instead of offering up traditional soul food I wanted to put my own spin on what makes my soul say Thank You! And what says comfort better then mac and cheese.

These little tasty ramekins turn out damn good if I may say so myself. I got a little anxious leaving them in the oven for 30 minutes but it was well worth it. The panko turned out nice and crispy without drying out the creamy pasta. Yummm…now I wish I had some for lunch!

Try this recipe out…it’s worth the calories!! Check out last night’s feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Since I didn’t post this yesterday today will be a double post day. I’ll have tonight’s recipe later on this afternoon so make sure you check back!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I finally caught up on some American Idol last night. I still need to listen to all the boys but I was REALLY impressed with two girls last night, Jessica Sanchez and Skylar Laine. They both really blew me away. First of all is Jessica seriously 16 years old…phew amazing. And I’m not the biggest country fan but Skylar kicked ass. For being so young she had amazing stage presence and the fact that she kept her breathe while jumping around…so hard to do.

Anywho…on to the snacks. I’ve been coming up with Idol snacks for Yahoo! music blogger Lyndsey Parker and her Reality Rocks blog every week this season. Tuesday night was Mushroom & Mozzarella Crostini night, last night I was baking up some Chicken Puffs with Pesto and tonight I’m making Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

Who was your favorite girl last night? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Chicken Puffs with Pesto

Last night on Idol we got a glimpse of the boy’s talent including a surprise twist when Jermaine Jones took the 13th spot. I was also cooking up some delicious Mushroom & Mozzarella Crostinis for Lyndsey Parker’s Reality Rocks blog.

Two things I need to preface about tonight’s recipe. 

– I didn’t have the SLR so I had to rely on my trusty Canon PowerShot and the pics turned out a bit shoddy compared to usual (I’m getting spoiled with my mom’s camera…I need to get one ASAP).

– Complete fail at the grocery store when I forgot to get eggs. If you’re dealing with puff pastry you NEED to use egg wash. It helps give your  dish that beautiful golden color, and helps seal up any edges when you’re overlapping the pastry.

Moving on…

Give this recipe a try, it’s easy and fun to eat. Check out my feature on Reality  Rocks HERE!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Mushroom & Mozzarella Crostinis

We’re finally getting into my favorite part of American Idol…the live shows!! If you guys have been following along I’ve been cooking up some scrumptious recipes for Yahoo! Music blogger, Lyndsey Parker, and her Reality Rocks blog.

Since Idol is giving us three episodes this week I’ve got 3 simple and delicious snacks to share. Tonight I’m starting out with a hearty snack that really is incredibly easy to make. If you’re having any trouble finding Shitake mushrooms or you don’t want to fork out the extra cost, just use all baby bella mushrooms. They work just as well.

Check out my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

Happy eating!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Mini Veggie Tarts

Season 11 is flying by on American Idol and we’re already down to 70 hopefuls. Tonight they’re headed to Vegas for some sin city fun and of course the drama that only Idol can provide. So for tonight’s recipe I thought I would follow some inspiration from a few of my favorite Vegas chefs.

All season long I’ll be dishing out themed recipes for Lyndsey Parker’s (Yahoo! Music) Reality Rocks blog! This recipe actually serves 8 tarts but in a moment of brilliance I pulled the hot pan out of the oven with a damp towel (yes I’m a genius) and instantly dropped the entire tray of tarts. Thankfully there was only one casualty and a few burned fingers! Try it out (the recipe…not my kitchen fail) they taste like mini veggie pot pies.

Read my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Spicy Pimento Cheese Bites

After last week’s nausea inducing episodes it was good to get back to some good ole fashion singing on American Idol tonight. Hollywood Week is quickly coming to an end as we get closer to another year in Vegas and one step closer to the live shows (my fav)!

Every week I’ll be cooking up plenty of snacks for your Idol viewing pleasure and for Yahoo! Music blogger Lyndsey Parker’s Reality Rocks blog (sorry that was a mouthful). So while everyone is getting their appetites back from last week I thought I’d whip up a delicious and incredibly simple appetizer. Give it a try…it’s stick to your ribs good!

Check out my feature on Reality Rocks HERE!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Grilled Avocado with Black Bean Corn Salsa

Last night we got to see the great talent in Colorado and tonight American Idol is headed to my home state TEXAS! So needless to say for tonight’s Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers I felt right in my element.

I would consider myself an expert on all things tex-mex, and nobody (in my very biased opinion) does Mexican food better then Texas. So for tonight’s episode in Galveston/Houston I thought I would make a beach friendly appetizer that stays true to the best cuisine a girl could ever ask for.

Check out Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers on Lyndsey Parker’s Yahoo! blog, Reality Rocks…HERE!

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Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers: Bison Sliders with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

American Idol is officially in full swing and tonight they’re headed to Aspen, Colorado for the second week of auditions. I was a little confused at first since the audition city posted on the website is Denver, so I’m assuming the call back rounds were held in Aspen. Nevertheless I cooked up a Colorado inspired appetizer for tonight’s episode.

Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music was gracious (and adventurous) enough to include my recipes on her weekly reality music blog, Reality Rocks, for Season 10 and now Season 11. It definitely makes my last stab at Idol worth it that much more (see my audition here). 🙂

Check out Snackin’ with Sarah Sellers on Yahoo’s Reality Rocks HERE!

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