Ham & Swiss Sliders- A Football Party Must!

So fall has come, and the leaves have begun to bare their gorgeous colors, In a last display of glory before they fall to the ground. My favorite tree is the little apple-like tree in our front yard. It has all the fall colors combined ranging from Green to Yellow to Deep Red...LOVE IT!
But I'm not going to bore you with poems about fall colors ;-)
Fall holds another big past time that most southerners wait the whole year for in eager anticipation...FOOTBALL season.
I am absolutely no football fan, I grew up in Europe and Soccer was the main sports there. But I must admit that I love the idea of getting together and just watching and enjoying (well I guess that depends on if your team is winning or how much you care lol) a good ol' football game.
as of now football is still going on (as far as I know lol) and people are still gathering together to yell at a TV.
I love the team spirit people have. And I've learned a lot about the south and their football!!! don't come between them!!!
Football usually means tailgates and football parties, and these wonderful events usually require easy to prepare yet delicious treats, easy to grab or add to an ever growing plate of food as you dash back to the game. Heaven forbid you miss that ONE second of the game! HellOooooo!!!
These are just that, the ideal football food...sliders...yum! They are easy to make and eat and are simply addictive!!!

Ham & Swiss Sliders
Makes 24 sliders

Ingredients

• 1 lb. deli ham (I used Black forest ham but honey ham is great too)
• 1 lb. Swiss cheese
• 24 Slider buns or King’s Hawaiian Rolls (2 packages)
• 1 stick butter, unsalted
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBSP mustard
• 1 TBSP poppy seeds

Directions

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray. Slice the buns in half and place on baking sheet. (I was able to squeeze all 24 on one baking sheet) Place one piece of ham and 1 slice of cheese  on each bun.
2. In microwave or on the stove-top  melt butter. Add brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce,  mustard and poppy seeds. Spoon mixture over the top of each bun, coating with mixture. Allow to sit for 30-60 minutes – do not cover!
3. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

You can prepare the buns a day in advance, just don't cover them with the poppy seed sauce until just before your party.

Recipe slightly adapted from Haute apple pie

I'm in love with this Cilantro Pesto!!!

Ok so I admit I have a love affair with pesto sauces especially home-made ones!
I usually wait for a good price on a big bunch of fresh basil leaves and for publix to have their olive oil on BOGO (I love BOGO!!!) to make pesto. My husband is not to keen on it so I don't get to make it very often. But today I had some left over cilantro to use up. I had already frozen what I could and had a small bushel left that desperately needed to be used up. I LOVE cilantro and don't want to waste any if I can help it. As I was looking through my old summer (I sort them by date)magazines I noticed a page on pesto..."ping" (that's the sound of the light bulb going on in my brain) I don't know why I never thought of this before...making pesto out of cilantro...wow super excited now! and OH MY WORD this pesto is to die for! I am sooo in love ;-)

If you are a cilantro fan and have never tasted cilantro pesto you are in for a treat! I used walnuts and pine nuts because I love the flavor of those, but you can use whatever nut you have in abundance in your cupboard This recipe would make a great dip if added on top of softened cream cheese, or if added to pasta, mashed potatoes or even as a sandwich spread (I'm thinking grilled chicken pesto pita's mmmm)
here is the recipe and definitely try it if you like pesto!

Cilantro Pesto 

Printable version

Ingredients

• 5oz  fresh cilantro (about 4cups packed)
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 cloves roughly chopped garlic
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the cilantro. Roughly chop the cilantro into big sections. Put the cilantro, oil, garlic and nuts in a blender or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth. This will require turning off the blender a few times to smush things down. 
3. Pour into separate bowl and mix with cheese, add salt and pepper.Taste and adjust seasonings. 

I use this pesto stirred into pasta, on pizza, and over fish and chicken. Mix some into cream cheese for a dip with crackers or just eat it with a spoon. Delicious. It freezes very well, too. There will be some oxidation on the top surface but it won’t hurt anything-just stir it in when you are ready to use it. If it bothers you, pour a thin layer of oil over the top before storing the pesto.

Enjoy!