Christmas Cook-Off

So one of my roommates hosts a Christmas Cook-Off party every year. I wasn't exactly sure what this would look like and was on the fence about attending since my two best friends were going to be in town that weekend. Due to a dreadful illness called Mono, one friend wasn't able to join in our weekend festivities. Sad! But my HLP and I were able to carry on. I wasn't too concerned about what we took to the party, yet Courtney wanted to win. So we tossed out a few ideas and decided between Redneck burger sliders (pimento cheese burgers) or chimichangas. Mini Mexican eggrolls won out!

We made the filling and the dipping sauce. Now this dipping sauce is A-MAZING. It will be wondful on chicken, pork, mashed potatoes (I've tried it already) or chips. Basically, anything you eat will be better with this sauce. We rolled dozens of tiny chimichangas. Mine looked terrible, but who cares?!? We had the perfect two bite appetizer.

A special shout out must go to Jacqueline! First, she saved us by bringing an extra package of wonton wrappers so we could use all the filling. Second, she labored along side us in the frying process. Outside in the cold no less. Way to go! We couldn't have done it without you.

The party was fun, the house was filled, the other food was good, but most importantly: our chimis won the overall best food category!!! Such excitement in the air!

(I'm sure the shameless request for votes didn't hurt us either! Seriously, I hounded one girl a little too much. When we won she found out I was the one that made them...of course I'm sitting next to her at this point. She told me I was so humble for not telling her I made them. Humble wasn't exactly the word I would have used, but I'll take it anyday.)

Tex-Mex Egg Rolls With Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
1 (5-ounce) package yellow rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground hot pork sausage
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 green onions, finely chopped
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
28 egg roll wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 cups peanut oil
Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions
Cook rice according to package directions, using 1 teaspoon salt. Cool completely.

Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Let cool.

Stir together rice, sausage, black beans, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon about 1/3 cup rice mixture in center of each egg roll wrapper. Fold top corner of wrapper over filling, tucking tip of corner under filling; fold left and right corners over filling. Lightly brush remaining corner with egg; tightly roll filled end toward the remaining corner, and gently press to seal.

Pour oil into heavy Dutch oven; heat to 375 degrees F. Fry egg rolls, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on wire rack over paper towels. Serve with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce. Garnish, if desired.

"The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens. They have been tested in the Southern Living Test Kitchens. All brand names have been removed from these recipes, which originally appeared on southernlivingcookoff.com."

Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce:

2 (10-ounce) cans Mexican-style diced tomatoes

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves (about 1 bunch)

1 cup sour cream

3 garlic cloves, minced

Garnish: finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Process first 5 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Garnish, if desired.

Note: For a beautiful presentation, cut top from 1 large red bell pepper, reserving top; remove and discard seeds and membrane, leaving pepper intact. Arrange bell pepper on a serving plate, and fill with sauce.

Yield: 3 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes