Getting Creative

Both guests and volunteers at the Wednesday Community Meal loved these cheesy pigs in a blanket. Yum!

It was one of those days at the Wednesday Community Meal when we needed to use some creativity to make a little of this and a little of that go a long way.

From Good Samaritan Hospital our gleaners had brought us large containers of soup, a tray of Spanish rice, three trays of enchiladas, a large container of plain rice, a tray of sweet and sour shrimp and chicken, a small pan of spare ribs, a small pan of a vegetarian tofu and garbanzo bean dish and a small pan of peas and carrots— wonderful food but not enough to feed the more than 250 guests we were anticipating.

Fortunately we had shredded cheese, refried beans, diced tomatoes and tortilla chips in the pantry so using the rice, we were able to make five hotel pans of a layered Mexican casserole. We of course added seasoning - chili powder, cumin, garlic and salt - and in the end made a tasty and homey dish that our guests loved. After all, who doesn't like a cheesy casserole topped with crushed tortilla chips?

We also had nearly 60 all-beef hotdogs left over from the week before so I made a gigantic batch of cheesy focaccia dough (I multiplied the recipe by 16) so we could wrap the hotdogs in the dough and make pigs in a blanket. And with the extra dough we made rolls that we could serve as a side.

Thankfully volunteer Kate brought in some beautiful tender skinned yellow potatoes from her garden which we roasted with diced onion until they were golden brown. We served the potatoes as a side when the rolls were gone.

Our roasted potatoes made with home grown yellow potatoes and diced onion, tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic, and Italian herbs.

In the end we served 263 meals and had just enough for everyone.

Here is the focaccia recipe we used for the pigs in a blanket. In the past I've made crescent dough for the pigs in a blanket but this recipe is easier and the cheese adds a nice touch.

 Cheesy Focaccia Dough
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
31/2 to 4 cups flour
1 Kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheese

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the sugar and let set for 5 minutes until the yeast begins to bubble. Add the salt and olive oil. Mix well.

Finally, add the cheese and flour, 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough four 5 to 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and let it rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

To make the pigs in a blanket, divide the dough in thirds. Roll each third into a large rectangle that is about 8 x 12 inches. Cut the dough into long strips and roll each strip around a hot dog. Set the wrapped hotdogs on a sheetpan to rise for 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

Pigs In A Blanket

Our meal choice today of old fashioned Pigs in a Blanket at the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral was very popular and even brought back some childhood memories.


As soon as volunteer Brad saw what we were cooking he smiled and said, "I haven't seen these since grade school."

I think I know why they were a popular grade school cafeteria item. They are crowd pleasing, they cook fast and they are easy to serve.

We made our Pigs in a Blanket with 100-percent beef Costco hot dogs and homemade crescent dough and served 350 meals.

Just to give you an idea of how much food we go through — I multiplied my crescent dough recipe by 27 and there was just enough dough leftover to make a few rolls after wrapping the hot dogs.

Here's the recipe:

Pigs in a Blanket

Crescent Dough
4 3/4 cups flour
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs

Combine 2 cups of the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Heat milk, butter and sugar in a saucepan until milk is warm and the butter is nearly melted. Let cool until warm.

Add milk to flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add eggs and whisk again.

Add enough of the flour to form a soft dough and knead until smooth and elastic.

Cover and let rise one hour or until double in bulk.

 To Assemble you need:

100-percent beef hot dogs
Extra flour for rolling the dough

Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Let the dough balls rest for 10 minutes.

Roll one half of the dough at a time into a 7x12 inch rectangle.

Use a knife to cut 1-inch strips of dough.

Roll each of the strips around a hot dog and place on a baking sheet.

Let the Pigs in a Blanket rise for 30 minutes.

Let the Pigs in a Blanket rise for 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: If you don't want to use all the dough for Pigs in a Blanket, make rolls with the remainder. Just shape them and let them rise for 30 minutes before baking.