SPICY CHARIZO SPREAD - Recipe

This is a great Appetizer that I threw together not long ago.  We had been traveling in our RV, and had stopped at a campground in Virginia, near where we grew up, to visit friends and family.  We invited a few old friends down to sit around a campfire, and have Dinner with us.

I made this recipe from ingredients we had in the RV, including the Charizo, that I use often in my Red Beans and Rice recipe.  It has little spicy and sweet surprises with each bite, and is very popular with our guests, when we serve it.

INGREDIENTS:

2    8-oz. pkgs.     Cream Cheese

1-1/2        each     Charizo Sausages

3             tbs.       Pineapple, drained and minced

3             tbs.      Craisins (or raisins), finely chopped

1             large     Jalapeno, de-seeded and finely chopped

1/2          tsp.       Cayenne Pepper powder

2            tbs.        Cholula Hot Sauce

4            tbs.        Walnuts, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1-    Chill the Cream Cheese.

2-    Peel and fry the Charizo sausage, cutting it into smaller and smaller pieces until the meat has the consistency of a fine Hot Dog Chili.

3-    Remove from the heat, and drain all grease away.

4-    Drain the Pineapple, and press firmly in a paper towel to remove as much of the liquid as possible, then mince the Pineapple finely.

5-    Mince the Cranberry Raisins, and Jalapeno Peppers finely.

6-    Spread the Cream Cheese in a mixing bowl, and add all of the minced ingredients, to the cheese

7-    Then add the Cayenne Pepper and Cholula Hot Sauce and mix everything together until it is well blended.

8-    Place plastic wrap or wax paper into a shaped bowl, and sprinkle the Walnuts on the bottom and sides.

9-    Press the cheese mixture into the bowl, cover, and chill in the fridge until needed.

10- Serve on a platter surrounded with the cracker or toasted breads of your choice.

11-  

STORAGE:

This one can be made up to several days ahead of time if stored in a sealed container in the fridge.