By Brianna's week. Mid-December. The plant did a half-day Friday before Christmas. I had the time off. Used Friday to clean the basement catering area. Used Saturday to wrap presents for the kids.
Wednesday I made roast pork loin for myself — herb-crusted with rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, dijon mustard, finished with a pan sauce of white wine and chicken broth and butter. Sliced thin over mashed potatoes with a side of roasted carrots.
Saturday I had no catering. Sunday at Mama's. Pop was tired. Cheryl had been worried about him Tuesday night when his sugar dropped low. He came around fast. The doctor adjusted the meds again. Cheryl handles all this with the practiced grace of a woman who has been a caregiver her whole life.
I had already done the serious cooking that week — the pork loin was for me, something deliberate and quiet on a Wednesday when I needed to feel grounded. But by the time Sunday at Mama’s rolled around and Pop was still tired and Cheryl was still carrying everything, I didn’t want to show up with something that asked too much of anyone. Little Pigs in a Hammock are exactly that kind of recipe — small, warm, a little playful, the kind of thing that gets passed around without ceremony and makes people feel taken care of without making a fuss.
Little Pigs in a Hammock
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 8 (about 24 pieces)
Ingredients
- 1 package (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 24 cocktail sausages or mini smoked sausages
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the mustard glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the Dijon mustard and honey until combined. Set aside for dipping or brushing.
- Prep the dough. Unroll the crescent dough on a clean surface and separate along the perforations into triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 long, narrow strips, giving you about 24 strips total.
- Season the strips. Lightly dust the dough strips with garlic powder and smoked paprika.
- Wrap the sausages. Place one cocktail sausage at the wide end of each dough strip. Roll the dough snugly around the sausage, stretching slightly as you go, and press the tip to seal. Place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart.
- Apply egg wash. Brush the tops lightly with beaten egg. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt over each one.
- Bake. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until the dough is puffed and deep golden brown and the sausages are heated through.
- Serve. Transfer to a platter and serve warm with the honey-mustard glaze on the side for dipping.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 480mg