Year of the Snake

Happy Chinese New Year.  Today begins the year of the snake.  In celebration, I'm sharing a simple recipe that Sal and I have made several times, snake bread.

1 can crescent rolls

Flour for dusting
4 tablespoons spicy mustard
10 ounces thinly sliced ham
12 ounces Monterey Jack, grated
Red and Green Liquid food coloring
1 egg
1 Pimento
Toothpicks
Olives
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Grease the foil and set aside.

Dust a flat surface lightly with flour. Spread out the crescent dough - do not separate. Pinch together the seams so that you have 1 piece of dough. Roll out to make a large rectangle. Make sure the dough is not stuck to the surface at all.

Lay ham down the center of the rectangle, leaving a 1 inch border on either end. You can feel free to use your favorite cold cuts.

Top the meats with the cheese. Fold 1 side of the dough over the filling, lengthwise. Then, fold the other 1/2 over and press the seal the filling inside. Take 1 egg yolk, and beat lightly with a fork. Brush the egg over the top of the dough. Divide remaining egg in ½ and put red food coloring in one and green in the other.  The yolk will act as the glue to hold. Fold the dough in 1/2 again lengthwise. Pinch the seam with your fingers to seal. Press the outside of the dough to make sure everything is sealed tight and to make an even thickness for the body of your snake. Taper 1 end of the dough to form a tail shape.  Form the other end into a head shape.

Using a clean paintbrush, "paint" the snake with the egg food coloring mixture.

Transfer the snake to the foil lined sheet tray. Form into an "s" shape so it looks like the snake is slithering. Insert 2 cloves into the head to look like nostrils.  Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes  or until golden.
Create a mouth or tongue with a pimento.  Cut olive in half and attach with a toothpick as eyes.  Put 3 olives on a toothpick for rattle if you wish to make it a rattle snake.  

Variation - We have also filled this with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese and a little pizza sauce making it a calzone.  You can fill it with what ever you like.

It is a rainy day here today.  We need the ground water so the Chinese New Year is starting off well.  Good day to stay inside and make snake bread.

Be happy and may God bless you and yours.