Stuffing-Filled Pigs In A Blanket Will Fill You With Stuffing Until You're Stuffed

Welcome to Snacksgiving, where we bring you classic Thanksgiving dishes in the form of poppable, dippable, shareable bites.

Pigs in a blanket are, without question, one of mankind's greatest inventions. As a child forced to go to many boring weddings and other catering hall events, I learned that the best place to spend cocktail hour was near the entrance to the kitchen, so I could quickly accost every server who carried out those tasty little nuggets before any of the adults could get their grubby mitts on them. When I myself worked at an upscale catering company in Brooklyn, I learned that the allure of pigs in a blanket was both ageless and classless. They'd be requested on every cocktail party menu; we'd always need to make twice the amount of any other appetizer requested; and our servers would rarely make it more than a few feet from the kitchen door before they came back with a completely ravished tray. Old or young, rich or poor, fancy or schmancy, pigs in a blanket are beloved by all.

There was no way I could possibly put together a Snacksgiving celebration and not put some sort of pig in a blanket on the table. Hot dogs might not have a place on the traditional Thanksgiving table, but in plenty of homes sausage stuffing sure does, and I could definitely make a sausage packed with stuffing flavors in teeny-tiny-weenie form. Wrap it in crescent roll dough (which itself is a holiday staple for plenty of people) and you've got stuffing you can stick in your pocket or hold in your hand. It is truly a feat of Thanksgiving engineering.

Makes 24 lil' piggies

• 1 medium carrot
• 2 medium celery stalks
• 5 scallions, white parts only
• 5 large white button mushrooms, stems removed
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. chicken or turkey base paste, such as Better Than Bouillon
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 Tbsp. ground sage
• 1 egg
• 1 lb. loose country sausage
• 1/2 6-ounce box stuffing mix, crushed into rough breadcrumbs
• 3 4-ounce (4 count) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

Roughly cut the carrot and celery into small pieces, then place in a food processor with the mushrooms and scallions and pulse until the vegetables are minced into tiny pieces.

Heat the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the vegetable mix with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in chicken base, pepper, and ground sage, and cool completely.

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In a large bowl, whisk the egg well until smooth, then add the sausage, crushed stuffing mix, and sauteed vegetables. Mix well, then portion out into 24 pieces—roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Roll into sausage shapes about 1" thick. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with either baking parchment or foil sprayed with a bit of cooking spray.

Cut each crescent roll in half lengthwise, then roll each around a sausage piece and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with cups of gravy and cranberry sauce on the side for dipping.