Super Bowl!

I LOVE football, but the Super Bowl is especially fun because whether you pay attention to the game or are only watching for the commercials it is still a great excuse to make lots of yummy food! This year it was just my parents, Scott and I watching the game at my parents' house. We started with several appetizers and then had delicious beef sandwiches that my mom made. The following recipes were my contributions along with Buffalo Chicken Dip (which now has a picture in my post on 1/17/10).

Cheesy Football

One of my friends at work made this last year for the Super Bowl and it turned out so cute that I had to make it this year. I cut the recipe in half, since there were only four of us and I figured we did not need to consume 2 blocks of cream cheese and an entire bag of cheddar cheese. The recipe originally came from kraftfoods.com and it says this will serve 32 people if you make the full version, so keep that in mind. My mom and I really liked it, I don't think the guys touched it, they were too busy devouring the soft bavarian pretzels and cheese that my mom bought.

This is the full version of the recipe:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 pkg. (3 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
2 Tbsp. pimiento strips
Crackers

Beat cheeses and dressing with mixer until blended.

Add onions and pepper; mix well. Refrigerate several hours.

Form into football shape on serving plate; coat with bacon bits. Add pimento strips for "lacing."

Serve with crackers.

*I used low fat cream cheese, 2% milk cheddar cheese, reduced fat parmesan cheese and lite Miracle Whip, to cut down on some of the fat. I also put the cheese ball in plastic wrap right after mixing and shaped it into a football while it was in the plastic wrap.

Football Cakes

This is something I dreamed up in my head and if they didn't taste so good I would have considered them a complete disaster. I almost didn't share them with you since I was disappointed in the way they turned out, but that is what makes this blog fun, right? I know, you all want to see me make a complete disaster out of my kitchen.

My intent was for them to be similar to a Little Debbie cake, you know with cake in the middle and a coating on frosting on the outside? I started with a 9x13 pan and baked a white cake then used a football shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cakes. Then I took a tub of store bought chocolate frosting and melted it in the microwave. With the cakes on a wire cooling rack and a flexible cutting mat underneath (to catch the excess) I poured the melted frosting over the cakes. I didn't get very far so I scraped the excess back into the bowl and melted it again. This process repeated about 6 more times and I even opened a 2nd can of frosting and I just couldn't get them to look right. By the time I was done I had chocolate frosting everywhere.....all over the counter, all over me, on the floor, running down the cabinet.....it was a disaster! I let them dry overnight. The next morning they were still a little soft, but you could handle them.

If I ever made these again (and that is a very big IF) I would probably use a 10x15 pan so the cakes were thinner. I also have a recipe for a glaze that may have been easier than using melted frosting.

Favorite Party Recipes

As the Super Bowl approaches I thought I would post some of my favorite party recipes. I make these three recipes almost every time I have people over. I made all three for New Year's Eve, but that was before I got the idea to start this blog. Next time I make them I will take a picture and update this post.


Buffalo Chicken Dip

I got this recipe off of Dierbergs.com. It was one of the winners of a contest they ran before the Super Bowl last year. I made it for the Super Bowl party we went to because it sounded easy to make. When I told Scott what I was going to make he could not grasp the concept and kept asking me what he was going to dip his chicken wings in. The guys at the party devoured the dip and I barely got a taste. Scott even makes it for himself now and eats it as a meal.


1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup ranch dip
6 to 8 tbsp hot sauce (we use Frank's Red Hot - 6 tbsp is plenty for me because I am not big on spicy foods)
2 cups Oscar Meyer cooked chicken, finely shredded (we buy chicken breasts and cook it ourselves)
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips or crackers

Place cream cheese and ranch dip in medium bowl and stir to combine. (Scott swears it tastes better if you use a mixer, I can't tell a difference.) Add hot sauce. Fold in chicken. Spread over the bottom of pie plate & top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

We usually double the recipe so there are leftovers. :)


Mexican Dip

I got this recipe from a coworker and it is one of those recipes where it was good I tried it before I knew what was in it. I normally don't like cottage cheese, but you can't even tell that it is in here. Every time I make this recipe for someone new they ask for the recipe.

8 oz cream cheese
16 oz small curd cottage cheese
1 packet taco seasoning
8 oz jar chunky salsa
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
about 1/4 cup sour cream
about 1 cup shredded lettuce
3 diced roma tomatoes
3 diced green onions
1 small can sliced black olives-drained
tortilla chips

Cream cream cheese, cottage cheese and taco seasoning with a mixer. Spread in 9x13 dish and chill overnight. Spread salsa over cheese layer and top with shredded cheddar and drizzle with sour cream. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, green onions and black olives. You can also add jalapeño peppers on top if you like, or you can omit a topping you don't like, very versatile.

*I usually divide this amongst two 8x8 dishes that way I can keep one cold in the fridge while the other sits out during a party. I never put the black olives on it anymore because we experimented one time and put black olives only on half and no one touched that half, so I came to the conclusion that none of my friends like black olives. ;)


Party Mix




This recipe also came from one of my coworkers and I have to warn you that it is very addicting. Once you start eating it it's hard to stop! I don't follow the recipe exactly, but it is very versatile, so you can add or omit whatever you like. Don't get weirded out by the brown paper bag! Here is how I make it:

2 - 1oz envelopes ranch salad dressing mix (the powder stuff - I use Hidden Valley that comes in a two pack)
4 tbsp dried dillweed
1 box Krispix cereal
1 bag oyster crackers
1 bag pretzel sticks
1 container peanuts
1 box Cheez-its
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
brown paper grocery bag

In a very large bowl (I just use the paper bag), combine all snack items. Toss to mix. Sprinkle with dressing mix and dillweed. Toss to coat. Drizzle oil over mixture and toss to coat. Place mixture in brown paper bag and fold top of bag to secure. Let stand 2 hours moving bag to different sides every 15 minutes. (You may want to put something underneath the bag.) Store in airtight container.

You can use whatever types of snacks you like, Cheerios are good too!