Super Bowl Sweets

So I know you've been drooling all week over all these savory munchies. Did you forget one very important thing? Sweets! All the traditional foods you make on Super Bowl Sunday involve wings, dips, meatballs, etc. At the end of all that savory food, you may just want a bite of something sweet.

Frosted Brownie Pizza

Ingredients:

Crust:
1/2 c. butter (no substitutions)     2 1 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate     1 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour                                   2 eggs, beaten

Frosting:
1 c. confectionery sugar        1/3 c. peanut butter          1 1/2 tsp. vanilla     2-4 tbsp. milk

Topping:

Taste of Home suggestions the following, but honestly I think you could use whatever your favorite candy and nuts are - just make sure they are in bite size pieces.

3/4 c. plain M&Ms     1/2 c. flaked coconut, toasted     1/2 c. chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:

1. Melt butter, chocolate and sugar. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in flour until smooth.
3. Add eggs and beat until smooth.
4. Spread on a greased pizza pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool completely.
6. In a mixing bowl, beat sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and milk.
7. Spread over brownie crust. 
8. Top with desired coconut, candy and nuts. 

Slice this up Donato's style and you have quick sweet bites to counter all the savory goodness of the day.

As always, have fun!

Super Bowl Eggplant?

My weird food issues are legendary. I've already written about mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables and the fact that I didn't eat eggs or tuna until my teenage years. I won't grace these pages with either my cheez-its story or oatmeal. 

But one thing I've always liked was eggplant. In fact, eggplant parmesan was one of my favorites at the Chateau! As I've gotten older, I find myself trying eggplant in all sorts of dishes. I even got Jeremy to try and like it! That brings me to the vegetarian's favorite dish for Super Bowl!

Grilled Eggplant and Garlic Dip

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants (app. 2 lbs.)     2 tbsp. lemon juice     2 large garlic cloves     
2 tbsp. plain yogurt       1 jalapeno, seeded        tsp. salt     1/2 c. parsley        2 tbsp. tahini

Directions:

1. Broil eggplants 2 minutes on all sides. The skin will darken a little and begin to smell smoky, adding lots of flavor to the dip.
2. Turn broiler off, but do not remove eggplants from the oven. Heat oven to 375 and roast eggplants 25 to 30 minutes, or until very soft. Cool 10 to 15 minutes until easily handled.
3. Process the garlic, jalapeno and parsley until minced.
4. Add the flesh of the eggplants. Discard the skin.
5. Add tahini, lemon juice, yogurt and salt.
6. Process the mixture until just combined.
7. Serve immediately.

 It goes great with pita chips or flatbread or pita bread. You could even use crackers if you wanted. My personal preference is pita chips. I find them very addictive!

As always, have fun!

Super Bowl Jalapeno Popper Pulls

I'm sure you have heard of monkey bread, that sweet and sticky bread pieces baked with cinnamon. How about a version of that bread that is savory and not sweet? A bread that tastes just like a delicious jalapeno popper? Well here it is!

Ingredients:

2 cans of biscuits     8 oz cream cheese     2 tbsp jalapeno juice     1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c. diced jalapenos     3 tbsp. bacon bits     1 c. your favorite shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Chop biscuits and layer in a bundt pan.
2. Mix cream cheese, jalapeno juice and garlic powder.
3. Spread on biscuits.
4. Sprinkle jalapenos and bacon bits.
5. Continue layers until full and top with shredded cheese.
6. Bake at 350 for however long the biscuit container suggests.

This dish is best served warm. Get it prepped before game time and then you can put it in the oven whenever a timeout hits right. You can spice it up or down based on your preference. I use pepper jack cheese to add to the flavor. I know lots of people say carbs should be eliminated but I just can't resist them!

As always, have fun!

Super Bowl Enchilada Meatballs

Ole! It's time to move our Super Bowl party from a bacon fiesta to a Mexican one. 

I'm back to one of my staples. Meatballs. I have tons of meatball recipes...Italian, Mexican, Asian: I've probably seen them all! 

Enchilada Meatballs

Ingredients:
2 c. crumbled corn bread     1 can enchilada sauce     1/2 tsp. salt     1 can tomato sauce
1 lb. ground meat                 1/2 c. shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Combine bread, 1/2 c. of enchilada sauce and salt.
2. Add ground meat and mix well.
3. Shape into balls and bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes.
4. Heat tomato sauce and remaining enchilada sauce together.
5. Top the meatballs with sauce and cheese.

Though these are baked in the oven but once they are done, you can keep them warm with their sauce in a crockpot and enjoy them throughout the game.

As always, have fun!

Super Bowl BBQ Chicken Bombs

Hosting a Super Bowl party? Going to one and need to bring an appetizer to share? You've come to the right place. Tune in this week for a new recipe each day. I've tried to pick a variety of relatively easy things you can make that are in small portions, whether a dip, an appetizer or even a pizza.

BBQ Bacon Chicken Bombs

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts     1 lb. bacon     1 c. your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar     toothpicks

Directions:

1. Pound out the meat with a mallet. Cut it into 1-2" wide strips.
2. Cut the package of bacon in half.
3. Take one strip of bacon and lay a strip of chicken on top of it.
4. Roll the bacon/chicken up and secure with a toothpick.
5. Repeat until all chicken is done.
6. Place the chicken/bacon rolls on a cookie sheet.
7. Top the chicken with brown sugar and bbq sauce.
8. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350.
9. Turn them over and cook again for another 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

These chicken bites are very addictive. The recipe is simple enough for you to double or triple safely for a large crowd or if you just can't resist popping a bunch at one sitting.

As always, have fun!