Super Bowl Sunday Favorite Snack Recipes

JeffreyW's Awesome Nachos

JeffreyW’s Awesome Nachos

It’s almost Super Bowl Sunday, when you sit down to stuff your face with favorite snack foods, drink beer and watch the Super Bowl Commercials.  I think there is some football in there somewhere.

It seems to have become a tradition to repost these recipes, some of my favorites. I’ve added JeffreyW’s Hot Wings to the group. Click here for his deep fried wings (pictured above) and Bleu Cheese Dip. For all his Hot Wing variations, click here.

You can’t go wrong with nachos – easy and easy to pile high with your favorites ingredients.

Here’s a kinda healthy version: Black Bean and Corn Nachos, recipe here.

JeffreyW gets creative with his pizzas, here , herehere  and if you want to see them all, here (the man does love a good pizza).

For something a little different, Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe is here.

Now it’s your turn, what are you planning on making this Sunday and more importantly what beer are you serving?  Do you make chicken wings or buy them from a favorite place? Most importantly, Broncos or Panthers?

Tonight’s featured recipes – one traditional, one a bit more creative:

Quick and Easy Chili

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 3-5 Jalapenos finely chopped (depending on heat)
  • 1/2 green pepper chopped
  • 1/2 sweet onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped
  • Lg. can V8 Juice
  • 2 cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can Original Ro-Tel
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tsp cumin
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika

Brown ground beef and drain. Saute jalapenos, green pepper, onion and garlic. In large pot combine all ingredients bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for at least 30 minutes.

In my house we serve chili with fritos and shredded cheddar, layered in a bowl – fritos, chili, cheese and more fritos.

Slow Cooker instructions:  Following instructions above, add everything to slow cooker, cook on high for 15 minutes, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 6 to 8 hours.

Also, if you are serving at a party, you can cook in large pot above for 30 minutes and then transfer to slow cooker on low or warm to keep it hot during the festivities.

Looking for a little more kicked up chili? Check out JeffreyW’s Chorizo Chili here.

And my favorites to take to a party:

Basic Tortilla Pinwheels

  • 1 (8 ounce) package whipped cream cheese
  • 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup black olives, chopped (optional)
  • 3/4 cup chopped ham slices

You spread the ingredients on the tortillas, roll them up and slice them into 1 inch pinwheels. Couldn’t get much easier.

So how do we add some dazzle? Flavored tortillas and a variety of fillings.

Here are some ideas I had:

Jalapeño & Cilantro Tortillas and Black Bean Tortillas

  • Cream Cheese
  • Pickled jalapenos
  • Sliced green chilies
  • Turkey
  • Salsa
  • Black olives
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Roasted Red Pepper Tortillas and Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Tortillas

  • Cream cheese mixed with crushed roasted garlic
  • Spinach
  • Pepperoni
  • Grated Parmesan

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What will you be doing during the big game? Have any fun snack recipes to share? Don’t be shy, I’m always looking for something new and unusual.

I will have a Bixby/Scout update this weekend! And I have the makings for a post on how to overcome the winter cooking blues (when I really need to have some lighter, fresher dinner ingredients about this time of  year). Until then…



 

Spinach Lasagna: UPDATED

Lasagna snap3
UPDATE: JeffreyW took my original photo and played with it to tone down the gold and bring up the reds and it looks much better.  I ran it through Snapseed again to give it some flair and I think it’s better. You can compare it with the original below:
Lasagna snap2

If you click on any photo and then click on its title, you’ll get full size.

This was our Christmas eve main course. There was also garlic-cheese bread, a beautiful tossed salad and for dessert, a sundae bar with all kinds of toppings.

There were three of us playing with the camera, but no matter what, the pictures wanted to be golden.  Even with a white sheet for balance. So I finally went with it before the lasagna got cold.

It was good. The original recipe is here. I made the sauce on Friday. So on Monday all I had to do was put the lasagna together. I used Tinkyada rice noodles to keep it gluten free. I didn’t boil them first, so I cooked the lasagna at full temp for 45 minutes, then turned the oven down to 200 degrees and let it coast until the guests arrived (about 90 minutes). The noodles were perfect. Pulled it out and let it set while I toasted the garlic bread. Total prep time was about 30 minutes, including salad, bread and putting the lasagna together.

That’s what I call a stress-free dinner party.

Thursday Recipe Exchange: Super Bowl!

JeffreyW's Awesome Nachos look "super" in a "bowl"

It’s that time again.  Super Bowl Sunday, when you sit down to stuff your face with favorite snack foods, drink beer and watch the Super Bowl Commercials.  I think there is some football in there somewhere.  What’s on your Super Bowl party menu? Do you make your own snacks or go for the quick and reliable chips and dips?  Need some ideas for quick and easy snacks?

You can’t go wrong with nachos – easy and easy to pile high with your favorites ingredients. Here’s rather healthy (?) version: Black Bean and Corn Nachos,  JeffreyW gets a little more creative with his pizzas, here , here and here (the man does love a good pizza).

I’ll never turn down nachos, or pizza for that matter, but when I was thinking about favorite party foods, tortilla pinwheels came up pretty quickly.  So many things you can do with them. Four variations follow.

Now it’s your turn, what are you planning on making this Sunday and more importantly what beer are you serving?  Who has the best recipe for hot wings, a football must have food? (Up next week: Slow Cooker/Crock-Pot ideas)

Basic Tortilla Pinwheels

  • 1 (8 ounce) package whipped cream cheese
  • 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup black olives, chopped (optional)
  • 3/4 cup chopped ham slices

You spread the ingredients on the tortillas, roll them up and slice them into 1 inch pinwheels. Couldn’t get much easier.

So how do we add some dazzle? Flavored tortillas and a variety of fillings.

Here are some ideas I had:

Jalapeño & Cilantro Tortillas and Black Bean Tortillas

  • Cream Cheese
  • Pickled jalapenos
  • Sliced green chilies
  • Turkey
  • Salsa
  • Black olives
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Roasted Red Pepper Tortillas and Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Tortillas

  • Cream cheese mixed with crushed roasted garlic
  • Spinach
  • Pepperoni
  • Grated parmesan

Plain Tortillas and Whole Wheat Tortillas

  • Cream cheese
  • All-fruit style strawberry preserves
  • Crushed red pepper flakes

The list is endless, limited only by your creativity.

Cross-posted at Balloon-Juice.

Super Bowl Recipes: Quick and Easy Chili

I’m nursing a cold, so I put together a spicy chicken soup and let it slow cook all day.  It was the perfect dinner when I returned from work.  That was not the first recipe I was going to try.  I was going to try one of the many recipes I’ve stumbled on since I bought the new crock-pot.  It seems I have under estimated the usefulness of slow cookers and am now going to really explore some new ideas like meatloaf and scalloped potatoes – both favorite dishes that take too long for week nights when baked in the oven.  If you have any favorite slow cooker recipes, hit the comments, I’d love to hear them.

But until then, I put out a request on facebook for favorite Super Bowl recipes.  I was rewarded with some great ideas.   Well start with my oldest brother’s chili, including stove top and slow cooker instructions.

Chili layered with fritos and shredded cheese Photo fom Fritos.com

From Gary:

Quick and Easy Chili

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 3-5 Jalapenos finely chopped (depending on heat)
  • 1/2 green pepper chopped
  • 1/2 sweet onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped
  • Lg. can V8 Juice
  • 2 cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can Original Ro-Tel
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tsp cumin
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika

Brown ground beef and drain. Saute jalapenos, green pepper, onion and garlic. In large pot combine all ingredients bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for at least 30 minutes.

In my house we serve chili with fritos and shredded cheddar, layered in a bowl – fritos, chili, cheese and more fritos.

Slow Cooker instructions:  Following instructions above, add everything to slow cooker, cook on high for 15 minutes, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 6 to 8 hours.

Also, if you are serving at a party, you can cook in large pot above for 30 minutes and then transfer to slow cooker on low or warm to keep it hot during the festivities.

Did I Mention a Going Away Party?

So the birthday party morphed into a going away potluck.  And who is going away?  My boss and owner of the company.  For a long time.  Which lands most of the company duties in my lap.  Despite that, I made him the Baked Ziti.  Potluckers added salad, bread, soda and party supplies for a complete menu 🙂

I would have had a picture, but they dived in and started eating before I could get the camera.  Two pans of it are gone, so I’m going to say it was a success.   Cake worked out well, real pineapple flavor throughout.

I think I’ll be doing a lot of stress cooking this summer.  But that’s after I get back from the beach next week.  Until then….

That was fun…

Yesterday I had the opportunity to post a menu and recipe on Balloon-Juice.  It was fun for me.  When I first started What’s 4 Dinner Solutions, it was so much fun, creating recipes, sending them out and getting feedback from my recipe testers, sending them to my new members and getting emails back saying nice things.  I got to exercise my creativity and help people who felt intimidated in the kitchen.

Now, 4 years later, I still love running my web business, but I have a cookbook full of recipes and menus.  We no longer have recipe testing parties, where I feed very kind and patient friends sampler platters of recipes, eagerly awaiting their feedback.  It took a while to convince them that I wanted honest opinions, that my feelings would not be hurt if they panned a recipe.  I felt it better to have it happen among friends, so I didn’t sent out something awful to unsuspecting members.  I wanted the recipes and menus to be simple, full of flavor and as fool-proof as possible.  I like to feel I’ve achieved that goal.

After John asked me to post a menu, it started a whole lot of conversations at work, where the guys I work with were eager to share their favorite recipes with me.  And last night, with the posters on Balloon-Juice, the fun was back.  It like a virtual recipe testing party.  I look forward to hearing their feedback as they try last night’s menu.  That’s what this is all about for me.  And I also picked up a few new recipes from posters!  We have a lot of fun over there, talking politics, pets and food.

Okay, I’ll be looking for some Farmer’s Market recipes to post this weekend.  If you haven’t visited your local Farmer’s Market,  it’s great fun, supports the local economy and is filled with mouth-watering food.  Head out this weekend, you won’t be disappointed.

Until then…