Superbowl Round Up

Superbowl Sunday is in a few days! I have no earthly idea which teams are playing, but I know there will be balls and sweaty men wearing tight uniforms playing catch. Football is not my thing, but eating yummy foods at Superbowl parties is! I've compiled several recipes, both sweet and savory, that I've made over the years that are simple and great for feeding crowds. Here they are in no particular order. 

One-Bowl Brownies- Basic homemade brownies, with or without nuts that come together in s snap.  

Goldfish Bowl Bites- These goldfish crackers are coated in butter and Ranch seasoning. Addicting and great for snacking. 

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip- Gooey, cheesy and warm form the oven. Tasty with crackers, chips or veggie dippers. 

Soft Pretzels- I could eat these everyday. I love a warm, chewy pretzel. These are versatile and can be made  into a sweet or salty treat. 

Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers- Two ingredients. Ready in 10 minutes or less. Sweet and salty- yes, please!

Motherload Cookie Bars- These bars have something for everyone. 4 layers of cookie dough, together in one bar, then drizzled with chocolate. mmm!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs- These pizza puffs are the most popular recipe on my blog, thanks to Pinterest. Pepperoni not your thing? Use sausage or veggies. 

Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Bars-  No bake and fuss free. marshmallows combine with creamy peanut butter to coat crunchy cereal. 

Aunt Nette's Scramble Dogs- My blog friend Jeanette used to make these scramble dogs. It's like a decomposed chili dog with the crunch of oyster crackers, served in a bowl. Messy man food!

Sopaipilla Cheesecake Bars- If you love cinnamon sugar and cheesecake, these are for you! Make them the day before you need them. 

Baked Corn Dog Muffins- I love corn dogs but don't eat them often because they're deep fried and no so healthy. These use cornbread and your favorite wieners and are baked in muffin tins. 

Bruschetta Burgers- Probably one of my favorite burgers ever. The garlicky tomato topping and the pesto mayo make these special. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip- The name says it all. Buffalo chicken flavors in a dip!

Cheesy Ranch BLT Dip- Cheese. Ranch Dressing. Bacon. Spinach. Tomato. On warm crusty bread. I could eat this hot dip as a meal. 

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork- Let the crockpot do the work for you! Juicy, spicy shredded pork sandwiches.

Ham and Swiss Sliders- These are fun and simple and both kids and adults like them. Toast them in the oven to melt the cheese and the buttery mustard topping soaks into the bread. Ohhh! 

Chocolate Sybil Cake- Also known as Texas Sheetcake. Chocolate cake, topped with rich chocolate frosting them sprinkled with pecans. Heaven help me. 

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Hope you guys eat well this weekend. What are you planning on making?

A Dip Recipe and A Chinet Bakeware Giveaway!

The month of November has slipped on by me without me noticing it. How is it possible that Thanksgiving is next week? It was 82 degrees here a couple days ago and I've been seeing Christmas stuff filling up the stores. It just doesn't feel right. I'm not ready! Surely I'm not the only one? I'd love to have a lineup of Thanksgiving sides and dessert ideas for you, but that's just not going to happen. Instead I have one delicious dip for you that you can serve to your guests while watching the ball game and enjoying a cold beer. That's better than green been casserole, any day. 

I was asked by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board to come up with an original idea for a dip containing dairy. I brainstormed a bit with my mom and my friend Maranda, from Jolts and Jollies and we came up with  this Cheesy Ranch BLT Dip. It's loaded with spinach, tomatoes, bacon, held together with a healthy serving of Mozzarella and cream cheese and seasoned with Ranch dressing and fresh garlic. Served atop a a sliced baguette, this was like the classic sandwich kicked up a few notches. Maranda and I came up with several ideas for dips that we wanted to make so she decided to throw herself an impromptu birthday party and asked people to bring a dip along with them. I brought two dips- this hot BLT dip and Mr. H :-) It was great fun, we laughed, made new friends and no one went home hungry- Happy birthday Manna!

Cheesy Ranch BLT Dip from Monica h

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Serves 8

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 box (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 oz. (2 cups) Mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup diced tomato, seeded
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 3 Tablespoons Ranch dressing powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Dice bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and cook over medium-high heat til crisp. Remove bacon from the grease with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. 

In a large bowl, combine spinach, cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups of the grated Mozzarella, cooked bacon, mayonnaise, tomato, garlic and Ranch dressing powder. Using a rubber spatula, mix until well combined. Scrape mixture into the prepared dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with the remaining half cup of Mozzarella. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Serve with a sliced baguette or crackers. 

Earlier this year, I did a review of Chinet Bakeware and loved it. Anytime I have a gathering to go to or if I'm taking a dish to a friend, I now bake it in these wonderful pans. You can read my review of the product HERE, if you'd like. Since the holidays are right around the corner, Chinet has graciously offered to give one of my readers a set of disposable Chinet Bakeware. One lucky reader will receive a set of each of the sizes pictured in the photo above. 

All you have to do is tell me what your favorite Thanksgiving food is by leaving me a comment on this post. Please leave a way for me to contact you if you win. I will select a winner this week. Offer valid to residents of the USA only. Good luck!

The Big Dipper

I saw this quick and easy Buffalo Chicken Dip on Latest Addictions a couple months ago. It caught my eye because it was so unusual and simple. She served hers in a bread bowl which I thought was such a great idea. However I know my family and once the dip was done, they'd toss the soggy bread in the trash so I opted for a colorful bowl instead. I also used a different hot sauce because it's what I had on hand. I know that doesn't make it "buffalo" flavored, but it was still good.

This dip was quite tasty and quick! The reason I made it is because my mom invited us over to her house for dinner at the last minute. She asked if I could bring something so I brought my Key Lime Frozen Yogurt Sammies. Then she asked if I could also bring something that wasn't sweet and I only had an hour to figure something out. I ran to the grocery store with this recipe in mind but I knew I wouldn't have time to defrost, cook, cube and cool chicken so I picked up a package of precooked, cubed chicken from the deli.

My husband loved it because he likes the flavor of buffalo wings but he doesn't like to get his hands dirty and saucy. My only complaint was that it was hard to scoop up the chunks of chicken with the bread. Maybe a bread stick or cracker would work a little better. Next time I will use fresh chicken and homemade ranch dressing for a fresher flavor. Overall the dip was wonderful. Thanks Finsmom!

Buffalo Chicken Dip adapted from Latest Addictions

• 1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
• 1 regular sized bottle of ranch dressing
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 5 ribs of celery, cut into strips (for dipping)
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped*
• Frank's Red Hot sauce, to taste**
• 1 large loaf French bread, cubed

Place cream cheese and ranch dressing in a large bowl and mix well. Add hot sauce to taste. Stir in chicken and chopped celery.

Serve dip in bowl, with bread cubes and celery strips for dipping.

NOTE: *I used Cholula hot sauce instead of Frank's Red and **I used precooked and cubed deli chicken.

Happy Columbus Day!

Okey Dokey Artichokey!

This recipe comes from Kraft Food & Family magazine. I was going to link to the site where you can sign up to get the magazine because it used to be free, but now they charge for it! I still get the magazine without having to pay for it, maybe because I've been subscribed for so long, but now it's $12 for a year :-( That's still not a bad price, but I was hoping to hook you all up. Sorry.

Anyway, I've made this recipe a few times. It's so simple and comes together rather quickly. So easy that even my husband who only makes sandwiches and cinnamon toast can make it and has! And he prides himself on it too. That's how good, easy and impressive it is.

Make it this weekend for your Memorial Day BBQ or potluck. Everyone will love it- I promise!



Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
from Kraft

1- 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1- 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients; spoon into 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through. Serve with crackers and assorted fresh cut vegetables.


NOTE: I used a red pepper blend parmesan cheese for a spicier version. If you want it hot, you can add a few pinches of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
I also added a topping to add a little crunch. I mixed 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs with a heaping tablespoon of mayo, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on top before baking.

Have a good, safe and cheesy weekend!