Cocktail Wienies

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Super Bowl Sunday kicking into high gear shortly signals the end of football season for another 5-1/2 months. Come mid-August SEC football and pre-season games will be back in full swing and we're hoping this year will be a little brighter for Tennessee fans. A tailgating menu isn't complete without cocktail wienies! There are numerous variations, but here's how I fix mine:

• 1 bottle of Kraft Mesquite Smoke BBQ Sauce
• 1 small jar of grape jelly 
• 1/4 cup of mustard
• 1 large package Bryan Cocktail Smokies

In a crock pot or saucepan, mix all ingredients until blended well. Bring to a boil, stir well and let simmer on low. Keep warm.

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Super Bowl Sunday 2013

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Super Bowl Sunday Menu 2013 

49er's or Ravens fan? We don't care who you're pulling for, we just know we'll have some good food to cheer both teams on. 

I just realized several of these soups and appetizers have not been added to the blog and we've fixed them numerous times. I'll have to do something about that! The 2012 menu was a hit, but I think we have some good ones lined up for 2013.



Homemade Chicken Noodle SoupChiliHamburger (Vegetable) Soup Pannini grilled:Black Forest Ham & Swiss SandwichesBBQ Sandwiches

Beer Battered Pickle Chips
Red Pepper and Green Chili Roll Ups 


Veggie tray with Ranch dipSausage Balls

Sweets:
Chocolate Ice Cream Mini Muffins
 (Recipe suggested by MTSIG follower Shane Crick)Yellow Cake with Chocolate Icing
Adult Beverages: Blue Mystery Drink (I'm testing this one from Pinterest, but the name is just a little too far out to repeat in public. I think this may replace my Whipped Cream Vodka Creamsicle as a river sipping drink.)
  Bloody Mary's IBloody Mary's II(They are playing in New Orleans!) 

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Easy Nacho Casserole

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Yummy! Yummy! We love quick and easy on a work  night and these baked nachos fill the bill. There's no right or wrong when it comes to what to top them with. We just use whatever we have on hand. I like to make these the day after I make a big bowl of Rotel cheese dip. The dip and a little sour cream are the perfect finishing touch.

Easy Nacho Casserole

• 1 lb. Hamburger
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 large can green chilies
• 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can black olives, sliced
• Shredded cheese
• Tostitos chips
• Sour Cream (optional topping)
• Rotel Dip (optional topping)

Brown hamburger meat, drain fat. Add in refried beans and taco seasoning. Mix and heat thoroughly.  In a 9x13 casserole dish make a layer of chips. Top with meat and bean mixture. Top with chilies, tomatoes, olives and drizzle with Rotel dip or additional cheese.Add a layer of cheese.
Place in 350 degree oven until cheese melts.

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Chocolate Peppermint Bark

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This huge piece of chocolate is fresh from the freezer and ready to break up into pieces of "bark."

Chocolate Peppermint Bark

• 1 package white almond or chocolate melting bark
• Crushed peppermint (Or pecans)
• 1-2 tsp. Almond or peppermint extract

1. Melt chocolate in microwave or in a double boiler. 
2. Break up about 15 soft peppermint balls or 6-8 sticks of King Leo peppermint sticks.
3. Add extract and broken peppermint to chocolate and mix well.
4. Line a large pizza pan or baking sheet with waxed paper. Pour mixture onto pan and spread out to an even consistency. 
5. Place in freezer for one hour for chocolate to firm up.
6. Break up into 2-3 inch pieces.
7. Store in an airtight container. (This doesn’t have be kept refrigerated.)

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Spicy Cheese Log Rolled In Paprika

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Back before Christmas (to show you how behind I've been for months) Andy had been telling us about a cheese log his Mother used to make. We dug through her recipe book and couldn't find it. It wasn't long after that Blair came home from work with the following recipe. I thought it turned out great but Andy thought it didn't have enough heat. He remembered what his Mother made being spicier. The original recipe called for two teaspoons, so I bumped it up to four for the next time. You can adjust the heat to suit your taste.

Spicy Cheese Log Rolled In Paprika

• ½ lb. Velveeta cheese
• ½ lb. Sharp Cracker Barrel cheese,
• 4 tsp. hot sauce (or more)
• 4 oz. cream cheese

*All cheeses need to be at room temperature.
With hands, mix all cheeses together. Blend in hot sauce. (Season to taste.)Roll into a log.Roll in paprika. Refrigerate for several hours so cheese can be cut in slices.

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Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread

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  I still have quite a problem with my bananas turning dark brown or black before I can use them all.  I don't buy them for any other reason than to make smoothies, but somehow they always get the best of me.  I'm super picky about eating a banana as is (it has to be fairly unripe and slightly green, not too sweet or mushy), so I feel like it is always a race against the banana.


 A few weeks ago, there wasn't any chance that I would use the bananas before they were ready to be transformed into a baked good.  I've made just about every variation of banana bread there is ( I think I have made every Cooking Light version), as well as cakes, muffins, etc., so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I immediately decided it would be the perfect way to use my bananas.  I knew I could send it to work with my husband, so there were not any worries about it being eaten.

I never, ever use more that a 1-2 Tablespoons of oil when I make quick breads or muffins.  I discovered that low-fat buttermilk can be a wonderful substitute that has less calories, less fat, but still makes things moist and delicious.   I always use this method and I have never had any problem. 

 I did cut a slice of this bread for my kids to try and I had a small bite.  It was pretty good.  It could never dethrone my favorite banana bread recipe, but it was a fun twist.  And, my husband brought home an empty plate, so I know that it was enjoyed by quite a few people.



Here is the recipe for Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread 
* I used low-fat buttermilk in place of most of the oil, all but 1 Tablespoon
* The mini Reese's stuck to the bottom of the pan a little bit, so I had to get creative and make a glaze to cover some of the holes and spots I had to patch up.


  

Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs

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  In April, I drove to Washington D.C. with my children for Spring Break.  My sister lives there with her children and it is always so much fun to visit them.  We go on tons of outings and see so many amazing things when we are there.  It's pretty great that so many of the museums, the zoo, and so many other activities are completely free!

On Friday night, my sister took me on a Girls Night Out to Georgetown.  The first thing we did involved enjoying gelato at Dolcezza  ( I had blood orange and  meyer lemon;  my sister had salted caramel and apple cider), ate at a delicious pizza place (but I can't remember the name of it!) and then we did some window shopping.  Our first stop was Dean & Deluca. 

   I realize that some people might not find this type of store exciting, but let me tell you that I could've stayed in there all day long.  It was fascinating to see so many beautiful foods and packages.   You might be wondering at this point what any of this has to do with Homemade Spaghetti-O's and Meatballs.    Well, when we were wondering around Dean & Deluca, I just happened to spy a cute little bag of ring shaped pasta.  Anelloni to be exact.   I had to have those cute little rings.  I had been looking for them because this particular recipe was on my to-make list.  (I will let you know that I did not pay as much for them in the store as the price that is listed online).

I had found my must-have item and my sister was trying to decide what kind of treat to buy from the bakery section (She settled on a ginormous peppermint brownie that we shared the next day with both of our entire families-10 people- after a hike) .  We made our purchases and went on our way.

My little ring pasta made it back here to Georgia and this recipe was one of the first things I made for dinner once we were home.

I didn't grow up eating canned Spaghetti-O's, but when I got married, I discovered that my husband really liked them.  But only the ones with meatballs.  I haven't eaten them, but he usually has some on hand, in case of an emergency.   As soon as I saw this recipe on Tracey's blog, I knew I would have to try it, if for no other reason than just so my husband could compare the homemade taste to the can.  

This homemade version is pretty easy and actually quite tasty.  My kids really liked it and my husband seemed to enjoy it too.  I made extra mini meatballs and froze them, so next time we want this yummy dish, part of it will already be ready to go.




  Here is the recipe for Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs
* I used ground chicken breast for the meatballs