Superbowl Snackin'

Whew!! We've had a week of serious Superbowl Cooking! I have to admit that we're not watching it but I had to come up with some ideas for Peanut Butter & Julie & The Recipe Girl's Superbowl Showdown contests! Here's what we've posted this week:

50-Yard Fiesta Dip

Champion Crayons
False Start Fun Fondue
Touchdown Taco Pockets
Time-Out Taffy
Finger Lickin' Fruit Dip

50-Yard Fiesta Dip

Need a quick, delicious, but healthier football food for this weekend? Try out this easy & oh-so-yummy dip! You can serve it with chips, or I cut up whole wheat tortillas into football shapes & baked them w/ a little salt. Either way, you'll see this disappear before you can say "Touchdown!"

50-Yard Fiesta Dip

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) Great Northern Beans or Navy Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) Corn, drained
3/4 c. red salsa, any kind
2 C. shredded cheese (I used Kraft 2% Mexican Blend)
1 jar (16 oz) Pace Tequila Lime Salsa (or salsa verde if you can't find it)
1 package (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. light sour cream

Whole Wheat Tortillas & Sea Salt (optional--these are for the "football crisps" or you can just use chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix Black Beans, Great Northern Beans, Corn, Red Salsa, and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Spread in a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until warm and bubbly. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes.
While dip is baking, place a stack of tortillas on a cutting board and cut out football shapes. Spread on a greased cookie sheet and spray tops with cooking spray. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes until crispy.

After dip has cooled for 5 minutes and set a little bit, gently spread Pace Tequila Lime Salsa over the top. In a gallon ziploc freezer baggie, mix cream cheese and sour cream. Snip an end off the bag and pipe on yard lines and hash marks. If the mixture is too thick to pipe out, add a little more sour cream. Hike!

Champion Crayons

Ever since I made Edible Crayons last Valentine's Day, they've been a staple around here. They're so easy to make and look so cute--the kids (and adults) love them! So, we made a few to keep "score" this weekend...can you tell who we're rooting for?:) Don't worry, I made labels for you Cardinal fans, too. Simply print on colored paper (not cardstock, it's too hard to roll around the pretzels), cut, and wrap. These are honestly so easy, my 4 year old makes them all the time and they look great!

Click here for Edible Crayon instructions.

Download crayon labels for the Steelers here.

Download crayon labels for the Cardinals here.

False Start Fun Fondue

We've all had cheesey chili-dips at football parties, why not stir things up a bit and make a Fun Fondue with all the fixins'?

False Start Fun Fondue
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
1/2 c. apple juice
2 T. green onion, chopped
dash pepper
dash paprika
whole wheat bread (I used Arnold's Dark Wheat)
white american cheese slices or string cheese
raw vegetables, cut up in bite-sized pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut Velveeta in chunks and place in medium saucepan with garlic, apple juice, pepper, paprika, and 1 T. green onion (reserve the rest of the onion for garnish). Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.

While fondue is cooking, lay out whole wheat bread on cutting board and cut into football shapes (2 footballs per slice).

Place on a cookie sheet and place american cheese or string cheese on top to make "laces". Bake at 400 until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Place fondue in a bowl and garnish with remaining green onion. Place "football toast" and cut up vegetables around the bowl and serve!

Touchdown Taco Pockets

It's Superbowl Time! You still have time to enter The Recipe Girl's or Peanut Butter and Julie's Superbowl Recipe Smackdown! Pick your favorite and give a shot! Both sites are great, by the way, if you need some fun cooking ideas.

When feeding a crowd, I look for three things: Cheap, Easy, and Delicious. I created these fun pockets that are a snap to whip up for any football game. Enjoy!

Touchdown Taco Pockets
makes 10

Ingredients:
4 cans refrigerator biscuits (any kind)
1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
water
shredded cheese
optional garnishes: lettuce, sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef in a medium skillet. Add taco seasoning and water as directed on package. Cook as directed. Remove from heat.

On a cutting board, place 2 biscuits together and roll out into an oval with a rolling pin. Repeat with another 2 biscuits. Place a spoonful of taco meat and a spoonful of shredded cheese on one of the rolled out biscuits and place the other oval on top. Using a fork, press around edges to seal. Take a sharp knife and cut out a football shape. Make "laces" on top of the football with the scraps (see video tutorial).

Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 8-12 minutes until done. Serve up with your favorite taco fixins'.

Time-Out Taffy

Sometimes the kids (and adults!) need a little something to keep their hands busy during a football game. How about some good ol' fashioned taffy? It's super-easy to make. You can color it your team's colors and send it home as a souvenir treat! Yum!

Time-Out Taffy
Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Flavoring and coloring as desired

Directions:
Place sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt into a medium saucepan and mix well with a wooden spoon. Place over low heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring continuously. Increase the heat and do not stir during the rest of the cooking. Wash the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water, using an upward motion. This will prevent the formation of crystals which might cause the candy to sugar. After the syrup boils put in the candy thermometer, and when the thermometer registers 265 degrees, remove candy from heat. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you'll know it's done when you drop a little bit into cold water and it becomes brittle. Remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons butter and stir very gently. Divide into however many flavors you want to make and set aside until it's cool enough to handle.

Now for the taffy pulling! Grease hands generously with a stick of unsalted butter to prevent the fresh taffy from sticking to fingers. (you can use cooking spray but it doesn't taste as good)Instruct your taffy pullers to use only their fingertips to lift the edges of the warm, flowing candy up, and then to pull out about 12 inches. Then, they’ll quickly fold the taffy back from the one hand to the other, catching the center, and then pulling again.

If you’re adding food coloring and flavoring, pause briefly after a few pulls to add a drop or two to the mixture, folding the mixture over on the color and flavor. Any food coloring will do and any flavoring oils you want (we like peppermint and raspberry).

When your taffy is very hard to pull and holds its shape when laid out on a platter, it’s ready to cut into pieces. Rub a pair of kitchen scissors with unsalted butter, and then cut the hardened taffy into bite-size pieces. Wrap in squares of plastic wrap or wax paper. Or, just place on a platter and serve them up! Enjoy!

Finger Lickin Fruit Dip

This fruit dip is FABULOUS, I've tried all different kinds and this one is definitely our favorite. It is SO EASY and it's my "go-to recipe" for get-togethers. Enjoy!

Finger Lickin' Fruit Dip

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 limes
green food coloring, optional
Fresh Fruit

Directions:
Using fine grater, scrape the zest from two of the limes. Place in a bowl. Squeeze juice from all three limes into bowl. Add can of sweetened condensed milk. Add one drop green food coloring (optional--it just looks nice:)) and stir well. Refrigerate at least one hour until set. Serve with your favorite fresh fruit and enjoy!