Fun Food for the Super Bowl

Jalapeño Popper Twists

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

½ cup sliced jalapeños, fresh or pickled

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 large egg (to brush on top of pastry)

Set your oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, blend softened cream cheese, shredded sharp cheddar, sliced jalapeños, and garlic powder until smooth. Roll out your thawed puff pastry to about ¼ inch thick, then cut it into strips about 2 inches wide. Spoon a generous amount of the cheesy filling onto one half of each pastry strip, fold over and twist each strip. Place the twisted bites on your prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with egg wash. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.

Field Goal Fiesta Dip

1 lb. ground beef

½ lb. Jimmy Dean Sausage (natural)

1 block Velveeta cheese (cubed)

4 oz. cream cheese (sliced)

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 can of Rotel 

1 packet taco seasoning

½ tsp. garlic powder

In a crockpot set to low heat, add Velveeta, cream cheese, cheddar and the can of Rotel. Allow to heat and stir occasionally. In a skillet, brown and finely chop ground beef and sausage. When browned, cover with taco seasoning and garlic powder. Cover with one cup of water or beer and allow to simmer and reduce. Once liquid is nearly gone, add to the crockpot. Allow to heat through for at least an hour, and serve with tortilla chips — On the Border brand is a family favorite. 

Spotlight Spinach Dip

 1 (10 oz.) package of frozen, chopped spinach (thawed, drained and squeezed dry) 

Note: Fresh spinach ground down in a food processor also works very well.

1 (14 oz.) can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. butter

⅔ cup Hellmann’s mayo

2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened close to room temperature

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup grated Asiago cheese

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 bag of flat pretzels or your favorite tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a 7 x 11-inch baking dish (or 9 x 13 if doubling the recipe). Set aside. Mince garlic and set aside. Drain can of artichoke hearts, chop them, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together artichoke hearts, spinach, cream cheese, grated cheeses and mayo until smooth. Set aside.

In a small skillet, melt butter and cook minced garlic for 1 min. Remove from heat, squeeze in lemon juice. Let cool for one minute, and then pour over ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix well, and spread contents evenly in the prepared baking dish. Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes or until the surface is lightly browned.

Touchdown Chili

 4 lbs ground beef (Costco is my preference)

2 cans Williams Chili Beans (medium)

1 can Williams Chili Beans (mild) 

(Note: You could add another can or two of either for a larger batch.)

¾ packet Williams Original Chili Seasoning (for 4 lbs) 

8 oz. can of Hunt’s Tomato Sauce

⅔ of a 6 oz. can of Hunt’s Tomato Paste

1 16 oz. can of Miller Lite beer

1 ½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. oregano

1 tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup honey

6 Tbsp. (half stick) salted butter

In a large crockpot, pour in the chili beans, butter, honey, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Sprinkle in ½ tsp. garlic powder. Lightly sprinkle salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Stir well, and cook in a crockpot on high for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to low. 

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, chopping finely into small pieces. When almost browned, sprinkle with 1 tsp. of garlic powder, ½ tsp. black pepper, ½ tsp. oregano and chili seasoning (¾ packet). Cover completely with beer. Stir in well and reduce heat to medium low, allowing contents to simmer and reduce. Give the ground beef another chop to fully incorporate seasonings with beer.

Once the beer is cooked in, pour the seasoned ground beef mixture into the crockpot. Mix with the beans, and then add the butter. Cover with the lid, but stir every 5 minutes until the butter is completely melted and incorporated into the chili. Allow the contents to heat in the crockpot for 1–2 hours. Note: extra chile makes a delicious and easy dip: just add hot chili to a pie dish (1–2 cups). Swirl in 2–4 oz. cream cheese. Top with shredded cheddar, and heat through, either in the oven or microwave. Top with crushed Fritos and serve with additional chips for dipping.