Celebrate Life with Some Finger Food Classics

Welcome to the second Sunday in February. We all know what that means – it’s Super Bow Day! Okay, so we’re a little behind schedule by a week. But that’s okay because the first Sunday or second Sunday or last Sunday in February makes no different. Super Bowl is that one Sunday a year when the only thing that truly matters are the munchies.

This year is a little different in our house. For the first time ever Hubby has no interest in the big game or any Football game for that matter. Like more and more people these days, the NFL isn’t the end all of anything. And that’s okay, too. The food is still delicious, right? Watch the game. Watch the commercials. Have friends over for cards. It really doesn’t matter so long as you gather and have some fun.

Like most football munchie fans, we have our standard gotta have dishes that I make every year. It’s just not a Game Day party without deviled eggs and chicken wings. It’s all in how our favorites are presented on the Game Banquet Tables that elevates the dishes.

A warm taco dip is always welcome. To change things up, make the dip with chorizo for extra kick. Don’t stop there – serve the warm dip in a Football Bread Bowl and everyone will be wowed.

Pigs in a Blanket are another favorite. This year I’m making a simple yet tasty change. With almost no effort, the blanket is transformed into soft pretzels with mustard. What’s not to like? What’s that – not a fan of mustard? No problem. Use Cheese-wiz or ketchup or whatever you like.

In the past, I’ve done a full-blown Taco Bar. This year we’re going with mini tacos that are already assembled and ready to serve. Nothing beats finger foods and mini tacos are oh so delicious.

Enjoy!

Super Bowl Munch Favorites
Football Deviled Eggs
Spinach Dip
Touchdown Chorizo Bean Dip
Salted Beer Pretzel Pigs in a Blanket
Mini Taco
Crisp Baked Chicken Wings

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Football Deviled Eggs
16 Hard Boiled Eggs
1 cup Mayonnaise
3 teaspoons Mustard
3 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Salt to taste
Black Pepper as desired
Chives for garnish

Note: The type of mustard is a matter of personal choice and preference. Yellow, Stone Ground or Dijon-Style Mustard are all fine.

Tip: Boil 2 eggs more than required to fill serving tray. The extra eggs give more yolk filling, the extra whites allow for tasting and adjusting seasonings if necessary.

Place eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a full boil. Remove from heat, cover and let rest for 12-14 minutes. Drain, then plunge eggs into ice-cold water to cease the cooking process. The results will be a perfectly cooked egg with a sunny yellow yolk.

Once eggs are cool enough to handle, roll gently on counter to crack shells. Place into cold water, refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from water and peel. Water will work its way into shell, the result is an easily peeled egg.

Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Remove egg yolks and place yolks in food processor with mixing/chopping blade. Place 12 white halves on serving dish or egg platter. Select best of the halves.

Chop yolks until fluffy and resemble bread crumbs. Add mayonnaise and mustard and mix until creamy. Mix in red wine vinegar one tablespoon at a time and season to taste.

Spoon filling into egg white shells. Just before serving, garnish with chives to create football laces. If desired, place line serving platter with shredded lettuce for “field” effect.

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Vegetable Spinach Dip with Sourdough Bread Bowl
1 (10 oz) Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 can Water Chestnuts, chopped coarsely
3 Green Onions, Chopped
1 package Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix (dry)
1-1/2 cups Sour Cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 large Sourdough Bread Bowl
1 package Sourdough Baguette Slices

Thaw spinach. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible and place in a large mixing bowl, set aside.

Drain water chestnuts, coarsely chop and add to spinach.

Trim roots from the green onions. Chop onion bulbs, slice green top and add to the spinach mixture. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix dry soup with sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir until well blended. Pour soup mixture over the spinach mixture. Fold to blend well.

Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve; cut the top from a sourdough bread round. Hollow out bread, saving soft bread for dipping.

Fill sourdough bowl with vegetable spinach dip. Serve with torn pieces of bread and the baguette slices for dipping.

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Touchdown Chorizo Bean Dip
3 cans Pillsbury refrigerated French Bread
1 egg, mixed with a splash of water
1 lb Chorizo
1/4 cup White Onion, chopped
1 teaspoons Garlic, minced
16 oz Refried Beans
1/2 cup Sour Cream
2 blocks Pepper Jack Cheese
2 tablespoons Green Onions, chopped
1 Bag Tortilla or Corn Chips, scoop style for serving

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Unroll one tube of bread dough onto the prepared baking sheet.

Set another tube of bread, unrolled, on top of the first bread dough. Shape the unrolled bread dough into one-half of a football. Set the final tube of dough opposite, shape into other half of football. Press the seams together to seal.

Whip egg with a little water. Brush egg wash over the football shaped bread bowl. With a sharp knife or cutting wheel trim around the edge of the football, removing the extra dough.

Lay two strips of extra dough at the far ends of the football, tucking under the ball to secure.

Roll a long strip for the center of the football to create laces. Cut shorter strips for the “laces”. Lay on baking sheet.

Bake for 28 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. While the football bowl is baking, make the meat filling for the dip.

Heat a skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chorizo, cook and crumble as the meat browns, about 7 minutes or until cooked through.

While the meat is browning, chop onions and mince garlic set aside. Once the chorizo is cooked through, add onions and garlic to the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the refried beans and sour cream, cook for an additional 3 minutes or until heated through.

Cut Pepper Jack Cheese into small cubes. Add 1/2 cup of cheese to the meat mixture and continue to cook until well-blended. Remove from heat, cover and set aside. Dice green onions, set aside.

Once the bread bowl is ready, trim sides for more room. Fill with meat filling. Garnish with cubes of cheese and green onions. If desired, create football laces with cheese. Arrange filled bread bowl on a platter with chips for dipping.

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Salted Beer Pretzel Pigs in a Blanket
1 (8 oz) tube Crescent Roll Dough
24 Cocktail Little Smokies
1 Egg
1 (12 oz) bottle Beer
1/4 cup Baking Soda
Coarse Kosher Salt
Yellow Mustard

Note: If mustard is in a jar, place about 1/2 cup or so into a squirt bottle or into a pastry bag fitted with a fine point tip.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place a wire rack in another rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 narrow triangles. Place 1 sausage on shortest side of each triangle, opposite from point. Roll sausage in the dough, toward point.

In small bowl, whisk egg with 1 tablespoon of the beer until thoroughly blended; set aside.

In large microwavable bowl, microwave remaining beer uncovered on High 1 minute 45 seconds, just until hot.

Remove from microwave. Slowly add baking soda, stirring until baking soda is completely dissolved. Using metal tongs, dip each rolled crescent, one at a time, into beer-baking soda mixture. Remove, and place on cooling rack. Let stand at room temperature about 5 minutes.

Brush crescents with beer-egg mixture, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Carefully place on cookie sheet.

Bake in heated oven for 12 minutes or until tops are deep golden brown. Cool 2 minutes. On each, squeeze 1 line of mustard crosswise and 3 lines lengthwise to make laces of football. Serve warm.

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Mini Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream
Chipotle Sour Cream
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Chipotle Seasoning
1 pinch Jalapeno Pepper Seasoning

In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, seasoning and sauce for the Chipotle Sour Cream. Taste and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Seasoned Taco Filling
1 tablespoon Onion Flakes
1/2 cup Hot Water
1 lb Ground Beef
1/4 cup Flour
1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon New Mexican Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Mix dried onion with water in a small bowl and let stand for five minutes.

Combine ground beef, flour, taco seasoning, chili powder, paprika, and salt. Add onions and water. Mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes for the flavors to come together.

In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef mixture until browned. Stir often while cooking so no large chunks form; it should be more like a paste. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Mini Tacos
24 Street-size Corn Tortillas
1/2 cup Nacho Cheese Sauce
Vegetable Oil as needed

Note: You want to make 24 mini shells. You will need 12 regular size taco shells or 24 street taco shells. Any left-over meat can be used to make regular size tacos or burritos or added to scrambled eggs.

To create taco bites: Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut small circles from each tortillas. Spray the tiny tortillas with cooking spray on both sides. Warm the shells on a griddle just until pliable. Lay out a large sheet of foil on a cutting board. Line up the tortillas and begin to assemble.

Spread nacho cheese on each tortilla round. Spoon a small amount of filling down center, fold over and press lightly to seal. Repeat until all the tortilla shells are filled.

Lightly coat a skillet with just a little oil. Heat over medium heat. Working in small batches so as to not over-crowd skillet, fry tacos until shell is lightly brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. (If shell opens, press lightly with spatula to help keep the folded shape). Carefully turn the tacos and continue to fry.

Remove from skillet, drain on paper towels to soak up any grease. Arrange the bite-size tacos on serving platter and keep warm until ready to serve.

When ready, serve with chipotle sour cream. Tacos can be dolloped with a little of the sour cream or dipped, however you like.

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Crisp Oven Baked Wings with Dipping Sauces
Chicken Wings
1/3 cup Flour
1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
3 lb Chicken Wings

Heat oven to 425-degrees.Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray and set aside.

In a gallon resealable bag, combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Shake bag to mix ingredients. Add wings. Shake to coat wings. Spread wings out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Spray wings with cooking spray.

Bake for 30 minutes. Turn wings over and bake for another 15 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.

While the wings cook, make the Dipping Sauces.

Buffalo Dipping Sauce
1-1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1 cup Butter
3 tablespoons White Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
Salt to taste

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the hot sauce, butter, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Whisk often as the butter melts and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, remove the pan from the heat. Allow the sauce to cool slightly. Add a dash or two of salt, to taste.

Set aside until ready to serve.

Sour Cream Ranch Dip
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix
1 cup Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Chives

In a small bowl, mix dressing mix with sour cream. Set aside.

Snip chives, scatter over the dip mix. Fold to blend. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Final Touches
Celery Sticks

Arrange baked chicken wings on a large serving platter. Place bowls of dip on the platter. Arrange celery sticks as desired alongside the wings. Serve and enjoy.