What Are You Watching at Half-Time?

One thing I know for sure about tomorrow’s Super Bowl, the NFL half-time show is going to be a hard pass. There are a number of other options available such as TPUSA – which is set to record so we can enjoy it at our leasure. And then there’s the Great American Rescue Bowl, also set to record.

Regardless of what we’ll be watching at Half-Time, the munchies are sure to please. I mean, is there really any other reason to watch the Super Bowl other than for the food and maybe those commercials? It sure isn’t for that that patriotic feeling anymore. Although with alternatives such as the Rescue Bowl you could make a difference in the lives of sheltered animals seeking a forever home. That’s always a plus.

Super Bowl Half-Time Munchies
Spicy Baked Barbecue Chicken Wings
Gotta Have Those Deviled Eggs
Spicy Fondue Cheese Dip
Dueling Smokies and Meatballs
Cheater’s Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce

Baked Barbecue Chicken Wings
1 cup Chicken Stock
3/4 cup Water
2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke
4 teaspoons Salt
3 lbs Chicken Wings
1 bottle Spicy Barbecue Sauce

In a bowl, mix chicken stock, water, liquid smoke and salt. Stir until salt has dissolved. Rinse chicken wings and place in a large casserole dish. Pour broth mixture over chicken and refrigerate for several hours.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove wings from marinade and place in a large bowl. Pour about 1/2 a bottle of barbecue sauce over wings, toss to coat well. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes. Turn wings over and continue to bake another 15 minutes or until cooked through. Heat remaining barbecue sauce in a saucepan. Place wings on a large rimmed serving platter. Pour warmed barbecue sauce over wings, toss to coat and serve with additional sauce for dipping.

Gotta Have Those Deviled Eggs
8 Eggs
2 tablespoons Baking Soda
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise or as needed
1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard or to taste
1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar or to taste
Salt to taste
White Pepper to taste
Chives for garnish

Tip: Boil 2 or 3 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.

To Boil eggs, place eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Add baking soda to the 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.

Tips for Peeling Hard-Boiled Eggs: 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. Farm Fresh eggs are difficult to peel. Try to buy your eggs at least a week in advance.

Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Remove egg yolks and place yolks in food processor with chopping blade.

Mix the yolks until fluffy and are fine grade resembling bread crumbs. Add mayonnaise and mustard and mix until creamy. Mix in red wine vinegar one tablespoon at a time and season to taste. Transfer yolk mixture to a bowl and chill until ready to fill.

Tip: The longer the yolk mixture is allowed to develop, the greater the flavor.

To assemble: Place egg white halves on serving dish or egg platter. Select best of the halves.

Spoon filling mixture into a piping bag fitted with desired tip. (I like the larger star for deviled eggs), then pipe into egg white halves. If desired, snip chives for garnish just before serving.

Spicy Fondue Cheese Dip
1 lb Chorizo Sausage or Pork Sausage
1 brick Velveeta Cheese
1 (10 oz) can Rotel Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Taco Seasoning to taste
Tortilla Chips or Strips for dipping

Cook meat in a cast iron skillet, breaking meat apart as it cooks. Drain well of all the grease possible. Wipe out any grease remaining in the skillet.

Cut Velveeta into cubes. Place in the empty skillet over medium heat. Stir while the cheese begins to melt. Add fire-roasted tomatoes to the cheese, continue to stir and blend together.

Once cheese is smooth, add meat. Season to taste with taco seasoning. Transfer dip to an electric fondue pot set on low or a crock pot. Keep warm. Serve with tortilla chips or strips for dipping.

Dueling Smokies and Meatballs in Oniony Barbecue Sauce
1/4 Yellow Onion
1 (18 oz) bottle Barbecue Sauce
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
16 oz Little Smokies Cocktail Sausage
16 oz frozen Mini Beef Meatballs

Cut a wedge from the onion. Peel and finely dice. Set onion aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat mix barbecue sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce and minced onions. Gently warm.

While the sauce warms, place Smokies and meatballs into two small side-by-side slow cookers. Divide the barbecue mixture between the cooker, pour over the Smokies and meatballs. Set cookers to high for 1 hour to heat through, then maintain at low setting while serving.

Cheater’s Shrimp Ring with Cocktail Sauce
1 packages Shrimp Ring with Cocktail Sauce
1 bottle High-Quality Cocktail Sauce
Horseradish to taste

Note: If the shrimp is frozen, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the package of cocktail sauce that came with the shrimp. Open and discard the pre-made sauce. Wash out the container and set aside.

In a bowl mix the good quality cocktail sauce with some prepared horseradish to taste. Fill the empty container with dip, reserving any additional sauce to refill as needed. Serve with shrimp and take all the credit, you’ve earned it.

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With all my heart I seek You;
let me not stray from Your commands.
Lord, teach me Your statutes.