Game Day Food

 

We love our football!!! 

This weekend we will be watching:
Auburn at Vanderbilt
Florida International at Troy
No. 1 Alabama at Tennessee

When football is in full season we love what we like to call "Game Day Food". Usually this is a buffet of appetizers or "finger foods" that guests and family can easily eat during the game. We also try to keep them as portable as possible so if we decide to tailgate at a game we can either make-ahead and reheat on a grill or cook in a crock pot. I have found these recipes either in my family cookbook or online (see links for original recipe). I often modify recipes to fit my family's tastes and these changes are in my recipes.
Many of these recipes are very basic, but I wanted to share them anyway.

Make-Ahead Meatballs

http://www.cozi.com/live-simply/recipes/make-ahead-meatballs

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb fresh ground sirloin (10% fat)
1 lb ground Italian pork sausage
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
4 eggs, beaten
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup Italian seasoning bread crumbs
3 tablespoons seasoned salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all wet ingredients in large bowl with hands, then add dry ingredients and mix well again with hands. (Texture should be slightly soggy to the touch but shouldn't stick to your hands.) Roll meatballs into 1-2 inch balls (depending on the size you like). This recipe makes 40-50 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil for easy clean up. Bake at 350 degree for 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 2-3 minutes to cool before removing, they will be easier to remove from pan.

Notes

Cook once, eat twice (or three-four times with this big batch!). Make these delicious, crowd-pleasing meatballs and freeze some so you have an easy meal down the road.

Pizza Rolls

http://whataboutpie.blogspot.com/2010/10/pepperoni-rolls.html

 

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pizza dough or thawed bread dough
Pepperoni (you may also use other toppings, ham/sausage/bacon/etc.)
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Pizza Sauce (optional)

 

 

Preparation

Roll dough out to approximately 11 x 11 square. Cover with pizza sauce, if desired, leaving an inch edge. Cover with Cheeses. Place pizza toppings on top. Roll into a roll. Bake at 375 degrees for approx. 15 to 25 minutes. Cut and Serve. You could make individual rolls for each member of the family.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/spicy-dr-pepper-shredded-pork/?print=1/#size3x5

Ingredients

1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 lbs
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven. Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan. Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in. Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours. Remove from oven when tender and pull the meat with two forks, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve.

Notes

I serve these with rolls for guests to make sliders. Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman, suggests BBQ tacos with her original recipe.

Crockpot Chicken Nachos

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/01/chicken-nachos-crockpot-recipe.html

Ingredients

2 cut up raw chicken breasts (or by ALL means, cooked and chopped!)
large package of Velveeta or other "cheese product"
1 can of tomatoes and chilies
Optional Ingredients: Sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, jalepenos,etc to put on top of nachos.

Preparation

Put raw chicken pieces in bottom of crockpot. Cover with cheese. Dump in entire can of tomatoes and chilies (that means don't drain). Cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3-4. Stir thoroughly and serve over your favorite chips. Set up a topping bar with with black beans, sour cream, jalepenos, or whatever else makes you happy.

Notes 

We also make a version of this with ground beef or ground sausage that is a big hit.


And for when we are wanting some sweets...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Ingredients

1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Preparation

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Sugar Cookie Mix

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preparation

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Softened Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Oatmeal Cookie Mix

Ingredients

1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 Cup Raisins and/or Nuts

Preparation

Mix together and store in a quart size ziplock bag.  Write instructions on the bag to add:  1 Stick Melted Butter, 1 Large Egg, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.  Mix, Refrigerate for 30 Minutes & Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.