Winning Recipes for the Big Game

No matter which team you are cheering for in the Big Game - these recipes are sure to make your party a winner!

Meatball-Stuffed Garlic Bread Sliders

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Additional Time: 5 min

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

Servings: 18

2 T. olive oil, divided

1 yellow onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced, divided

1 lb. ground beef

2 T. chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish

1 large egg

1/4 C. plain bread crumbs

1 C. shredded fontina cheese, divided

2 tsp. salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

3 T. unsalted butter

18 dinner rolls

2 C. spicy tomato sauce

2 T. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Place beef in a large bowl. Add onion-garlic mixture, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, and 1 large handful of fontina cheese, reserving the rest for topping. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix by hand until just combined. Scoop meat mixture into 24 mini muffin cups; meatballs need not be perfectly round.

Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers, about 12 minutes. Leave oven on. Let meatballs cool briefly while you make the garlic butter.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining minced garlic once butter starts to bubble; stir, then immediately remove from heat. Stir well and set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat foil with remaining olive oil. Transfer rolls, still attached, to the baking sheet. Cut a hole in the top of each roll, about 2/3 of the way down. Brush garlic butter over the insides and outsides of the rolls.

Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Pour about 1 T. tomato sauce into each hole. Stuff meatballs into the holes. Top each roll with a spoonful of tomato sauce and remaining fontina cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Continue baking until cheese is melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with more parsley. Let rolls sit for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up; transfer to a serving platter.

Chorizo Queso with Potato Skins

Potato Skins:

10 small Yukon gold potatoes

2 T. olive oil

coarse salt

Chorizo Queso:

6 oz. fresh chorizo, casings removed (broken into pieces)

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, finely chopped (seeds & membrane removed)

1/4 C. fresh cilantro, chopped

3/4 C. lager beer

8 oz. mild white cheddar cheese, grated

8 oz. Monterey jack cheese, grated

1 T. all-purpose flour

Potato Skins, for serving

pico de gallo, for serving

Potato Skins: Heat oven to 425°F.  Prick the Yukon potatoes all over with the tines of a fork and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, halve the potatoes lengthwise.  Carefully remove the potato flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell.  Brush with the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Return to oven and roast until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and set the tray aside.

Chorizo Queso: In a medium saucepan, cook the chorizo on medium, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into crumbles, until crispy, for about 8 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the crumbles to a paper towel-lined plate.

Return the saucepan to medium heat.  Add the chopped scallions, jalapeño, and cilantro and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk in the beer and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits.  Add the cheese mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly, until smooth.  Stir in most of the chorizo crumbles, saving a small amount for garnish.

Transfer the queso to a serving dish. Top with remaining chorizo and spoon some pico de gallo on top.  Serve with the warm Potato Skins.

Notes: Use any leftover chorizo queso to make a dip by adding an equal amount of pico de gallo to the queso.  Heat thoroughly stirring halfway through.  Serve warm queso dip with tortilla chips and, if desired, slices of fresh jalapeño.

Pretzel Bratwurst Bites

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Total Time: 35 min

Servings: 36

6 C. water

1/3 C. baking soda

1 (13.8 ounce) package refrigerated pizza dough

12 links smoked bratwurst

1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with foil.

Stir together water and baking soda in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Cut dough into twelve 1-inch strips. Wrap each strip tightly around a bratwurst in a spiral, pinching edges to seal and leaving about 1/2 inch of bratwurst peeking out of each end.

Add 3 wrapped bratwurst at a time to the boiling water. Boil for about 30 seconds. Transfer bratwurst to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining wrapped bratwurst.

Bake bratwursts until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cut each bratwurst crosswise into thirds. Serve with mustard.

Turkey Burgers

Serves 4

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey

1 C. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 C. mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

1 T. vegetable oil

4 hamburger buns

In a large bowl, use your hands to gently mix together turkey, panko, cheese, mayonnaise, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Use your hands to divide turkey mixture into 4 lightly packed balls. Gently flatten each ball into a circle that measures 4 inches across. Place patties on a large plate.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 1 minute (oil should be hot but not smoking). Tilt and swirl skillet to coat evenly with oil.

Use a spatula to carefully place patties in the skillet. Cook, without moving patties, until well browned on the first side, about 5 minutes. Gently flip patties. Cook until burgers register 165 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.

Turn off heat. Use a clean spatula to transfer burgers to hamburger buns. Add your favorite burger toppings and serve.

Peanut Butter Blossom Bars

1-1/2 C. all-purpose flour

2/3 C. milk chocolate chips

1/2 C. creamy peanut butter

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. softened unsalted butter

1/2 C. of granulated sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. of salt

24 Hershey’s Kisses

Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

 Combine softened butter, granulated and brown sugar, peanut butter, and egg in a large bowl.

 Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and milk chocolate chips.

Press the dough into a greased pan, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 22 mins or so.

 Immediately top with Hershey’s Kisses.

 Cool, cut into squares with a Kiss in the center, and store airtight.

Brookies

Prep Time: 30 min

 Total Time: 2 hrs 20 min

12 - 16 servings;

Brownie batter:

3/4 C. salted butter, plus more for greasing pan

5 oz. dark chocolate bars, chopped

3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. instant coffee

1-1/4 C. granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk

1 C. plus 2 T.all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Cookie dough:

1/2 C. salted butter, softened

1/2 C. firmly packed light brown sugar 

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1 large egg

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C. chocolate chips, or chopped dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving two sides longer, that hang about 2-inches over the long sides of the pan. 

For the brownie batter: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Add the chopped chocolate, whisking occasionally until smooth and melted. Sprinkle in cocoa powder and instant coffee, and whisk to combine. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Stir in sugar, vanilla, egg and egg yolk just until just combined. Add the flour and baking powder, and fold in with a rubber spatula just until incorporated. Set aside.

For the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated. Reserve 1/4 C. of the chocolate chips, and mix the remainder into the cookie dough. 

Drop the cookie dough and brownie batter by heaping spoonfuls around the prepared pan, alternating the two types of dough. Gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter and close up any gaps. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 C. of chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 minutes, then tent with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the brookies cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour. Remove the brookies by pulling on the ends of the parchment paper and transfer them to a cutting board for easy slicing.

Quote of the Week:

“All the statistics in the world can’t measure the warmth of a smile.” 

~ Chris Hart