Top 6: Superbowl Snacks

Hello! For today, I have a special treat: awesome Superbowl snacks! Unfortunately, my home team is not playing this year, but my family and I are still celebrating the day with delicious foods. To those of you Broncos and Seahawks fans . . . enjoy your game with these tasty treats.

1. Cream Cheese and Salsa Dip

1 8-ounce package light cream cheese, softened

1 8-ounce jar salsa

1 8-ounce bag reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese

In a shallow microwave safe baking dish, spread softened cream cheese on the bottom. Top with salsa. Sprinkle cheese over salsa. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with black olives, tomatoes, scallions, or avocados. Serve immediately with tortilla chips

2. Buffalo Chicken Nachos

4 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken

¾ cup Buffalo wing sauce

1 bag (18 oz) restaurant-style tortilla chips

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (12 oz)

½ cup finely chopped celery

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 oz)

1.       Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, toss chicken and 1/2 cup of the wing sauce to coat.

2.       Spray two large (14-inch) pizza pans with cooking spray. Arrange half of the tortilla chips on one pizza pan; top with 2 cups of the chicken and 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat on second pizza pan.

3.       Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top each pan with celery and blue cheese; drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup wing sauce.

4.       To serve; slide one pan of nachos off onto other pan to make one large mound of nachos. Serve immediately.

3. Queso Blanco Dip

Tbsp. canola oil

1/2 cup diced white onion (about half a small onion)

2 jalapeno peppers, diced 

{i say leave all the seeds in, you'll need em for flavor unless you are using pepper jack.}

3/4 cup half and half {or milk, if you don't have it}

1 pound (16 oz.) white American cheese, thinly sliced or shredded

4 oz. Pepper Jack or Monterrey Jack cheese, thinly sliced or shredded

2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt & white pepper to taste

{i like white pepper for things like this cause it's not harsh like black, and for the obvious reason of black specs in my pretty white dip...uncool}.

1.       heat up the oil in a large sauce pan on med-hi heat.

2.       add onion and jalapeno. 

3.       cook until pretty soft, and even a little carmelizedish. add half-n-half and reduce heat to low.

4.       layer your strips or shredded cheese gradually and keep it moving until all of the cheese is melted.

5.       add spinach, cilantro, and salt & white pepper to taste.  if you need more heat, add crushed red pepper, or even a few hits of tapatio. {then just plan on using pepper jack and more jalapeno next time!}

4. Deep Dish Pizza Bites

1 can Pillsbury Pizza Dough

1/2 cup pizza sauce

24 pieces pepperoni

6 ounces finely shredded Italian Cheese Blend

60 mini pepperoni (optional)

1.       Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray cavities of a muffin pan with cooking spray.

2.       Remove pizza dough from packaging and allow it to come to room temperature on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, roll out into a thin layer.

3.       Using either a round cookie cutter or a clean glass, cut rounds out of the dough. You want the circle to be slightly bigger than the size of the muffin cup.

4.       Using your fingers, stretch the dough without tearing and press into muffin cups.

5.       Place a pepperoni at the bottom of the cup. This will help prevent it from getting soggy.

6.       Next place about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of pizza sauce on top of the pepperoni.

7.       Add Italian cheese blend (as much or as little as you like).

8.       If you want more pepperoni, either chop some of the larger up or use mini ones like the kind I found at my grocery to store.

9.       Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven, until cooked through, dough is golden brown, and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

5. Cranberry and Mustard Kielbasa

1 (16 oz.) can Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

2 tbsp. spicy brown mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 lb. fully cooked smoked sausage, tiny cocktail franks, or kielbasa

In a saucepan, mix together cranberry sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly over medium low heat, until smooth and heated. Remove casing from sausage and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Stir sausages into cranberry sauce; heat to boiling, reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes. Serve warm.

6. Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup FRANK'S® REDHOT® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or FRANK'S® REDHOT® Buffalo Wings Sauce

1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing

2 cups shredded cooked chicken.

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or your favorite shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

COMBINE all ingredients in a 1-quart baking dish.

BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Serve with bread, crackers or vegetables.

Happy eating! For more food porn and other cool stuff, follow me on Pinterest!