Score a “Touchdown” this Superbowl

with the perfect Football Finger Foods

Check out my top three Superbowl Snacks that Score Big

It’s Super Bowl time again! Weather you are having a few friends over for the game or heading out for a party, knowing what to bring is always a trick. I’m always keeping my eyes open for Finger Foods and Party Snacks that impress.  

My first pick is an Artichoke Dip with a little Football KICK.  I have served it at a few parties now and it has become one of my signature requests.  You can adjust the “heat” of the dip to your personal preference by the amount of jalapeno peppers used.

Artichoke, Jalapeño and Parmesan Dip

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 pickled jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drain, reserve marinade
2 teaspoons

Tabasco green jalapeño sauce
Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.   Use a food processor with metal blade to finely grate Parmesan cheese. Add the cream cheese, mixing well. Transfer cheese mixture to a mixing bowl.

Chop jalapeño peppers in processor; add drained artichoke hearts and process just until coarsely chopped. Add artichoke/jalapeño mixture and the jalapeño sauce to cheese mixture. Mix well. If needed, add small amount of additional marinade to obtain desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with a variety of crackers or chips.

Take a Hint from Rachel Ray

Baked Jalapeno Peppers

12 large jalapeño peppers

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 ounces Manchego cheese, grated

2 to 3 tablespoons green salad olives with pimientos, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Slice off a lengthwise piece of each jalapeño then, using a small spoon or paring knife, scrape the seeds out of each pepper to make little jalapeño canoes. Chop the tops finely and add to a mixing bowl with the cream cheese, Manchego, green olives, parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use a small spoon to fill the canoes or transfer the mixture to a re-sealable plastic bag, snip off the end and squeeze the mixture into the hulls of your jalapeño canoes. Arrange the peppers on cookie sheet, transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

BANG BANG SHRIMP

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined (31-40 count work best)

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

5-10 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (add more to your personal spicy taste)

Corn Starch to coat the shrimp in

Mix mayo and sauces for coating . .set aside

Coat shrimp in corn starch

Deep fry the shrimp until lightly brown (4-5 minutes)

Drain on paper towel, toss in a bowl w/ the sauce

Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top w/ chopped scallions

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The PERFECT After School Snack

As the School Year kicks into gear lunch boxes are being packed, lunch money is being counted and thousands of parents and children are drawing battle lines over the important issue of after-school snacks.

Racing from School to after school activities doesn’t help the cause, as the simple solutions for after school snacks typically lead to a closet of unhealthy alternatives like chips, sugary juice boxes and the list goes on. 

Left to their own devices, the average grade-schooler can quickly come up with a list of items that they would dig into if not for the guidance of their parents. Now lets get realistic we aren’t gong to convince our children to head home and peel a fresh carrot or jump into a bag of granola, but it is possible to make an after snack healthy and easy.  The Perfect After School Snack.

Good News there is a middle ground when it comes to the Perfect After school snack. Yes that is right something that appeals to your child’s sweet tooth but still hits your list of a healthy menu.

Here are just a few quick ideas to fill the bellies of your school ager that will tide them over until dinner without turning them into the overweight kids we hear about every time we turn on a health-related show. Ask yourself; “Are you making your kids FAT?”  

Starting Simple

When I say “raisins,” – Don’t think boring.  There are several great ways you can convince your child to eat those little purplish dried grapes and love it.

·         How about a preparing a few stalks of celery and your favorite jar of peanut butter and add those great raisins to the top for a little sweet kick. These also travel well, provided you don’t overstuff, for school lunch packing.

·         A Healthy alternative to Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Use Sugar alternatives and Apples Sauce as a substitute to Oil – This traditional cookie your kids love can be made healthy and they won’t even know the difference.

Who knew that Jerky could be a healthy snack – now you know.

·         Beef, chicken or turkey jerky is another great, simple snack. Watch the spice, though! Some of the big national brands specialize in “peppered” jerky that can be a bit too intense for young palates.

Meat and Cheese Roll Ups are a hit with my kids they could be with yours too.

·         Give your kid a piece of deli meat and a piece of string cheese, and they’ll  probably eat it, but roll the cheese up in the meat and slap one of those “party” toothpicks and this simple snack now becomes something special and they’ll sure to be asked for more.

·         Another great idea is tortilla rollups, with small (or halved) flour tortillas used to roll up anything from peanut butter to cheese spreads to tuna or ham salad.

Fresh Fruits

·         Weather it’s just having fresh fruits hanging around the house or creating a bit of variety by cutting the apple into French Fry slices instead of wedges. That little bit of variety can make all the difference.

Remember Get your Kids involved.  Teaching Healthy Eating Habits early can make all the difference and if you get them involved you may be surprised at the ideas they will come up with.

Another quick hint is to Hang a Food Pyramid on the fridge and remind your kids to

The updated Food Guide Pyramid offers specialized recommendations based on age, height, weight and activity levels. Go to MyPyramid.gov to get your recommendations.

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Halloween Parties Made Easy Traditional Trick or Treating door to door is only one way to enjoy Halloween.  How about a Spooktacular neighborhood Halloween party?  

 Frightful Fingers

This fun finger food is the perfect bit size snack. Just for fun serve them on a platter with a bowl of BLOOD (Katchup) 

Mini Hot Dogs or 1 package of Franks cut into 4ths

1 package crescent dinner rolls 8 rolls

1 small package of Almond Slivers

Hide the Hot dogs into the crescent rolls (kind of like a pig in a blanket) press a fork on the top to create the illusion of finger wrinkles. Take 2 almond slivers and poke them into the end as if creating the look of the nail of a finger.  Bake in the over 375 and Bake for 12 minutes.

Tombstone Cookies

These ghoulish goodies make great party tray decorations. For a fun presentation, stick them in a “graveyard” of chocolate frosting or pudding and invite the kids to scoop to their hearts’ content.

2 ½ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. powdered sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg, beaten
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Mix flour and sugar together well. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Divide dough into two sections and wrap well in plastic wrap or put in zipper-lock plastic bag. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.

Put the kids to work making cookie cutters out of cardboard, or find the cutters at your local party store.

When the dough is chilled, roll each section to about 1/8-inch thickness and let the kids go to work with their cookie cutters. Older kids can even use plastic knives or pastry cutters to cut their shapes from the dough. If desired, use cookie stamps to put things like “RIP” on the tombstones. (You can make a cookie stamp out of a potato. Just cut in the desired stamp design.)

Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets at 350° F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on racks.

Worms And Dirt Cupcakes

This one is great fun for even the youngest kids. You can even make the decoration one of the party events!

Bake your favorite chocolate cupcakes, either homemade or from a boxed mix.

Frost them with chocolate frosting, then top with a generous sprinkle of crushed chocolate cookies (Oreos work really well).

Cut the Gummi worms in half, and stick them into the tops of the cupcakes so they look like they’re crawling out or burrowing in.

The kids can do as much of the decorating as their age and patience will allow, from the frosting through the worms.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party Music Playlist

Lil’ Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs

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