score

well, i didn't get that quick run in, but who cares! i had a blast prepping, cooking, and hanging out with friends and family. congrats to which ever team won the game, by the way. as promised, recipes! but first, check out my spread:

final menu: buffalo chicken bites, chicken taquitos, flat bread margherita pizzas, hot/bbq wings, pigs in a blanket, delivery pizza, red velvet cupcakes, white/dark chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, veggie booty, tortilla chips/dip, bbb brownies, chex mix, sloppy janes, carrots/celery sticks with greek yogurt veggie dip. WHEW. obviously some stuff was ready-made, but here are the treats i whipped up myself:

the big winner - buffalo chicken bites

i bit off way more than i thought before i snapped the pic! does it no justice. that captain crunch was a great move if i do say so myself. loved the combo of sweet/salty/spicy/tangy. will be making these again soon, party or not.

the stuff:

4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup chopped green onion
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup hot sauce
4 oz cream cheese (room temp for better mix-ability)
3-5 cups of capt. crunch or corn flakes cereal
4 beaten eggs
2 cups flour

do this:

put the cereal in a baggy and crush it- having a range of crumb sizes is actually a better texture; doesn't have to be all even. mix the chicken, cream cheese, onion, hot sauce, and cheese all together. then, roll into golf ball size balls. make your assembly line: bowl of flour, bowl of egg wash, then bowls of cereal. keep one hand wet, and one dry. line them on a baking sheet and cook them for 20-25 min in a 350 deg. oven. don't let the baking fool you- they were as crispy as ever! no frying needed.

chicken taquitos

the stuff:

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 packet chicken taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1 cup sharp shredded cheese
extra thin corn tortillas

do this:

mix everything together except the tortillas. i would suggest doing this the night before so the flavors can marry in the fridge first (yep, the poppers too). i brushed the stack of tortillas with just a little extra virgin olive oil, covered them in damp paper towels, then microwaved them for a few seconds so they would be a bit more pliable and not break when rolling. scoop about a table-spoon or so onto the tortilla and roll starting from one end. they will crack in the oven, but that's ok. it's all goin to the same place. 15 min on 350 or until crispy.

pigs in a blanket

the stuff:

pilsbury crescent dough
little smokies (mini beef sausages)

do this:

yeah, we all remember these. but i applied a little tip from Hungry-Girl first- cut the single serving crescent triangle in half. no need to suffocate the little piggy and eat extra bread, right? don't worry, it's more than enough dough left to wrap around the sausage. unless you are using a regular size hot dog or something. 11-13 min on 350 or until brown.

sloppy janes

i am TOO proud of these. in the middle of chopping up the shallots, onions, and bell peppers, i actually said out loud, "CRAP i forgot to buy the sloppy joe seasoning mix!!!' i contemplated running to grab my keys and head back to the store when i had a moment. make it from scratch, duh. i had everything i needed and i am SO glad i went the scratch route cause they turned out pretty darn tasty. i cooked it up saturday night and by sunday afternoon the flavors were amazing. i buy this soft, pillowy, pull apart bread from HEB- but not every location sells them. as i was grabbing a few packs, a guy next to me excitedly explained how he drives from so far JUST for this bread. i completely understood! my next choice would be those hawaiian rolls in the orange package, yeah, these.

the stuff:

4 logs ground beef or turkey (i used 93/7% lean beef)
2 chopped shallots
1 chopped bell pepper
2 chopped yellow onions
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
salt/pepper/Tony Chacheres to taste
36 mini slider buns/rolls

do this:

in a big medium-high heated pot, add the chopped shallots and onions. toss in the meat and let it brown and cook through completely. then, you can pretty much toss in everything else and let it simmer on low for about 20 minutes. or, until the bell peppers have softened. the sauce is slightly sweet, so i added some dill pickles in my sandwich for crunch and tang. looking back though, i would have totally toasted the insides of the buns first. great nonetheless.

red velvet cupcakes

so this is the cake version of the bbb (best boxed brownies). i searched online a while back for tips on how to keep a cake moist, and this recipe right here has me sold for life. my homemade red velvet is a force to be reckoned with, but here's the bbc (best boxed cake) version for now. you're welcome.

the stuff:

1 box red velvet
1 box instant chocolate pudding
2 large eggs
2 cups of milk (2% is cool)
splash of vanilla
cream cheese or vanilla frosting

do this:

mix! try to get all the lumps out though. pour into whatever kind of pan you like, just adjust your cooking time accordingly. cupcakes are fun, so i did those. scrumptious.

i hope you had fun eating goodies and watching the game! after all that, we're gonna switch focus to workouts for the next few posts, lol.