Game On! Super Bowl Snacks

Here is a delicious collection of appetizers to add to your Super Bowl table of goodies. Many thanks go out to friends and family who shared recipes!

Bacon Cheese Potato Skins
This is a recipe I had wanted to try out for quite some time – they were even better than I imagined! Definitely worth a try!

Ingredients:
5 medium russet potatoes
1/2 C. sour cream
3-5 green onions, sliced, reserve a tablespoon to top dish of sour cream
1/4 C. butter (1/2 stick) or 1/4 C. olive oil
1 1/2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, then bake potatoes for 1 hour and allow to cool.
While potatoes bake, cook bacon and drain.
When potatoes are cool to the touch, cut them in half lengthwise, then scoop most of the potato out of each one and leave about 1/4 inch of potato on each skin. You can reserve the potato flesh to make mashed potatoes.
Rub each potato with cube of butter inside and out, or brush with olive oil.
Place potato skins, like little boats, on a baking sheet and broil 6 minutes or until edges turn brown.
Remove baking sheet from oven and divide cheese, bacon and sliced green onions evenly between each potato and return to oven for 2 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and additional sliced green onions.
Serves 5.
Angel’s Tip: These would be great with a variety of toppings – finely chopped broccoli with cheese; shredded chicken with barbecue sauce and cheese; cooked hamburger with diced green chilies and cheese – whatever you enjoy on a baked potato!
Angel’s Tip: To opt for a healthier version, just use light sour cream, olive oil (to brush potatoes), less cheese and small amount of turkey bacon or use cubed ham.

Hot-Wing Dip
This fabulous recipe comes from a high school friend, Julie VanAuker of Georgia. I whipped this up and - YUM! - this one is a keeper! Thanks Julie!

Ingredients:
2 C. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3/4 C. (or to taste) buffalo wing sauce (see tips below)
1 pkg. 1/3-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 C. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
optional, top with French-fried onions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add cooked, shredded chicken to a 9x13-inch casserole dish, spread cream cheese on top. Place in oven for 2 minutes to further soften cream cheese then spread across. Top with freshly shredded cheese. Heat through for 15 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers such Wheat Thins or Triscuits.
Angel’s Tip: I used what I had on hand – Taco Bell brand hot sauce and Colby-Jack cheese.

Fruit Dip
I remember making this tasty and easy fruit dip years ago, and I found the recipe again. Serve up with your favorite fruit such as apple slices, strawberries, pineapples and bananas.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. 1/3-fat cream cheese, softened
1 7-oz. container marshmallow creme
2 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
Directions:
Place marshmallow creme in a bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds. Mix together with other ingredients until smooth. Chill then serve with your favorite fruit.

Zucchini Pizza
From the kitchen of Chantel Jensen of Utah, this would make a delicious, healthy option for game day. Thanks Chantel!

Ingredients:
zucchini
olive oil
pepperoni
garlic cheese
Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Slice the zucchini in half. Brush with olive oil. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with pepperoni and cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until soft.
Angel's Tip: If you don't have garlic cheese available, sprinkle zucchinis with garlic powder before adding toppings and use Mozzarella cheese.

Grape Jelly Meatballs
From the kitchen of Cammie Haney of John Day, this is "easy-peasy" with only three ingredients! Thanks Cammie!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. fully-cooked frozen meatballs
1 12-oz. jar grape jelly
1 12-oz. jar chili sauce, such as Heinz
Directions:
In a large pot, stir jelly and chili sauce to combine, add meatballs and stir to coat. Simmer 25-30 minutes, until meatballs are warmed through. These can be made in a crockpot – cook on low for 1-2 hours.

Cheesy Dip
This cheesy, meaty dip is a favorite for Hailey Delaney of Canyon City and her family. Thank you Hailey!

Ingredients:
1 lb. sausage
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 jar salsa con queso (cheesy salsa dip)
1 jar regular salsa
Directions:
Brown the sausage and drain. In a crockpot, add all ingredients. Cook on low for an hour or two until mixed and warmed through. Serve with tortilla chips or Doritos-style chips.
Angel’s Tip: If you don’t have a crockpot, use a skillet to warm the ingredients through on low, stirring occasionally (after the sausage is browned and drained).

Pizza Bites
From the kitchen of my sister-in-law Christy Carpenter of Utah, these pizza bites are easy and awesome! Thanks a bunch Christy!

Ingredients:
crescent roll dough, such as Pillsbury
cheese sticks
pepperoni
marinara sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Place 3-4 pieces of pepperoni on each triangle of dough, top with a 1/3 of cheese stick, roll up as you would a crescent roll. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown on ungreased baking sheet. Serve with warm marinara sauce. Can be made 2 hours ahead - cover and refrigerate.

Cookie Dough Dip

At an office potluck party, we were calling this the "deadly" cookie dough dip, because it is so delicious we could hardly stop eating it - good thing there were plenty here to share it! Thanks go out to Marissa Williams, the Eagle publisher, for bringing it and giving me the recipe!
This dip is great with graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers or vanilla wafers. It's just like cookie dough, but no eggs or flour in the dip.

Ingredients:
1/2 C. butter, softened
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 T. vanilla
1 C. powdered sugar
2 T. brown sugar
1 C. chocolate chips
1 C. toffee chips (or, if you love them, add the whole bag)

Directions:
Cream the softened butter and cream cheese with electric mixer. Add vanilla, powdered sugar and brown sugar and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee chips. Serve with graham crackers.

Caramel Sauce

This caramel sauce is perfect. It’s designed to dip with apples, pour over three bags of popcorn, or drizzle over ice cream or brownies, but sneaking a little spoonful on the side - mmmmm, that’s good too! My sister-in-law Rachel Carpenter of John Day shared this recipe with me, and trust me, it will knock your shoes AND socks off!
This sauce needs no “extras,” but it is also good to dip the apples in the sauce followed by a dip in a little bowl of chopped nuts, M&Ms or ground chocolate graham crackers, etc., for added texture and flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 C. butter
1 C. light Karo syrup
2 1/2 C. brown sugar
After cooking to softball stage add:
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Combine ingredients in sauce pan, stir constantly over medium to medium-high heat. Using a candy thermometer, boil to softball stage – 240 degrees. You can also test the caramel by dripping a little into a glass of cold water and feeling the caramel to see if it is about right.
Remove pan from heat and add one can of sweetened condensed milk and a teaspoon of vanilla. Stir, and it’s ready to go!

Greek Gyros

A craving for Greek Gyros (pronounced year-ohs) overcame me a while ago and I spent a Saturday afternoon making everything needed, down to homemade soft pita bread. Other than a couple pitas that got a little overdone I was totally pleased with the results. Gyros are traditionally made with lamb or pork – you'll notice from the picture that I used beef that day – but this recipe is for chicken.

My guess is that the nearest Greek restaurant is hundreds of miles away from John Day, Oregon – the last time I remember having a Gyro was at the county fair in Redmond last summer. So, rather than driving for hours to a city to find a Gyro, I decided to buckle down and make one myself.

In my opinion, each part to the recipe is important: the fresh soft pita bread, the tasty marinated chicken, using a grill or skillet, and the tzatziki sauce, so I’ll include instructions for making each component. If you don't like to make bread from scratch, see if there are any packages of soft pita bread or soft Indian Naan bread at your local store.

Of course, for Gryos, the pita is wrapped around the ingredients – chicken, lettuce, spinach, red onion slices and chopped tomatoes – and topped with the delicious tzatziki sauce! Definitely worth the effort!

Tasty chicken marinade:

1/2 C. olive oil
1/2 C. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine marinade ingredients in a large Zip-Lock bag, reserve 1/4 C. marinade for basting, add chicken last, mixing around to coat. Marinate in refrigerator overnight or while at work. No Zip-Locks? Use a plastic container with tight fitting lid or casserole dish, making sure to coat the chicken well.

Prep grill before lighting by spraying rack with cooking oil or brushing with oil. Grill chicken over medium heat, closing lid, and turning after about 4 minutes or so. Brush with extra marinade and cook until chicken is no longer pink inside (170 degrees in the thickest part if using a meat thermometer).

If you don’t have a grill, then cook chicken in a skillet. Preheat the skillet at medium high. Add the chicken and marinade and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer then cover, cooking for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

When chicken is done shred it with two forks.

Tzatziki Sauce:

1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 tsp. dried dill
salt and pepper to taste
2 small containers of plain Greek yogurt

Mix first four ingredients in a food processor. In a small bowl, add yogurt, then add cucumber mixture and stir in salt and pepper to taste. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

Angel’s tip: The last time I made this I could not find small containers of plain Greek yogurt in my local store (only large-sized), so I took a chance and subbed with honey-flavored Chobani Greek yogurt. The honey taste was so mild, it worked just fine!

Wraparound Pita Bread:

3/4 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 C. flour
1-2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
warm water

Heat up oven for about 30 seconds at 150 degrees, then turn off (make sure it’s off!).
Combine yeast and sugar and stir in 1 C. warm water. Place mixture in the warmed oven and allow to ferment for 10 minutes.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour yeast mixture in and stir. Mix and knead dough with hands gradually adding about half a cup of warm water. Mix until dough doesn’t stick to the side of the bowl or to fingers. On a flat surface, lightly floured, knead the dough about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic adding a drop of water if needed.

Now gradually add the oil, kneading the dough well. Place in bowl and cover with a cloth. Place in the oven that is turned to off. Let double in size, about one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C.). Knead dough again for about 2-3 minutes until smooth. Divide dough into six equal pieces. Roll out each piece on a floured surface in a circle about 1/4-inch thick.

Place two pitas at a time on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake on lower rack about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Pitas should be white and soft.

Wrap the baked pitas in a clean towel until cool and store in plastic bags.

Angel’s Tip: I recommend doubling the pita recipe if you have a family who loves bread, or you want to share this with friends! It was suggested that I place a pan of water in the oven on a higher rack as the gyros bake – I’ll try that next time.

Now assemble your gyros, wrap the pita around your ingredients: the chicken with your choice of lettuce, spinach, red onion slices and chopped tomato. Top with tzatziki sauce and enjoy all your hard work!

El Mercado's Mexican Coleslaw

My wonderful sister-in-law Rachel Carpenter of John Day has binders full of great recipes, and I’m so glad she’s willing to share any of them! She said this coleslaw was adapted from a dish served at a restaurant in Moscow, Idaho. The family all enjoyed it at a recent gathering, munching it up with tortilla chips. It reminded me of a topping that came on fish tacos at Mo’s in Newport – very good! When I saw the recipe has only 40 calories per cup, I was just that much more impressed!

Ingredients:
6 C. shredded cabbage
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 C. cilantro leaves, chopped
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced, optional
1/4 C. lime juice
1 Tbsp. salad oil
1 tsp. cumin seed
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
Combine all and chill before serving. There are 40 calories per cup.
Tip: Add avocado if desired.

Hummus Dip with Naan Soft Flatbread

I'd never tried a hummus dip I liked  - I'll admit I hadn't tried too many - until about a month ago at a potluck lunch. Charlotte Pulleiro of Canyon City shared her recipe for hummus which she uses as a dip for vegetables like carrots, celery, etc. The lemon and garlic sing in this recipe and you can adjust everything to taste, including the texture. I made the dip for a gathering and made some Naan, an Indian flatbread (as in India), to go with it. This dip is both a healthy and delicious snack!

Hummus

1 can (15 to 16 oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained, reserve liquid
1/2 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove
1/4 C. lemon juice
1/4 C. olive oil
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, or tahini (ground sesame seeds)

Place ingredients in blender, or food processor.  Blend until uniform adding bean liquid as needed.  Serve with vegetables, corn chips, pita chips or crackers.

Naan Soft Flatbread

2/3 C. warm water (110 F)
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. white sugar
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. butter
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
2 tsp. onion seed (optional)

Whisk warm water with yeast and sugar until dissolved. cover and let stand 10 minutes in a warm place.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, add yeast mixture, half of the butter and all of the yogurt. Mix into a soft dough then knead on floured surface, five minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let stand 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
Punch down dough then knead five minutes. Divide dough into six balls. Roll each ball into 8-inch round discs.
Cover an oven tray with foil. Brush Naan with remaining oil and sprinkle with onion seed. Cook Naan one at a time in a hot oven - try broil or 450 degrees (watch very carefully). Cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly puffy and browned. Turn and brush with butter and cook another 2-4 minutes.

Tip: Double the Naan recipe for a larger crowd. Cut into triangles if desired.

Summer Salsa

Fresh salsa tastes so good on a summer day - or any day in my book. I found a recipe for Blender Salsa from the book, “Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking” by Sandra Woodruff, RD. I never knew making salsa at home would be so easy. I’ve made this several times, and I’ve adapted the recipe to my tastes and doubled it. It’s especially good using fresh tomatoes (just under two lbs. is about right) - just blanch the tomatoes for one minute and when cool, peel the skins off and chop.

2 14.5 oz. cans whole or diced tomatoes
1 C. onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2-4 Tbsp. jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/4 - ½ C. cilantro, minced
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend for 5-10 seconds. The mixture should be slightly chunky. Place salsa to a serving dish, cover, and chill for several hours to blend the flavors. Serve with tortilla chips.

This recipe fits nicely in a quart jar. If you use unsalted tomatoes, add 1 tsp. of salt.

Rayda’s Creamy Dressing

Rayda Renshaw of John Day shared a house dressing recipe she adapted from the Fiddlehead Restaurant, a favorite eating stop of hers in Juneau, Alaska.

I tried this one out using some olive oil and red wine vinegar. It has such a fresh taste to it. I liked it so much that after the salad I even dipped a few tortilla chips in it!

1 large tomato or two romas, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 C. safflower oil
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar, or your choice
1 C. mayonnaise

Roughly chop the tomato, green bell pepper and green onions. Blend the ingredients until smooth. Add sour cream for a thicker consistency. This dressing goes well on tossed green salad, also on rice.

Creamy Lime Dressing

1 pkg ranch dressing mix

1 Tb green salsa - salsa verde

1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce

1/3 bunch Cilantro

1 Tb garlic minced

3/4 cup mayo

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 lime zest and juice

Mix the above ingredients together in a blender and blend well. Mix ahead and chill several hours. If it is too thick, thin with more buttermilk.

I like to serve this all together(shredded pork, rice and lime dressing) burrito style with tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, etc. Enjoy!!

Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce)

From KalynsKitchen.com

Makes about 3 1/2 cups. You can cut the recipe in half, but it's so good, you really shouldn't. Recipe courtesy of Georgette.

3 C. Greek Yogurt (available at Chester’s) or regular plain yogurt, strained

juice of one lemon (about 3 T)

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced

About 1 Tbsp. kosher salt for salting cucumbers

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill (can substitute mint leaves for a slightly different version)

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

If you don't have Greek yogurt, strain plain yogurt. Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

(In my rush, I skipped salting the cucumbers when I made it. -AC)

Yummy Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

By Joelene Floyd

Salad ingredients:
1 head lettuce
1 bunch spinach
3/4 lb. sliced mushrooms
1/2 lb. shredded swiss cheese


Sprinkle on top:
1/2 lb. cooked crumbled bacon
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 C. glazed slivered almonds (To glaze almonds: cook on stovetop over low heat 1/2 cup slivered almonds with 3 Tbs. sugar, stirring for about 5-10 min., adding a 1/2 tsp. of water during the process.) 

Dressing:
1 Tbs. poppy seeds
1/2 C. white vinegar
3/4 C. oil
2 Tbs. mustard (prepared)
1/3 C. sugar
1/3 C. grated onion
3/4 tsp. salt

“I like to use romaine lettuce and to add more fresh veggies to mine like: broccoli, cauliflower, shredded carrots, cranberries or raisins,” Joelene said. “You can make this anyway you wish.”