Weekend Cooking...Time for that Super Bowl Thing Yet?

Something very strange, very unexpected, happened in my Bro's household a few years ago.

I blame the Niece.
She when to college at the University of Florida, a college perhaps best known at the time for it's quarterback, some guy named Timmy Tebow. Won some games there I hear, won something called the Heisman Trophy and before I knew it they were all watching football games.

Now Timmy...as I like to call him...is playing for some team in Denver...with some name that has to do with horses for some reason. Mustangs...no....oh yes, the Broncos.
All I know is, if I go over there on a Sunday afternoon, they are sitting around discussing players and rankings and all sorts of things I do not understand.
If you don't get a first down, do you get a second...or a third? What do those quarterbacks keep in that little fanny pack they wear? Snacks? A tissue? Perhaps not. But some of the uniforms are very pretty colors and I must admit that Timmy is a cute looking feller, and as the Niece, who almost ran him over once with her scooter, will tell you, a really nice guy.

So, while I always hope Timmy has a good day playing his little game, I just try to ignore all the rest, all that running around on the field and the all that yelling and concentrate instead on the other thing that seems required when watching football on TV.

Football food!!

I understand that shortly there will be a BIG game of the football, so big it is called Super and that this Super Bowl, as it is known, requires seriously Super Bowls of Football Food.
But do not worry. The Niece is testing recipes. And we were lucky enough to sample a few of them last weekend.

One very tasty one is..
Queso Dip

Ingredients:
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1 pkg (8 oz) Cream cheese
8 ozs. shredded Mexican mix..or Pepper Jack...or Monterey Jack cheese


Directions:
Combine undrained tomatoes and cheese in medium saucepan.
Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until cheeses are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Add a bit of milk if it is too thick.
Serve warm as a dip with tortilla chips, crackers or cut-up fresh vegetables.

Very easy, very tasty and always a favorite.

And then there is a new recipe she tried out and it was a winner!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs (adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza warmed sauce for dipping.

If you get the King Arthur Flour e-mail letter, you might have noticed that they had a very similar recipe in the latest edition, but they left out the dipping sauce, which I think is a big mistake. Warmed pizza sauce..and the Niece strongly recommends the pictured brand..makes it.

Bandit and Sammy totally agreed!

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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