Football Sunday

With football season in full swing, and Superbowl Sunday arriving in a few short months, I thought I might search for some tasty "football food" recipes.

Every Saturday and Sunday, my husband watches college and professional football games. Sometimes he watches the games alone and other times I watch with him, but he enjoys watching the games with his guy friends the most! When the guys get together to watch the games, they usually eat take-out foods or order home-delivery pizzas. I thought this Sunday I would cook them something special: spicy Buffalo Chicken Wings, homemade pizza, and frozen ice cream pie.

I've provided the recipes so you to try them yourself:

BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS*:


Ingredients=
1 quart vegetable oil for deep frying
24 chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Directions=
Heat the oil In a large skillet or deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry chicken wings in oil until done, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet or deep fryer and drain on paper towels.
Melt the butter in a large skillet. Stir in the vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked chicken to sauce and stir over low heat to coat. The longer the wings simmer in the sauce, the hotter they will be. Serve warm.
*http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buffalo-Chicken-Wings-I/Detail.aspx

BISQUICK PIZZA CRUST*:


Ingredients=
1 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/3 cup very hot water
1 tsp vegatable oil
Directions=
Heat oven to 450. Mix the bisquick and water about 20 times. Turn onto a surface well dusted with bisquick mix and roll to coat it. Knead the dough till smooth and no longer sticky, about 60 times. Roll into a 12 inch circle and place on a greased 12 inch cookie sheet, brush the top with oil.
Put your desired ingredients on top. Bake on lowest oven rack till crust is brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
(I am going to put store bought pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and ground sausage on top of mine, but if you do not want to buy your sauce, here is a sauce recipe:

PIZZA SAUCE*:
Ingredients=
1 cup tomato sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Dash of black pepper
Directions=
Mix ingredients together and spread over the pizza dough. The website I found this recipe on also suggests that you can put the tomato sauce on the pizza and then just sprinkle the spices on top of the sauce instead of mixing it together first for more flavor.
*http://oldrecipebook.com/pizza.shtml

FROZEN ICE CREAM PIE:


My husband's sister gave me this recipe for Frozen Ice Cream Pie. It is easy to make and extremely good!
Ingredients=
1.5 Quarts Vanilla ice cream
Frozen Turtle Pie
8 ounce container of Cool Whip
Directions=
Thaw frozen pie until it is slightly soft. In a large bowl mix pie with slightly thawed ice cream and Cool Whip. Serve in individual bowls.
(You can use any of your favorite icecreams and pies for this recipe)
Enjoy!

Breakfast in Bed

This morning I thought that I would do something nice for "hungry hubby." We both had the morning off, so I decided to be a good wife and serve him some good ole breakfast in bed.

The breakfast in bed routine is something that is so common that it is often overlooked or forgotten about, so I figured I would give it a shot.
When we were on our honeymoon, we had mimosas every morning with breakfast, so I decided I would bring us back to that special time and try out Paula Deen's recipe for Mimosa Punch:


Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) can thawed orange juice concentrate
1 liter club soda
1 to 2 bottles sparkling wine
Directions
Put 1 can cold but thawed orange juice concentrate into a punch bowl or in a large pitcher. Stir to soften. Stir in 4 cups cold club soda. Then add the sparkling wine and stir gently. Pour into Champagne flutes or coupes and serve*.

Then I just made the classic bacon, eggs, and biscuits I know he loves.
I got up very quietly this morning, cooked a quick breakfast, and woke him up with a yummy suprise.

It was very easy to do and I know it made him very happy and meant a lot. Why not show your loved one how special they are by suprising them with breakfast in bed as well?

*http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/mimosa-punch-recipe/index.html

Setting the Table

As I have been researching and experimenting with cooking, I have learned that it is not as hard as I once thought. I am actually having a lot fun learning new recipes and "making hungry hubby happy."

Since many of our friends and family members will be coming over during the Christmas season, I want to make a good impression not just with the food, but with its presentation as well.

As a little girl, my mother would always ask me to set the table for dinner. "You will need to know how to do this some day," she would say, as I rolled my eyes. Well, sure enough she was right. I am glad that she taught me how to properly set a table, because it sure will come in handy as I entertain guests.
Although I'm sure many of you had the same lesson growing up, it never hurts to refresh our memories. Here are a few tips on how to set the table from, you guessed it, Betty Crocker:

Place the flatware one inch from the edge of the table, arranging the pieces that will used first the farthest from the plate, so you can use the flatware from the outside toward the plate. The forks are typically to the left, and the knife (with the blade toward the plate), then the spoons to the right.

-If using a butter plate, place it above the forks.
-If serving a salad with the main course, place the salad plate to the left of the forks. The salad fork may be placed at either side of the dinner fork.
-Arrange glasses above the knife. The water glass is usually at the tip of the knife, with beverage and wine glasses to the right of the water glass.
-If serving coffee or tea at the table, place the cup slightly above and the right of the spoons.
-Place the napkin either in the center of the dinner plate or to the left of the forks at each place setting. There are many creative ways of folding napkins to make any meal festive.
-Before offering dessert, clear the table of all serving dishes, plates, salt and pepper shakers and any flatware that won't be used for the dessert course.

When it comes to setting the buffet table, there are many ways to make it look great. Divinedinnerparty.com has some really good tips on buffet table setting (http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/buffet-table-setting.html).

Holiday Entertaining

Since it is almost December, and Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I would focus some more on cooking for the holidays.

This will be our first Christmas together as a married couple, so I am very excited about it. I want to cook plenty of treats for him, and I am sure I will be trying out quite a few new recipes.

We are planning on having a Christmas party in a few weeks, so I have been researching what I will be cooking.
When it comes to planning the menu for a party, my Betty Crocker Cookbook is a big help. I found the following tips which will be great to follow as I research my menu options:

1. Choose your recipes. There are hundreds of great recipes in the Betty Crocker Cookbook to fit any occasion. The internet is also full of great menu ideas.
2. Make a list. Grocery lists make shopping faster and more economical by cutting down on those last-minute dashes to pick up missing items. Before going shopping, make a quick check of what you already have on hand.
3. Plan the main course first and then fill in with other foods that go well with your main course.
4. Make sure flavors go together instead of competing with each other. Balance out a strongly flavored main dish with a milder flavored side dish; serve a subtle main dish with a boldly flavored side dish. If the meal has been on the heavier side, choose a lighter dessert; if the meal was a bit lighter, plan an indulgent and rich dessert.
5. Involve your senses- sight, taste, smell and touch. Keep flavors, textures, colors, shapes and temperatures in mind. For example, serve spicy with mild; creamy with crisp; white or brown with red, yellow or green; tiny pieces with big chunks; and hot dishes with cold.
6. Use seasonings, sauces, condiments, salsas, relishes, and marinades to jazz up plain foods like grilled chicken or fish, cooked pasta or steamed vegetables.

German Chocolate Cake

Hope that you all had a great holiday...
My day was spent going to my parents' house and eating a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch, and then going to my husband's parents' house to eat yet another wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

I will definately be using one of the leftover turkey recipes, because we have quite a lot of turkey left.

My cake turned out really good, but I ate another cake that I thought was delicious. My husband's cousin cooked a German Chocolate Cake that is actually Trisha Yearwood's recipe. I found it online so that I could share the recipe with you as well. It is on Rachel Ray's website (http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/trisha-yearwoods-german-chocolate-cake-coconut-frosting/)

I would recommend trying it with the coconut frosting the recipe calls for, because it is really good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the big day. We will all be eating a lot of yummy treats, and I cannot wait. Just in case you need some advice for what to do with all of that leftover turkey, I found some great ideas. Have a great day with your family and friends!
TURKEY TORTILLA WRAPS:


Ingredients:
10 whole wheat flour tortillas
10 slices turkey, cut into thin strips
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
Directions:
Heat flour tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat until slightly browned. Divide turkey strips, avocado, sour cream, and cheese among the warmed tortillas. Fold in half and serve.

EASY TURKEY POT PIE:
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup frozen mixed Vegetables, thawed
1 cup cubed cooked Turkey
1 (10-oz.) can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup Milk
1 Egg
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees Stir vegetables, turkey and soup together. Spoon into ungreased 9" pie plate. Stir remaining ingredients until blended.

Pour over mixture in pie plate. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

You can even use cooked pork loin, ham or roast beef in this dish if that's what you have on hand. Use other cream soups with different meat, like cream of celery, cream of mushroom or cream of asparagus for different taste (CDKitchen.com).

GOBBLER'S DELIGHT:
Ingredients:
1 package French green beans
1 can cream of celery soup
1 1/2 cup cut up cooked turkey
5 ounces water chestnuts
1/4 cup water
cooked rice
toasted almond slivers

Directions:
Drain and slice water chestnuts. Combine all ingredients except almonds. Bring to boil. Pour over rice, sprinkle on almonds (CDKitchen.com).

Creative Thanksgiving Desserts

Today I decided to see if I could find a decorative way to serve my cake for Thanksgiving. I searched the Internet for ideas on making a dessert look cute for the holidays, and I find some really great ideas.
Here are a few of the things I came across:
TURKEY GOBBLER CAKE:


This recipe is a very festive dessert, which everyone will love. I found it on my favorite, the Betty Crocker Website.
Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 container Betty Crocker® Whipped milk chocolate frosting
1 marshmallow
Red colored sugar
35 pieces candy corn
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cake mix as directed on box for two 9-inch round pans.
2. Cut 1 layer as shown in diagram*. Freeze cut pieces uncovered 1 hour for easier frosting.
3. Place uncut layer on cake plate; frost top and side. Place cutout circle on larger layer; frost. Arrange head and feet on circle; frost.
4. Cut marshmallow in half. Moisten 1 half and dip in red sugar; join to head with frosting for turkey's wattle. Use other half of marshmallow for turkey's eye. Use candy corn for beak, claws and feathers. Store loosely covered.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions on cake mix box.
*Click on this link to view the diagram:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeID=34935&Source=SearchResultPage&terms=turkey%20gobler%20cake
TURKEY COOKIES

These are really cute cookies for the kids which I found on Pilsbury.com.
Ingredients:
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 container (16 oz) chocolate creamy frosting
Candy corn
Orange decorating icing
Black decorating gel
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on roll. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
2. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.
3. Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes.

Oh, and here is a cute idea for all the football fans. I know Hungry Hubby loves football and cupcakes, so I think he would really like these treats:



TOUCHDOWN TREATS:
Ingredients:
A cooled cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe)
Green and white frosting
Fruit leather
Pretzel stick
Chocolate-covered almond
Directions:
1. Frost a cooled cupcake (baked from your favorite recipe) with green frosting, then mark the yard lines with white decorators' gel.

2. For a pennant, wrap a fruit leather triangle around a pretzel stick and plant it in the field as shown.

3. Set a chocolate-covered almond or brown almond M&M football topped with white decorators' gel laces on the field, and you're sure to score points with your favorite sports fans(http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=40992).
I think this is a really cute idea which can be modified and made in your own creative way.