Super Bowl Sunday Snacks

It seems I did this last year: alternate posts about RL (bitching) and food pic posts.

So that means it's time for another food post. And there was nothing to bitch about weatherwise today. It actually got above freezing, and was bright and sunny all day. I even opened the back door for a while. Yeah, it was only 30-something F, but just to have some fresh air...

We are having a Super Bowl 'party' for just the two of us. That means falling asleep on the couch with the game blaring on TV (Tim actually beat me to that this year. I don't know where I'm getting my energy). When we have a night off work this time of year, it's all we can do to stay awake past 7pm.

I don't give a rip about football, but it is fun to watch the commercials and the halftime show. Depending, of course, on being able to stay awake to see it. We were both half asleep at the time of the famous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction (Next morning: 'Did we really see what we thought we--yep, I guess we did!') And it's an excuse to drink beer and eat ridiculous high fat, high sodium foods.

I got a craving for something I started making last fall, Buffalo Chicken Dip. It's from Family Circle mag (the one with the porno desserts and diet articles on the cover). It's gone over well every time I've served it at parties. If you like the taste of Frank's Red Hot sauce, and hot wings, this is for you.



2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts halves (1 pound total)
6 tablespoons hot sauce (Frank's)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into chunks
1/2 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place chicken breasts in a medium-size skillet and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and poach for 6-7 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 on an instant read thermometer. Remove chicken to a plate to cool. Shred with two forks.

2. Place chicken and hot sauce in a medium skillet. Heat through. Add cream cheese and dressing and heat until well blended. Add half the shredded cheese; stir until melted.

3. Place in a crock, sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Serve warm (reheat in microwave if needed) with crackers.

Now you probably have guessed I make waaayyy more than two measly chicken breasts (well, you need LOTS for a party) and I thought it might be a good idea to bake it in the oven with buttered cracker crumbs or panko on top, instead of the cheese. Browned panko crumbs make just about everything better. And see? I cut out some of the fat.

I also made some stuffed mushroom caps with whole wheat bagel crumbs, sauteed onions and mushroom stems, ground toasted walnuts and blue cheese.



St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout and Founder's Imperial Stout were sipped between all this snacking.

I thought of making pretzels, but I decided to something out of the February Gourmet Mag that looked somewhat similar. That issue was a porno cover too, but in the form of rolls. Freshly baked breads, hot out of the oven, steaming when torn open...a perfect antidote to winter. I had some bulgur(cracked wheat) in the pantry that needed to be used anyway. So these have more fiber than pretzels.

Cracked Wheat Topknots





I deviated from the recipe (which I hardly ever do) by trying some different salts--alder smoked, and Hawaiian coral in addition to the gray sea salt. And by forgetting I was supposed to get 24 rolls out of the dough instead of 12. But now we have something bigger, more like buns, which split and toasted will make awesome sammiches with all that leftover chicken dip.