Hey y'all I am getting so excited for the Superbowl mainly because this year it will be played at Cowboys Stadium in good ol' Arlington Texas. My family and I lived in a suburb of Dallas for 8 years and believe me when you hear "everything is bigger in Texas" it is so true. Every sports arena in Dallas is spectacular. Whether you're a Steelers fan (fingers crossed) or a Packers fan the game will be a lot more fun to watch if you have some yummy snacks. Add a little panache to your Superbowl snacks with these recipes and invite your friends over for a Superbowl Par-tay. They will be impressed no matter who wins.

Butt Putty (I beg your pardon?)
*Jenny C.

2 bags Bugles
2 c salted peanuts (not dry roasted)
1 c Karo syrup
2 c brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c butter (2 cubes)

Mix Bugles and peanuts in a large bowl and set aside. Mix all other ingredients and cook to softball stage, stirring constantly. Pour over Bugle mixture. Toss to coat. Separate and let cool on cookie sheet. Printable recipe.

Mix Bugles and peanuts and set aside. This mixture is a great salty-crunchy flavor that mixes well with the sweetness of the carmel.

When sugars are incorporated and butter is melting.

Rolling boil (10+ minutes) stirring until you hit softball stage.

Pour over Bugle mix and let cool on cookie sheet. This mix is addicting...perfect for watching the big game.



Sausage Dip
*Teresa C.

2 16 oz. Jimmy Dean sausage (1 hot, 1 regular)
16 oz. sour cream
8 oz. Herdez Salsa Ranchera ( I find mine at Fred Meyer/Kroger)
1 can sliced olives

Brown and drain sausage. Put everything in crock pot on low all day or on high if you have only a few hours. Serve with corn chips or toasted baguette slices (or alone). Printable recipe
Hold the presses. This doesn't look very good...how about if I put it on a chip like this:


Much better! This sausage dip is fantastic.

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I tasted these nuts at a friend's house while we were having book club. They are delicious and easy to make. I love to set them out in a dish or give them a rough chop and add them to a salad. De-lish!

Cinnamon Roasted Nuts

*LouAnne R.

4 cups whole almonds, pecans, walnuts or a combo

1 egg white

1 tsp. cold water

½ cup white sugar

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly grease a 10x15 jellyroll pan. Mix together sugar, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add nuts to egg white and mix to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle sugar and spice mixture over nuts and mix to distribute evenly over nuts. Spread nuts evenly over prepared jellyroll pan. Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Allow to cool then store nuts in an airtight container.

Please note: I double the recipe. They store for a few weeks. Printable recipe

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Hello everyone. No, I wasn't in the hospital with a wicked illness or out of the country for the past three weeks. It was the holidays. I seriously didn't feel like I had 5 minutes to myself to blog or to do much of anything else...that's why my toenail polish is chipped and I have dark roots an inch long. Anyhoo onward and upward to a new year and a new start! This recipe is a keeper. It literally takes about 10 minutes to make and it is delicious. I first saw this recipe here and thought "easy breezy lemon squeezy" (or in this case lime squeezy) I hope you enjoy it too!

Restaurant Style Salsa (as in Chili's or On the Border)
*adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 can (28 ounce) whole tomatoes with juice
1 can (10 ounce) mild Rotel tomatoes (don't skimp on brand...it won't be the same)
1 can (10 ounce) original Rotel tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole Jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin (seeds and all)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
one bunch cilantro (trim stems)
1/2 whole lime juice

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like - I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos. Printable recipe

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The saying goes, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". This recipe will help you eat (at least) an apple a day. This dip is creamy and sweet and crunchy at the same time. It compliments sweet and tart apples alike...I like it with honey crisp apples myself but any ol' apple will do. It takes just a minute to make but the impression lasts much longer. You only need a few ingredients and you're ready to go. Enjoy!


Crunchy Apple Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Mix well until creamy. Then add:
1/2 bag Heath bits (that's where the crunchy comes in)
Stir together and serve with sliced apples immediately. Printable recipe

*Please note: this dip is great the next day but the toffee bits dissolve so the dip does not retain its crunchiness.

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If you like Salted Nut Rolls you will love this little treat. My Friend Jenny told me about this last year and I gave it to quite a few of my friends and family and everyone loved it. The great thing is that it's easy to make! Measure equal parts of candy corn and salted peanuts (not dry roasted) and mix together in a large bowl. Scoop into a cool container, wrap in cellophane and tie with corresponding holiday bows (I found this ribbon in my scraps drawer). When you eat a little handful it's a perfect mixture of salty and sweet and chewy and crunchy at the same time. When you give this yummy treat to your friends they will be so impressed!

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I have always been intrigued with people who make their own granola. It seems like so much time an effort when I can go to the supermarket and buy a box. Then I came across this recipe on sisterscafe.blogspot.com. I had company coming into town for the weekend so I thought I'd try it. It was so easy to make and much better (and cheaper) than the granola you find in the supermarket. My favorite way to eat granola is layered with a drizzle of honey, Tillamook vanilla bean yogurt and fresh or frozen berries. SO GOOD. Try it...you'll love it.

My Favorite Granola
submitted by Melanie at Sisters' Cafe

3 1/4 cups oats (Old Fashioned or Quick - any combination)
1 1/4 cups white wheat flour
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut
1/4 cup flax seed (optional) I used ground flax seed
1 cup or more coarsely chopped almonds and/or pecans
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I didn't use cardamom but I raised the cinnamon to 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp cardamom

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, flax seed, coconut and nuts. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter, and water and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbly. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture together until smooth, and then stir in the salt, vanilla and spices. Pour mixture over the oats mixture and stir well to coat. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

Spread mixture on a jellyroll baking sheet, pressing into the pan. Slide it into the middle of the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Return to the oven and bake again for 15 minutes before stirring again. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the granola is uniform golden brown and completely dry - this usually takes a total of 45 minutes (it may still seem soft but it will get crispy as it cools). Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container. Printable recipe

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Do you like "crunch" as much as I do?...then proceed with caution. If you make this sweet, coconutty snack YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP EATING IT. We took three gallon-sized bags of this Chex Mix to a lake house for the weekend and ate it all (between four of us). It is fast to make and great for a crowd. Enjoy!

Chocolaty Chex Mix

9 cups Golden Grahams
8 cups Corn Chex
2 cups coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup butter

Mix top 4 ingredients in bowl, boil sugar, corn syrup and butter 2 minutes only. Pour over cereal. Wait a few minutes then add peanut butter M&M's and plain M&M's.

Other mix ins: white chocolate chips, peanut M&M's, Peanuttles or anything else you can think of. Printable recipe

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