Super Bowl Dishes

I am excited that this weekend is the Super Bowl. I am not team specific in general; I just like the whole aspect of football. We are hosting a Super Bowl this weekend. I will be making three different dishes for everyone. My husband and his friends seem to like spicy foods. I do not eat anything that is spicy. The nice thing about two of these recipes is that you can change the level of “spicy” for whomever you are cooking. I will be making stuffed jalapeños, mini southwest buffalo chicken tacos, and banana split dessert. The ingredients you will need for the dishes are:

1) Stuffed Jalapeños

1/3 c. tomato paste

1lb. breakfast sausage (mild or spicy)

½ c. water

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

20 fresh jalapeños

2) Banana Split Dessert

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

½ c. margarine, melted

8oz. cream cheese

2 c. powdered sugar

4 large bananas

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

8oz. cool whip, thawed

8 medium strawberries

1 tbsp. chocolate syrup

¼ c. Nuts optional

3) Southwest Buffalo Chicken Tacos

½ tsp. cornstarch

3 tbsp. taco sauce

7 oz. chicken breast, chunked

1 stalk diced celery

½ c. crumbled blue cheese

4 Taco hard shells or mini hard shells

 

1) You will start by halving the jalapeños, making sure you remove the seeds and membranes. Leave the stems intact for easier handling. I recommend wearing gloves during this process to protect you from later burning from juices left on your hands.

You will start by browning the sausage in a large skillet, drain fat. Stir in the water, paste, and chili powder. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in ½ cup of cheese.

On a cookie sheet, spoon about a tablespoon of sausage mixture into each pepper. You can choose to bake these at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or you can cook on a grill, medium heat, for 9-12 minutes or until peppers are tender. Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

2) Combine crumbs and melted margarine. Press evenly and firmly into the bottom 13x9 pan.

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and sugar, blend until smooth, spoon evenly over crumb crust. Slice bananas and arrange on top of the cream cheese layer. Spoon the pineapple on top of the bananas. Spread the whipped topping over the pineapple. Arrange the strawberry halves in 4 rows across the top. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with nuts (optional).

Cover and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.

3) In a small bowl, add cornstarch and taco sauce (mild or hot). Stir well.

Heat chicken thoroughly and drain any excess liquid. Add taco sauce and stir. Reduce heat until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Stir to prevent sticking. Divide into 4 large shells or mini taco shells. Top all with celery and blue cheese crumbles.

I truly hope you enjoy these recipes and may even try one this weekend.