Recipes for The Big Game!!

Gearing up for the Big Game? Here are some fun recipes that are sure to please all fans.

Let us know if there is something you would like us to put in our column, or if you have a recipe to share, please submit to ads@thedrummer.com.

Chile-Lime Party Mix

Level: Easy

Total: 35 min

Active: 20 min

Yield: 17 c.

4 c. corn cereal squares

3 c. salted roasted peanuts

2 c. pretzel squares

2 c. baked chipotle Cheddar crackers

2 c. crushed lime tortilla chips

2 c. flaked coconut

1 c. baked plain corn nuts (about 4 oz.)

1 c. salted roasted pepitas

1-1/2 sticks (12 T.) unsalted butter

2 T. tightly packed lime zest (about 6 limes)

1 T. Mexican seasoning salt with achiote

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 c. grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the corn cereal, peanuts, pretzels, chipotle Cheddar crackers, tortilla chips, coconut, corn nuts and pepitas.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the lime zest, seasoning salt, kosher salt, and chili powder. Simmer until the flavors are combined, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan.

Pour half the seasoning mixture over the party mix and stir to combine. Then add the second half of the seasoning mix and stir again, making sure the seasoning mixture is evenly distributed over the party mix. Divide between the 2 prepared baking sheets and bake until the mix is lightly toasted, and the Parmesan is melted, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

Fabulous Football Dip

Prep Time: 2 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 17 mins

1 lb. sausage

1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers (mild, medium, or hot!)

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

In a large skillet, cook sausage over a medium heat until it is browned and cooked through.

Mix tomatoes and cream cheese into the skillet. Stir and continue cooking the mixture over a medium heat until the cheese has melted.

Note: This recipe can be as hot or as mild as you like, depending on which kind of tomatoes you buy. Serve with tortilla or corn chips.

Brown Sugar Smokies

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

1 lb. bacon

1 (16 oz.) package little smokie sausages

1 c. brown sugar, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut bacon slices into thirds and wrap each strip around a sausage. Secure the wrapped sausages on wooden skewers, several to a skewer. Arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle them liberally with brown sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar is melted, about 20 minutes.

Air Fryer French Fries

Yields: 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 32 mins

1-1/2 lb. russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

4 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, divided

Nonstick spray

Ketchup and/or ranch dressing, for serving

Cut the potatoes into a French fry shape, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Place in a large bowl and cover by 1 inch with very hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes, then rinse the potatoes well under cold water. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet tray lined with paper towels and pat very dry.

Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl (if using the soaking bowl, rinse and dry it well). Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper and toss well to coat. Transfer to an air fryer basket sprayed with nonstick spray and distribute evenly. Cook at 360° for 15 minutes, turning with a rubber spatula half-way through and redistributing the fries evenly in the basket.

Return the potatoes to the mixing bowl and gently toss to coat with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Return the potatoes to the air fryer basket and cook at 400° for 12 more minutes, removing the basket and shaking well half-way through. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauces, such as ketchup or ranch dressing.

Bacon Cheeseburger Garbage Bread

Level: Easy

Total: 1 hr 55 min

(incl. cooling time)

Active: 50 min

Yield: 8 servings

2 lbs. ground beef chuck

12 oz. American cheese slices (about 30 slices)

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1-1/2 lbs. store-bought pizza dough, at room temp. (see Cook’s Note)

5 T. ketchup

2 T. yellow mustard

1 med. red onion, finely chopped

12 strips cooked bacon, broken in half

One 32-oz. jar dill pickle chips (35 to 40 chips)

Sesame seeds, for garnish

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. dried onion flakes

1 tsp. sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring to break it up into small crumbles, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop half of the cheese, leaving other half as slices. Set aside.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the skillet and transfer to a large bowl; discard the fat and liquid in the pan. Let the beef cool completely in the bowl, then stir in the chopped cheese.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 20-by-14-inch rectangle. Arrange the beef and cheese mixture evenly on one half of the dough, starting on the shorter end and leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ketchup evenly over the beef mixture and the uncovered half of the dough; repeat with all the mustard, and then the red onion. Lay down the remaining cheese slices evenly over the half of the dough with no beef mixture, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Arrange the bacon pieces and 24 dill pickle chips just over the beef mixture.

Working from the short side with the beef mixture, tightly roll up the dough into a log, jelly-roll style. Pinch the open ends together to seal, then tuck them underneath the log. Transfer the log, seam side-down, to the prepared baking sheet, brush all over with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the bread is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

While the bread bakes, whisk together the mayonnaise, onion flakes, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper and the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle chips and 1 teaspoon pickle brine in a small bowl. Taste, and season the special sauce with additional salt if needed. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve warm with the special sauce.

Cook’s Note: To make rolling and shaping the dough easy, keep the dough refrigerated until 10 to 15 minutes before you are ready to use it.

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Yields: 16-20 servings

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

1 ball refrigerated pizza dough (about 14 oz.), at room temperature

All-purpose flour, for sprinkling

1/2 c. marinara sauce, plus more for dipping

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

10 slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 oz. sliced pepperoni, halved

4 sticks mozzarella string cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface until it’s a very flat, large rectangle, about 11 by 18 inches. Spread with the marinara sauce, leaving a 1-inch border all around, then sprinkle with the parmesan, oregano, and salt. Evenly top with the mozzarella slices and half of the pepperoni.

Unwrap the string cheese and arrange it in a line on one long edge of the dough. Starting from that long edge, roll up the dough as tightly as possible so that the string cheese winds up in the middle of the roll. Pinch the seam of the dough to seal, then flip seam-side down. Slice into 1-inch pieces with a serrated knife and place the rolls cut-side up in a 12-inch round baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Tuck the remaining pepperoni into the folds of the pizza rolls, leaving just a little sticking out. Allow the rolls to rise at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Bake the rolls until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with extra marinara sauce for dipping.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

Yields: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs

4 lb. chicken drumettes and flats (wing tips removed)

Nonstick cooking spray

2 tsp. kosher salt

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning

2 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. hot sauce

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Lemon wedges, for serving

Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil and top each with a wire rack. Spray the racks with nonstick cooking spray.

Stir together the salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the chicken wings and toss until evenly coated. Divide the wings evenly between the prepared racks, leaving space between wings. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate, uncovered, for up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450°F with the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. If the wings were refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Bake the wings for 25 minutes. Flip the wings over and rotate the baking sheets from upper and lower oven racks. Continue baking the wings until crispy and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

While the wings are baking, stir together the butter, lemon pepper, honey, hot sauce and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Transfer the wings to the bowl with the butter mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Football Cookies

Yields: 2 dz

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 45 min

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2/3 c. toasted pecans, very finely chopped

2/3 c. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°. Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. With the mixer on medium-low, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in pecans and beat until dough starts to clump together, about 1 minute.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon balls, and form each ball into an oblong football shape at 2 1/2 inches long. Press footballs onto the baking sheet to flatten the bottom side, spacing at least 1 inch apart.

Bake the cookies until the dough is no longer shiny and set, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. 

To decorate: Whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl to form a thick icing. Transfer icing to a piping or zip-up bag. Cut a small (about 1/8-inch) hole in the corner. Pipe lines on top of the cookies to resemble the seams of a football. Let stand until the icing hardens, about 30 minutes.

Buckeyes

Yields: 2-3 dz

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 25 min

1 c. creamy peanut butter

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2 (3.5-oz.) dark (70% cocoa) bars, roughly chopped

Jimmies sprinkles (optional)

Beat the peanut butter and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed.

Using a tablespoon, divide the peanut butter mixture into about 28 balls; quickly roll in your palms until smooth (chill the buckeyes if they are getting too soft to work with). Place balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Reshape balls once chilled, if needed.

Fill the bottom of a medium saucepan with about 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place chopped chocolate in a dry, heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl that is slightly larger than the saucepan. The bowl should sit on top of the pan without its bottom touching the water.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Place the bowl of chocolate over the saucepan of water. Heat the chocolate, stirring occasionally with a dry rubber spatula, until chocolate is mostly smooth and melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and continue stirring until the residual heat melts the remaining chocolate and mixture is smooth (return bowl to saucepan, if needed). Pour chocolate into a heat-safe mug.

Skewer 1 peanut butter ball with a toothpick. Dip the ball 3/4 of the way in the chocolate, leaving a small round of peanut butter showing. Allow excess chocolate to drip off. Return the ball to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle sides with jimmies, if desired. Remove the toothpick and carefully smooth over the hole.

Repeat the dipping process with the remaining peanut butter balls. Reserve remaining melted chocolate for another use. Chill the buckeyes until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

~ Abraham Lincoln