Super Bowl Party Food = Amazeballs.

Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl...here we go! Sadly, not this year, but you know where my allegiances always lie. Plus this Pennsylvania girl may have been a bit jealous of the snow up north, hence breaking out the best piece of head gear I own.

So once my hopes for an extensive post-season were as deflated as New England's balls, I started to think about not only where I would watch and hope for a Patriots loss, but what I would make. A request came in to make something healthy for a party, so I will post what I decided on in a future blog post. But in the meantime, here are some great options for those of you who want to keep your bellies fat and happy with all the awesome that comes with meat and cheesy goodness.

Katie's Super Bowl Top Five Dishes

Buffalo Cheese Bread: This post has received the most page views of anything I've blogged about over the last several years. I think it is a testament to how awesome my friend Nick's blog is. (see below for another reference and link). It takes everything that is awesome about buffalo wings and substitutes the meat for bread.

Janet's (meat)BALLS: Sweet, sweet meat.  Balls. 'Nuff said.

Sticky Wings: These are my favorite wings and they are the creation of my buddy Nick at http://www.macheesmo.com. I've made them several times and they are always a crowd-pleaser. If you like an Asian-style wing and love that Rooster sauce, these wings are for you.

Stuffed Jalapenos: These little pillows of meat and cheesy goodness are stuffed with chorizo and smoked gouda. And boy is it gouda.

Tomatillo Peach Salsa: This beats any jarred fruit salsa variety. Hands down and worth the extra effort.

And to give a quick shout-out to a former work colleague of mine who had a role in this little bit of amazing...don't forget about food safety this Super Bowl Sunday!

Hot Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon Spread

December is just a few days away and with it comes endless holiday and office parties. Here is a great, easy, and healthy dip to serve the next time the occasion calls for potluck (which will happen again and again in December.) I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. People were impressed at  how creamy it was, considering there isn't all that much creamy substance involved, just a whole lot of onions!

Hot Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon Spread (serves 8)

 

 

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded and divided
• 2 TB chopped fresh chives, divided
• 1/3 cup canola mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

 

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan lightly with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; saute 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

 

Reserve 2 TB cheese. Combine remaining cheese, caramelized onion, 1 TB chives and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer the mixture to a 1 quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with reserved 2 TB cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining 1 TB chives.



Spinach and Feta Dip

I love a good dip. Guacamole, salsa, hummus, you name it, that's my weakness. I wanted to make a quick, healthy, cold (emphasis on the word COLD) dip for the hot 4th of July holiday. I decided to make a batch of this low-fat feta spinach dip for a BBQ. While it was not as big of a hit as the homemade guacamole and pica de gallo (and let's be honest, I definitely ate a bit more of that than I should have), I did think it was pretty tasty for a light dip. I served with pita chips.

Spinach and Feta Dip (serves 10-12 people as an appetizer)

 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup low fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chives, minced, divided
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Place spinach in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then cook for 1 minute; drain well.

Place spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, feta cheese, 2 tablespoons of chives, lemon juice, garlic powder and pepper in a blender; puree. Taste dip and add salt if desired. Spoon dip into a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of chives.