Super Bowl Archives - The Midnight Baker

Air Fryer Sausage Balls

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 00:03:09 +0000

Air fryer sausage balls are perfect for your New Years or Super Bowl party.

Easy Sausage Balls

With New Year’s parties coming up, there’s definitely a need for great appetizer recipes. Let’s not forget that the Super Bowl is on the horizon too so delicious party food is needed. And if it’s easy, then all the better.

Now these air fryer sausage balls fill the bill on both fronts; delicious and easy. They have only three ingredients and I am willing to bet you might have all the ingredients you need on hand.

Since I make so many things with refrigerated crescent roll dough, I always have at least two tubes in the fridge. I usually have a roll of bulk sausage in the freezer to. And shredded cheese? Uh huh, got that too.

Air Fryer Is Perfect For Appetizers

I’m the first to admit I love my air fryer (affiliate link). Mine isn’t one of the newer and fancier ones. I have a 5 Q basket style. This is one of the most versatile appliances you’ll ever have. While I love–and have come to prefer–air fryer fried chicken–it’s also my go-to appliance for appetizers and snacks like these garbanzos. These sausage balls are not exception.

When making this recipe, I am advising the use of the parchment rounds (affiliate link) sold specifically for air fryers. They will make clean up much easier due to the amount of cheese in these sausage balls. They won’t eliminate cleaning, just makes it easier. I don’t use them often but this is one time I do use them.

Sausage And Cheese

Here, the choice is totally up to you. I use mild-flavored sausage and mild cheddar in mine. That’s a pretty safe choice if you’re feeding people whose tastes are not familiar to you.

However, there are many varieties of sausage–hot, very herby and even maple flavors. If you’re serving people who like hot and spicy then the hot variety is a no-brainer. Chicken or turkey sausage would be great (and less fatty) too.

When it comes to cheese, frankly anything you like is fine here.

The Recipe

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Air Fryer Sausage Balls

Great party appetizer that's easy

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Course: Appetizers, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer appetizers, easy new years party food, quick air fryer snacks, super bowl snacks with sausage

Servings: 10

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz bulk sausage meat
2 cups shredded cheese
8 oz refrigerated crescent roll dough 1 tube
2 tbs flour
3 Parchment rounds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place sausage and cheese in a large bowl.
Unroll crescent dough. Dust one side with 1 tablespoon on the flour; flip and dish the other side with the remaining flour. Cut into small squares--about 1/4-inch. Add these to the sausage mixture and incorporate into the mixture. It will be sticky but try to mix as thoroughly as possible.
Line air fryer basket with a parchment round. Form mixture into balls about 1-inch/2.5-cm in diameter. Place 1/3 of the balls into the fryer.
Fry at 390 F/198 C for 6 minutes. Turn balls with tongs and fry an additional 2-3 minutes.
Repeat 3 times, using a fresh parchment round each time.

Notes

Make sure to check the sausage balls during the cooking. The times are approximate based on my fryer which is 1800W. Your time could vary.

I got 30 meatballs from this and figured 3 balls per person serving.

Nutrition

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Spicy Tso-Style Wings

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 00:00:52 +0000

If you love General Tso’s chicken, you’re sure to love these spicy tso style wings.

Tso-Style Wings Are Delicious

Do you love General Tso’s chicken? Then you’re sure to love these wings!

Wings are one of the most popular finger foods to serve while watching the big game–or any game for that matter. It’s the perfect Super Bowl food. Perfect for tailgating too.

These wings also make a fine appetizer on a buffet. They’re spicy, but you control the amount of spiciness in the sauce. The amount of sriracha in my recipe give a bit of heat but it’s not overboard. Use less if you just want a bit of zing and more if you like your food extra spicy.

Cook Three Ways

Since it’s the sauce that counts with this spicy tso wings, how you cook the wings is entirely up to you.

My favorite way has become the air fryer. They always seem to come out crispy and don’t dry out. They cook pretty quickly too; maybe 1/2-1/3 of the time it takes to oven roast them’

Before my air fryer, I would use my electric deep fryer to do them. Honestly, that’s the quickest way. They take an average of 8 minutes done this way so if you’re really in a hurry, this is the way to go. And remember, if you deep fry at the correct temperature, very little fat gets absorbed by the food. If you use this method, you may want to skip the cornstarch as it can foul the oil–especially if you recently did an oil change in the fryer.

Next is oven roasting. Pretty much the same as the air fryer (unless you have a convection oven) only it takes a bit longer.

Spicy Sauce

While the sauce can be made in advance, I always prefer to make it while the wings are cooking.

It’s reduced down to a syrupy consistency, but the sauce may thicken substantially if it’s refrigerated or left to sit out.

You don’t want a sauce that has the consistency of honey–more like pure maple syrup. You’ll know it’s just right if you take a wooden spoon, stir it and the sauce clings to the back of the spoon and if you run your finger down the length of the spoon, it’ll leave a bare “track” where your finger swiped it.

The Recipe

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Spicy Tso-Style Wings

If General Tso made wings, it'd be these

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: general tso wings, wing recipes for tailgating, wings for super bowl

Servings: 6

Calories: 440kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3-4 lbs chicken wings cut into drums & flats with tip removed
1/4 cup cornstarch
oil for spraying

Sauce:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce low sodium preferred
3 cloves garlic finely minced
4 tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbs Sriracha
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp fresh ginger grated

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For air fryer--dust wings with the cornstarch.
Place in a single layer in the air fryer basket (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your fryer). Spray with some oil.
Air fry at 360 degrees F for 13 minutes; turn and air fry at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Times may vary by the power of your fryer. Mines is 1800W.
If you fry in batches, keep the cooked wings in a 200 degrees F oven to stay hot.
For oven--line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Spray the wings with oil and bake at 400F/200 C for approximately 30 minutes.
For deep fryer--fry for 8 minutes at 350F/180C
To make sauce--place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sauce becomes slightly syrupy. It should coat a wooden spoon. This should take about 8-10 minutes. It's a good idea to make the sauce first if you're deep frying and while the wings are cooking if you'r air frying or baking.
Place the warm wings in a large bowl and add the sauce. Toss until colated.

Nutrition

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Instant Pot Hawaiian Pulled Pork

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 00:00:38 +0000

How about some of this Hawaiian pulled pork for Super Sunday?

Instant Pot Does Pulled Pork Quickly

Pulled pork is a really popular lately. Years ago, it was a long process either in the oven or slow cooker.

It was always quicker and easier to make in the pressure cooker, since it takes much less time. However, years ago, your only pressure cooker choice was a stovetop model. There’s lots of old wives tales about these pots. I’ve used stovetop models without any issues for years, but with the advent of electronic models, the process is a lot easier.

Pork butts usually take about 90 minutes in a pressure cooker so keeping a watch on a stovetop model is pretty tedious (you have to adjust the heat lots of times). The electronic models you can set and forget and that’s a great improvement.

Pulled Pork Goes Hawaiian

The regular way to flavor this is pretty good in itself, but how about changing things up a bit?

Pork goes with anything Asian or Polynesian like these pineapple glazed ribs so why not go Hawaiian with a nice pineapple-based sauce. If you’re into themed dinners for family fun, make it a luau night and serve this.

Something else that’s worth mentioning here is you can save yourself cleaning up extra pots because you can use your Instant Pot’s saute function to reduce the sauce. When the pork is done, remove it, drain off the water and wipe the pot dry. Then you’re ready to go with the sauce.

Shredding It

You’ll have to let the pork butt sit a while before you start shredding it because it will be super hot.

You can shred with two forks but I’ve found the most efficient way is to cut off sections and shred with my hands (clean of course!). When you do this by hand, you can pull out any fat or connective tissue that you might miss with the fork method.

Just a hint but you might want to double the sauce recipe so there’s extra for dipping or if the family likes the meat extra drippy.

The Recipe

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Hawaiian Pulled Pork

Add a Polynesian twist to your pulled pork

Prep Time5

Cook Time1 30

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asian flavored pulled pork recipe, football party food, pulled pork in the instant pot

Servings: 6

Calories: 488kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4-5 lb pork butt
2 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic crushed

Sauce:

12 oz pineapple juice
1 tbs soy sauce
2 large cloves garlic finely minced
2 tbs ketchup
1 tbs grated ginger
1 tbs hoisin sauce
2 tbs honey
2 tbs brown sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place roast in Instant Pot. Add the water, soy sauce and garlic. Set pot for high pressure and cook for 90 minutes. Let pressure drop naturally. Pork should easily shred. If not, then cook an additional 10 minutes at high pressure. Discard liquid in the pot.
Shred pork and set aside.
Add the sauce ingredients to the Instant Pot and set on "Saute" at medium heat. Cook until
the sauce becomes slightly syrupy--about 5 minutes.
Add the shredded pork back to the pot to heat through.

Nutrition

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Good Seasons Wings

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 00:00:40 +0000

Dry salad dressing mix is the secret ingredient in these wings.

Wings Are Always A Hit

We’re coming up to that time of year when the mother of all football championships will be played.

Since snacking is a must for football, or any sport for that matter, you’ll want plenty on hand for the big-game day. This year, a lot of Super Bowl parties might just be your immediate family or a reduced guest list from former years, but that doesn’t mean that the party food should be in any way diminished!

And at the forefront at such parties, wings take center stage and with good reason. They’re finger food and they’re totally delicious!

Dry Salad Dressing Mix But Not Ranch

These wings get great flavor from a dry salad dressing mix, but this time, it’s not ranch!

This one uses standard Italian dry salad dressing mix. You don’t use much, but it’s enough to give a great blast of flavor. Start with the amount I give, then taste to see if you want more flavor. If you do, add a bit more, but don’t let it get overpowering. Too much will hide the other flavors; you want them to meld.

Using the store-bought dressing mix is fine, but if you prefer to save money and make your own, I have a terrific copycat Good Seasons recipe.

And here’s another use for that dressing mix–my brother-in-law adds an envelope of it to 1 1/2 pounds/675 g of ground beef to make burgers. It’s awesome!!!

Yes, Mayo

These wings use a mayonnaise mixture to coat them prior to cooking. This may sound strange, but it works wonders especially if you plan to cook the wings in an air fryer. It’s also a great way to secure the breading on anything that’s coated with crumbs. It also eliminates having to spray anything with oil that goes in the fryer.

The Recipe

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Good Seasons Wings

Savory and delicious wings that use dressing mix as a condiment

Prep Time10

Cook Time55

Course: Appetizers, Main, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer wings, chicken coatings, football snacks, wing recipes with garlic

Servings: 6

Calories: 470kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2-3 lbs fresh chicken wings cut in flats and drums
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Sauce:
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese plus more for topping
2 tbs finely minced garlic
2 tbs fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400F/200C. Pat the wings dry. Season the wings with garlic powder, cornstarch and mayonnaise and coat very well.
If using the oven, line a large baking sheet with parchment. Place the wings on the top rack and bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
If using an air fryer, the cooking time may vary and may require less time, approximately 25-30 minutes.
As the wings cook, prepare the sauce. In a large bowl, mix the salt, salad dressing mix, parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley. Whisk in the warm melted butter until well combined. Whisk again right before adding the wings.
Add the wings to the mixture straight from the oven while they are still hot. Toss until they are all well coated. Place the wings back in the oven or air fryer and bake again for an additional 8-10 minutes. This will allow the chicken to absorb all the flavors and make them extra crispy.
Garnish with a light dusting of parmesan cheese and a little parsley if desired.

Nutrition

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Smoky Buffalo Wings

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 00:00:43 +0000

Just in time for Super Sunday! Everyone will love these smoky Buffalo wings.

Buffalo Made Better: Smoky Buffalo Wings

There’s no need to do any research to determine that the most popular flavor of chicken wings is Buffalo.

The originals are good enough, but did you ever think you could improve on perfection? I was willing to try! What was the worst that could happen–that I’d have to eat all the wings and not serve them to anyone? Since I love chicken wings above all else, that was a pretty easy decision.

All I did was add a couple of favorite flavors and took the edge off the sourness. It’s still Buffalo wings, but better! Now they’re smoky Buffalo wings.

Chipotle Makes Smoke

I love the flavor of chipotle. It adds so much to the flavor of most things!

In this recipe, I replaced some of the regular hot sauce with a chipotle-flavored hot sauce. Not much, but enough to give the sauce a bit of smoky flavor.

Now if you don’t have that variety of hot sauce on hand, you won’t be sorry for buying a bottle. Trust me on that! However, if you have canned chipotles in the cupboard, then mash a couple of them up really well so they’re almost like a sauce and use that.

Naked Or Dusted

Prepare your wings as you usually do. I either do them in my air fryer or the oven. Sometimes I do deep fry, but my deep fryer is in a place where I’d have to move some stuff to get to it, so…yep, you guessed it. I don’t use it much now.

I will opt for a conventional oven when I have a lot of wings and don’t want to air fry endless batches. These wings pictured here I did in my oven. I have a convection oven, but the time and temp I’m giving in the recipe card is for a regular oven for simplicity sake. For air frying you can use my Easy Air Fryer Wings recipe as a guide.

OK–it’s up to you whether to cook your wings with nothing on them or dusted with flour or baking powder. When I’m using a sauce that should cling to the wings, I always dust with a bit of flour. I find that Wondra gravy flour works really well because you can just shake it from the can. There’s no messy bags and tossing involved. The dusting is just a personal preference.

The Recipe

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Smoky Buffalo Wings

The Buffalo wings everyone loves with a hint of smoke.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Appetizer, Chicken, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: buffalo wings, chicken wing recipe, chicken wings with chipotle, super bowl party

Servings: 8

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken wings
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs flour optional

Sauce:

1/3 cup butter melted
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/4 cup Chipotle hot sauce
1 clove garlic pressed
1 tsp sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For whole wings, separate at the joints and discard wing tip. Place olive oil in a large bowl or plastic bag, add wings and toss to coat. Dust with flour if using.
Preheat oven to 450F/225C.
Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Spread wings on prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, turning midway.
Mix all sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cooked wings and toss to coat.
Air Fryer—you will probably have to cook in batches, so place one batch in the fryer and cook for 30 minutes turning midway through the cooking. Since the temps don’t go up to what I cook them in in the oven, use the highest temperature your air fryer can attain.

Nutrition

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Jumbo Beer Battered Fried Shrimp

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 00:00:22 +0000

Watch these beer battered jumbo fried shrimp disappear quickly with your football watching friends!

Fried Shrimp At It’s Best

There aren’t many people who will turn down fried shrimp! That is if you are not allergic or have religious dietary restrictions.

Me? I’ll take shrimp any way you give it to me. It’s by far my favorite seafood.

Shrimp is on sale an awful lot lately. I’ve scored some crazy low prices on them too. Last sale, one of my stores had colossal jumbo shrimp on sale with all the other sizes. Couldn’t pass that up and I wanted to do these beauties justice. What better way than good old authentic batter dipped fried shrimp–and a batter made with beer!

Batter

The batter for these shrimp contains beer. And since beer contains yeast, it acts as a leavening agent of sorts. It doesn’t really “rise” per se. It just incorporates a bit of air so the fried shrimp get a bit crispier.

The general formula is an equal amount of beer to flour, however, atmospheric conditions always play a big role in anything with flour. Same goes with high altitude, but with this recipe, altitude plays an insignificant role. Getting the proper texture is the main thing here. The texture should be like a thick pancake or crepe batter.

Standing is important too because of the fermentation. I find 15 minute to a half an hour works pretty well. And remember to let the excess batter drip back into the bowl. You don’t want an overly bready shrimp since it detracts from the mild taste of the shrimp.

Method

This beer batter shrimp recipe is made for deep frying. You need no special equipment for it; just a frying pan that has deeper sides, such as a cast-iron pan which is perfect, and one that conducts heat well.

If you have a deep fat fryer, that’s a great way to cook these shrimp. The temperature is easy to regulate and there’s actually less mess with it.

This recipe is NOT made for air fryers. Battered food does not work well in those appliances. You’ll end up with an inedible mess. Likewise baking is not recommended. So if you have a problem with deep fat frying, a recipe that uses crumbs for a coating is better suited.

The Recipe

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Beer Batter Fried Shrimp

A real treat when made with colossal-sized shrimp

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Batter Standing Time30

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beer batter for fish, beer batter shrimp recipe, fried shrimp, super bowl party

Servings: 4

Calories: 267kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb extra-large shrimp peeled and deveined
extra flour for dusting shrimp
Oil for frying.

Batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
12 oz can lager beer
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix flour, Old Bay, salt & pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in 8 oz (1 cup) of the beer. Batter varies by atmospheric conditions, so you may need more beer to thin batter to the consistency of a slightly thick pancake batter. Let batter stand for 15 minutes. Thin batter if necessary using additional beer.
Heat about 1-2 inches/2.5-5 cm oil in a deep large skillet to 350F/180C. You could also use a deep-fat fryer if you have one. This recipe is NOT recommended for air fryers.
Dry shrimp thoroughly. Dust lightly with flour.
Dip shrimp in batter and carefully add to hot oil—do not crowd the pan!!!
Fry 2 minutes then turn and fry an additional 2 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in a 200F/100C oven while frying additional batches.
Serve with coleslaw https://bakeatmidnite.com/kicked-up-cole-slaw/

Nutrition

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Guava Glazed Ribs

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 00:00:11 +0000

These ribs with a delicious guava glaze are quick and easy with your Instant Pot.

Ribs Are Perfect For Any Occasion

Ribs really rise to any occasion. Be that dinner, appetizers or snacking. They are almost the perfect thing to serve for any party, and what’s a Super Bowl party without ribs?

I always prepare my ribs in my Instant Pot because it’s quick and easy. There’s no long oven times where the meat can dry out. Likewise, there’s no 8-hour wait like in a slow cooker where ribs tend to become so soft the meat falls off the bone. Not that falling off the bone is bad. Some folks actually like them that way, but to me that texture isn’t suitable when ribs are supposed to be “finger food.”

Exotic Guava

I love the flavor of guava and it goes so well with pork. This recipe uses guava paste which is a slab of concentrated guava pulp.

However, it may be difficult to find if you live in an area that doesn’t have a large Latino population–especially Cuban. It’s not available by me so I buy my guava paste on Amazon.

Guava paste is very dense. It’s not jiggly like gelatin blocks. You have to cut it up and heat it in order to make the glaze. It becomes easy to mash once it’s heated so I suggest you don’t try to do this when you first start to cook it. Cut it in small blocks, about one-inch, let it heat then start to mash it with a fork. It may be a bit involved but it tastes so good, I think you’ll find it worth the effort.

The only viable substitute I can recommend in place of it would be red currant jelly or jam. However, I do hope you use the guava. It’s delicious and so tropical!!!

Alternate Methods

You can cook these by other methods than pressure cooking.

For oven cooking, prep the ribs as in the recipe–removing the membrane–then place them on a rack in a pan and roast for 2 hours at 350 degrees F.

For slow cooking, prep as above and cook on high for about 5 hours. However watch them carefully because you don’t want them overcooked. I never add water to the slow cooker, but if you want to, about 1/2 cup is fine.

The Recipe

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Guava Glazed Ribs (Instant Pot Ribs)

This is a very basic wing recipe for the air fryer. The crispy secret is the coating.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby back ribs, Instant Pot, pork ribs

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 racks baby back pork ribs
1 cup water

Glaze

1 cup guava paste
1/3 cup water
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs lemon or lime juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove membrane on the bone side of the ribs. Place ribs and water in Instant Pot and cook on manual, high pressure for 12 minutes. Release pressure immediately and let them cool a bit.
Meanwhile, prepare glaze by placing the guava paste and the water in a small saucepan; heat over low heat. Using a fork, mash the guava paste until melted and smooth—about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce. Remove from the heat and add the lemon or lime juice.
Heat broiler to high. Brush ribs on both sides with a generous amount of the glaze.
Broil until the glaze is bubbling and starts to caramelize; about 5 minutes each side. Remove from the broiler and cut into individual ribs.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Food & Wine
*Post contains affiliate links

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Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 00:00:50 +0000

This spinach and artichoke dip is a classic. Once you try it, you’ll see why. Perfect for game-day snacking.

Classic Dip

Game day snacking is coming up. I’m sure many of you are already planning what you’re going to munch on during the event. At least one dip is usually on the docket and you can’t get any more classic than this spinach artichoke dip.

There’s a reason some things are perennial favorites. After you taste this you’re sure to see the reason. It’s warm, cheesy and full of great flavor. Unlike many dips, this one comes with texture due to the artichokes. I have to confess that when I make this, I make a bit more and call it dinner. It’s very addictive!

More Flavor

I make no secret that I love garlic. While many recipes for spinach artichoke dip do not contain it, I made a point to put it in my version.

The best way I know to disperse the flavor is to use a garlic press. Not only does it crush the clove and release the oils so necessary for flavor, but it more or less mashes it. That makes it mix in all the better. If you don’t have a press, crush the clove with the side of a knife and mince it very fine.

Feel free to use more than I do if you want a really intense garlic flavor. Likewise, use less if you don’t want the flavor too bold.

I always substitute Romano cheese for the Parmesan usually called for in most recipes. I find that it produces a much more flavorful dip. It’s my go-to grated Italian-style cheese. If you like Parmesan better, then by all means use it! Like I always say if it’s in your fridge or cupboard, use what you have. Never buy something “special” for a recipe.

No Baking

Again, most of the recipes for spinach artichoke dip are baked. This is not.

Because this is not baked, it remains creamy from stem to stern.

To keep this hot throughout the game or a party, it can be put in a small slow cooker that is set on low.

The Recipe

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Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip

This spinach and artichoke dip is a classic. Once you try it, you’ll see why. Perfect for game-day snacking.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dip recipe, spinach artichoke dip, warm dips

Servings: 8

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/4 cup onion finely chopped
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 tsp paprika
10 oz thawed frozen chopped spinach
1 clove garlic finely minced or put through a press
14 oz canned artichoke hearts drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz cream cheese cubed
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Romano OR Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the chopped spinach. Set aside.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until onion just begins to get soft; about 3-5 minutes.
Add the paprika and garlic. Cook until fragrant; about i minute. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add the spinach, artichokes, cream, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Cook until cream cheese melts, stirring frequently and mixture is slightly reduced.
Fold in the cheeses and stir until mozzarella is melted. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Nutrition

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Copycat Wendy’s Chili

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 00:00:30 +0000

Make a big pot of this copycat Wendy’s chili for you Super Bowl party and watch it disappear!

Game Day Food

Can you think of anything more traditional for game-day eating than chili? I can’t!!!

Put a big pot of this on the table for family and friends to help themselves and you’re pretty much set. Even though this is not cooked in a slow cooker, it can be put in there on the “warm” setting so it stays nice and hot. In fact, with a few minor changes, you certainly can cook this in your slow cooker. Just brown the meat first–you can do the veggies at the same time too. Then just add all the ingredients to the crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Credible Copycat Of The Original

Wendy’s chili is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. I admit upfront, I’m not a big fan of chili, but I do like theirs. To my tastes, this holds up pretty well with the original version.

I did make some minor changes that are not the usual things for chili. Of course I used dark red kidney beans–and yes I know the debates about this dish and that the real deal doesn’t contain beans so we won’t get into that discussion here. However, Wendy’s does use beans and I did here as well. I also like white kidney beans so I threw some of them in and I’m very passionate about garbanzos so they make an appearance here as well.

But if you don’t care to use anything other than the traditional red kidney beans, just substitute the white kidney beans and the garbanzos with more red kidney beans. Easy peasy.

The Seasonings

I used my own homemade chili seasoning in this because I think it tastes better than anything I can buy. If you make your own too, use your own. Keep in mind that this recipe makes a lot of chili, so adjust your seasoning accordingly. For instance if you make your chili seasoning in bulk, you’d use twice the amount that you’d use if you are making an amount to serve 4-6. As always, let your own tastes be your guide. Start with the minimum amount and add more if you need it.

If you don’t bother making your own chili seasoning, two envelopes of the store-bought kind can be substituted.

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The Recipe

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Copycat Wendy's Chili

Make a big pot of this copycat Wendy's chili for you Super Bowl party and watch it disappear!

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Main

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chili, copycat recipe, Wendy's chili

Servings: 10 -12

Calories: 371kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 cup green bell pepper chopped (you could use poblanos too if you want a bit of heat)
42 oz stewed tomatoes (3 cans, 14 oz each)
10 oz diced tomatoes 1 can with green chiles (like Rotel)
15 oz tomato sauce (1 can)
1 cup water
Double recipe of chili seasoning or 2 packages, 1.25 oz ea.
28 oz canned dark red kidney beans, drained (2 cans - 14 oz each)
14 oz canned white kidney beans drained
14 oz canned garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs white vinegar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Press ground beef into the hot oil to form one large patty; let the bottom brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir and break the ground beef into crumbles and cook until no longer pink, about 5 more minutes.
Stir celery, onion, and green bell pepper into ground beef and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; pour in stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, and water. Break apart large chunks of stewed tomatoes. Stir in chili seasoning.
Mix the beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix vinegar into chili.

Nutrition

The post Copycat Wendy’s Chili appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Candied Bacon Crackers

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 00:00:27 +0000

Super Bowl snacking at it’s best. Can you say candied bacon on a cracker?

America’s Favorite Food: Bacon

I know–you stopped at “bacon.” Well, bacon seems to be America’s favorite thing to eat in a lot of things and it’s not just for breakfast.

When I saw these a while ago, I knew I had to make them as soon as possible. I even forgot where I saw them now but these are a must-make for any party and especially a Super Bowl party.

I’d say make double and triple the amount in the recipe because these will disappear fast. They must be served warm to keep any fat from congealing, however this probably won’t be an issue LOL.

Very Simple To Make

Everything you need to make a batch of these is probably already in your pantry.

Most of us have crackers on hand and all bacon lovers probably have a freezer full of the divine swine–I know I do. And brown sugar is on everyone’s shelf, I reckon.

You can add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper if you want a little bit of zip. I quite like a little heat with these. Coarsely ground black pepper works well too, but if you have neither of these, it doesn’t matter. These will be totally delicious with just the basic ingredients.

Any Buttery Cracker Will Do But…

Crackers such as Ritz will work with these treats. However, for maximum bacon coverage, it’s best to use a rectangular or wide-oval shaped cracker. I used a combination of Club and Town House crackers. Since they may be a bit pricy, all stores have their “house” brands of these crackers. The only crackers I’d stay away from with this recipe is saltines. They would soak up too much fat and are a bit too bland for this. A nice soft and buttery cracker is the thing you want to use.

The Recipe

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Candied Bacon Crackers

Super Bowl snacking at it's best. Can you say candied bacon on a cracker?

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, candied bacon, homemade crackers

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 332kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

12 butter crackers (1 sleeve) like Townhouse or Club crackers, either rectangular or oval in shape
8 slices bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Place crackers on a wire rack set into a lined baking sheet. (Leave a little space in between the crackers for the bacon, as it will hang over the edges of the crackers.)
Slice the bacon into thirds or fourths (depending on the length and shape of your crackers). Place a piece of cut bacon lengthwise on each cracker.
Mix brown sugar and peppers in a small bowl.
Sprinkle a generous amount of brown sugar mixture on top of the bacon-topped crackers (about 1 heaping teaspoon per cracker).
Bake 15-20 minutes or until brown sugar begins to melt and bacon becomes crisp. Allow crackers to cool on wire rack before eating.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Tip Hero

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