Football Friday Tasty Tailgate Treats: Bacon, Meatballs, & More

Happy Football Friday, Y’all. I cannot deal with the fact the college football regular season has ended. Where did the season go? How can it already be December? Before we dive into this week’s recipes did y’all save last week’s recipe “Thanksgiving Leftovers Edition 2022“? Did y’all enjoy your Thanksgiving?   This week we have a collection of tasty tailgate treats to extend football season a little bit longer and get ready for those conference championship games.

Football Friday Tasty Tailgate Treats: Bacon, Meatballs, & More

Slow Cooker Bourbon Meatballs 

Ingredients: 

• 1 32-ounce bag of frozen meatballs
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup bourbon (whiskey can be substituted)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water

Instructions: 

1. Coat the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. In a small cup, mix cornstarch & cold water until cornstarch is dissolved. With the exception of the meatballs, pour all ingredients (including the cornstarch mixture) into the bottom of the slow cooker. Stir well to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
2. Add meatballs to the mixture. Stir again, making sure all frozen meatballs are coated. Note: the sauce will not entirely cover the meatballs, so just spoon the sauce over the meatballs so they get one good coating.
3. Cook on high for one hour. Stir and serve. If you plan to serve from the slow cooker, turn the temperature down to Warm after the first hour of cooking.

Notes: No slow cooker? No problem. Pour wet ingredients into a medium saucepan and stir well. Add frozen meatballs. Cook on medium-high until the sauce is thick & bubbly. Reduce heat & cover.

Tots with Bacon and Cheese 

Ingredients: 

• 30 frozen tater tots from a 32-ounce bag – No need to thaw them first.
• 1 pound thick sliced bacon, about 12 strips – I prefer the thick-sliced bacon for this recipe, as it holds its shape a little better for more attractive and substantial hors d’oeuvres.
• 4 deli slices sharp cheddar cheese – Sharp cheddar contrasts nicely with the mild flavor of the tater tots, but you can use a different type of cheese if you wish.
• salt for sprinkling

Instructions:

1. Cook the tater tots and bacon pieces in the oven on separate baking sheets.
2. Cut the cheese (literally, not figuratively) into squares.
3. Assemble the appetizers on sturdy skewers.
4. Serve, while humbly basking in the praise.

Recipe Notes: 

Sturdy wood appetizer picks will help hold all the luscious layers together.

You’ll need three large baking sheets, two for the bacon and one for the tots.

The baking sheets are all lined with foil, and a top layer of parchment paper keeps the bacon from sticking.

Low Carb Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 9 strips bacon
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon red pepper chili flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions: 

• Preheat Air Fryer to 400°F
• Peel sweet potato and slice into wedges.
• In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil with the spices.
• Toss wedges in the spice mixture until well coated.
• Wrap each sweet potato wedge with a slice of bacon.
• Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray if needed and place the potatoes in the basket. Air fry for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through at 400°F.

Glazed Brownies

Brownies:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 10 ounces finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 ounces finely chopped unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), plus for buttering the paper
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze:

• 6 ounces finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 by 9 by a 2-inch baking pan with parchment or wax paper, so that the edges of the paper come up the sides. Lightly butter the paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Combine the semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolates and the butter in a heatproof medium bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple of inches of water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat. Set the bowl on the pan, over the heated water, to melt the chocolate gently. Whisk until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until evenly blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Take care not to over-mix the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out coated with a fudge-y crumb, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack. To make the glaze, put the semi-sweet chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, boil the heavy cream, and pour it over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir until melted and smooth. Spread the glaze evenly over the brownies and let set at room temperature.
6. Lift the edges of the paper to take the brownies out of the pan. Cut the brownies into 24 squares. Serve.

On The Menu

Next week we have the legendary Army / Navy game.  Since we are trying to keep college football season going as long as possible, I will keep sharing tasty tailgate treats.  Have a great weekend.