Happy Football Friday, Y’all. Happy New Year’s Eve Eve! We are FINALLY at the semifinal football games for the college football playoffs. We are approaching the New Year’s Six Bowls. And we need MORE tasty tailgate treats for your New Year’s Eve party and your playoffs watching party. Did you save the Holiday Edition Treats? Here are a collection of tasty treats to get you through the games and those midnight kisses. Also, here is the link to the bacon-wrapped recipes because bacon goes great with everything. ENJOY!
Football Friday Tasty Tailgate Treats: New Year’s Eve & Playoffs
Parmesan Bread Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. store-bought or homemade pizza dough
- 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- All-purpose flour, for surface
- 1 c. grated Parmesan (4 oz.), divided, plus more for serving
- 1/4 c. shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage, plus more for serving
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- Hot honey, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions:
- Let pizza dough sit until room temperature if needed, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- In a small pot over low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until starting to froth, 4 to 6 minutes. Immediately remove the pot from heat and let cool.
- On a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough to a 9″ square. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan and gently press the cheese into the dough with your hands. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough into 9 (1″-wide) strips. Separate each strip to keep it from sticking. Cut each strip crosswise into 1″ pieces.
- Arrange the dough on the prepared sheet in an even layer. Brush with about one-third of garlic butter. Sprinkle with mozzarella, sage, thyme, and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.
- Bake bread bites until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately brush with remaining garlic butter. Top with more Parmesan, sage, and thyme. Drizzle with hot honey, if using.
Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Mini Toasts
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 baguette, sliced
- 2 c. shredded white Cheddar
Instructions:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add Brussels sprouts, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and slightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Arrange baguette slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and top each with the cheddar and Brussels sprout mixture.
- Bake until cheese is melty, about 5 minutes.
Avocado Hummus
Ingredients:
- 2 c. canned chickpeas
- 2 ripe avocados, cored and peeled
- 1/3 c. tahini
- 1/4 c. lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- kosher salt
- Red pepper flakes, for garnish
Instructions:
- Combine chickpeas, avocados, tahini, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor and season with salt. Blend until smooth.
- Pour mixture into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with more olive oil if desired and serve.
Meaty Cowboy Caviar or Texas Caviar
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. ground turkey meat
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 15.8-oz. can of black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 11-oz. can of corn, drained
- 1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1/3 cup jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
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Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until no longer pink. Drain fat and return to heat.
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Add spices and water and mix until well combined. Cook until water evaporates, about 5 minutes.
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Remove from heat and add cooked meat to a large serving bowl to cool a bit.
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To the cooled meat, add the black-eyed peas, corn, green pepper, red onion, tomatoes, jalapenos, and garlic.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
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Toss the meat/veggie mixture with the dressing until well combined.
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Serve immediately on a platter or as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
Beer Cheese Dip
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup milk
- ⅔ cup beer I used Budweiser
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups sharp cheddar shredded
- 1 cup gruyere or swiss cheese, shredded
Instructions:
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Melt butter, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper over medium heat in a saucepan. Cook for 1 minute.
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Stir in milk and beer a bit at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Continue cooking over medium heat, add in mustard and Worcestershire, cooking sauce until thick and bubbly.
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Reduce heat to low, add cheeses, and stir just until melted and smooth.
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Serve warm with vegetables, tortilla chips, or soft pretzels.
Recipe Notes:
- For a smooth sauce, shred the cheese yourself, pre-shredded cheeses can have additives that keep them from melting smoothly.
- Do not overheat the cheese or it can become grainy in texture.
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Swiss cheese can be swapped for the pepper jack, mozzarella, or another cheese of your liking.
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Keep warm on a cheese fondue warmer or in a mini crock pot.
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A darker beer will have a more bitter beer flavor while a lighter beer will produce a lighter beer flavor. Either will work in this recipe.
Frozen Margarita Mousse
Ingredients:
- 1 can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup ready-to-drink margarita mix
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 5 drops of green food coloring, optional
- 1 carton (8 ounces) of frozen whipped topping, thawed
- PRETZEL TOPPING:
- 1/3 cup finely crushed pretzels
- 4 teaspoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Lime slices
Instructions:
- Combine the first five ingredients; mix well. If desired, add green food coloring; fold in thawed whipped topping.
- For pretzel topping, combine pretzels, butter, and sugar. Spoon lime mixture into 6 glasses; top each with about 1 tablespoon of pretzel topping. Freeze until firm, 4-6 hours. Serve frozen with lime slices.
5 Minute Chocolate Hummus
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans* (how to soak and cook dry beans) OR 1 can of garbanzo beans, strained and rinsed 3 times
- 3 1/2 – 4 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa
- 2 Tbsp water (optional)
Instructions:
- In a blender or in a food processor, combine all the ingredients except water, using just 3 1/2 Tbsp of maple syrup.
- Puree until the mixture is smooth, about 30-60 seconds. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time to create the desired consistency. Taste the chocolate hummus and add the remaining maple syrup if desired.
Recipe Notes:
* I’ve tested this recipe with great northern beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. I prefer to use black beans since the “bean” flavor is more subtle and they produced a creamier texture, but you can really use whatever you happen to have.
* If you use canned beans and there’s salt already added, reduce the salt in this recipe to just a pinch.
** If you choose garbanzo beans, remove the skin from the bean first. You can do this by pinching the bean between your thumb and index finger, and the skin will peel off. This helps to create a creamier texture when using garbanzo beans.
On The Menu
We have reached the end of the 2022 football season’s tasty tailgate treats. You never know when more will make an appearance. If you have any recipes you want to share please reach out. If you have any recipes you would like me to find please reach out. Have a GREAT New Years Eve. Enjoy the games.
