Happy Football Friday, Y’all. Or Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve. Last year we did tasty tailgate treats Holiday Edition so why not tackle it again? We have bowl games that deserve tailgate parties. So, let’s make this season of forced family fun a little extra FUN and tasty. There are some great articles to revisit from previous posts. Such as Bacon Wrapped Greatness, and Cozy Crockpot Soups. Always great for the holiday just because it makes life easier and can feed a crowd.
Tasty Tailgate Treats: Holidays and Bowl Games
As cold and flu season come back this is a good old-fashioned tried and true “cough medicine. Brandy. Did you know that Brandy helps with colds and the flu because of its strong anti-inflammatory properties? These anti-inflammatory properties reduce the pain of a sore throat and also help in clearing mucus. As well as the strong alcohol content makes it antibacterial. The website I pulled the recipe from has copious amounts of information on the healing properties of Brandy during cold and flu season.
Brandy Hot Toddy
Ingredients:
- 2oz brandy of choice
- 2oz honey
- 1 cinnamon, whole stick
- 1 lemon
- 1 clove, crushed
- 4oz hot water
- 4oz hot water (this is not a mistake)
Serves: 1
Instructions:
Your eyes didn’t fool you, you’ll need two measures of water of 4oz each. Bring the water to a boil, then pour it into a mug to temper it (this will keep the Toddy from cooling too fast). While the mug is tempering, you’ll want to cut off a slice of lemon (orange is a good stand-in) and pierce it with bits of clove.
Then, pour out the water from the mug and pour in the brandy. Add honey, lemon juice, and lemon slice with cloves and cinnamon stick, then cover everything with four ounces of hot water (or whatever the mug will hold). Stir as vigorously as your achy self can, sip, and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Butterscotch Haystacks / Tumbleweeds
Ingredients:
- 1 package (11 ounces) butterscotch chips
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 jar (12 ounces) dry roasted peanuts (optional)
- 1 can (4 ounces) potato sticks
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a microwave; stir until smooth.
- Stir in peanuts (optional) and potato sticks.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined pans.
- Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container.
Naughty Knots
We cannot lie this one was picked just because the name is AWESOME!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 lb. store-bought or homemade pizza dough
- Garlic powder, for sprinkling
- 3 oz. brie, cut into 8 pieces
- 5 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4c. finely grated Parmesan, divided
Directions:
- If your cranberry sauce is particularly chunky, roughly chop until small pieces of cranberries remain. Preheat oven to 400º and line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roll out one piece to a 12″-by-6″ rectangle. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Dollop 4 to 5 tablespoons of cranberry sauce onto the rectangle. With the long side of the rectangle facing you, tightly roll the dough into a log.
- With a sharp knife, slice down the center of the log lengthwise so you have 2 strips of dough with an exposed cranberry interior.
- Cut each strip into 2 pieces crosswise.
- Place a piece of brie in the center of the strip. Carefully tie a knot around the cheese (don’t worry if it isn’t perfect). Transfer to the prepared sheet, tucking in any exposed ends to make a neat knot. This will be a messy process, and you may lose some filling, but that’s okay! Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake knots until golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add sage and salt and stir to combine.
- Transfer knots to a large bowl. Pour garlic butter over and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan, then gently toss to combine.
- Arrange knots on a platter and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan.
Sausage Roll Wreath
Ingredients:
- 14oz sausages (use your favorite, good quality, free-range sausages)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pecans
- ¼ cup flaked almonds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- 1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
- 1 cup cranberry sauce
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
- Make the sausage mix. Heat your oven to 360 degrees and get a large oven tray ready. Roughly chop the cranberries, pecans, and almonds, then get them into a large mixing bowl. Slice through the sausage casings, and squeeze the sausage meat out into the bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of salt and a grind of black pepper, then mix well until everything is combined.
- Form the sausage roll. Lay out a large piece of baking paper on a flat surface, then place your sheet of puff pastry on it. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the cranberry sauce down the middle of the puff pastry, about 2 inches wide (lengthways, down the longest side). Pile the sausage meat mix onto the cranberry sauce line, in a long log shape. Try to keep this as equal as you can in terms of height and width.
- Roll up the sausage roll. Brush the whisked egg down one side of the pastry, next to the sausage log. Fold the un-egg-washed side over the sausage log, then keep rolling the log over the egg-washed side to seal the pastry. Keep rolling, then turn over so the seam of the pastry is at the bottom of one very long sausage roll.
- Form the wreath. Mark 11 roughly equal lines down the sausage roll, then cut two-thirds of the way through the roll (leave ⅓ uncut at the top of the rolls, so the wreath stays together). Carefully join the two exposed ends to form a circle – brush the pastry with a little more eggwash to help it stick. Very carefully twist each sausage roll over a quarter, so the exposed sausage meat is facing up. Brush the exposed pastry with the rest of the egg wash, then scatter the top of the rolls with the sesame seeds if you’re using them.
- Bake and serve. Transfer the wreath on the baking paper to the oven tray, then place it in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, until the pastry is super golden, puffed up and the sausage meat looks firm and is starting to look golden. Serve with the rest of the cranberry sauce in the middle of the wreath, for dipping.
Notes:
PREP AHEAD: Form the wreath and then refrigerate it, covered, a day ahead of time, then just bake it when you’re ready. You can also freeze the uncooked wreath and bake it from frozen – up the cooking time to 1 hour in this case.
SUBSTITUTION: Swap the dried cranberries for apricots, and the pecans and almonds for pistachios, walnuts, or cashews, or leave them out altogether. I like to throw in a handful of chopped sage leaves sometimes, for a more festive flavor. Instead of cranberry sauce, you can use any chutney, relish, or sauce you like! A caramelized onion chutney would be lovely.
Pull-Apart Christmas Tree
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. refrigerated pizza dough
- Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water)
- 7 mozzarella sticks
- 1/4 c. melted butter
- 1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp. Thinly sliced basil
- 1 tbsp. chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp. chopped rosemary
- Marinara, warmed (for serving)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut mozzarella sticks into 1” pieces and set aside.
- On a floured surface, divide the pizza dough into two pieces. Stretch and roll each piece of dough into a long rectangle, then cut the dough into 2” squares (you’ll need 33 total).
- Wrap a dough square around each piece of mozzarella, forming a tightly sealed ball.
- Place balls seam-side down on the baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree (they should be touching).
- Brush egg wash on dough balls and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together melted butter, Parmesan, and herbs.
- Brush on baked pizza balls.
- Serve warm with marinara for dipping
Happy Everything
Happy Bowl Season. Merry Christmas Eve Eve. Happy Hanukkah. Happy Holidays. Whatever you are celebrating or even if you are just hanging out at home trying to stay warm we hope you enjoy these tasty treats. The holidays are hard for everyone so, be sure to check in on all your friends and family. Everyone is struggling with something. If you need someone to talk to there is a new hotline to help if you are feeling helpless 988. Be kind. Spread love.
