{"id":68663,"date":"2024-11-22T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=68663"},"modified":"2025-09-23T12:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T16:37:02","slug":"tasty-tailgate-thanksgiving-treats-appetizers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/11\/22\/tasty-tailgate-thanksgiving-treats-appetizers\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasty Tailgate Thanksgiving Treats: Appetizers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Happy Football Friday All Y\u2019all! First and foremost did y\u2019all save last week\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/11\/15\/tasty-football-shaped-tailgate-treats\/\" target=\"_self\">Football Shaped Treats<\/a>? Which one was your favorite? The holidays are fast approaching. Which means the coaching carousel is spinning on high. \u00a0The season of firings and buyouts has started. This week we will tackle Thanksgiving appetizers. \u00a0These will help get you through the small talk with the family as you wait for the bird to make his grand appearance. \u00a0Have a great weekend of football. Enjoy!<\/p>\n<h2>Tasty Tailgate Thanksgiving Treats: Appetizers<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"css-nwiom9 e1f1sunr8\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thepioneerwoman.com\/food-cooking\/recipes\/a46119292\/ham-and-cheese-pinwheels-recipe\/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=mgu_ga_pw_md_pmx_hybd_mix_us_17963889983&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwnei0BhB-EiwAA2xuBj23sBkK_pkyNwO0NmGoOwh4tu5xVymrm9jOsD-laFbiCtmA-Jk8ZBoCwgMQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ham and Cheese Pinwheels<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Ingredients:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cooking spray<\/li>\n<li>2 oz. cream cheese softened<\/li>\n<li>2 Tbsp. prepared ranch dressing<\/li>\n<li>2 green onions, finely chopped<\/li>\n<li>2 (8-oz.) packages crescent roll sheets<\/li>\n<li>1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided<\/li>\n<li>1 cup shredded gruyere cheese, divided<\/li>\n<li>8 ounces thinly sliced deli ham, divided<\/li>\n<li>1 large egg, lightly beaten<\/li>\n<li>1 tsp poppy seeds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"css-1r2vahp emevuu60\">\n<li>Preheat the oven to 375\u00b0F. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.<\/li>\n<li>In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and green onion.<\/li>\n<li>On a very lightly floured cutting board, unroll 1 crescent roll sheet. Keep the other sheet refrigerated until ready to use. Use a rolling pin to roll the sheet into an even rectangle, around 12-by-8 inches, with the long sides parallel to the counter.<\/li>\n<li>Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the sheet, leaving a 1-inch border clean on the long side furthest from the edge of the counter. Maintaining the 1-inch border and in individual layers, sprinkle \u00bd cup of the cheddar cheese and \u00bd cup of the gruyere cheese over the cream cheese. Lay half of the ham in a single layer on top of the cheese, overlapping if necessary. Brush the clean border with the egg wash.<\/li>\n<li>Starting with the long edge closest to the counter, roll the crescent roll sheet into a log, using the side of the crescent roll sheet\u00a0that has egg wash to pinch and seal the log closed.<\/li>\n<li>Wrap the log with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour\u00a0or up to 12 hours. Repeat with the remaining crescent roll sheet, cream cheese mixture, cheeses,\u00a0and ham.<\/li>\n<li>Unwrap one chilled log and place it on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, trim the ends of each log and slice each log into 12 rounds. Place the slices into the prepared baking pan. Brush the pinwheels with egg wash and sprinkle with the poppy seeds.<\/li>\n<li>Bake until the pinwheels are puffy and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Recipe Note: The ham, cheddar, and gruyere cheese can easily be substituted for any other deli favorites including turkey, roast beef, Colby jack, havarti, or gouda.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-2l10x9 exadjwu10\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/holiday-recipes\/thanksgiving\/a29167451\/turkey-cheese-ball-recipe\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Turkey Cheese Ball<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The kitschy cheesy appetizers just because it is fun!<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1csxh9k eno1xhi4\">\n<p class=\"css-5s4u28 eno1xhi6\"><strong>For Cheese Ball:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2\u00a0(8-oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened<\/li>\n<li>4 tbsp\u00a0butter, softened<\/li>\n<li>6 oz.\u00a0goat cheese or cheese of your choice<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 tsp.\u00a0garlic powder<\/li>\n<li>1\/3 cup\u00a0freshly chopped\u00a0chives<\/li>\n<li>3\/4 cup\u00a0freshly chopped parsley<\/li>\n<li>1\u00a0sprig of thyme, stem removed, plus more for serving<\/li>\n<li>Kosher salt<\/li>\n<li>Freshly ground black pepper<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1csxh9k eno1xhi4\">\n<p class=\"css-5s4u28 eno1xhi6\"><strong>For Decorating &amp; Serving:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 1\/4 cup pecan halves, toasted, divided<\/li>\n<li>Red and yellow bell peppers<\/li>\n<li>Orange and white carrots, julienned<\/li>\n<li>Pretzels<\/li>\n<li>Crackers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"css-19p7hma et3p2gv0\">\n<li>Combine cream cheese, butter, goat cheese, and garlic powder in the bowl of a food processor.<\/li>\n<li>Pulse until smooth. Add chives, parsley, and thyme leaves and pulse a few times until well combined.<\/li>\n<li>Season with salt and pepper.<\/li>\n<li>Form the mixture into a large ball.<\/li>\n<li>To make the turkey body, Pulse \u00be cup pecan halves in a food processor until finely chopped.<\/li>\n<li>Roll the cheese ball in pecan crumbs and chill for at least 1 hour to allow the cheese ball to set up.<\/li>\n<li>To decorate: Make the tail by sticking pretzels, pretzel sticks, and multi-colored julienned carrots into the tail end of the turkey.<\/li>\n<li>Slice carrots to make the turkey feet.<\/li>\n<li>Cut a red bell pepper into a large triangle to make the face of the turkey and place it on the cheese ball using a toothpick or pressing into the cheese ball.<\/li>\n<li>Slice a smaller triangle from the yellow bell pepper and attach it to the red triangle to make the beak using another toothpick.<\/li>\n<li>Slice a thin carrot crosswise to get two rounds, for the turkey eyes and place it onto a red triangle with toothpicks.<\/li>\n<li>For the wings, stick pecan halves into the sides of the body, overlapping each other to make a wing shape.<\/li>\n<li>Serve cheese ball turkey on a platter along with crackers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"article-heading text-headline-400\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.southernliving.com\/recipes\/sausage-ball-recipe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sausage Balls<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">3<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">cups all-purpose baking mix (such as Bisquick)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">1<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">lb. ground hot pork sausage, uncooked<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">1<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">lb. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span class=\"mntl-sc-block-subheading__text\">Prepare oven and baking sheets: <\/span><\/li>\n<li>Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.<\/li>\n<li>Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, pressing the mixture together with your hands.<\/li>\n<li id=\"mntl-sc-block_58-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Shape into 3\/4-inch balls, and place on lightly greased baking sheets.<\/li>\n<li id=\"mntl-sc-block_64-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Bake at 400\u00baF for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/emilyprice\/2024\/11\/11\/8-thanksgiving-cocktails-to-warm-your-holiday\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thanksgiving Rum Punch<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Ingredients (serves 4):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00be cup of Spiced Rum of choice<\/li>\n<li>2 tbsp honey<\/li>\n<li>6 whole cloves<\/li>\n<li>2 cinnamon sticks<\/li>\n<li>2 cups apple cider<\/li>\n<li>1 cup cranberry pomegranate juice<\/li>\n<li>1 can of ginger ale<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Combine honey, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and \u00bd cup of cider in a small saucepan over medium.<\/li>\n<li>Cook, stirring often, until honey is dissolved and the mixture is fragrant with spices, about 7 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Remove from heat; cool and steep for 15 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Discard cloves and cinnamon sticks.<\/li>\n<li>Combine spiced cider mixture, cranberry pomegranate juice, spice rum, ginger ale, and remaining apple cider in a large punch bowl.<\/li>\n<li>Garnish sliced apples, oranges, pomegranate seeds, and a rosemary sprig, and serve over ice.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 id=\"article-heading_1-0\" class=\"comp type--lion article-heading mntl-text-block\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.allrecipes.com\/recipe\/13654\/stuffed-mushrooms-iv\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Beef-Stuffed Mushrooms<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>These will go fast! Double the recipe!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">12<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">fresh mushrooms<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">\u00bd<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">pound<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">ground beef<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">1<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">tablespoon<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">minced onion<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">1<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">clove<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">garlic, minced<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">1<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">tablespoon<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">butter<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">\u00bc<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">cup<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">bread crumbs<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">salt and pepper to taste<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">\u00bc<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">cup<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">heavy cream<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">\u00bc<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">cup<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">butter, melted<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-ingredient-quantity=\"true\">1<\/span> <span data-ingredient-unit=\"true\">teaspoon<\/span> <span data-ingredient-name=\"true\">chili powder<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0-2\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).<\/li>\n<li id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0-6\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Remove and chop mushroom stems.<\/li>\n<li id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0-10\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Combine ground beef, onion, and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until beef is no longer pink; drain.<\/li>\n<li class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Mix in chopped mushroom stems, 1 tablespoon butter, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.<\/li>\n<li class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cream.<\/li>\n<li id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0-14\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Dip mushroom caps in 1\/4 cup melted butter and stuff generously with meat mixture.<\/li>\n<li class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Arrange stuffed mushrooms in a baking dish. Sprinkle with chili powder.<\/li>\n<li id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0-18\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>On The Menu<\/h3>\n<p>Next week we will tackle more tasty tailgate treats. Perhaps we will find some creative recipes for those Thanksgiving leftovers. Have a great weekend of football. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. May you be surrounded by friends, family, football, and lots of love. Enjoy!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68671\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68671\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68671 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/11\/960x0.png-300x189.jpeg\" alt=\"Tasty Tailgate Thanksgiving Treats: Appetizers\" width=\"300\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/11\/960x0.png-300x189.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/11\/960x0.png-768x483.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/11\/960x0.png.jpeg 959w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68671\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Forbes dot com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Happy Football Friday All Y\u2019all! First and foremost did y\u2019all save last week\u2019s Football Shaped Treats? Which one was your favorite? The holidays are fast approaching. Which means the coaching carousel is spinning on high. \u00a0The season of firings and buyouts has started. This week we will tackle Thanksgiving appetizers. \u00a0These will help get you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1643,"featured_media":68671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10906,35689,2,35691,2056],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cfb","category-culture","category-featured","category-recipes","category-top-25"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1643"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80327,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68663\/revisions\/80327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}