Are Y'all Ready for Football?

Folks tend to get pretty passionate about this sport, not to mention their favorite teams, regardless of whether it’s high school, college ball, or professional football. And this is one sport that definitely revolves around food! You’ve got your tailgaters, man-cavers, backyard BBQers, sports bar regulars, and fam-bam get-togethers. A lot of football fans have closely held traditions and rituals when it comes to rooting for their favorite teams, including must-have foods.

What foods come to mind when you think about football? Nachos? Chips and dip? Hot wings? Grilled hamburgers and hot dogs? Ribs? A bucket of fried chicken? Pizza? Crockpot meatballs and mini smoked sausages? These are all consistent favorites because they taste yummy, they’re easy to handle, and make good “walking around food.”

Today at The Kitchen Counter, I’m sharing delicious takes on some of these must-have favorites. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that I was a Pampered Chef Consultant for many years and the recipes below come from some of the cooking demonstrations I held during that time (with a few of my own twists).

These dishes were winners then, and they are sure to score you big points now! Trust me, your friends and family will yell, “TOUCHDOWN!”

All-American Cheeseburger Ring

¼ Cup Onion, chopped

¾ Lb. Lean Ground Beef

Salt and Pepper

¼ Cup Ketchup

2 Tsp Prepared Yellow Mustard

9 Slices American Cheese, cut in half diagonally (so that you have triangles)

2 Cans Refrigerated Crescent Rolls (such as Pillsbury)

16 Dill Pickle Slices

3 Large Plum Tomatoes, sliced in rings

2 Cups Shredded Lettuce

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large frying pan, cook the ground beef and onions until the ground beef is no longer pink, adding salt and pepper for seasoning. Remove from heat and drain any fat from the ground beef. Cut up five of the cheese triangles into diced up pieces and add to the hot, drained ground beef/onion mixture. Next, add the ketchup and mustard, and stir everything together until the cheese is melted.

Unroll the crescent dough and separate into 16 triangles. Arrange the triangles in a circle on a round pizza pan (wide ends toward the center and overlapping a little). The dough should look like a sun with the points hanging over the edge of the pan. There should be an opening, about five inches in diameter, in the middle of the pan. Using an ice cream scooper, place a scoop of the meat mixture onto the widest end of each dough triangle. You should now have a circle of meat mounds on your “sun.” Top each meat mound with a pickle. Bring the point of each triangle over the top of each mound of filling and tuck it under the wide part of the triangle. (Filling will not be completely covered.) Bake the ring at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until the ring is a deep, golden brown color.

Remove the ring from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Arrange the remaining triangles of cheese over the top. Arrange the tomato slices around the inside center of the ring, then fill the rest of the center with shredded lettuce. When ready to serve, cut into slices and serve with additional ketchup, mustard, and pickles if desired.

Garlic-Pepperoni Pull-Apart

2 Cans Refrigerated Dinner Rolls or Biscuits (Such as Pillsbury)

1 to 1½ Sticks of Butter, melted and cooled a bit

4 TBSP Minced Garlic

2 Tsp Italian Seasoning

1 Pkg Sliced Pepperoni, roughly chopped

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375°. Separate the dough into individual rolls/biscuits, then cut each one into four pieces. Place all the dough pieces into a large bowl.

(You should have a pretty good-sized mound of dough pieces.) Add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, chopped pepperoni, and three-fourths of the parmesan cheese. Toss well, making sure the dough gets coated in pepperoni, garlic, and cheese. Gradually add the cooled and melted butter, thoroughly tossing and coating the dough pieces. You do not want the melted butter to be hot or it will cause the dough to start melting and stick together.

Once you are happy with the amount of butter that is coating the dough, transfer the dough to a fluted baking pan (such as a bundt pan or angel food cake pan). Sprinkle the top of the dough with the remaining shredded parmesan cheese. Bake the dough for 25-30 minutes until a deep, golden brown, and a cake tester inserted in the dough comes out clean (in other words, no sticky or uncooked dough). Cool for 5-10 minutes, then gently loosen the bread from the sides and middle of the pan. Carefully invert the bread onto a cooling rack or plate. Allow to cool a bit and serve with warm marinara sauce if desired.

Touchdown Taco Dip

1 Can Refried Beans

1 Pkg (8 ounces) Cream Cheese, softened

1 Cup Sour Cream

2 TBSP Taco Seasoning Mix

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ Cup Chopped Black Olives

2 TBSP Chopped, Fresh Cilantro

1 Medium Tomato, seeded and chopped

¼ Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced

Tortilla Chips

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the refried beans over the bottom of a medium-sized baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and minced garlic. Mix well and spread over the top of the refried beans. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle the top with the chopped olives, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and chopped green onions. Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: For a heartier dip, add a layer of cooked and seasoned ground beef, shredded and seasoned chicken, or even cooked chorizo.

Bacon & Sausage Wrap-Arounds

1 TBSP Cornmeal

1 Pkg Refrigerated Bread Stick Dough (such as Pillsbury)

2 TBSP Dijon Mustard

24 Fully cooked small smoked sausage links

1 Pkg Bacon, soft-cooked

Maple Syrup and/or BBQ Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a 13” x 9” cookie sheet with cooking spray and set the pan aside. Sprinkle a large cutting board with the cornmeal. Unroll the bread stick dough over the cornmeal. Spread the Dijon mustard evenly over the dough. Cut the dough along the perforations to form 12 strips, then cut each strip in half lengthwise so that you have 24 long, thin strips of dough.

Cut each strip of bacon in half, then cut in half lengthwise. Wrap one cut bacon strip around one smoked sausage, then wrap one strip of dough around the bacon and sausage to make a “blanket.” It’s fine it you have bacon showing through. Place the sausage wrap-around on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat this process until you have all 24 wraps completed. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with maple syrup, BBQ sauce, or your favorite mustard for dipping.

WARNING! These little guys disappear FAST, so I highly recommend doubling or tripling this recipe, depending on the size of your crowd.