Superbowl Appetizers Part 2

Superbowl Snack Recipes is a list of 5 ideas for easy appetizers that you can make for your Superbowl party. These appetizers are ones that are not exclusive to having for a football party; they are a great idea for anytime you want to make appetizers.

Following is my recipe for mozzarella sticks. Love homemade mozzarella sticks. They are tricky to cook as you can see from my pics. The oil wasn't hot enough at one point and then it was too hot. The result is exploding mozzarella sticks but even though they look messy, they taste great!

Ingredients:
Oil for frying
Mozzarella string cheese
2 beaten eggs
bread crumbs

step one is to peel the plastic off the string cheese and then cut each tube of cheese in half.

 dip in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs and set on a plate while your pan of oil heats.

fry until golden brown. As you can see from my picture, many of my mozzarella sticks exploded. Truth be told, I was multi-tasking, which is a no-no when frying. If the oil is just the right temperature, the mozzarella sticks will cook quickly and will not explode. drain on paper towels. serve with a side of marinara sauce.

Stromboli

A favorite and easy to make appetizer. These also are great for a Sunday night dinner. You could make these, freeze them and have stromboli ready to bake at anytime.

Ingredients:
package of frozen pizza dough (your supermarket may carry fresh also)
1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package sliced pepperoni
or 1 lb italian sausage, browned and drained.

If you are using frozen dough, it will thaw overnight in the fridge.
Use a rolling pin on a floured board to roll the dough out to a rectangle.
Spread fillings on the dough leaving 1" all the way around.
Roll it up, tucking in the sides as you go.
Put stromboli seam side down on a greased (with olive oil) cookie sheet.
Poke a few holes in the top with a fork and brush with egg white or oil olive if you like a crispy top.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until it is browned.
Cool for about 5 minutes and slice into serving pieces.

The rolled out dough

 italian sausage spread out

pepperoni and then shredded cheese on top

rolling and tucking

Fresh out of the oven

Sausage and cheese and pepperoni and cheese. Delicious!!!!!

What's for dinner? How about homemade Stromboli??

Cooking is a stress releaser for me. When I need a pick-me-up for my mood, I head to the kitchen. I do have to push myself sometimes but once I get started, it usually boosts my mood. Today was food shopping morning and I decided to do something fun for dinner. Strombolis and popcorn chicken. Since I did go shopping, I had plenty to keep me busy in the kitchen.

Prep produce and meat when you get home from the supermarket and it will save tons of time when it is time to cook dinner.

Here are pictures of how I made stromboli for dinner tonight.

Ingredients used:
1 package frozen pizza dough (contains 2 separate doughs) defrosted overnight
1 lb. sausage meat
1- 6oz package of pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups shredded mozzarella and provolone
olive oil
flour
1 teaspoon fresh garlic



First dust your countertop (cleaned beforehand) with flour and then using a rolling pin, roll out the dough. You can leave it a little thicker and your stromboli with be doughier. I rolled it out pretty thin.

 This stromboli will be sausage. I took the cooled sausage meat that I added garlic to and crumbled in with my hands. I spread it evenly around the dough. Notice I leave an edge all the way around.

 This stromboli will be pepperoni. Did the same as above (oops-obviously, I taste tested the pepperoni!)

 Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese. In this case I used 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup mozzarella/provolone combination. At this time you could use Italian seasoning on top or add onions, peppers or mushrooms.

 Rolling is the fun part. As you gently roll it, tuck the ends over the top of the roll. When you get to the end, you can use water to seal or olive oil or egg wash.

Rolling and tucking in the sides as you go
After you are done rolling, place it on a cookie sheet that has been wiped with olive oil. Brush olive oil on the top also.

Bake this is a preheated 425 degree oven. It takes about 25 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly and remember, the fillings will be hot!!!

Ignore the family size thin crust pizza- that was made a few Sundays ago. The strombolis are on the left. I couldn't take a picture of these because they are just going in the oven.

This is an easy to make dinner. The kids can help and you can fill it with any combinations. Tomorrow- more ideas on what to do with frozen pizza dough. enjoy!!!!

Sunday One-Skillet Breakfast

Tired of the same old Sunday morning breakfast? This one-skillet dish is simple to make and really tasty!


Ingredients:

8 large eggs
3 small new white potatoes (skins on)
5 oz package of Jones turkey sausage (you can find this in the frozen food section)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons red onion - chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon butter or butter substitute ( whichever you prefer)
1 ounce extra sharp cheddar cheese

How to get started.
You will need a large skillet, preferably a deep one. You will also need Ziploc steaming bags. If you do not have these put them on your shopping list. They are great for vegetables and cut down preparation time for many recipes. If you do not have steaming bags, you can use your microwave without the bags to cook your potatoes.

Step 1- Cut sausages in half. Place in skillet with olive oil and begin to brown over a low flame.

Step 2- While sausages are browning, wash potatoes well and cube them. Place them in a steamer bag and microwave for 4 minutes. If you do not have the steaming bags, put them in a microwave dish and add about 1/4 cup water and cook for about 4 minutes. You want them to be fork-tender.

Step 3- Chop your red onion and add it to your sausage. Allow it to soften for a few minutes.

Step 4- Your potatoes should be done by now so add them to the skillet also.

Step 5- Stir in paprika and allow mixture to cook for about 2 minutes. Remove ingredients to a bowl.

Step 6- Beat your eggs well. Add butter to the skillet and start to scramble your eggs.

Step 7- Once the eggs are almost completely scrambled, add the potato, onion and sausage mixture. Stir together well and allow eggs to finish cooking.

Step 8- Shut the heat off under the skillet and grated the cheddar cheese on top.

You are now ready to serve!

I did not add any extra salt or pepper to this. Allow each person to add their own to taste.
This will serve 4 to 6 people, depending on their appetites. You can serve toast or English muffins on the side with this.

Secret tip here: I just fed this to my husband who despises turkey anything. He had no clue that this was turkey sausage. One turkey sausage link has only 20 calories - 10 from fat. It is lower in fat, sodium and cholesterol than pork sausage. It browned very nicely using little olive oil.

I hope you try this recipe. It would also make a good dinner or brunch for when the family is over.