Friday Foodie: Super Bowl XLVI Special (Featuring JELLO SHOTS! and Bonus Booze Review)

New slogan? Ladies...: Bringing The Meat Since 2007

We’ve made our predictions. Now it’s time to get cookin’. And drinkin’. In fact, it is advised to do both at the same time.  The other Ladies… and I have pulled together a Friday Foodie post of epic proportions. If you’re getting a bit bored of chili, we have several suggestions to ensure your Super Bowl Party guests won’t be pulling Manning Faces over the menu.

First up at the Ladies… Super Bowl XLVI Potluck, Buffalita:

AFC Quad Champ 4-Layer Taco Dip

1 9 oz can of bean dip (any flavor)
2 ripe avocados
(optional – 1 guacamole seasoning packet, or season your own way)
1 8oz brick cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 packet taco meat seasoning*
2 cups shredded taco blend or Mexican blend cheese
Black olives, diced tomato and/or scallions to garnish

1. Layer 1: Spread the bean dip across the bottom of an 8″ or 9″ pie dish (though any dish, square or round will work – if 13″ x 9″, the layers may be thinner)

2. Mash avocados and add either a guacamole seasoning packet or season it any way you see fit – usually some onion powder or diced onion, ground cumin, bit of cayenne pepper, salt, lime juice, maybe fresh chopped cilantro – you really can’t go wrong. I’d just give you my special guacamole recipe but then I’d have to kill you…

3. Layer 2: Spread guacamole on top of the bean dip

4. Using a hand mixer or some elbow grease, mix cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning packet together. *Note – you may not want to use the entire packet since it is packed full ‘o flavor. I mixed in about half and then tasted it as I went.

5. Layer 3: Spread pinkish cheese mixture on top of the guacamole

6. Layer 4: Generously sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the pink cheese mixture

7. (Optional) Garnish with black olives, diced tomatoes and/or scallions

8. Set out some tortilla chip scoops and watch it disappear!

I made this on Christmas (I know, how festive – pink cheese covered in green scallions) and it was gone in mere minutes. Plus, it’s easier than nachos, stores well and can be made way ahead!

Double Layer Jello Shots

Since both teams are technically red and blue and are geographically rather close, you may find yourself in a bit of a pickle if you’re hosting a Super Bowl party and you have friends that support both teams.  How do you present team spirit but in a way that doesn’t label you and subject you to ridicule from half of your guests? With Double Layer Jello Shots, of course!

Any small 1-2 oz vessel will work, but the best way to do these are with those little plastic condiment/ramekin dishes, like these so you can see the red and blue layers. Prepare a box of red (Cherry, Strawberry, whatever) Jello as directed on the box, but substitute the cold water with any clear or red liquor you desire (cherry vodka, raspberry rum, plain vodka – whatever compliments your flavor of Jello.  Fill plastic ramekins halfway with red jello and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set.  Once they are set, prepare a box of blue raspberry jello as directed on the box but substitute cold water with another clear liquor of your choice (I highly recommend either Stoli blueberry or UV blue). Pour blue Jello on top of the already set red Jello and refrigerate for another 2-3 hours or until set. Now everyone can get drunk in harmony with team spirit and no one has to feel left out because the Jello shots with the ‘other team’s’ colors are all that are left!

Lady Bee: I’d better get to serving up my dish before I become completely and utterly sloshed.

Southern-Style Slow Cooker Pork Roast (adapted from the recipe in February’s Canadian Living magazine)

3 lb (1.4 kg) pork shoulder – picnic will do nicely
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper

In slow cooker, combine onions, garlic, tomatoes, molasses, vinegar, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from your pork roast, if necessary. Add to mixture in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until pork is practically melting off your fork when you check on it, about 6 to 8 hours.

That’s it! This is delicious served on top of whipped mashed potatoes (like I did. The photo below does not do this justice.) I’m sure it would also be tasty on big sandwich buns or with cornbread.

This dish is absolutely delicious on the second day.

Raven brought dessert!

Michael Oher-eo PB Pies (adapted from this recipe at Picky Palate)

Three refrigerated 9″ pie crusts
16 Oreo Cookies (I used double stuffs, but you can use any Oreo.)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

“Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray 8 muffin cups with non stick cooking spray. Unroll pie crusts and cut out eight 4-inch rounds. Press into prepared muffin pan. Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter over each cookie then stack 2 cookies on top of each other. Place 2 stacked cookies into pie crusts. With remaining pie dough, cut long thin strips to create lattice top. Brush melted butter over tops then sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool then remove from pan. Makes 8 pies.”

CuteSports brought dessert, too! Dessert with shiny things in the centre!

King Cake

King Cake is a traditional part of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. You only eat King Cake during Mardi Gras season, which starts on Jan. 6 (Twelfth Night) and goes through Fat Tuesday. Eating it outside those parameters is uncouth in New Orleans. You just don’t do it. So you have a very short time of year to indulge in the delicacy. Every bakery in New Orleans – and really, all of Louisiana – makes their own kind of King Cake. There are traditional and filled and I’ve even seen doughnut King Cakes.

This recipe is for a traditional cinnamon-sugar-filled King Cake. The recipe yields two cakes, which I like because I have one for me to eat and one to take in to work to share.

There’s a long history of King Cake, but what you need to know is that it’s more bread-like than cake (its like a brioche), the traditional flavor is just the cake and cinnamon sugar, though you can get them filled, they’re fabulous and it’s not Mardi Gras until you’ve had your first King Cake.

A King Cake usually has a bean or plastic baby in it, which represents the baby Jesus. The person that gets the piece of cake with the baby in it is King or Queen for the day, but it also responsible for bringing the next King Cake.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 16 ounce container sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F.)
2 eggs
6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Colored Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 drops green food color
2 drops yellow food coloring
2 drops blue food coloring
2 drops red food color

Colored sugars:
1-1/2 cups white sugar

Cook butter or margarine, sour cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Cool mixture to 100 to 110 degrees F. Dissolve and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Turn 1 portion out onto a lightly floured surface; roll to a 28- x 10-inch rectangle. Spread half each of cinnamon mixture and softened butter on dough.

Roll dough, jellyroll fashion, starting at long side.Place dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough, cinnamon mixture, and butter.

Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Decorate with bands of Colored Frostings, and sprinkle with Colored Sugars.

Colored Frostings: Stir together powdered sugar and melted butter. Add milk to reach desired consistency for drizzling; stir in vanilla. Divide frosting into 3 batches, tinting 1 green, 1 yellow, and combining red and blue food coloring for purple frosting.

Colored Sugars: Place 1/2 cup sugar and drop of green food coloring in a jar or Ziploc plastic bag and seal. Shake vigorously to evenly mix color with sugar. Repeat procedure with 1/2 cup sugar and yellow food coloring. For purple, combine 1 drop red and 1 drop blue food coloring before adding to remaining 1/2 cup sugar.

Bee’s Booze Review: Mike’s Hard Blueberry Lemonade

Note that it IS a CANADIAN ORIGINAL.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade in its various forms (Original, Cranberry, Lime) is tasty stuff. In fact, it’s the only cooler-style beverage I actually like. So when I got word from our liquor corporation’s newsletter that Mike’s not only had a new flavour, but it was $1.50 off, I had to give it a try. This wasn’t easy – Mike’s is exclusively a summertime treat for me, and in February I’m all about the Malbec and Winter Warmer ales. But a sacrifice had to be made for the blog…

One thing about Mike’s: I think it’s best enjoyed cold, in a glass on the rocks. I find the minute the chill wears off, it gets a little too sweet and gross. I figured this new version would be no exception. So I decided to fix this the way I normally enjoy a Mike’s in order to properly review the Blueberry Lemonade. Except here’s what happened when I went to the freezer…

Hey, Mr. Bee, thanks for the empty ice cube tray in the freezer and the crushed hope!

I mean, seriously, is there anything that gets under your skin more than AN EMPTY ICE CUBE TRAY IN THE FREEZER?!! It’s amazing we’re still married. (Kidding.)

So I decided to enjoy Mike’s Blueberry Lemonade straight from the bottle. Verdict: it was delicious! It had a subtle, natural blueberry flavour that counterbalanced with the sweetness of the hard lemonade. I would imagine it’s even tastier on ice – in fact, I think it would look terrific in a tall glass with a wild blueberry garnish (which I would have tried, if I had ice.)

If you avoided Mike’s in the past on account of the sweetness factor and/or you have an undying passion for blueberries, give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Oh, you know what would taste great with this? Beer-Boiled Soft Pretzels from the Blonde Bomber! We strongly recommend you go straight to her foodie blog Someone Left The Cake Out In The Rain and bring a bib, because the pictures alone will have you drooling!

Enjoy the game, you guys! If you need me, I’ll be under the table. Friggin’ Jello Shots…