Party Foods
Chili Con Carne is Always a Slam Dunk
Posted by Vanessa
Chili con Carne is one of my favorite dishes to serve to a crowd during basketball season. This party recipe is a snap to prepare, and on a cold winter evening, a big pot of chili is greeted by shouts of pleasure by guys and gals alike. Once their bellies are full of beans, tomatoes, and ground beef, friends can really settle in for some serious basketball watching and hanging out.
I like to serve chili as a toppings bar, so everyone can customize it to their liking. I offer raw onions, freshly grated sharp cheddar, Cheez-It crackers, and sour cream in fun little bowls. All of the toppings really round out the dark red of the chili. There are millions of different chili recipes out there, and I like to give the guests at my party the freedom to make my con carne chili creation their own.
In addition to the chili recipe, I keep things simple, yet colorful and healthy, by rounding out my main course with a Strawberry Spinach Salad, or a colorful Sundried Tomato Goat Cheese Spread.
For dessert, I serve a different type of toppings bar: a Brownie Rainbow Pie surrounded by different types of ice cream flavors, fudge, caramel, whipped cream, and sprinkles. The dessert brings out the kid in all of my guests.
When the basketball game is over, I wave goodbye to my guests knowing that I'm sending them home full and happy, with my chili con carne recipe in their thoughts.
Chili Con Carne Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes • Cook Time: 1 hour • Level: Easy
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 pounds of chuck ground beef
- 3 14.5 oz cans of chopped tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 2 tablespoons of paprika
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 2 cans of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- salt and pepper to taste (I use 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper)
- 1 Box Cheez-It® Original crackers or your favorite flavor
Directions
- In a small stockpot, heat your olive oil. Add in the onions, garlic, and red pepper. Saute until soft, about 7 minutes. Add in the ground beef and saute until browned, stirring frequently to break up clumps.
- Pour in tomatoes, cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Stir in the kidney beans and cook for another 15 minutes. The chili is then ready to serve. It will also keep in the refrigerator for the next five days to be reheated and served. It also freezes well.
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Charlene:
Sports and
Snack Mom
Big Game Party Tips
Posting by Charlene
Are you hosting the Big Game party for your neighborhood, family or friends? If so, you are now the Head Coach. Make sure you have a good plan and recruit a team of assistant coaches to make your Big Game party an easy win. Here's how:
Game Plan: Simplicity
 | Prepare all the food ahead of time or ask guests to make a dish for a potluck. |
| Rename each dish to fit the party's theme like Nachos = TouchdownTortillas. |
| Set up a buffet with finger foods that guests can eat at their seats while watching the game. Check out Vanessa's post below and our Town House pairing tool (see left) for some mouth-watering recipes. |
| Set up the buffet away from the path of the television so serious football fans won't complain about missing the action. |
| Show your team spirit by decorating the house in team colors. For easy clean up, use disposable tablecloths, napkins and cups. |
| Arrange the furniture so everyone has a place to sit and enjoy the game. Have one room set aside without a television for partygoers who aren't interested in the game and would like a quiet place to talk. |
| Avoid the Fouls: Spills and accidents will happen, so be prepared with cleaners and have rags on hand. |
Making the Big Plays (Party Games)
| At the beginning of the game, have each guest pick a player. Every time a player's name is mentioned, they get a point. Create a board or system for keeping track. At the end of game, the person whose player's name was mentioned most, wins. |
| Since half the fun of the Big Game is watching the commercials, keep a running ranking for your crowd favorites. Or take guesses for how many commercials will feature animals, certain celebrities, or be totally off the wall. |
| Do a sweep each quarter for trash and check the buffet table for items that need refilling. |
On the Sidelines (For the Kids):
| Create a separate "kid-friendly zone" – preferably within eyesight but out of the main viewing area. |
| Give kids their own table stocked with juice boxes and easy self-serve snacks. |
| Bake football-shaped sugar cookies or Rice Krispies Treats and have food markers or icing available to decorate the desserts. |
| Cover a card table (or similar) with butcher paper. Put out a bucket (or helmet) full of crayons/art supplies and let the kids be creative. Download and printout a variety of printable coloring pages and activities for kids (and fidgety grownups). |
| Have activities and games set up to keep the kids entertained. Like a football toss, play "hot potato" with a football, make goal posts and have a bean-bag toss, or try a sports trivia contest. |
| Assign half-time cheers for their favorite teams and let them show it off at half-time. |
Post Game Wrap Up
| Hand out fun awards for the most spirited guest, winners of your pick a player or commercial games, and the team of kids with the best cheer. |
| Take plenty of pictures of your guests posing with a football during the party that you can use for thank you notes or mementos of the day. |
| And always have a designated driver to ensure everyone gets home safely. |
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Vanessa:
Chef and
Snack Mom
Football Game Party Menu
Posting by Vanessa
Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Prep Time: 5 minutes • Cook Time: 5 mins • Level: Easy
When my husband invites friends and family over for the Big Game, I throw myself into the food preparation. I know nothing about football and want to make sure I have plenty to talk about with the ladies. I'd much rather spend my time with my girlfriends in the kitchen, swapping recipes than trying one more time to understand the difference between a first down and a touchdown. I do pop my head out for commercials though, those I understand!
At home tailgating is all about finger foods, quick little bites that people just pop in their mouths. My favorite dip to serve is this creamy buffalo chicken dip (recipe below). It has a bit of a kick that is nicely balanced by the tangy creaminess of blue cheese. I love that it combines all the tastes of buffalo chicken, with none of the mess.
I love making the colors of my table pop so I marry the pale orange of the buffalo dip with the green of this 5-on-5 avocado dip and the rainbow of this Fiesta Cracker Spread. I then round out the appetizer buffet with a crudite platter and some Crispix Cheez-It snack mix for nibblers.
I keep the desserts hidden until the half-time show. I don't want my fun desserts to get lost in the excitement of the latest play. Everyone is forced to get off the couch to try the Touchdown Fondue. It's hard to resist combining chocolate with all those fun dips. But for those that don't like chocolate or the messiness of fondue, I also offer Rice Krispies Treats Pizza and S'More Puddin' Dessert.
With a spread like that, I always get my crowd cheering, long before the game is over.
Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Prep Time: 5 minutes • Cook Time: 5 mins • Level: Easy
Ingredients:
- Meat from one supermarket roasted chicken
- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup of blue cheese (crumbled)
- 1 cup Ranch dressing
- 3/4 cup hot pepper sauce
- 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
- 1 box of Keebler® Town House® Crackers
Directions
- Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through.
- Stir in cream cheese and continue cooking until cream cheese is fully absorbed.
- Add ranch dressing and crumble blue cheese. Cook, stirring, until hot and bubbly.
- Serve immediately with celery sticks and crackers. Alternatively, mixture can now be placed in a slow cooker and left on low heat to serve.
This recipe was submitted by a Keebler® Town House® Crackers fan. Keebler® Town House® Crackers do not test or endorse any of the recipes submitted by users.
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