cook: Super Bowl Party Favorites

As we head into Super Bowl weekend, I wanted to share some of our best tailgate worthy recipes.  These dips and appetizers are perfect for a group gathering and most can be made in advance/travel well.

Bacon Popsicles
Bacon coated in brown sugar + chili powder and cooked around an italian breadstick.  These crowd pleasers will vanish as soon as they come out of the oven!

Spinach Dip
This mayo-free spinach dip can be made the night before and cooked right before your guests arrive.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Wing Dip
All the flavor of Buffalo Wings without the messy fingers.  This dip is best served with Fritos and of course, carrots and celery sticks.

Kristi’s Aunt Jean’s Tortilla Soup
This spicy alternative to Chili is easy to prepared and packed a ton of flavor.  Serve with avocado, sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips.

Enjoy the weekend!  We can’t wait to watch the Harbowl!

xo,

Katie

cook: bacon popsicles

This past weekend, I attended a bacon themed birthday party and if you follow us on Facebook, you saw a picture of my bacon popsicles as I was making them.  I call them popsicles because they are an equal parts savory and sweet and you eat your way through them in the same way you would bite a popsicle down the stick.  There are plenty of variations on these, this recipe is one of my dear friends and I’ve been using it at parties for the last five years or so, without fail, there are never any left.

Here’s what you will need:

+ 1 pound center cut bacon (get the best quality that you can afford)

+ 1 bag of prebaked breadsticks (found in the bakery department, like you would be served at an italian restaurant)

+ 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar

+ 3 T chili powder

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper, then place a cooling rack inside of it.  Set aside.   In a bowl mix together the brown sugar and chili powder until the chili powder is evenly dispersed in the sugar.  Then place pieces of the bacon in the mixture and toss to coat.  Then taking one piece of bacon at a time, wrap the bacon around the breadstick and set on the cooling rack.  Repeat until you have used all the bacon.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until the outside of the bacon has started to caramelize.

Cool for about five minutes and serve.

Once baked, the brown sugar becomes almost like a candy coating and the chili powder adds a hint of kick to each bit.  You’re guests will thank you and beg for the recipe.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Katie