Tailgate Time

Yes, I LOVE Football! SEC Saturday's and Cowboy/Titan Sunday's are some of the best times in life! We're snuggled in on a rainy Saturday and the food for the next two days are ready to go! I hope you'll try a couple of these with your favorite fans!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 cans Cooked Chicken Breasts
8 oz Cream Cheese or Neufchatel Cheese
1 small bottle Hot Sauce (Franks or Tobasco are best)
1/2 cup Ranch or Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella or Blue Cheese Crumbles
Drain and shred chicken. In a separate dish (I use the mixer) combine cream cheese, salad dressing, hot sauce and shredded cheese. Pour mixture over chicken and combine thoroughly. You can bake this at 350* for 20 minutes or just put it in a pretty serving dish and pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Serve with sliced veggies or crackers & pretzels. If you are going to be at the stadium, put it in a disposable aluminum pan and warm it over the grill. This is diet friendly - 1/4 cup is only 4 Weight Watcher points!

Piggy-Chos
1 lb Smoked Pulled Pork
Tortilla Chips
Queso Cheese Sauce
Jalapenos
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes
I was lucky enough to bring home some of my favorite Tennessee pulled pork last weekend. You can make your own using a pork loin on the smoker or even in the crock pot (cover with water and cook on low for 8 hours - shred with forks, salt and pepper). Layer the tortilla chips on a platter, layer with lettuce, pork, cheese sauce then top with peppers and tomatoes. Some like to add a Bar-B-Que sauce to their pork for this dish but I like my pork just plain. Warm in the microwave if desired and dig in! These aren't nachos - they're Piggy-Chos!

Chili
There are a thousand ways to make chili. For years I made mine with beef and beans, until a friend asked for no beans, then my family turned on me and bailed on their long loved version of my chili. Now they like meat only but lately I've added bell peppers to the mix. It's just the two of us and we've really started to like it that way! You can add pasta if you like - some do, some don't.
2-3 Quarts of Tomato Juice
3 lbs. Ground Chuck
2-3 Bell Peppers (diced and sauteed)
Chili Powder
Salt
Pepper
Onion Flakes
This is as simple as it gets! When browning the beef, sprinkle liberally with chili powder, add salt and pepper and a few shakes of onion flakes. Drain beef and add to crock pot. Add tomato juice and peppers, sprinkle a liberal amount of chili powder, salt and pepper again, then cook on low heat for at least 4 hours. You'll have to adjust the seasoning to suit your heat preference. We like it pretty zippy! I serve my chili with Fritos and shredded Velveeta! You can add sour cream or just use crackers - cornbread is pretty yummy with chili too! Just curl up in your team jersey and dig into a big mug of chili and cheer your little heart out!