Projo Football Food & Spirits

Today is the day we football fans have so patiently waited for. Not that this season's journey hasn't been great fun. Watching the Patriots and every team trying to knock them off has made this one special season.
Don't forget to put out nuts for your Super Bowl party. They have protein and everyone loves them.

Cookbook Author, Diane Morgan created this game day recipe on behalf of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dry Dressings and Dips

“IT’S DA BOMB" RANCH POPCORN
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 1 ounce packet Hidden Valley Original Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
1 bag (3 ounces) reduced-fat, butter-flavored microwave popcorn
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Place the butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until melted, about 1 minute.
Stir in one packet of seasoning mix. Set aside.
Pop the popcorn according to the package directions. Immediately open the bag and pour the
popcorn into a large serving bowl. Toss with the Hidden Valley Original Ranch butter mixture and then toss with the Parmesan cheese. Serve at once.
Makes: 6 servings

Pigs in breadsticks? Family Fun magazine offers this recipe for Halloween but it could be for game snacks, too.

Hot Dog Mummies

1 (11-ounce) can refrigerator breadsticks
12 hot dogs
Yellow mustard
Preheat oven to 350
Separate 1 breadstick from the roll and slice in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner strips. Wrap 1 strip at a time snugly around a hot dog, leaving about 1 inch of hot dog exposed for the face area (using 2 thin strips per hot dog).
Bake the “mummies” on a cookie sheet for 15 to 18 minutes or until the breadstick wrapping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool at least 5 minutes before adding yellow mustard eyes (dots of mustard) before serving.
12 servings
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Per serving: 256 calories (percent of calories from fat, 65), 8 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 18 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 29 milligrams cholesterol, 831 milligrams sodium.

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back...

While you wait for these night games, you might want to make this snack that's a venerable part of Take Me Out To The Ballgame. Serve with peanuts in the shell.

Cracker Jacks

1 cup sorghum molasses
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp baking soda
5 quarts popped corn
1 cup spanish peanuts

Mix sugar, molasses, butter, water and vinegar together. Cook until it makes a hard ball when dropped into cold water (265 degrees F). Stir frequently during last part of cooking to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Stir lightly. While it still foams, pour over the popcorn mix. Pour into a flat, buttered pan. When cool, crumble into small pieces.

Source: ABC News' Feasty Boys' Recipes for Baseball Eats

Caramel apples grow up. This way the apples are covered with caramel on all sides -- something I wished for as a kid.

Caramel Rum Fruit Dip
½ cup butter
1 package (14 ounces) caramels, unwrapped
¼ cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon rum extract or 1 tablespoon rum
Cut-up apples

Melt butter and caramels in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted (12-15 minutes). Stir in pecans, milk and rum extract. Stir vigorously to incorporate butter. Keep warm; use as a dip for cut-up apples.

For microwave directions, place butter and caramels in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted (3-4 minutes). Stir in pecans, milk and rum extract. Stir vigorously to incorporate butter. Serve as directed.

Nutrition facts per 1 tablespoon dip: 110 calories, 6 g fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrates, less than 1 g dietary fiber and 1 g protein.

Source: Land O'Lakes.

Use only the white and pale green portions of leeks.

Molly Katzen writes,

Leek rings dry out and crisp beautifully in the oven -- reminiscent, in a loose way, of those French-fried onion rings Grandma used for decorating green bean-mushroom soup casseroles. Only better.

These are addictive as a snack, a nibble with cocktails or as a topping to other dishes, such as omelets, pilafs or, yes, green bean casserole. You might need to make them often. Store them in a covered container at room temperature, where they will keep for at least a week.

Dead simple:

Leek ''chips'

Makes about 2 cups.

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium-size leeks (11/2 -in. diameter)
Cold water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large baking tray with foil and coat with the oil.

Remove and discard the dark green leaves from the leeks. Slice off about1/4inch from the root end as well. (You'll want the white and pale green portions only.) Use a very sharp knife to cut the leek into 1/4-inch slices, then transfer them to a large bowl of cold water. Use your fingers and thumb to separate the slices into rings, then swish the pieces around vigorously to remove any sand or grit that might be hiding between the layers. With your hands or a large slotted spoon, lift the leek rings out of the water and transfer them to a colander in the sink. Drain thoroughly, then pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.

Distribute the leek rings onto the prepared baking tray, and toss to coat with the oil. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. (Note that some rings may be ready to remove at 30 minutes, others may take up to 60 minutes or longer -- just remove them as they are done.)

Transfer the finished "chips" to a plate, season to taste with a little salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature. These taste best within a few hours of being made.

Nutrition information per serving of ½ cup:

Calories 57 Fat 4 g Sodium 9 mg
Carbohydrates 6 g Saturated fat 0 g Calcium 26 mg
Protein 1 g Cholesterol 0 mg Dietary fiber 1 g

The folks at The Popcorn Board, a trade organization with a site for the public at www.popcorn.org have sent along some fun snack ideas for this month as they've designated it National Popcorn Poppin' Month. The crispy apple popcorn and cranberry popcorn balls sound great but maple pumpkin sounds even more sinful, yet fun.

Crispy Crunchy Apple Popcorn
6 cups popped popcorn
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups dried apple chips (see following recipe)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with foil; butter foil. Spread popcorn in pan and drizzle with melted butter; toss popcorn.
Sprinkle popcorn with sugar and cinnamon and toss again. Heat in oven 7 minutes. Sprinkle apple chips over popcorn and heat an additional 3 minutes. Serve warm or cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
Yields 7 cups.

Oven Dried Apple Chips
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Cut off the bottoms of the apples and core. Thinly slice the apples (no more than an eighth of an inch thick) or use a mandoline for greater uniformity.
Line baking sheet with a foil and place apple slices in a single layer. Do not overlap. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, or confectioners sugar if desired.
Bake for 1 to 2 hours. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Cranberry Popcorn Balls
2 cups sugar
1 10-ounce package (1 cup) frozen cranberry-orange relish (see recipe)
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 quarts popped popcorn
Combine all ingredients, except popcorn, in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower heat and cook to 250 degrees on a candy thermometer (hard-ball stage). Mixture will bubble up in pan, so watch to keep from boiling over. Pour slowly onto hot popcorn and mix until well-coated. Cool to allow handling (5 minutes). Butter hands well and form into 3-inch balls.
Yields 18 balls.

Cranberry Orange Relish
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
1 orange quartered
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
Put cranberries and orange (quartered and seeds removed) through food processor. Stir in sugar to desired sweetness. Mix well. Refrigerate over night or several hours before serving. May be frozen.
Yields 2 1/2 cups.Rrcipe also found on most fresh Cranberry bags.

Maple Pumpkin Spice Popcorn
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mix
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
5 cups popped popcorn
In a large saucepan or pot, heat brown sugar, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice mix over medium heat. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling. Stir in butter until melted and well blended. Add pecans, if desired, and popcorn and stir until well coated.
Allow mixture to cool before serving. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Yields 5 cups.