Superbowl Menu

We had a nice little Superbowl Sunday.  We kept it pretty low-key, for a couple of reasons:

1) Our own New England Patriot’s weren’t playing.

2) It was a school night.

Every year, I get all excited about Superbowl Sunday, no matter who is playing. And then I realize how late the game is starting!  And then I remember, that I forget that that is the case, almost every year!

Still, we can’t let the opportunity for a little private family party, pass us by.  But considering the circumstances this year, we kept the menu simple-simple.

Pastrami Sandwiches – we love them. We just put a pound 1/2 of pastrami in our steamer for 10-15 minutes, rearranging in the steamer basket about 1/2 way through for even heating of the meat, and then we pile it on a toasted wheat roll.  The kids prefer no mustard, but Michael and I like a little French’s.

Here’s an item we were downright excited to try:  Jalapeno Poppers!

Participating Ingredients:

• 18 fresh jalapeno peppers
• 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 shredded or grated cheddar cheese
• 1 green onion chopped
• package of bacon, cut in half to shorten (18 slices, 36 halved)
• brown-sugar BBQ sauce
• toothpicks
• RUBBER GLOVES!

(You will only chop jalapeno peppers without gloves once, but never again.  I did, once, and my fingers spent the entire night in HELL.  Literally, I’m quite sure.  The throbbing pain of burn, was nearly unbearable.  I was near tears.  Just take my word for it, and use gloves when chopping these babies, and don’t touch any part of yourself after having touched the peppers!  Especially your eyes!)

1) SO….once dressed in your gloves, slice the peppers in half, lengthwise. We keep the stems on, and try to cut those in half too. It gives you a little handle later, and keeps them cute! Clean out the inside of the peppers completely – free of seeds and white membrane.  However, the real heat is in the seeds and the white membranes – so if you like more kick, leave a little.  We left just a little seed in ONE pepper, and I got the Lucky Popper. ; )

2) In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, chopped green onion, and cheddar cheese. Mix well.

3) Being sure your gloves are on again, or still, using a little old-style butter knife, or a cheese spreader, fill all of the peppers halves with the cheese filling. We filled it well, as a little heap.

4) Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.  (I realize most cooks/bakers do this first, but I’m too slow to prep the food, so the oven is on for too long, for no reason.  Plus, I feel pressure because the oven is waiting and ready, but I’m not done! lol)

5) Next, wrap each cheese-filled pepper, with a 1/2 piece of bacon.  Do not pull it tight, as the bacon shrinks when it cooks. Secure each one with a toothpick through the side of the pepper as you go, and place on a cookie sheet.  (We cover the cookie sheets with tin foil for stuff like this, to avoid having to wash the pan after. ; )  Call us lazy.

6) Generously brush each bacon-wrapped-cheese-filled-pepper, with brown sugar BBQ sauce.

7) Put in oven for about an hour, or until the bacon is crisp and sizzling.

*You can serve immediately, at the risk of burning mouths.  But we found anyway, that letting them set & cool some for 10-15 minutes, really makes them all the better!  They firm up a bit, and you can really enjoy the different elements of the Jalapeno Popper in your mouth, instead of it all being very soft and mushy in your mouth.

A friend asked us, “Will the kids eat those?”, and the answer was YES!  Our little ones, especially, like hot stuff.  {A} just thought they “were just o.k.”.   But it’s not the recipe, it’s her.    ; )

We’ll be adding these to our appetizer hit-list for future occasions.  We put 1/2 f this batch, already cooked, in ziplock bag and into the freezer, to be able to just heat some up sometime soon. And trust me, soon it will be!

BTW – My friend Mary Beth, from Nothin’ But Country, made up a batch of the Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple Bites for her Superbowl party, and came by the blog here to leave a fantastic review of the recipe!  Check it out! If her review doesn’t convince you to try them, nothing will!  And check out her blog too! She and her husband LOVE to cook, and all kinds of great recipes.

We also snacked on tortilla chips and salsa through the game, in between hoots & hollers at the tv.   As you can see, we already had been at them before I remembered to take a photo. lol.

Our ever-creative boy, {JM}, made a football for our party, as some festive decor.  He made it out of gold and white tissue paper, and a little gold mylar.  That boy is ALWAYS ‘making something’, and he never ceases to surprise us with his great ideas either.   Get this……..

 …..the football lights up!!  In the dark, it really puts off quite a glow!

Since our New England Patriot’s weren’t playing in the Superbowl this year <boo-hiss!!>, we decided to cheer on the Saints!  Why?  No real significant reason, except maybe because their names is the Saints, and we like their logo the best. : )  We are really happy for New Orleans.

Did YOU watch the Superbowl?  Which team did you cheer on?
And more importantly, what was on your Superbowl Menu, if you had one?  Do share!

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