With the Super Bowl just around the corner, party plans are underway.
Growing up in Southaven, my family always attended a Super Bowl party at one of our neighbor’s homes – usually the neighbor with the largest television. With the game on in the background, most of the activity centered around a buffet of chips and dips and grilled meat and metal wash tubs filled with beer and soft drinks. You know, man food.
As young adult, I usually watched at my sister Stephanie’s house. A deputy sheriff, Stephanie’s guest list was usually heavy on law enforcement and public officials with a good helping of our friends from college. It was also heavy on man food – lots of grilled wild game, extra spicy hot wings from Crumpy’s (a Memphis restaurant famous for its full-sized wings), and plenty of dips made from cream cheese or Velvetta.
My father was not a hunter. He preferred flower gardening to planting food plots. When I married my husband, Keith, who is a lifelong hunter, our freezer was filled with packs of ground venison and link sausage, tenderized steaks, and cubed stew meat. I can’t remember the last time I purchased a package of ground beef.
Of all the wonderful dishes Keith prepares from the bounty he harvests from the forest, my favorite are his venison roll-ups. Wrapped in bacon and filled with spice cream cheese, they are seriously addicting.
Venison Roll-Ups
1 venison loin, trimmed and cleaned
1 block cream cheese (easier if slightly frozen)
Sliced jalapeno peppers in a jar
1 pound bacon
Toothpicks
Slice uncooked venison loin into 1 inch rounds. Pound with meat mallet until flattened. Slice cream cheese and cut pieces in two. Put one square of cream cheese and one jalapeno pepper in the center of a loin round and roll. Wrap roll in bacon and secure with toothpick. Grill until bacon is done.
At a recent football watching party with some dear friends in Winona, I made an easy hot shrimp dip that was so good, it didn’t last past half time. The rich buttery concoction could have easily been served over pasta and passed as an entrée.
Creole Shrimp Dip
3 green onions
1 red bell pepper
1/2 stick butter
1 pound raw shrimp (peeled and cleaned)
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 cup cream cheese
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
Chop the green onion and red bell peppers.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the vegetables to the butter, stir to coat and then cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until softened.
Chop the shrimp meat into small chunks. Add in the shrimp and garlic, stir well and cook for 2 minutes until the prawns have turned pink.
Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream and creole seasoning.
Bring to a simmer and then cook for 2 minutes until everything is thick and creamy.
Stir in the lemon juice and parsley then check the seasoning.
Serve garnished with green onions on baguette chips.
Senator Lydia Chassaniol (R-Winona) swears by her chicken “crack” dip, and she often serves it on her tailgate table in the Grove in Oxford. She said it is not only easy, but it is also one of the most popular dishes on the table.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Dip
1 (12.5 ounce) can chicken breast
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (1-ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 (3-ounce) package Oscar Meyer real bacon bits
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons milk
Drain and rinse canned chicken. Stir together chicken, cream cheese, ranch mix, bacon bits, cheddar cheese and milk.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
For years, when the newspaper throws a special event, we always call Libby Carson and her culinary arts class at Winona Career and Technical Center to cater. The students get practice in the kitchen, and the proceeds go toward the successful culinary arts program. Without fail, there are a few things I request when Libby asks what I want to serve – her hot chicken dip, caramel toffee dip, and her spicy corn dip.
I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve been asked by a guest to pass on the recipe of her corn dip. It is just that good, but so is everything I’ve had prepared by the culinary arts students.
Spicy Corn Dip
3 cans fiesta corn drained
1 can small can chopped jalapeno peppers usually 4-6oz drained, saved liquid
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 bags Scoops corn chips for dipping
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chips. If you want a little more flavor, add some of the jalapeno juice. Chill 2 hours or overnight before serving.
This past Christmas, my sister Deana pulled out one of Momma’s old recipes we loved as kids. These little spicy pizzas served on rye bread were as good as I remembered.
Party Pizzas on Rye
2 pounds of mild sausage
1 pound Velvetta cheese
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 loaf of cocktail rye bread
Line a baking sheet with foil. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and sausage under medium-high heat. Drain and set aside. In a large pot, heat processed cheese until melted. Add Worcestershire sauce and ketchup to cheese, mix together. Add sausage and ground beef mixture to cheese. Spoon the mixture on each slice of rye cocktail bread. Freeze for one hour, and bake at 250 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until bread is lightly browned and crisp.
