Sunday, September 22, 2013

Game on!!!!

I can think of about a gazillion reasons why fall is my favorite season... beautiful colors, crisp days, pumpkin flavored everything and FOOTBALL!!!  It is my favorite sport to watch and our Sundays in the fall are usually spent in comfy clothes, the Bills game on the tv, and snack foods on the table.  Today I decided to experiment with some recipes to come up with some new snacks to munch while we watched.  I wanted not only delicious but somewhat healthy as well.  The result??  Corn Dog Bites, Raspotle Chicken Bites, and Spicy Zucchini Bites... AMAZING!


 
So let's start with the corn dog bites (despite my just realizing that they look a little obscene in the picture and like the Transformer on the table is holding up the plate!)  These little bites were so easy, yet SO tasty!  To keep it healthier I used turkey dogs.  We dipped them in honey mustard and they were great!  Next time I think I may try this in a mini-muffin pan instead, as the big corn muffin was a bit much.  These will also make super quick and easy lunches for the kids!
 
1 cup of cornmeal
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup of milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
4 hotdogs, cut in thirds
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, milk, eggs and oil until well combined.  Spray a muffin tin liberally with cooking spray.  Fill each of the cups 2/3 full with batter.  Stand a piece of hotdog in the middle of each muffin tin.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until muffins are set.  Serve with mustard of your choice!
 
Next up, raspotle chicken bites.  This is going to be a new Rookey family fave and I am already coming up with 20 different ways to make these!!!  I LOVE recipes like this that are SO versatile and can easily be manipulated to accommodate any palate! We are BIG fans of Fischer &Weiser's Original Raspberry Chipotle Sauce.  It is good on just about everything and even makes a quick appetizer dumping it over a brick of cream cheese and serving with crackers, but I digress.  This recipe you can easily do with ANY sauce you like and ANY kind of crumbs.  I'm thinking Buffalo style with hot sauce and plain panko, with bleu cheese for dipping.  Barbecue style with BBQ sauce and seasoned breadcrumbs.  Thai style with peanut sauce and sesame seeds.  ENDLESS possibilities!!!
 
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small nugget size pieces
1/2 cup of Raspotle Sauce
1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Dip cut chicken pieces into raspotle sauce (I heated the sauce in the microwave for 30 seconds prior to this step to loosen it up a bit.) After dunking into the sauce, coat the pieces in panko breadcrumbs.  Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and either spray lightly with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked thoroughly and panko is golden.

And finally my zucchini bites.  Another incredibly versatile recipe.  The first time I made these I did them Italian style, with Italian blend cheese and seasoned panko breadcrumbs.  This time I wanted them to have a little kick so I did 'em up spicy.  Choose a cheese of your choice and breadcrumbs of your choice, and again... ENDLESS possibilities!!
 
1 large zucchini, cut into about 1 inch thick slices
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Chipotle seasoned panko breadcrumbs
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Using a small spoon (I like to use my melon baller for this step) hollow out a small bowl in the center of each slice of zucchini, being careful not to go all the way through the slice.  Fill the bowl of each zucchini slice with a pinch of cheddar cheese.  Carefully dip the zucchini in egg.  Dip each slice in the panko, making sure the top and bottom are coated. Place coated slices on baking sheet and drizzle the tops with olive oil or spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until the panko is golden.
 
I hope these recipes help jazz up your game days... and GO BILLS!!!


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