Recipe Swap: Munchies to go with March madness

My household is absolutely consumed with the NCAA basketball tournament. My husband and son check their brackets after every game and tease each other about wins and losses. My husband, Scott, is also celebrating his birthday right in the middle of all of this madness. The good Lord must have planned it this way, that he would celebrate his birthday during his favorite time of the year. So today you can enjoy all snack food and finger food recipes in honor of basketball games galore.

Bacon Roll-Ups

1 package chicken stuffing mix

1 cup chicken broth

1 pound bacon strips

Mix stuffing mix with chicken broth. Cut bacon slices in half. Spoon stuffing mixture onto each bacon half. Roll up and secure. Place on a broiler pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Meat and Cheese on Toast

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground sausage

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 pound processed cheese, cubed

1 small loaf party rye bread or party sized sourdough bread, sliced

In a skillet, brown ground beef and sausage. Drain. Add garlic powder, oregano and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Add cheese. When mixed thoroughly, spread on slices of rye or sourdough bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Kicked-Up Sausage Balls

3 cups buttermilk baking mix

1 pound sausage

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Shape into 1-inch balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Pizza Spuds

4 baking potatoes

1/2 cup pizza sauce

2/3 cup pepperoni, chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Poke holes into clean potatoes with a fork. Microwave or bake until soft and tender. Slightly cool. Cut potatoes open and push ends up to expose the fluffy center. Spoon pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese over each potato. Microwave or bake until hot and bubbly or until cheese is melted.

Ham and Swiss Dip

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup real mayonnaise

1 1/2 cup fully cooked ham, finely chopped

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

3/4 cup rye cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons melted butter

Rye crackers

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the ham, cheese and mustard. Spread in an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Toss the cracker crumbs in butter. Sprinkle over cream cheese mixture. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve on rye crackers.

Barbecued Pecans

1 pound pecan halves

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted

Seasoned salt

Mix together white vinegar and honey. Coat pecans with mixture. Place in a large, flat glass baking dish; do not use metal. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Pour melted butter on pecans and bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees and then for 10 minutes at 300 degrees. Stir often while baking. Remove from oven and sprinkle with seasoning salt to taste. Spread out onto a paper towel to cool. Store tightly covered after cooled.

Cajun Crackers

1 1/4 cups canola oil

1 package ranch salad dressing mix

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 box saltine crackers, salted optional

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Dump all the crackers into large bowl. Pour mixture over crackers. Put lid on tight. Gently shake and turn bowl every 10 minutes for 1 hour. Store in plastic zip-top bags.

Yummy Little Smokies

1 pound cocktail sausages

1 cup cranberry sauce

3 tablespoons mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 or 3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce

Place sausages in a flat glass baking dish. Mix all other ingredients together. Pour over smokies. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Have a great tournament weekend and may your team finish the way you picked. Until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.