Replay the down: More football recipes for game time

We already have visited the football theme, but after that column I had a few more recipes come in to go along with the football game-day theme. Since we are just getting into the season, I would invite you to send in your favorite game-watching snacks. Each household has favorites, so pass those along to be included in this column.

Buffalo chicken dip recipes are very popular right now, so putting them in little bite-sized cups seems like just a natural game event snack.

Buffalo Chicken Cups

12 ounces of chicken (diced or shredded)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (Frank's)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

24 wonton wrappers

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

* Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray brownie pan very lightly with kitchen spritzer.

* In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, ranch dressing, wing sauce and 3/4 cheddar cheese (save remaining 1/4 cup for topping). You can soften the mixture slightly in the microwave if needed to make it come together. Stir in shredded chicken.

* Start layering your cups. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Spoon about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture into each cup. Top with another wonton wrapper and add another tablespoon of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and a little bleu cheese.

* Bake for 18 minutes or until edges are brown. Check cups after 10 minutes into cooking and if edges are browned, cover the cups with foil for the remaining cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. To remove, use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each cup out.

Football Time Salsa

3 cups chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

4 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeño pepper (including seeds)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 drops black pepper oil

1 drop basil oil

* Stir all ingredients together. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. This salsa is best if allowed to sit overnight. Serve chilled.

The Greatest Queso That Ever Lived

1 block (32 ounce) Velveeta cheese

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese

1 can (10 ounces) rotel

1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

1 pound ground beef or sausage, or a combination of both)

* Brown ground beef or sausage (or both) in a pan over medium heat and set aside.

* Cut up the Velveeta and cream cheese into cubes and place into a crockpot. Pour in the rotel and the cream of mushroom soup and stir ingredients together. Place the crockpot on low setting for an hour, letting the ingredients melt.

* After about 30 minutes, add the browned meat and continue to let cook, stirring as needed. Serve with tortilla chips or fresh raw vegetables.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Another fall favorite is apple butter, and what an easy way to prepare this treat but to use the crockpot. Adjust the sugar and spices to please your own personal taste.

About 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples

About 1 1/2 pounds jonathon apples

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Dash of salt

3/4 cup water or fresh apple cider

* Fill crockpot 3/4 full with peeled, cored and sliced apples. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency.

* If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened. Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching. Mash apple butter until chunky or smooth with hand-held masher or blender.

* Store in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Freeze for longer storage. You may also wish to put in jars with water bath processing.

To finish up, I have a couple of entree recipes that are not only tasty, but easy to prepare. You just might want to keep these handy for those busy weekdays while you are on the run.

Speedy Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cubed

2 (14 ounce) cans Italian diced tomatoes

1 envelope Lipton Savory Herb & Garlic Soup mix

Bow-tie pasta and shredded Parmesan cheese

* Mix soup mix and tomatoes into crockpot, add chicken and stir. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Cook bow-tie pasta according to package. Serve chicken mix over bow-tie pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Meatball Sandwich Casserole

1 bag of frozen meatballs

1 jar of marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup Italian blend cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 loaf of fresh Italian bread, sliced

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place entire bag of meatballs in pot with sauce and cook over medium heat until warmed completely through, about 10 minutes. Stir as needed to keep meatballs from sticking to pot.

* Once heated through, remove from heat. Place meatballs in the center of a 9x13 baking dish, layer mozzarella and Italian blend cheeses over meatballs topping off with Parmesan.

* Line the slices of bread all the way around the pan so that they are keeping the meatballs toward the center of the pan. The bread slices will be standing up in the pan.

* You have creative freedom here with the bread -- you can butter and garlic the bread before placing it in the pan or brush lightly with olive oil and garlic.

* Place in oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles

2 1/2 cups Alfredo sauce

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

Oregano

Garlic salt

3 cups shredded mozzarella, or cheese of your choice

* Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray and pour 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce, or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Boil 8 to 10 cups water in a large pan, cook lasagna noodles until al dente.

* Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other. Lay out each noodle individually and blot dry with a paper towel. Spread about 2 tablespoons Alfredo sauce over each noodle. Be careful not to put too much sauce or you will have a big mess on your hands. Sprinkle oregano and garlic salt on top of sauce.

* Take 1/9 of shredded chicken and spread it out evenly over each noodle. Add approximately 3 tablespoons cheese.

* To roll up, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings. You will need to lift the noodle a little to prevent squashing out the inside ingredients while rolling.

* Place roll-ups in pan, one by one, seam-side down so they don't come undone. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining Alfredo sauce over the top. Top with remaining cheese.

* Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top. You may wish to broil the last 5 minutes to make the cheese toasty on top.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.