Super Bowl party recipes

Everyone loves Super Bowl parties, which always include fabulous food. Some parties serve lots of snacks, appetizers and finger foods, while others do chili and all of the fixings. Some order out chicken wings and pizza. Whatever your tradition is, it is sure to include some great food, fellowship with friends, and, oh, of course, football.

Today I will include a few recipes that our family would enjoy at a typical Super Bowl party at our house. I hope you will enjoy them as well, and may the best team win.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I have a really good buffalo chicken dip recipe that I got from my cousin Kristin Steimel several years ago. While thumbing through a cookbook today I found another similar recipe, so you are going to get both of them and you can decide which one you like best.

4 chicken breasts, cooked until done and shredded

1 (12-ounce) bottle Frank's Hot Sauce

Combine these two ingredients together and spread in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

24 ounces bottled ranch salad dressing

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup finely diced celery

Combine these ingredients together in a saucepan and heat until all are smooth and creamy. Spread over the chicken and hot sauce layer. Top with 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and slightly browned. Serve with celery sticks or tortilla chips.

Hot Wing Dip

3 large chicken breasts

12 ounces cream cheese

1 (8-ounce) bottle Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

3 cups shredded cheese

1 (10-ounce) bottle Frank's Hot Sauce

Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a large bowl. Chop chicken into small pieces and add to other ingredients. Place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with crackers or your favorite breads. Note: Do not substitute Frank's or Hidden Valley for other brands.

Sweet and Spicy Hot Wings

While on the hot wing theme, here is a recipe for the actual wing and not a dip. My daughter loves chicken wings, especially this recipe. You can adjust the heat in this recipe by adjusting the cayenne pepper.

1 1/2 cups Frank's Hot Sauce

1 cup honey

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

5 to 6 pounds chicken wings

Grill or bake the chicken wings in a hot oven until the juices run clear and they are done. While the wings are cooking, mix together the sauce, honey, pepper, butter and garlic powder in a saucepan. Put wings in a baking dish, pour sauce over and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

4 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

3 avocados, diced

1 red onion, finely diced

1 or 2 jalapeños, finely diced

4 limes, juiced

1/4 cup ketchup

1 large bottle V8 juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook shrimp 2 to 3 minutes and cool. Mix all ingredients, except shrimp, in a large container. Add shrimp and chill at least 4 hours.

White Chocolate Cranberry Popcorn

1 (3.5-ounce) bag butter-flavored microwave popcorn

1 cup salted mixed nuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pop popcorn according to package directions. Open bag carefully and pour into large bowl; discard unpopped kernels. Add nuts and cranberries to popcorn; mix well. Melt chocolate chips according to package directions. Pour over popcorn mixture; stir until evenly coated. Spread onto large rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle with cinnamon, stirring to distribute evenly. Cool completely then store in an airtight container.

Sloppy Joe on Bun

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 crusty rolls, split, toasted and lightly buttered

Garnish: sliced ripe tomatoes, onion slices and pickles or as desired

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops. Serve with your favorite sides or sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper, dill pickles or a thin slice of onion as desired.

Touchdown Brownies

14 ounces caramels

18 1/4 ounces German chocolate cake mix

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 (8-ounce) can evaporated milk

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt caramels slowly with 1/3 cup evaporated milk.

Combine cake mix, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, butter, and nuts. Stir briefly. Press 1/2 dough into 9-by-13-by-2 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Remove from oven. (Tip: leave oven set at 350 degrees for later use in this recipe). Sprinkle with chips and spread caramel mixture over top. Crumble remaining dough over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set caramel. Cut into bars and enjoy.

Have a great week, a fun Super Bowl gathering, 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 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.