SuperBowl 42

I cheered for the underdogs: Giants and Eli Manning! Yay! They won! Down to the wire, wasn't it?

Well, I did it! I made another superbowl party full of food and I want to list my menu so that next year I know what to change and what to keep. I have my old friends and I have new ones that are here to stay. Jello shooters and pudding shooters were a hit and will be here for other parties as well. The Buttery Nipple sounds a little on the naughty side BUT if you love butterscotch, you will adore these pudding shots. DELICIOUS! I made a layered salad for the health conscious and I made my old nemesis: Homemade Mac and Cheese. I know, I know. . .not your normal football eats but I wanted it this year! I will not be making it again for the party because this feeds 12 people and I am the only one that ate any. I am freezing the rest for later. Yeesh. Well, here is the menu:

Super Bowl Party:
Drinks:
*Hefeweizen beer
*Playboy Coolers
Jello Shots:
*Little Purple Men
*Twisting By The Pool

Pudding Shots:
*Buttery Nipple Pudding Shot
*Death By Chocolate Pudding Shot
FOOD:
*Doritos and Cheetos
*Nachos a la Butler
*Layered Salad for the Health Conscious
*Mac and Cheese (My Splurge)

*Crabbies
*Barbecue Cups
*Carrotcake Cheesecake

Playboy Coolers

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces gold rum
1 1/2 ounces Kahlua
3 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice (fresh is best)
Cola
Maraschino cherry
Cracked ice
Ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except the Cola and cherry, in a cocktail shaker or blender with cracked ice.
Shake or blend, and then pour into a serving glass filled with ice cubes.
Top off with a healthy splash of cola, and garnish with the cherry.
Enjoy.

Little Purple Men Jello Shooters

Ingredients:

1 small box grape flavoured Jell-O
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Sambuca liqueur
1/4 cup Raspberry Vodka

Directions:

Pour Jell-O crystals into a deep bowl.
Pour boiling water over, and stir well until all crystals are dissolved.
Add Sambuca and Raspberry Vodka; stir to mix well, allowing it to cool slightly.
Pour into individual disposable plastic shooter (or shot) cups.
Refrigerate until set.
Most fun to serve them WITHOUT the aid of spoons, straws, etc. I gave each guest a party toothpick to loosen the sides of the Jell-O, and told them to squeeze the shooters into their mouths, one whole swoop.

Twisting By the Pool Jello Shooters:

Ingredients:

1 small package lemon flavoured Jell-O
1 samll package orange flavoured Jell-O
2 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup Melon Liqueur (Midori, or Henkes Melon)
3/4 cup Peach Schnapps
30 LifeSavers candies

Directions:
Place the Jell-O crystals in a deep bowl, and pour the boiling water over. Stir to mix well, until all the crystals have dissolved.
Pour in both the liqueurs, and stir well, allowing it to cool slightly.
Pour into 30 disposable plastic shooter (or shot) cups. Refrigerate until firm.
Just before serving, place a LifeSaver on the top of each shooter.
These are the most fun when served WITHOUT the aid of spoons!

Buttery Nipple Pudding Shots
Ingredients:
1 small package butterscotch instant pudding mix
Bailey's Irish Cream, to taste (at least 1/4 cup, or more)
Butterscotch Ripple Schnapps, to taste (at least 1/4 cup, or more)
1 1/2 cups cold milk
Cool-whip non-dairy whipped topping, thawed (about 1/2 cup)
Hershey's Caramel Kisses

Directions:
NOTE: there's a fair amount of flexibility going on here, depending on how "boozey" you want these. I used 1 1/3 cups milk, 1/3 cup Bailey's, and 1/3 cup Butterscotch Ripple Schnapps (with a pudding that normally required 2 cups milk to make). Rule of thumb: just make sure that no more than 1/2 of the liquids are alcoholic, or they will not set properly. If you are having problems getting them to set, just put them in the freezer for a bit.
Empty the pudding mix into a bowl.
Stir in your milk (1 1/3 cups) well, and then immediately add your alcohol (1/3 cup Bailey's and 1/3 cup Butterscotch Ripple Schnapps).
Mix with a hand-held blender or a whisk until smooth, lump-free, and starting to set.
Pour (or dollop) into individual, flexible shot glasses (plastic, paper, or even medicine cups -- you can get perfect plastic shot glasses at your local party supply store).
Place on a base (cookie sheet) and put into the fridge or freezer to set.
Once set, add a wee dollop of Cool-whip, and place one Hershey's Kiss on the top.
Return to fridge, or serve immediately.

Death by Chocolate Pudding Shots:

Ingredients:
1 small package instant double-chocolate, or chocolate fudge pudding
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup Irish Cream
8 oz Extra Creamy Cool-Whip topping mix, thawed slightly
Chocolate candy of choice for garnish, if desired

Directions:
Mix the pudding and milk for a couple of minutes with an electric mixer, then add the alcohol and mix well.
Mix in the thawed Cool-Whip.
Pour (or dollop, as it ends up) into individual shooter or shot glasses (plastic, flexible type, medicine-cup type, or use glass ones but supply tiny plastic spoons also).
Refrigerate, or keep in freezer if need be, to allow them to set.
Remove from freezer just before serving, and garnish with chocolate candies, if desired.

Nachos a la Butler:
Ingredients:
Tortilla chips
2 1/2 c. refried beans, homemade or store bought (recipe follows)
1 pound of ground beef, cooked
1 onion, finely chopped
Los Barrios Salsa (recipe follows)
Guacamole (recipe follows)
8 ounces of Sour Cream
1 jalapeno sliced into thin slices
HOME REFRIED BEANS RECIPES:
1 T. vegetable oil or lard
2 c. cooked, salted pinto beans
LOS BARRIOS SALSA RECIPE:
6 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 (4-ounce) can of jalapeno chiles
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
GUACAMOLE RECIPE:
4 Haas avocados
1 t. garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
1 chopped Serrano pepper, optional
1/3 c. finely chopped sweet onion, optional

Directions:
LAYERING THE NACHOS A LA BUTLER:
**NOTE: If using a conventional oven instead of a microwave, preheat it to 350 degrees F.**
Spread the tortilla chips on 2 microwavable or ovenproof platters or large plates. Spread the beans on top of the chips and top with the ground beef. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Place 1 microwavable plate in the microwave and heat for 1 minute, or until the cheese has melted. Or place the ovenproof plate in the preheated oven and heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Place dollops of half of the guacamole, sour cream, onions, salsa, and jalapeno chile over the nachos.
Serve immediately, and repeat with the second plate of nachos.
DIRECTIONS FOR THE REFRIED BEANS:
Mash the salted pinto beans with a potato masher or puree in the blender.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the beans, stirring constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes.
DIRECTIONS FOR THE LOS BARRIOS SALSA:
Combine the tomatoes, chiles, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a blender and blend till you have a chunky mixture. DO NOT PUREE UNTIL SMOOTH. Transfer to a bowl till you are ready to add to the nachos. If making ahead of time, chill.
DIRECTIONS FOR THE GUACAMOLE:
Slice the avocados lengthwise in half and remove the pits. Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the avocado, making it as chunky or smooth as you like. Add finely diced Serrano pepper and diced onion if you are using this in the recipe.
Season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Chill till ready to use.

Mac and Cheese:
Ingredients:
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 T. unsalted butter
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 c. milk
2 c. heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt and macaroni and cook for 4 to 5 minutes (until the macaroni is half cooked). Butter a 3-quart baking dish, add 1/3 of the cooked macaroni and then layer the cheese, salt, and pepper; repeat this until the elbows have all transferred. Pour the milk and heavy cream over the macaroni. Cover the macaroni and cheese with tinfoil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the macaroni is brown and bubbling on top.

Layered Salad:

Ingredients:

4 c. shredded lettuce or spinach
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 small red onion, sliced, separated into rings
2 c. chopped fresh plum tomatoes
1 pkg. (10-ounces) frozen green peas, cooked and drained
1/2 c. Mayonnaise
1/2 c. Sour Cream
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
4 slices of bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Layer the lettuce or spinach, 1 cup of the cheese, mushrooms, onion, tomatoes and peas in a 3-quart serving bowl.
Mix Mayonnaise, sour cream and basil. Spread over salad to seal; cover.
Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese and bacon before serving.

It is getting late so I will have to finish posting the Crabbies, Barbecue Cups and Carrotcake Cheesecake tomorrow night, after work. The pudding shots are my favorite along with the layered salad. I am so stuffed that I can't squeak =D.