Farewell to Football

The end of football season is near. This weekend all the local rivalries will face off to complete the regular season of college football. I did make it to one game this year and was extremely happy to not freeze my face off!  It was a beautiful day to end the season with Iowa vs Nebraska and the Third Annual Hy-Vee Heroes Game.  

We had a great seats, a ton of sunshine and a fun tailgate.  Since I am a neutral fan of both teams, I decided to pink it out for the game. No need to choose sides!  It was all about the atmosphere!  I did get a few interesting looks from fans.

I felt after all the traditional Thanksgiving fare we had, we needed a little change for food for our tailgating adventure.  I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!

Hot Pizza Dip

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup shredded 2% mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
• 38 slices turkey pepperoni chopped
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.
2. Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with green pepper, pepperoni and olive slices. Cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Tasty Tailgate

Football season is upon us and so are all the high caloric and low nutrient dense foods that we chow down on.  I know, I know, who wants to eat healthy during football season?  Well since there are games being played almost every day of the week, you might want to consider watching those calories before you bust out of your favorite jersey while cheering for your team. 

Try this healthier take on a common tailgate recipe, hamburger and beef cheese dip.  It will be a winner at your next party and you won't pop a button on your pants.

Hut Hut Hummus

1 large container of Garlic Hummus

1 16-ounce bottle of medium salsa

1 can of black beans, rinsed

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and keep on warm until ready to serve. Serve warm dip with your favorite veggies, whole grain crackers, pita or corn chips.

Week in Review

This week seemed like it lasted forever!  Really. I split my week between vacation time and work, 3 days each. It was very quite at work because others (the ones that can distract me easily) were on vacation too, so when I was there, I was very productive. We celebrated a week long birthday for my friend Stacey's 30-ish birthday. Last year at this same time she just had a baby and deserved a week of fun.

During this week, there was an intense debate about umami, the 5th sense. Yes, the majority of us are familiar with the 4 standard tastes (sweet, sour, salty and bitter) but umami encompasses all 4 with depth. Unfortunately, it was divided, girls believe (because we actually use all 5) where the boys did not believe, photo-documented. I enjoy passionate and heated conversations, even if it involved polling the public!

The weekend brought the legendary Cy-Hawk game and Saturday morning TV for me. It was fun doing tailgating ideas for one of the biggest a football days in Iowa. I stayed my neutral self, wearing my Swiss-white shirt (not a particular fan of either) and enjoying the healthy competition. Never-mind that I did nap through the first half....maybe I will catch the second half. 

Happy weekend to you all, looking forward to the next week and all that it brings my way!