January 20 - Football Snacks!

The Ravens vs. The Patriots playoff game.  We had some friends over to watch the Ravens WIN and WIN they did.   Needless to say we were very happy last night.  We not only had great company and a great game to watch, we had great food!  These are three recipes that I made, two of them for the first time.  All of these are winners and are great for any game day.

Wonton Taco Cups

The hardest part of these lovely little snacks was finding the sinking wonton wrappers.  We assumed they would be refrigerated or frozen with the vegan or pastry stuff.  Two stores and two strike outs only to realize we were looking in the wrong place.  They were in the produce section mixed in the the vegan foods like tofu and vegan-aise, for anyone who can't find them.  I mixed up ground beef just like I was making tacos and added in some black beans when I was done.  Put the wrappers in a mini muffin pan, I did spray mine with pam but we don't think it really needed it.  Top with shredded cheddar and bake for 8-10 mins on 350 degrees.  Top them with your favorite taco fixings - salsa, sour cream, guacamole if you are so inclined.   Delicious, easy and a total crowd pleaser.


Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is supposed to be a Panera copy cat.  It was good but it was no Panera.  I had help from one of our guest with the constant stirring that this recipe called for so i was able to measure ingredients and not feel rushed and panicked. I did not use the immersion blender or blender because we went to Panera last night and there was a HUGE chunk of broccoli in my soup so I didn't feel this was necessary.  This was good, it tasted a lot like fresh vegetables you could really taste the broccoli and the carrots.  It wasn't as cheesy as I would have liked but it was well received and overall a success.



Firecracker Shrimp

This is the Pioneer Womans's Picture not mine, they are so good I forgot to take a picture.

This recipe is one that a friend of mine highly recommends.  We have made these before and I love them, but since I am sharing and since I pinned this to pinterest I will give you all the link.  These are super easy, marinate, skewer, grill, enjoy.  Sriracha is a winner, nice and spicy!  We grilled these on the george so we didn't have to go outside in the cold and miss any of the game. You have to try this one!


Original Pins

Wonton Taco Cups
http://pinterest.com/pin/191332684141065449/

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
http://pinterest.com/pin/191332684139475507/

Firecracker Shrimp
http://pinterest.com/pin/191332684140101455/



Original Pins

Wonton Taco Cups
The Pin goes to a flicker account with no recipe - here is recipe I googled
http://www.becomingmartha.com/2012/03/wonton-taco-cups.html

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/05/copy-cat-panera-bread-broccoli-cheese-soup-recipe/

Firecracker Shrimp
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/07/firecracker-shrimp-part-2-the-good-part/


PS: Go RAVENS!