Packer Party!

Yeah, I said Packer Party, not Super Bowl party :-) In honor of the Packers going to the Super Bowl on Sunday, I've pulled together a few snacks to add to your party list.

The first one is a pineapple upside down biscuit. It's such a staple of mine, I wouldn't be surprised if I posted this recipe before. It's a recipe from Paula Deen that I've recently adapted to be Packer-Friendly.

Pineapple Upside Down Biscuit

from foodnetwork.com

1 10oz can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup room temperature butter
10 maraschino cherries - For the Packer party get the green ones!
1 12oz package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, (10 count) - I can never find these so I usually get two packages of 8

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Grease 10 muffin tin cups.
• Strain the can of crushed pineapple, save juice for later.
• Combine the pineapple, sugar, and butter, and mix well.
• Divide the pineapple mixture among the muffin cups.
• Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup, making sure cherry hits bottom of cup.
• Place 1 biscuit in each cup, on top of sugar and pineapple mixture.
• Spoon 1 tsp reserved pineapple juice over each biscuit.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.
• Cool for 2 minutes.
• Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. Serve warm.

This next recipe was a HUGE hit on NYE. It's a pain-in-the-butt to make but well worth it.

Crispy smashed roasted potatoes

from The Best of fine Cooking Party Food magazine

12 - 15 baby red potatoes
Kosher salt

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. 
• Add 2 tsp. kosher salt to the water. 
• Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer. The total cooking time will be 30 to 35 minutes.
• While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your countertop. 
• As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels. 
• Fold another dishtowel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. 
• Repeat with all the potatoes.
• Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil. 
• Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature. 
• Heat the oven to 450°F. Alternatively, if you have a convection function, turn it on and set the temperature at 400°F. 
• Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 tsp salt and pour the olive oil over them. 
• Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they are well coated on both sides.
• Roast the potatoes until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes if using a convection oven, 30 to 40 minutes if roasting conventionally, turning over once gently with a spatula or tongs halfway through cooking. 
• Serve hot.

These went really fast! A lot of people gravitated towards these because they thought the brown bits on top of the potatoes were bacon - but really they were just browned potato skins. :-)

Beat this Applebees!

Applebees is once again running their 2 for $20 combo deal (one appetizer and two entrees for $20). I think I've got them beat with this HUMUNGUS, fresh, grilled dinner for two my husband and I had a couple of weeks ago.

We went to the grocery story to find something for dinner. I didn't have anything in mind, including a budget. But we ended up spending just under $20 total and came away with a really great dinner.

It started out like this

Then ended up like this.

It was all very basic grilling. Cooked the steak with some salt and pepper. Then I topped mine with gorgonzola cheese and my husband left his plane. We wrapped asparagus in tin foil and threw in some garlic cloves and butter. Once it was done, I topped it with some fresh parmigiano cheese. We also rapped mushrooms and onions in tin foil with butter and garlic. For the starch, we sliced up some sweet potatoes and covered them in oil. I read that you can cook it like a regular potato (whole, poked, and covered in foil) but it takes at least twice as long to cook. Finally, we sliced up some pineapple and put that on that grill as dessert (not pictured because there wasn't room on the plate!).

It all was so good and filling. To add to the enjoyment, we ate it outside with some cold bottles of our favorite beers.
I recommend this menu for a quick, fresh dinner that you should try while there are some good grilling days left this "summer".

Note: The $20 total could go either way depending on the cut and quality of the steak you get. It also assumes that you already have oil, butter, and cheese at home.