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. :-)

A little behind the weather...

Over the winter I made few really great soups and I haven't had a chance to sit down and share them with you. I know it's not really soup season anymore, but since I do live in Wisconsin there's a very good chance we could still have a cold spell.

The first soup, baked potato, I decided to make because a girl at work was craving baked potato soup for lunch and we couldn't find any place near work that offered it. After talking about it so much I really wanted some too. So that weekend I went home and made it :-)It was hard to find a baked potato soup recipe because they are all very similar with just have few variations. I finally decided on a basic one and went from there.

Baked Potato Soup
From Yumsugar.com (adapted from Cooking Light magazine)



2 tbsp. butter
1/4 of a large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 baking potatoes (about 2-1/2 lbs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
1 cup (4 oz) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Cracked black pepper (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Pierce potatoes with a fork and place on oven rakes
• Bake for 1 hour or until tender
• Cool, peel, and coarsely mash potatoes
• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat
• Add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes
• Add flour into the vegetables
• Gradually whisk in milk, stirring until blended
• Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, about 8 minutes
• Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper
• Stir until cheese melts
• Remove from heat
• Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions
• Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Do not boil.
• Ladle 1-1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls
• Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 tsp cheese, 1-1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tbsp. bacon
• Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired

The next recipe is the "losing" recipe from the Iron Chef competition we had a work. Though it didn't win, I think it's a great soup! I first made it with reuben sandwiches for St. Patty's day last year. Yum!!!

Guinness and Onion soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton
From Foodnetwork.com

Picture from foodnetwork.com

My picture from the Iron Chef competition

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic
8 cups thinly sliced onions
Gray salt - I just used regular table salt
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 1/2 cups Guinness
6 cups beef stock
6 slices country bread cut 1/2-inch thick, toasted - I used croutons
1/2 pound Irish Cheddar, sliced thin - I used swiss



Make the soup

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat
• Add garlic and cook briefly
• Add onions, season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often
• Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown
• Add the thyme, vinegar, and beer
• Reduce beer by half and add the beef stock
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes

Prepare to serve

• Preheat the broiler
• Transfer soup to an ovenproof serving dish or individual ovenproof soup bowls
• Top with toasted bread slices and sliced Cheddar
• Broil until cheese melts and starts to brown slightly
• Serve piping hot