Super Bowl Party

As every one in my house is gearing up for the Super Bowl I will be making them some special "game day" foods! I figure if my husband and sons will be glued to the TV watching the game I might as well enjoy me some yummy food! Last year we did a similar thing too -- we had a bunch of finger foods, we had our own little football pool going on and then a couple of our friends stopped over to eat with us - nothing fancy, but was a lot of fun! This year Mr. Man has to work on game day so he won't get home until after kick-off. I am not sure if anyone will come over this time or not, but here is the list of foods I will be making:

• 7-layer dip
• Caramel Corn
• Tortellini Salad
• Hot wings and some BBQ wings for the kiddos

The recipes are as follows:

7-Layer Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
4 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup guacamole (For this dip I just take a couple avocados mashed up and mix in garlic salt and a little salsa)
1 cup salsa
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, chopped (I use a little less because no one in my house but me likes these!)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions (I omit the onions because no one in my house likes them)

Brown ground beef, drain and set aside. Spread the beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch serving tray that is about 1 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of beans. Sprinkle beef on top of cheese. Spread sour cream very slowly on top of beef. Spread guacamole on top of sour cream. Pour salsa over guacamole and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle black olives, tomatoes, and green onions on top.

Caramel Corn
INGREDIENTS:
½ Cup butter (1 stick)
1 Cup brown sugar
¼ Cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 quarts (12 cups) popped corn

In heavy saucepan on medium to medium-high heat melt butter then add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Once mixture boils stop stirring and boil for 5 minutes (Do not stir). Remove from heat and carefully stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour mixture over popped corn. Gently stir to coat popcorn. Place popcorn into a large roaster or rimmed baking sheet and bake at 225° F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Tortellini Salad
INGREDIENTS:
1 (9 0z) package uncooked cheese tortellini
2 c shredded red cabbage
6 c baby spinach leaves
1 (8 oz) bottle ranch dressing
8 slices, cooked and crumbled bacon
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c sliced green onion (I don't add this because no one in my family likes them)

Cook tortellini according to package. Drain and rinse in cold water. In a large glass bowl layer cabbage, spinach, tortellini, tomatoes, bacon and green onions. Pour dressing evenly over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss before serving.

Hot Wings
INGREDIENTS:
24 chicken wings
1/2 c Red Hot Sauce
2 Tbls red wine vinegar
white pepper
black pepper
4 Tbls butter

Combine above ingredients in a saucepan. Season wings with cayenne, black and white pepper, seasoning salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
FRYING: Heat a quart of oil in a large pan or a deep fryer. Fry wings about 10 minutes, or until done. Drain on paper towels.
BROILING: Place wings in a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet (spray with cooking spray so they don't stick to the foil) Broil until done, about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, heat butter, hot sauce, vinegar, white and black pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Dip wings in sauce. Place chicken on a cookie sheet under broiler for 2-3 minutes.

BBQ Wings
INGREDIENTS:
10 chicken wings
BBQ sauce (from a bottle)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken wings in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Warm up BBQ sauce in a small saucepan. Pour sauce over chicken wings. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done.