The Super Bowl is this Sunday so I know tons of you will either be hosting a party or attending one. Most of these parties will have lots of wings, pizza and beer but here are some other out-of-the-box recipes that will be sure to be a hit…

PIZZA DIP
A layered, hot cheesy dip with all of the great pizza flavours including pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, olives and green peppers.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded/grated
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
2 ounces pepperoni, sliced
2 tablespoons green pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons black olives, sliced

Directions
Mix the cream cheese, sour cream mayonnaise, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano and spread it across the bottom of a pie plate.
Spread the pizza sauce on top and sprinkle on the cheese, pepperoni, green pepper and olives.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the cheese has melted, bubbling and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

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CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY FOOTBALLS

Ingredients
16 ounces milk chocolate chips + 2 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil
1 lb of fresh strawberries with leaves
white icing
No. 1 piping tip + pastry bag OR a plain old plastic baggie
Toothpicks
Wax Paper
Styrofoam

Directions
Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.
If you have a melting pot that works but you certainly don’t *NEED* it though – you can use a double boiler or even any plastic bowl + microwave.
Melt the chocolate + shortening, stirring often until smooth. (I recommend adding vegetable oil or shortening a little at a time, as needed to get the right consistency).
Once you have the consistency you want, grab the strawberries by the toothpick and dip into the chocolate mixture.
You can then place them on wax paper to cool or if you don’t want the “puddle” you can turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into a piece of styrofoam.
Wait til cool/hardened.
To decorate, fill pastry bag with white frosting and use #1 tip to draw laces.  If you don’t have any cake decorating tools, you can simply spoon some frosting into a plain plastic baggie and snip one corner!

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TACO CUPCAKES

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can black beans, drained
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
36 wonton wrappers
your favorite taco toppings – salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc
cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
Brown the meat in a skillet and drain off fat (I use a collander). Return the meat to the skillet; add the taco seasoning, water and black beans.  Mix and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until water is absorbed.
Spray 18 regular muffin pan cups with cooking spray.  Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin cup.  Divide half of the taco meat between muffin cups.  Sprinkle half of the cheese over the cupcakes.  Repeat layers – wonton, taco meat and cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.  Top with your favorite taco toppings.