By Andy Bedwell
My favorite football menu includes my cheese dip, taco soup and gooey pineapple cake.
Cheese Dip to Die For
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 bundle chopped
green onions
½ cup bacon bits
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
12 Ritz crackers, crumbled
Mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, onions, one-half of the bacon bits, and Monterey Jack cheese. Top with Ritz crackers and remaining bacon bits. Microwave for five minutes on high until bubbly. Dip with Ritz crackers or nacho chips.
Andy’s Note: We love this dip. Instead of using the microwave, I usually just slide this in the oven for a few minutes. I always double this recipe. So good and so easy!
Taco Soup
2 pounds ground chuck
1 large onion, chopped
Brown both of these
together and drain.
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 large cans of tomatoes
1 can white shoe
peg corn, drained
1 can yellow
whole corn, drained
1 can chili beans
1 can pinto beans
1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
3 tablespoons sugar
(very important)
2 tablespoons
Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
Black pepper
Mix all of this really well and put it in a large boiler. Then add three cups of water and simmer for three to four hours.
Andy’s Note: I never put this in a crock pot because they are never large enough for this recipe. This soup needs plenty of room to si-mmer. Most taco soup recipes seem to always be too thick. This is really more of a soup and the water keeps it from being so strong. Mary Virginia brought us some recently for dinner and it tasted so good. Sometimes, I like to break a little spaghetti into thirds and add to the soup at the very end of the simmering. It goes without saying that Mexican cornbread is delicious with this soup.
Gooey Pineapple Cake
1 yellow cake mix
Make cake as directed
1 20-ounce can
crushed pineapple
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 3.4 ounce box
French vanilla pudding
Make as directed
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup flaked,
sweetened coconut
Make cake mix as directed and pour into a 9×13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. While cake is baking, combine the pineapple and one cup sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Remove the cake from the oven and with a fork, punch holes into the cake. Pour the pineapple mixture over the hot cake. Prepare the pudding as directed. Spread the pudding over the cake and refrigerate. Whip the cream and remaining sugar until stiff. Cover the top with whipped cream and sprinkle the coconut on top.
Andy’s Note: I promise you that you will never bring any of this cake home and you will always be asked for the recipe. You can decorate with some long-stemmed red cherries. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve. This dessert would be beautiful in a stemmed goblet with some glazed blueberries on top.
Happy football cooking,
Andy
Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at Alabama Gift Company in downtown Gadsden and The Messenger on Rainbow Drive.