Football season is well underway, and like always, that means only one thing to me: snacks, lots of snacks. Whether you’re hosting at your place or attending as a guest, keep these easy and handy snack recipes in your arsenal so no matter which team loses, you’ll always come out a winner.
Philly Cheesesteak Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 green onion, diced
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1-2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1-2 tsp. onion powder
- pinch of chili powder, optional
- 2 blocks cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 lbs. deli-sliced roast beef, chopped
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups shredded provolone cheese
Directions:
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Heat butter in a skillet and saute together the onions and peppers.
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Mix in the seasonings and cook for a couple of minutes until translucent, then set aside to cool.
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Preheat oven to 400, and in a large bowl, using a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, vinegar and additional spices to taste.
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Add in the sauteed vegetables, beef and half of the shredded cheese.
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Place in a baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
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Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with toasted baguette slices or pita chips.
Chef’s note: To make it even easier, I sometimes use a package of frozen onions and peppers, cook that down until all liquid is evaporated and then begin with step 1.
Mini Pretzel Bites
Ingredients:
- 1-2 cans of refrigerated biscuits
- 3 cups water
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- coarse salt for topping
Directions:
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Heat oven to 450 degrees.
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Open up the cans of biscuits and cut each into about 4-6 bite-sized pieces.
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In a medium-sized pot, boil the water with the baking soda.
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In small batches, boil the biscuit pieces for a few seconds and then place on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle tops with coarse salt.
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Bake for 6-10 minutes or until browned.
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Serve with melted butter or your favorite cheese dip.
Apple Pie Slab Bars
Ingredients:
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts
Topping:
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 cup flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup butter, cold, in cubes
Filling:
- 2 cans apple pie filling, OR
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 4 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Directions:
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and on a lightly floured surface, remove crusts from package, lay flat and stack on top of each other to make them thicker. Then roll them out together to the size of a small jelly roll pan, about 15×10 inches.
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Transfer crust to the jelly roll pan and decorate edges to your liking.
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To make the topping, mix together all ingredients by hand or fork until a crumbly texture and then place in fridge.
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To make the filling, in a mixing bowl, mix together the sugars and spices first, then add in your sliced apples and lemon juice and toss together to coat uniformly.
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Assemble everything together. Pour apple slices on top of crust and then the crumbles on top evenly, and bake for about 30-40 minutes depending on your oven. Allow to cool and serve with caramel or vanilla ice cream.
From Z to A with Zara Abbasi
Zara Abbasi is the pastry chef and recipe developer for Zara Made It. Follow her food adventures on Instagram at @zaramadeit.