Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: The Pro Bowl

We all know that the Pro Bowl isn't much of a game, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't get a tailgate, right? Besides, with only the Super Bowl left on the schedule, we need to take advantage of every opportunity we get to pair food and football. This week's all-star game is a late one, and so we'll be celebrating its timeslot with one of my favorite things ever: breakfast for dinner.


To finish off the season, I'll be putting a spin on this old comfort classic with an all-star lineup of brunch (brinner?) dishes that will be sure to taste great, no matter how the game turns out.

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Grape and Yogurt Salad

When it comes to breakfast, fruit and yogurt is typically your standard lite fair. With cream cheese and whipped topping, this recipe, however, is not easy on the waistline. It is delicious though, so put your diet aside for the day and enjoy!

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** This recipe comes from the NFL Gameday Cookbook by Ray "Dr. BBQ" Lampe

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Sticky Fingers Cinnamon Bread

Monkey bread. Puzzle bread. Bubbleloaf. Pinch-me cake. Whatever you call it, this gooey pull-apart pastry is fantastic. If you've never tried this dish, then you are truly missing out. It oozes with cinnamon and caramel, and is sure to please. I can't take credit for this recipe, however. I originally came across it in the NFL Gameday Cookbook by Ray "Dr. BBQ" Lampe. If you are interested in making the recipe yourself, follow this link.

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Bacon Waffles with Rum Sauce

With all due respect to pancakes, crepes, and French toast, nothing quite compares to a fluffy Belgian Waffle. What's fun about waffles is that they are easy to customize. You can pretty much mix anything into the batter, and they are great for topping. Of course, to make this recipe, you would need a waffle iron.

Note: If the directions on your waffle mix differ from these directions, follow the directions on the mix.

• PAM cooking spray (if needed)
• 3 c. Your favorite waffle mix (I chose Krusteaz Light and Crispy Belgian)
• 6-8 strips of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/2 c. Water
• 2 Eggs
• 1/3 c. Canola oil
• Rum+8586+ sauce (recipe below)

Heat your waffle iron (if part of the instructions) grease it with cooking spray

Stir together waffle mix, water, eggs, and oil with a whisk until smooth. Add crumbled bacon as you go. Let batter stand for 2 minutes.

Pour about 2/3 c. batter onto the waffle iron and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown (or follow the manufacturer's cooking instructions). Repeat, as necessary.

Note: Your first waffle may be a "throw away" as it can be greasy. That's normal.


Rum Sauce:

• 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 4 TBSP butter or margarine
• 1/4 + 1/8 c. Heavy cream
  
• 1/8 c. Rum

• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. When thickened, it is ready to serve.

This sauce is also good on ice cream.

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Cheesy Chorizo Brunch Casserole

This eggy breakfast dish is adapted from the classic Kraft recipe. In this case, I've substituted the bacon for chorizo sausage, which adds a nice spice to the mix.

• PAM Cooking spray
• 4-5 large links of Chorizo sausage (or 1/2 lb.)
• 2 c. Frozen shredded hash browns, thawed (make sure they are fully thawed and drained well so that the bottom of the casserole isn't watery)
• 1 tsp. Chopped garlic
• 1/2 lb. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Red pepper, chopped
• 1 Green pepper, chopped
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 c. Sour cream (you can use Lite)
• 12 oz. Velveeta, thinly sliced
• Your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the sausage from their casings. Discard casings. Cook sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly browned. Add potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, and onions, and cook (stirring occasionally) for 10 minutes or until peppers and onions are tender.

Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish and pour meat-vegetable mixture into it.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sour cream until blended; pour over vegetable mixture. Top with Velveeta.

Bake for 40 minutes or until center of the casserole is set and dish is heated through.

Serve with hot sauce, if desired.


Note: This dish can be assembled 24 hours ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake.

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Drink Recommendations

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Crock Pot Cocoa

Those who know me know that I am not a coffee drinker, but with all the snow we've been getting here so far, a warm breakfast beverage is a must. The solution? Homemade hot chocolate in the crock pot.

• 1/2 c. Cocoa powder
• 1/2 c. Sugar
• Healthy pinch of Salt
• 2/3 c. Boiling water
• 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
  
• 1 1/2 c. Heavy cream
• 1 14 oz. can Sweetened condensed milk
• 6 c. Milk
• Smooth Brandy (optional)
• Marshmallows, whipped cream, etc., to top

In a saucepan mix together the cocoa, sugar, and salt, and stir in the hot water. Heat over medium heat until the mixture boils, stirring constantly so that the chocolate doesn't burn. Once boiling, stir for 2 minutes and then transfer to crock pot.

In a separate bowl, stir together the cream, condensed milk, milk, and vanillla. Stir this mixture into the crock pot with the chocolate mixture.

Heat for 2 hours on low.

Ladle into mugs and top according to preference.


Note: If adding Brandy, ladle the cocoa into the mugs and add 1/2 oz. of Brandy for every 8 ounces of cocoa. Then top with marshmallows, etc.

Mimosas

Typically, champagne is used to celebrate things. What bigger celebration do we have right now than finishing up our season. That said, there's no reason to waste expensive champagne by pouring it into orange juice--any decent sparkling wine (like Moscato) will work.

• 1 part Champagne or sparkling wine (I used Barefoot Moscato)
• 1 part No-pulp orange juice (I prefer Simply Orange brand)
• Splash of Triple Sec

Keep wine and OJ lightly chilled. Pour wine into the glass first (this is important). Then top with OJ and triple sec. Salud!


Note: For a unique take on this recipe, you can also add a splash of grenadine.

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PREDICTIONS: It's the Pro Bowl; does anyone really care?


SUPER BOWL PREVIEW: Well, the two teams I expected to face off in the Super Bowl at the start of the playoffs will be meeting head to head next Sunday in what should be a great game that pits MVP Peyton Manning against Seattle's outstanding secondary, led by defensive superstars Earl Thomas and the ever-outspoken Richard Sherman. For those keeping score, however, I wasn't nearly so accurate during the preseason when I predicted that this year's Super Bowl would feature the Broncos and the Falcons. Yes, Peyton and co. made it, but as we all know, the Falcons ended up having a flop of a season, finishing with a dismal 4-12 record. (Oh, well, you can't predict them all.) As for the Seahawks? I had them pegged as a team that would slump after a fairly successful season last year. They proved me wrong.

Check back next week for my Super Bowl prediction, including a stab at the final score.

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All recipes listed above come from my own imagination unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell me how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.