Mock Boston Cream Pies

Note: Yes, that is a Dan Marino figure on our table. My boys are huge Miami Dolphins fans so even though their team wasn't in the Super Bowl, they still wanted their team represented. I had found this recipe for mini Boston cream pies on the Southern Plate blog and knew my boys would love them. It was Little Guy's idea to put the stripes on them to make them look like footballs. Wasn't that clever? They turned out soooo cute, didn't they?


Mock Boston Cream Pies

Ingredients:
2 cans biscuits (not the flaky type)
vegetable oil
french vanilla pudding (small box)
1 1/2 cup milk
8 oz Cool Whip
1 can chocolate frosting

Directions:
Pour oil in skillet to depth of 1/2 inch. Place on medium heat and let heat up for about five minutes to make sure the oil is good and hot. Place biscuits in hot oil, turn as soon as they become brown on both sides. Remove to paper towel lined plates.

To make your filling, mix pudding and milk together. Blend well. Fold in Cool Whip. Place in icing bag with tip or you can put in ziploc bag and snip off edge. I didn't have an icing bag so I used the end of a wooden spoon to make a hole in each biscuit and them squeezed in the pudding mix with the Ziploc bag.

Spoon chocolate frosing into a bowl. Microwave until it is of glaze consistency. Dip the top of each "pie" into icing and plate on plate to serve.

Football Bites

Note: I am going to make these for Superbowl Sunday and also to take to Little Guy's class on Friday. I found the recipe on the Kraft website. (Photo from Kraft website.)

Football Bites

Ingredients:

6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups cocoa sweetened rice cereal

White decorating gel

Directions:

MICROWAVE chocolate, corn syrup and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 min., stirring after 1-1/2 min. Blend in vanilla.

ADD cereal; mix well. Cool 10 min. Shape into 18 (3-inch-long) football shapes with lightly moistened hands. Place on large sheet of wax paper; cool completely.

USE decorating gel to add "lacings" to "footballs." Let stand until gel is firm.

Potato Skins

Note: Potato skins are wonderful. Especially when they are homemade. I love these because they are crunchy, salty and delicious!

Potato Skins Recipe

Ingredients
6 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes
Olive oil
Canola oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 strips of bacon
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

Directions

Scrub the potatoes clean and then bake the potatoes in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin. Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush canola oil all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat). Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.

Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6. YUM!