Football Cookies

Football Cookies

1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated sugar cookies

1 container (1 lb) chocolate creamy ready-to-spread frosting

White decorating gel

Heat oven to 350°F. Freeze dough 30 minutes.
Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. With floured fingers, shape each dough slice to form football. On ungreased cookie sheets, place slices 2 inches apart.
Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
Spread frosting over cookies. With white decorating gel, draw laces on each football.

Recipe and picture from Pillsbury

Football Jigglers

Football Jigglers

JELL-O EGG JIGGLERS Egg Mold

1 cup boiling water (Do not add cold water.)

1 pkg. (8-serving size) orange flavor gelatin

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup applesauce

2 Tbsp. white decorating icing

Wipe inside of both sides of egg mold and along rims with oil, using paper towel. (Or, spray mold lightly with cooking spray.) Close mold, matching up the rims of the egg halves. Snap each of the six individual egg halves together until each of the 6 eggs are firmly sealed. Inspect each egg to make sure it is closed and sealed. Place mold, fill-side up, on tray.
Stir boiling water into combined dry gelatin mix and cinnamon in large bowl at least 3 min. until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in applesauce. Pour into measuring cup with pour spout. Immediately pour into mold through fill-holes until each egg is filled just to the top of the egg shape. (Any remaining gelatin mixture can be poured into a custard cup.)
Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until firm. Open mold using a dull flat knife to gently pry between the halves of each egg. (Do not pull on the handle.) Turn mold over and shake gently to unmold eggs. Draw "football lacings" on eggs with icing. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Recipe and picture from Kraft Foods

Kickoff Pizza

Kickoff Pizza

19 slices pepperoni

1 frozen cheese pizza (12 inch)

1 cheese singles, cut into strips

Arrange pepperoni slices in football shape on top of pizza.
Bake pizza as directed on package.
Arrange cheese singles strips on center of pepperoni for the football lacings.

Recipe and picture from Kraft Foods

Football Cupcakes

Football Cupcakes

Recipe and video from FamilyFun.go.com

Gridiron Brownies

Gridiron Brownies

3 cups cocoa krispies cereal
1-3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup broken walnuts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/3 cups canned chocolate frosting
3/4 cup rice krispies cereal


In large bowl combine cocoa krispies cereal, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, walnuts, oil, milk and vanilla, mixing until just combined.

Spread in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350ºF about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Spread frosting over brownies. Sprinkle with rice krispies cereal. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Recipe and picture from Rice Krispies

Cheesy Football

Cheesy Football

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup chopped pecans

2 Tbsp. pimiento strips

Crackers

Beat first 5 ingredients with mixer until blended. Stir in onions. Refrigerate several hours.
Form into football shape; coat with nuts.
Add pimentos for the lacing. Serve with crackers.

Recipe and picture from Kraft Foods

January is Hot Tea Month

Teacup Cakes

1 box (18.5 oz.) yellow-cake mix
3 cans (16 oz. each) vanilla frosting
Pink, yellow, and blue food coloring
1/4 cup pink melting wafers
1/4 cup yellow melting wafers

Grease and flour twelve 6- to 8-oz. oven-proof glass bowls. Using pound-cake variation (add instant pudding and 1 extra egg), prepare mix according to package directions. Divide among prepared bowls, and bake 30 minutes. Cool in bowls 5 minutes, invert onto wire racks, and let cool completely.

Trim tops of cakes to make level. Place six cakes upside down on wire rack over wax paper. Tint one can of frosting yellow. Heat in microwave 10 to 15 seconds, or until consistency of slightly whipped cream. Slowly pour frosting over cakes to cover completely. Scrape up excess frosting on wax paper, and reheat if necessary. Tint one can of frosting pink, and repeat with remaining six cakes.

When icing is firm, turn cakes right side up. Spoon 2/3 cup vanilla frosting into resealable plastic bag; snip off small corner. Tint 1/3 cup frosting blue and spoon into separate resealable plastic bag; snip off small corner. Frost tops of cakes with remaining vanilla frosting, piping dots of frosting around rims. Pipe designs on sides of cakes with white and blue frostings.

To make handles: Melt pink melting wafers in microwave 20 seconds, adding 5 seconds at a time if necessary; stir until smooth. Place in resealable plastic bag, and snip off corner. Pipe handles onto wax paper, and let harden. Push into sides of cakes for handles. Repeat with yellow melting wafers.

Yield: 12 cakes

Recipe and picture from Parents.com

Penguin Awareness Day

Cream Cheese Penguins

18 jumbo black olives, pitted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
18 small black olives
1 carrot

Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.

Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

*It is cute to serve with an igloo cheeseball.

Recipe and picture from AllRecipes.com

National Popcorn Day

Popcorn Cupcakes

Recipe and video from HelloCupcakeBook.com

In Honor of Winnie the Pooh Day

Peanut Butter Bumble Bees

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 square semi-sweet chocolate

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Beat butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add cracker crumbs; mix well.

Shape tablespoonful of butter mixture into 1-inch oval to resemble body of bumble bee. Repeat with remaining butter mixture for additional "bees."

Melt chocolate as directed on package. Drizzle in lines on top of bees to resemble bees' stripes. Insert almonds into both sides of each body for "wings." Store in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Recipe and picture from Kraft Foods

Pretzel Snowflakes

For those of you being hammered with more snow, here is a snowflake that will disappear quickly.

Pretzel Snowflakes

10 ounce vanilla-flavored candy coating or almond bark, chopped

54

tree-shaped pretzels

Decorator sugar, edible glitter or other small candies

6

(12-inch) pieces thin ribbon

Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper. Place candy coating in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds; stir until melted and smooth. If necessary, microwave an additional 20 seconds.

To make each snowflake, place 6 pretzels, stems toward center and bottom points touching, in a circle on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. One pretzel at a time, hold tip of tree and dip in melted candy coating; let excess drip back into bowl. Place pretzel back in circle. Continue with remaining pretzels in circle.

To form top layer of each snowflake, dip 3 additional trees, one at a time, in candy coating. Place on top of first layer of pretzels with tips of 3 pretzels touching in center between pretzels in first circle. Drizzle tops of trees with coating. (Reheat candy coating in microwave for a few seconds if it gets too cool to dip or drizzle.)

Before coating sets, sprinkle each snowflake with decorator sugar. Refrigerate 5 minutes or until coating is firm. Thread ribbon through 1 opening in tree; tie to form loop.

Yield: 6 snowflakes

Recipe and Picture from BettyCrocker.com

Defrosty the Snowman

Defrosty the Snowman

White candy melts (one 14-ounce package makes 16 snowmen)
Mini chocolate chips
Light cocoa candy melts
Rolos
Candy corn

For each snowman, you'll need 6 mini chocolate chips, a light cocoa candy melt, and a Rolo. To make the nose, cut the orange section from a candy corn, then slice it in half lengthwise. Roll the piece between your fingers to form a carrot shape.

To assemble your snowman, melt the white candy in a bowl according to the package instructions, then scoop a rounded tablespoon onto a sheet of wax paper. With the back of a spoon, smear the candy into a puddle. Working quickly, stick on the light cocoa candy melt, add a dot of white melted candy, then place the Rolo on top. Finally, add the candy corn nose and mini chocolate chip eyes and mouth.

Recipe and picture from Disney Family Fun (familyfun.go.com)

Cauliflower Snowman

Cauliflower Snowman

6 cups cauliflowerets
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
10 whole ripe olives
1 baby carrot

In a large saucepan, cook cauliflower in a small amount of water for 6-7 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain well. In a medium saucepan, saute onion in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Add salt, garlic salt and pepper. Place half of the cauliflower in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish; top with half of the sauce. Repeat.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Add olives for eyes and mouth and a carrot for the nose.
Yield: 6-8 servings.

Recipe and picture from Taste of Home

Snowmen Treats

Snowmen Treats

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR - 4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups rice krispies cereal
Canned frosting or decorating gel
M&M's chocolate candies

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
Add rice krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Using 4-inch cookie cutter coated with cooking spray cut into snowman shapes. (If desired, use 2-, 1 3/4- and 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutters coated with cooking spray to cut into circles.)

Decorate snowmen with frosting and/or M&M's chocolate candies. (If using circles, for each snowman connect three different sized circles together with frosting. Decorate with remaining frosting and/or M&M's.) Best if served the same day.

Microwave Directions
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 thru 4 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

**For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

**1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.

Recipe and picture from Kellogg's Rice Krispies

Snowman Cheese Ball

Snowman Cheese Ball

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)
2 tablespoons basil pesto1 tablespoon grated onion
1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 drops red pepper sauce
1 container (4 ounces) whipped cream cheese, softened
Decorations (see Success Hint below), if desired
Assorted crackers

Mix 3 packages cream cheese and the Cheddar cheese; divide into 3 equal parts. Combine 2 parts to equal two-thirds of mixture; mix in pesto. Mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into remaining one-third mixture.

Cover each cheese mixture and refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape. Shape each cheese mixture into ball. Wrap each ball, label and freeze.

About 12 hours before serving, remove balls from freezer. Thaw in wrappers in refrigerator.

Arrange balls on serving plate with smaller ball on top for head of snowman. Frost snowman with whipped cream cheese before serving. Decorate as desired. Serve with crackers. Store covered in refrigerator.

Do-Ahead Tip

You can make this cute little guy up to 1 month ahead!

Success Hint

Use your imagination to decorate this whimsical snowman! You can use fresh rosemary and dried cranberries (crown), chopped olive pieces or raisins (eyes and buttons), pimiento or red bell pepper (mouth), radicchio or carrot ribbon (scarf), and asparagus spears or celery sticks (arms).

Recipe and picture from Betty Crocker

Banana Pancake Snowmen

Banana Pancake Snowmen

1 cup pancake and waffle mix (just add water)
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup mashed banana (1 small banana)
Cooking spray
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 small banana, peeled, halved crosswise and sliced (to make mouth shape)
1-2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Combine pancake mix, water and banana. Mix just until large lumps disappear.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat to griddle to 375 degrees. Spray with no-stick cooking spray. Using about 1/4 cup of batter for each snowman, pour 2 pancakes, one slightly smaller than the other, onto the hot pan or griddle with sides touching to resemble a snowman. Cook 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. While cooking second side, place chocolate chips on surface to resemble eyes, nose and buttons and a slice of banana for the mouth. Remove from griddle. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.

Yield: 8 snowmen

Recipe and picture from HungryJack.com

Snow Day Sandwich Snack

Snow Day Sandwich Snack

Stamp out six pieces of bread using the rims of different size glasses. Spread peanut butter on one side of three circles, lay a skewer down the middle, and add top slices. Use cheese spread for the nose and mini chocolate chips for the buttons, eyes and mouth. Personalize by adding a paper hat and a scarf with your child's name on it.

Recipe and picture from goodhousekeeping.com

Snowman Party Stew

Snowman Party Stew

1 pound ground beef

1 package frozen vegetables

1 can beef gravy

2 cups mashed potatoes with a small amount of milk

16 whole black peppercorns

1/4 cup ketchup

In a skillet, cook the beef until no longer pink. Remove 24 peas and 1 carrot chunk from the stew vegetables and set aside. Add remaining vegetables to beef. Cook until vegetables are thawed. Add gravy; mix well. Pour into an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Top with eight mashed potato snowmen, using 1 tablespoon of potato for each head and 3 tablespoons for each body.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut the reserved carrot into eight strips. Insert one strip into each snowman for a nose, place reserved peas on each for buttons. Add peppercorns for eyes. Drizzle ketchup between head and body to form a scarf.

Recipe and picture from familyfunfriday.blogspot.com

Doughnut Snowmen

Doughnut Snowmen

3 powdered sugar doughnuts (graduated sizes from 2 to 3 inches if possible)
1 powdered sugar doughnut hole or mini doughnut
5 mini chocolate chips
1 orange-mint Tic Tac
1 piece (10-12 inches) "fruit by the foot" fruit roll
3 gumdrops
2 pretzel sticks
1 starlight mint

On a small plate, stack the three doughnuts to form the body of a snowman. Place doughnut hole on top for head. Add chocolate chip buttons and eyes and an orange-mint nose.

Make 1-inch cuts on both ends of the fruit roll to form scarf fringe wrap scarf around neck. Press a gumdrop onto each pretzel to form mittens; press pretzel arms into body. Top with a hat made from mint and a gumdrop.

Yield: 1 Snowman

Recipe and picture from Taste of Home

Jolly Snowman Bread

Jolly Snowman Bread

2 tablespoons brown sugar
5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1-1/2 cups warm milk
4 tablespoons softened butter
Raisins
Dried apricots
Gumdrops

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Set aside.

Pour the warm water (bathwater temperature, or around 100º F) into a large bowl and sprinkle in the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir and let the mix sit for 5 minutes, until bubbles begin to appear.

Stir in the warm milk, butter, and 2 cups of the dry ingredients. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, mixing until the dough is stiff.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for 5 to 10 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and springs back when touched.

Grease a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and cover it with a dish towel. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured countertop. Divide it into 4 pieces (1 for each snowman).

Cut off the top third of each piece and shape it into the snowman's head; shape the larger piece into a ball for the body.

Place the 2 balls on a baking sheet and pinch them together. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough until you have 4 snowmen. Cover and let them rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350º F. Brush the snowmen with milk and adorn with raisin eyes, a dried apricot nose, and gumdrop buttons. Cover the fruit and gumdrops with small pieces of aluminum foil so they won't burn, then bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on racks. Tie a ribbon around each snowman's neck for a scarf. To present, wrap in plastic before adding the scarf.

Yield: 4 snowmen

Recipe and picture from Disney's Family Fun (familyfun.go.com)

Marshmallow Snowman

Marshmallow Snowman

5 ounces milk chocolate candy coating, melted
18 large marshmallows
6 small wooden skewers
Orange and black decorating icing

For hats, spoon six 1/2 teaspoon rounds of candy coating onto waxed paper. Dip six marshmallows in remaining coating and place in the center of each round; let stand until set.

On each skewer, thread two plain marshmallows and one hat. Use decorating icing to draw faces and arms.

Yield: 6 snowmen

Recipe and picture from Taste of Home