Gameday Recipes

As promised, this post is recipes for a few go-to recipes whether you're tailgating at the game or couchgating at home. For the Ole Miss tailgate I made a new recipe found on Pinterest: Samoa dip. Oh, yeah, as in the Girl Scout cookie I sold so many years ago.
 

Samoas Dip

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Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, cold
• 8 oz. butter or margarine, cold
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 sleeve shortbread cookies
• 1 cup toasted coconut
• 1 cup Caramel Hershey Kisses
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate for drizzling

Instructions:

1. Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the cream cheese.
2. Add in the cookies, and mix on high (so the cookies are good and crushed).
3. Mix in the powdered sugar, until fully incorporated.
4. Add Hershey kisses, and mix on high so they get broken up really well.
5. Fold in the toasted coconut with a rubber spatula
6. Serve with graham crackers!

These are the shortbread cookies I used.

 Toasting the coconut, so easy and so good!

 

 That's a lot of Hershey Kisses!

Tada!

The next recipe is for my mom's gumbo. It is so delish and is great for carrying to a tailgate in a crockpot or to eat while you're "couchgating" and watching the game at home.

Willma's Gumbo:

Ingredients:

3/4 c. vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
6-8 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped (Willma prefers to substitute a little dried instead, which is what I do)
1 lb. frozen okra (I like okra so much, I put in 2)
3 cans chicken broth
1-2 c. water
1/2 c. Worchestershire sauce
1 TBSP salt
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. dried whole rosemary
2 c. shopped chicken (OR 2 large cans)
1 lb. smoked sausage (or Kielbasa, sliced)
1 c. all purpose flour
2-3 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 large slice ham, diced (I omitted this because I didn't have any and it was still good)
1/4 tsp. dried, whole thyme
red pepper flakes (to taste, optional)
3 lbs. cooked, peeled shrimp (I keep mine separate and add later since the hubby is allergic)
hot, cooked rice

Instructions:

Combine oil and flour in large Dutch oven, cook over medium hear, stirring constantly, 10-15 minutes or until roux is the color of a copper penny. Stir in onion, celery, green pepper and garlic; add parsley (if desired). Cook 45 minutes - 1 hour on low to medium heat, stirring mixture occasionally to prevent sticking. Add okra, and stir well over low heat. Stir well. Next, add chicken broth, water, seasonings. Add sausage and chicken (drained if using canned). Simmer 2 1/2 - 3 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking. About 30 minutes prior to serving, stir in shrimp and heat thoroughly. Serve over hot, cooked rice. You may sprinkle a tiny bit of gumbo file' over each serving for extra thickness and flavor. (See file' package directions.) NOTE: This makes A LOT! It freezes well, but you want to freeze it without the rice. Or, of course you can half the recipe.

A few side notes: she's not kidding, it does make a lot. We had it for dinner and then I had it every day for lunch that week. I still had enough after that to freeze some, too. Also, don't forget that this takes 4  hours to make. I always forget and everytime I make it I end up making something else for dinner that night and have the gumbo the next.
This is the file' I use: