UFC Fight Night Food: Salsa

This is always a favorite at our fight nights with the guys & the girls. However, the girls just don't tend to shovel it in like the guys do.

Homemade Salsa
Ingredients:
1 can Hunts diced Tomatoes (drained well)
2 large Tomatoes diced
Cilantro, chopped (to taste)
About a teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 Green Pepper, chopped
1/3 White Onion, chopped
1 Jalapeno, chopped well

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.

Ta Da!

Seriously, how easy is that?
First, let me say I'd rather use fresh tomatoes, so if you get a chance, great... but using a portion of the canned makes the prep work much easier, that's for sure!

I split mine between two containers and added the Jalapeno to one container so I have a hot and a mild. All of these ingredients are to taste and playing around with it a little, you can find your favorite combination.

All I can say is... delish!

Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Stew

I choose this stew tonight because it's been rainy and dreary almost all week and I wanted something a little spicy, a little warm and a little comforting. This fit the bill perfectly for all of those things. It was a huge hit with everyone in my family.

The recipe calls for fennel but notes that you can substitute diced onions for the fennel - which I did only because I didn't feel like going out for fennel, the rest of the ingredients I had on hand.

Also, I doubled the recipe, my family eats large portions so it worked out that the double recipe made enough for four of us with just a bit left over.

Tuscan White Bean And Sausage Stew
Courtesy of Pampered Chef.

3/4 lb hot Italian sausage
2 medium carrots
1 medium bulb fresh fennel (I used 1 medium onion chopped)
1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cans cannellini beans
1 package fresh basil

Remove casings from sausage. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2 inch nuggets.
Place sausage into large sauce pan or skillet (with high sides) and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
As sausage cooks, peel carrots. Chop carrots and fennel and add to pan and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until the sausage is no longer pink and vegetables begin to brown.
Stir tomatoes, broth and garlic into the sausage mixture. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot.
Simmer stew, uncovered10-12 minutes or until vegetables are tender. As stew simmers, chop basil. Remove from heat, stir in basil and serve immediately.

Also a few additional notes. I had to cook my sausage a bit longer to get fully cooked, my times were more like 10-12 minutes. Additionally, I probably needed to let the stew simmer a tad longer because my carrots were still a little tough, cooked but tough.

This was simple but has a very complex taste, don't skimp on the basil, it totally tops your taste buds off!

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

This recipe is from Kraft Foods and on their site is called PHILADELPHIA New York-Style Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

and it's as easy as pie (or cake) to make!

Here's what you need:

1 C. HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

5 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 C sugar

3 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 C BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

4 eggs

1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam

HEAT oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides.

Here's how I make my graham cracker crumbs... I don't usually buy them, I just roll them with a roller pin until they are fine enough.

Mix cracker crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 min.

BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.

Pour over crust. Gently drop small spoonfuls of jam over batter; swirl with knife.

BAKE 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours. Lift cheesecake from pan with foil handles before cutting to serve.

Monday Night Football 7 Layer Taco Dip

I got this recipe off of Allrecipes a while back and really haven't had a chance to make it for any reason, until tonight. As a lot of the comments on the original recipe says, it was a huge hit. I did alter mine slightly so look after the recipe to see what I did differently.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
* 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
* 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
* 1 large tomato, chopped
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 bunch chopped green onions
* 1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
* 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
* 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.
3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

I don't use the lettuce or the salsa. I add additional tomatoes to substitute.

Party Recipes On The Way!

Image via WikipediaVery frequently, we host a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Fight Night and we invite a bunch of guys (and girls!)over to watch the fight.

This is my testing ground. I always try out new recipes on them! I usually do appetizers, finger foods and drinks. But, this of course varies with my mood and what I feel like experimenting with.

Tomorrow night is fight night! I'm thinking because Antonio Nogueira vs. Frank Mir is the main event I'll do something spicy. Nogeuira is from Brazil and Mir is just hawt! So, there we have it!

Be expecting some new recipes I've tried!