Game day platter ideas

Here are some fun platter ideas for the big day!

There is probably a ton of finger food around. Here is some more you can add.

Mini dinner roll burger patties that can be made a day ahead, and assembled before they are served.
A light and crunchy taco dip with no meat or beans.
Some football cake pop desserts that are loved by kids and adults alike. Recipes follow.

Mini dinner roll burgers

What you need: Makes 12 small burgers

1/2 lb ground turkey

1/2 lb ground pork

1 egg

1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs to add to the meat, and 1 cup to roll in.

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

2 tsp lime juice

Salt to taste

3 cheese slices each cut into 4 squares

1 cup of pickled cucumbers

1 cup of sliced tomatoes

1 cup thin strips of red onion

1 cup of lettuce torn into small pieces

12 dinner rolls, split horizontally

In a large bowl, mix the meats, egg, fenugreek, cilantro, lime juice, chili garlic sauce, crumbs, pepper and salt, Mold them into 12 meatballs of equal size. You may make these a day ahead and chill them. When you are an hour away from serving it, flatten the meatballs to make patties. roll them in a plate or graham cracker crumbs. Place them in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

While the burgers grill, prepare the dressing.

As soon as they are done, place the cut up mini cheese slices on them. The patties are hot enough to melt the cheese.

Butter toast the top and bottom of dinner rolls. Assemble the bottom rolls with spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions. Top it with cheesy meatballs. Cover it with the top half of the dinner rolls. Hold it all together with picks or mini skewers. Serve warm.

Light and crunchy taco dip

What you need: Makes 6 little cups or a medium bowl of dip

2 cups chunky salsa, homemade or

1 cup guacamole

1 cup chile con queso (melted cheese and chili dip)

1 cup ranch dip

1 cup sev (crunchy Indian lentil vermicelli) or mixed cheese, grated

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 cup red onions, diced

1 cup cilantro finely chopped

6 little plastic cups

A bag of tortilla chips

Spread a layer of chunky salsa as the base layer in the plastic cups. Top it with guacamole. Then a layer of con queso, and ranch. You can make these cups ahead of time and chill it a day before. Then an hour before serving, sprinkle a layer of crunchy sev or grated cheese. Follow that with tomatoes, onions and cilantro.

Top it off with a taco chip and place it in a platter filled with tacos.

Football cake pops

What you need – Makes about 30 pops

1 box of your favorite cake mix, and the other things mentioned on the box to bake the cake.

8 oz of raspberry jam

Lollipop sticks or mini skewers

Sheet of waxed paper.

Styrofoam bed or sheet

2 lb chocolate candy melts

1/2 cup of white chocolate candy melts

Bake the cake as the instructions say on the box. Cool it completely. You can just leave it in the baked pan. Crumble it with your bare hands (better still, give this to your little kids, they will enjoy it!) until it is in fine crumbs.

Add in the jam and mix well yet gently, kneading until you can roll it into a ball, and extending two opposite ends to resemble a football. If you think it is not moist, add some more milk. Place them on a plate, wrap a plastic wrap around it and let it chill in the fridge for an hour.

Now melt the chocolate candy melts in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until the liquid is warm and smooth, or use a double boiler in a hot water bath.

Run the lollipop sticks or mini skewers through on end and set it in nearly all the way.

Dip the cake end of the lollipop stick into the melted chocolate/candy and turn, to coat them evenly. Stick the coated pops on Styrofoam, do this to all the cake balls and let them set in a cool place.

Melt the white chocolate and and pour them into a plastic bag. Decorate the pops with white lines to resemble a football. Let it set. Devour. Enjoy!