Super Bowl Keepers: Pigs in the Blanket and Spinach Dip

Both recipes have survived decades of Super Bowl parties. The Pigs in the Blanket recipe goes back forever, but the spinach dip is relatively new in comparison. Add raw vegetables for a healthy addition. Bowls of Popcorn and nuts are a must for those tense moments.

Pigs in a Blanket

• 8 hot dogs
• 1 package (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls.
• Prepared mustard

Heat oven to 375°F.

Separate dough into triangles. If desired, brush the center third of dough with thin layer of mustard. Do not cover completely.

Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Optional: Brush dough with beaten egg white or thin layer of milk.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with mustard or ketchup.

Notable Additions:

*Cheese filled: Take four slices of American cheese and cut into 6 strips. Slit hot dogs to within ½ inch of ends. Insert 3 strips of cheese into each slit.

*Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends. Insert caramelized onions, chili, or other fillings of choice.

*Wrap hot dogs with bacon strips and bake as directed. Popular in the UK with sausages.

*Brush inside one-third of dough with pizza sauce and insert cheese into hot dog slits.

*Someone suggested substituting jalapeno poppers for the hot dogs. I haven’t tried it, but it might be worth the effort. You have to love the heat.

Pigs in the Blanket meant breakfast at our house.  Small cooked sausages were wrapped in thin pancakes fresh from the griddle and served with syrup and butter.

Speaking of pancakes: Small amounts of left over corn may be added to pancake batter for variety. Happiness is Italian Cooking, 1967. This might be a breakfast, corn dog recipe in the making.

What’s a football game without a marching band? Marching bands provided entertainment during the Super Bowl halftimes from the late 1960s and well into the 1980s. The group, Up With People, sang at four different half-time games and holds the record for most appearances.

Spinach Bread Dip: 1970

• 1 cup mayo
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
• 1 can (8oz.) diced water chestnuts
• 1 package Knorr’s swiss Leek soup mix
• 2 loaves extra, extra sour dough bread

Combine all ingredients except bread and refrigerate. Serve with thinly sliced sour dough slices.

Sour Dough Bowl: Take one large round loaf of sourdough bread. Scoop out the bread in the center and cut into chunks. Fill the bread shell with dip and serve the bread chunks on the side.

If fresh vegetables are wilted or blemished, pick off the brown edges and soak vegetables for an hour in cold water to which the juice of a lemon or a few tablespoons of vinegar have been added. Best of Helpful Hints, 1980

Other Snacks: Chili con Queso, Bean Dips and Nachos recipes can be found on previous blogs.

Enjoy the day. It’s second only to the Thanksgiving Day eating frenzy. With the arrival of the polar vortex and its promise of freezing temperatures, we can justify the extra calories this year. Just getting in and out of the car qualifies for an extra portion of dip and chips or another glass of beer.