Today I am sharing 3 unique recipes that are perfect for the BIG game! I love Football and I especially love it when my team the New England Patriots make it to the Championship. So of course I am super excited that the New England Patriots are playing the Broncos this Sunday! Aside from the excitement of waiting for the game, I also get excited about the food that goes along with the game. We don’t always host parties when my team plays on Sundays because that just over excites the boys and then I’ll never get them down for school the next day. But even when we don’t host parties, I still go all out with the game food!

I’ll admit that at the beginning of the season I make traditional sides for watching the game.  However towards the end of the season and  as we get closer to the Super Bowl I like to change up those recipes and surprise my boys (yes that includes the hunny)! So when my friends over at Schmacon invited me to try out 3 of their recipes I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Especially when I get to share these recipes with you!  

3 Unique Recipes For the BIG Game!

Main Dish: SchMAC™ and Cheese

This is a perennial crowd pleaser, everyone loves mac and cheese. Adding Schmacon takes the dish up a notch, packing a seriously tasty punch with its special spice blend. Touchdown!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta, any shape
1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 to 3 cups shredded cheese, like Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby (can be mixed)
½  teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon powdered mustard
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
8 slices crisped Schmacon, chopped into ½ inch chunks

Directions: 

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Cook Schmacon in oven according to directions.  Chop into ½ inch chunks. Set aside.
3. For the cheese sauce, begin warming 1 cup of the milk in the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the flour until there are no lumps. When you just start to see steam rising from the warming milk, whisk in the milk-and-flour mixture. Continue whisking gently until the milk thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Turn the heat to low and begin mixing handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt, pepper and mustard. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Adjust the seasonings as desired. Remove the sauce from heat.
5. In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta and half of the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly.  Add the rest of the pasta and the rest of the cheese sauce.  Stir.
6. Sprinkle Schmacon on top or mix into the pasta.

Next up is an appetizer that sounds amazing too! 

Appetizer: Schmacon™ Wrapped and Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Ramp up the flavor on this fan favorite by wrapping traditional Jalapeno Poppers in Schmacon. Be sure to make extra—these will fly off the plate!

Makes 16

Ingredients:

8 jalapeño peppers
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika
2 slices Schmacon, crisped and chopped fine
16 slices Schmacon, un-crisped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place parchment paper or a wire rack onto a baking sheet.
2. Slice each jalapeño in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and membranes. The more you leave in, the spicier they will be.  It is recommended to either wear gloves or wash your hands immediately after handling the jalapeños. (Do not rub your eyes!)
3. Mix together cream cheese, Cheddar cheese and chopped Schmacon.
4. Stuff each jalapeño half with an equal amount of the cream cheese mixture. Tightly wrap one slice of un-crisped Schmacon (or half if you would rather) around each jalapeño half and secure with a toothpick if necessary.  Bake for 14-15 minutes, until the Schmacon reaches desired crispness. (Remember, Schmacon cooks faster than pork bacon.)

In my house a party is NOT a party without a main drink! That’s where this next recipe comes in. 

Drink: Beefy Schmacon Bloody Mary

Get the party started with this classic cocktail. Schmacon’s smoky, slightly sweet flavor adds an unexpected kick.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 oz. Vodka
4 oz. Mott’s BeefAMato or Tomato juice
3-5 dashes Worcestershire sauce (use less with BeefAMato)
Squeeze of lemon juice
Squeeze of lime juice

Pinch of celery salt
Pinch of Creole seasoning (or salt & pepper)
Hot sauce and/or horseradish to taste
Two slices Schmacon, crisped

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker.
2. Shake well
3. Pour into glass over ice.

Garnish with two slices of Schmacon

I want to thank Schmacon for sharing these recipes with us! If you haven’t heard about Schmacon, let me tell you a little about it. 

Schmacon™ is an all-natural, smoked, uniquely seasoned, crispy whole muscle beef product. It is easy to prepare, cooks in half the time of raw pork bacon and has less calories, fat and sodium. Schmacon can be used anywhere traditional bacon can be used – as a breakfast protein, in side dishes and sandwiches, or as a topping. For more information or to buy Schmacon, please visit schmacon.com.

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