Best Bites for the Big Dance
Posted March 11, 2011
IT'S NCAA TOURNEY TIME!
Maybe you’re not painting your face or crafting guaranteed-to-score-TV-time poster signs, but you’re cheering for your favorite team and hitting (or hosting) the parties where everyone else is. These easy, reader-submitted recipes will be perfect crowd-pleasers from the tip-off to the final buzzer.
Got a recipe to share? No matter what kind it is, we’d love to hear about it, especially if it’s accompanied by a good story.
Who knows? It might make our next batch on the site.
Send recipes and stories to: editor@seethegood.com
Patti Rubin – Florida
ANDREW’S FAMOUS BEAN DIP
1-2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
¼ cup chopped onions
20+ dashes Texas Pete
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 can Fritos Bean Dip
1 packet taco seasoning
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients and bake 20 minutes. Serve with Fritos Scoops and celery.
John W. Coughlin – Indiana
PEPPERONI BREAD
1 can pizza dough (thin crust if available)
1/3 lb. thin-sliced sandwich pepperoni
1-12 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg
Italian seasoning or oregano
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and stretch it out slightly. Lightly beat egg and brush egg wash over rolled out pizza dough. Completely cover dough with pepperoni, then with cheese. Season to taste with Italian seasoning. Roll lengthwise as tightly as possible without tearing the dough. Place on a lightly greased baking pan or cookie sheet. Brush outside with egg wash. Cook at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into slices and serve with a side of pizza sauce for dipping.
Danielle N. Campbell – Tennessee
TWICE BAKED RANCH POTATOES
6-8 red baking potatoes
Ranch dressing
Shredded cheese
Bacon bits
Clean and boil potatoes until soft. Let potatoes cool slightly, and then place in baking dish. Slice each potato into quarters, then pour ranch dressing over top. Sprinkle cheese and bacon bits over potatoes, then place in oven, heating until cheese is melted.
Patricia Leger – Florida
APPLE SALAD
4-6 red apples (peeled and diced up into bite sizes)
1 bunch white seedless grapes cut in half (use as little or as much as you like)
1 bunch red seedless grapes cut in half (use as little or as much as you like)
1 package chopped walnuts
3 small boxes of raisins
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise (do not use salad dressing)
1 lemon
Note: If you like the skin on the apples, it is OK to leave it on.
Note: It is best made fresh the day you are going to serve it.
Mix all ingredients together (except for the lemon) in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the mayonnaise. You only want to coat the apple salad and not drown it. Squeeze the lemon over the salad to prevent the apples from turning brown. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Grace Ward – Mississippi
CHOCOLATE CHIP CREAM CHEESE BALL
1-8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
½ cup margarine, softened
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¾ cup miniature chocolate chips
½ cup pecans, chopped fine
Graham crackers
Beat cream cheese, margarine, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add confectioners sugar and brown sugar and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Shape into a ball and roll in finely chopped pecans. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with graham crackers.
Beverly Deaderick – Tennessee
MY COUSIN'S LEMON COOKIES
1 box lemon cake mix
1 egg
8 oz. regular Cool Whip (not fat free or lite!)
Confectioner’s sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Roll mixture into balls, and then dip balls in confectioner’s sugar. Bake for 15 minutes.
The recipes featured have not been tested by seethegood.com.
comments (33)
Made the Lemon Cookies last night and brought them to the office this morning. They are a HUGE hit!! How easy can making cookies be??
Jim SchmitzI look forward to the fantastic stories on see the good, I love the recepies also.. My hat goes off to the staff behind this site. God Bless you all.
P WheelerThanks for the great recipe. Lemon is my son's favorite. What great way to make a cookie recipe simple.
Belinda HernandezWould love to have a SEE THE GOOD FOOD WEBSITE with all of the previous and future recipes. I have used several of them and plan to use more.
B. WilliamsThe Twice Baked Ranch Potatoes are delicious!!!
Kristina ThompsonMy Grandfather made Apple Salad similar to the above recipe, but we're a Miracle Whip family and I think the sweetness of the Miracle Whip goes together so much better than regular mayo!
Andrea RoyYUMMM!! I can't wait to try some of the recipes this weekend :)
Becky AndersonHow much confectioner's sugar do you use for the lemon cookies?
A. McKinneyGreat pepperoni bread recipe!
Iris Lewis-BeasleyTo A. McKinney: use enough to coat the cookie balls before baking.
Editor, See the GoodTwice Baked Ranch Potatoes are twice the fun. Our family enjoys them. Try slicing them up and serving as potato skins.
Rigo PerezWHAT TEMP DO YOU PUT THE POTATOES IN THE OVEN FOR?
S.HUTSONBeverly, I was just wondering about the cookies.....could we use chocolate cake mix instead of lemon? Do you know if that has ever been tried? If so, we could do Butter cookies, Red Velvet, Orange, etc.!!!
Joy GreenMade the Pepperoni Bread last night with some angel hair pasta w/garlic butter sauce. My family loved it!
S GollmerI baked some Lemon Cookies last night and scored major brownie points with my wife and son! If I can make them.... ANYBODY can make them. Thanks!
Brian AdamsDo the potatoes call for the liquid ranch dressing or the dry dressing packet? Thanks!! Sounds yummy!
Dena KlobeI made the bean dip for our first cook out of the year and my family and friends loved it.
Melody BusterThe Lemon Cookies were very sticky and didn't roll into balls easily. It helped when I put butter on my hands first. They were so yummy and were gone in one night!
Allison ParksTo S.Hutson: I usually just heat the oven to 350 degrees because all I need to is to melt the cheese! Thanks!
DanielleTo Dena: We asked Danielle and she said she uses liquid ranch dressing, it's easier that way.
Editor, See the GoodMy daughter and I made the Lemon Cookies and they are GREAT!! Yum-Yum ! Keep the quick and convenient recipies coming!
S. Freemantried the apple salad fab!!! enjoy the recipes keep them coming
peggy brawleyI love these positive stories! They always brighten my day!!
Latreice PadiaWe had the chocolate chip cream cheese ball at a baby shower last night. It was delicious!!! It was served with cinnamon teddy grahams. Such a sweet treat!
J ThomasI enjoy browsing all of the recipes. I would love to see more recipes on this site!
M. DavisCorporate Training says YES to the Lemon Cookies !!!!
Susan EllisMy manager made the Lemon Cookies and shared them with us this morning. All I can say is YUM!!!!!! I am definitely making these cookies this week! Thank goodness for "simple but delicious" recipes!
Shirrell P.The ladies at The Madison Branch here in Madison did a potluck while I was out for my surgery. The food that they made was so delicious. Thanks for the recipes you guys.
LaTasha DelgadoI also make the lemon cookies from childhood. My Mom has had this recipe for years. You can use any flavor cakemix you want > orange ,strawberry even spice, They are all great. You can drop a teaspoon of dough in the confectioners sugar then roll them. That way the dough will not stick to your hands . LOVE THEM !
RonealeThe lemon cookie recipe is one that my family has made for years @ Christmas. We call them Lemon Drops and they are addictive.
AshleyI made the pepperoni bread for my family and it was a big hit.
SUZANNEI made the Pecan Pie Muffins this weekend as an add on for a Mother's Day surprise - not only were they delicious - but so easy, only like 5 ingredients! Thanks for the great recipe!
d. grahamI MADE THE TWICE BAKED RANCH POTATOES LAST NIGHT, AND WE LOVED THEM SO MUCH WE COULDN'T STOP EATING THEM. IT WAS VERY EASY TO MAKE AND WOULD BE A CROWD FAVORITE FOR A PARTY!!!! THANK YOU!!!
STACIE G.