Loaded Tater Tot Skewers
Ingredients
– Bag of Tater Tots
– 8 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
– 1 cup of cheese, grated
– 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
– skewers
Directions
– Cook your tater tots according to directions until golden brown in color (roughly 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes).
– Pull tots out of oven and let them cool for 5 minutes.
– Skewer tots, puting 6-7 on each skewer.
– Sprinkle ranch seasoning, bacon and then cheese on top of tots. Put in oven for 10 minutes.
– Remove from oven and serve.
Jalapeno Popper Football Cheese Ball
Ingredients
– 16 oz cream cheese, softened
– 8 oz grated/shredded sharp cheddar cheese
– 1/4-1/3 cup chopped green onion, divided
– 1/2 cup diced pickled jalapeños, extra as desired
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– pinch of salt
– 3 slices of bacon
– 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
– 2-3 TBSP fresh parsley
– 2-3 fresh jalapeños (approx. 1/4 cup finely chopped)
– 1 slice mozzarella or white cheddar cheese
– pretzels
Directions
– In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, cheddar, pickled jalapeño, garlic powder, salt and around 2-3 TBSP chopped green onion.
– Using a hand mixer or a fork, mix well.
– Use a silicone spatula to scoop out the cheese mixture and shape into a ball with your hands.
– Place on a sheet of parchment paper or a cutting board and flatten the top of the ball, pinching and shaping it into a football.
– If cheese ball is too soft, cover with plastic and pop it in the fridge for 15-60 min.
– While your cheese ball chills, chop the bacon into pieces and cook until crispy in a hot pan or skillet.
– Remove bacon from pan and wipe clean, leaving a bit of the bacon grease behind. Add panko and lightly toast it, stirring frequently for about a minute or two until golden.
– Remove the seeds, veins, and stem from your jalapeño and finely chop/mince.
– Sprinkle/cover your cheese ball with panko, the remaining green onion, parsley, fresh jalapeño, and bacon and press firmly into the cheeseball to coat.
– For the laces, snag a slice of mozzarella cheese (or any cheese really!) and use a sharp knife to cut it into thin slices. Cut one long slice for the center of the football and smaller slices for the laces. Place the long slice horizontally along the center of the football, then arrange the small slices horizontally on top.