Pat’s Pantry: Game night snacks

By Pat Mills

Our family gets together on weekends to play games, and with the games we have to have snacks.  I made and served each of these recipes and they are all keepers. I think the barbeque chicken dip is my favorite. – Pat

beef Barbeque chicken dip

12 oz. cooked chicken, chopped
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
¾ cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup ranch dressing
¼ cup sour cream
1½ cups cheddar cheese
1 green onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, in a mixing bowl combine chicken, sour cream, cream cheese, ranch dressing, b-b-q sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 8 x 8 baking dish. Top the dip with green onions and ½ cup cheddar cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubby. Serve with tortilla chips.

Apple kielbasa

2 pounds fully cooked kielbasa sausage (smoked sausage)
¾ brown sugar
1 cup chunky applesauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cut kielbasa into 1-inch pieces and combine with brown sugar, applesauce, mustard, and garlic. Place in a 3-qt crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until heated through.

Spinach balls

2 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 ¼ cups herb flavored stuffing mix
6 eggs, beaten
½ cup melted butter
½ cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Form into about 1-in balls; place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Yields: 60 balls.

Loaded baked potato dip

1 8 oz carton sour cream
1 4 oz cream cheese, room temp.
1 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8  slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
¼ cup snipped chives
1 tablespoon powdered ranch dressing
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine the sour cream, cream cheese and cheddar cheese, stir until thoroughly mixed; fold in bacon, chives, ranch dressing, and Worcestershire sauce. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Bring to room temp. Serve with thick potato chips.

FOOD FACTS
• Keep celery fresh. Wrap celery in paper towels, then in aluminum foil. Store in the refrigerator. Celery will stay fresh for a long time.
• When a recipe calls for sliced green onions, cut them with kitchen scissors, its faster than using a knife.