Super Bowl food- Blue Cheese Sliders and Tamale Pie Recipes

I love great game day foods!! Did you know that out of a 110 minute televised game there are over 45 minutes of commercials and 16 minutes of replays? That's a lot of time you could be eating.
Here are a couple of recipes that I'll be making on game day.

Tamale Pie 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

We eat this served over a bed of Fritos or over rice. You can also serve it like a hot dip and use the large Frito Scoops to eat it.
It's filling and hearty yet you can make it ahead and just stick it into the oven when you're ready.
 2 pounds ground beef- You can also use Ground Turkey if you want 
1 medium onion chopped
Salt to taste
2 TBS chili powder, divided 
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1- 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes and 2- 4-ounce cans diced mild green chilies or if you like it spicier- use 1 1/2 cups of salsa instead of the tomatoes & green chilies.
2-16-ounce cans pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed

Topping
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3 cups of water
1 tsps. salt
8 Ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese

Over medium-high heat, cook the meat and and the onions until the onions are golden brown and there is no pink left to the meat.

Drain off any fat. Stir in 1 1/2 Tbs. of the chili powder, cumin, oregano  tomatoes or salsa, green chilies, and the beans,  simmer for about 5 minutes. 

• This meat mixture can be made up to two days ahead then refrigerated until you are ready to use; Just reheat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to bubble and then continue with the recipe. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring 3 cups of water, cornmeal, remaining  1 1/2 tsps of chili powder and 1 tsps. of salt to boil stirring constantly, until the cornmeal is almost tender and the mixture is quite thick, 3 to 5 minutes. It will look like grits for my southern readers. To the Yankees, it will look like really thick cream of wheat cereal. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the beef mixture into the dish. Top with the cooked cornmeal and spread evenly to cover.


Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. You can make it to this point andcover and stick it in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
Bake until the cornmeal crust is set, the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is very hot at the center, 25 to 35 minutes if fresh made or 35 to 45 from fridge.
Serve over rice or Fritos with any of the following optional toppings:
Sour Cream         Sliced black olives             Fresh cilantro


Blue Cheese Sliders (mini burgers) 

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe. 

Here is a twist on  a traditional slider. Packed with blue cheese, onion and bacon, they'll be the hit of the party.  These are also a ton easier than the recipes where you have to stuff the blue cheese between two patties of meat and seal up the sides. So not worth it!
This makes 16 to 20 sliders depending on how big or small you make the patties.

2 lbs of  ground beef
2- 4 to 5 oz tubs of crumbled blue cheese
1 bunch of green onion, finely chopped- I use scissors to cut up green onions, it's so much easier than trying to chop through them)
Pepper to taste- I use about 1 tsp.
8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled
16 to 20 small dinner rolls


Combine the raw hamburger meat with the blue cheese crumbles, the chopped green onions,  black pepper and the crumbled bacon.
Mix well to combine.
Shape into small balls and then flatten them into patties.
Grill or pan fry until they are cooked through.
Serve on rolls with BBQ sauce or Steak Sauce