Race Day Cheddar Jalapeno Pigs-in-a-Jalopy & Pit Road Buffalo Dip

6/23/2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RaceDayRelief #CollectiveBias #ad

Race Day Cheddar Jalapeno Pigs-in-a-Jalopy & Pit Road Buffalo Dip #RaceDayRelief #CollectiveBias #ad

Ty Dillon is having one heck of a year and we’re just loving it! Fourteen races into the season and Dillon is sitting comfortably in third place while compiling nine top-10 finishes along with five top-5’s in stock car racing’s second-tier series. The kid is hot, and as Summer heats up, we expect him to get even hotter as he makes a solid case for advancing to a full-time ride in the sport’s top series.

As you can probably tell, Race Day is a big thing in our home. We’re fortunate that on most weekends from February through November, there’s a race to get excited about and cheer on our favorite driver. We’re also fortunate in the sense that as over-the-top “foodies”, it gives us a regular opportunity to devise a menu of delicious goodies that are not only delectable, but fun to prepare as part of our usual Race Day theme.

For our most recent Race Day, we prepared yet another duo of zesty appetizers to help get us to Victory Lane – “Race Day Pigs-in-a-Jalopy” and “Pit Road Buffalo Dip“! Though delicious, both lean a bit to the “spicy” side of the spectrum, which is something we love. But that doesn’t mean it always loves us.

I must say we don’t eat like this often. After all, race days are special and I admit, we tend to go a little overboard. It’s typically a day we throw caution to the wind and make food fun again. It’s a day of indulgence or shall I say, “over-indulgence”. And when that happens, an unexpected bout of heartburn can quickly turn a great day miserable. Been there, done that.

I’ve mentioned in the past that Karen tends to be a bit more sensitive to spicy foods than I. This used to be something of an issue, but not anymore. Now she finds Nexium 24HR to be her Race Day winner. One pill a day is her simple solution for frequent heartburn and keeps her hitting on all cylinders lap after lap. Since it is easily found on the shelves of our local Walmart retailer, it’s a product we always keep on hand and one she feels allows her to enjoy her day long after the checkered flag has waved.

So on with our Race Day appetizers – “Start Your Engines!”

#RaceDayRelief Recipe #1
Race Day Cheddar Jalapeno Pigs-in-a-Jalopy

INGREDIENTS:

12 miniature franks
3 Jalapeno Peppers
12 small slices of Cheddar Cheese

1 small can sliced black olives
Crescent dough
Salt & Pepper

PREPARATION:
1. Begin by slicing cheddar into sections approximately 1/8″ thick. Then, quarter jalapenos lengthwise and remove seeds. (As shown below)

2. Roll out the crescent dough and upon on widest side place: one slice of cheese followed by one quarter jalapeno and finally, one miniature frank. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. (As shown below)

3. Tightly wrap crescent roll dough around cheese, jalapeno, and frank. (As shown below)

4. Take sliced olives as press into dough. (As shown below) At this point, you can really get fancy and shape each one into little jalopies. When done, simply pop into a 375º oven for fifteen minutes until golden brown. Once cooled, you can even go as far as decorating each car with side stripes or numbers in mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce or hot sauce!

#RaceDayRelief Recipe #2
Pit Road Buffalo Dip

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp)

1 large chicken breast, shredded
1 cup Buffalo hot sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION:

Allow cream cheese to soften. Once softened, spread across bottom of medium casserole dish.
Cook chicken breast in pan or oven. Once cooked, shred.
In a skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, butter and buffalo hot sauce and simmer for approximately five minutes. Pour chicken mixture over cream cheese and top with Mozzarella cheese.
Cook in pre-heated 350º oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot.