Super Bowl appetizers

PLEASANT GROVE — Jeanne Mather turns to her grandmother's meatball recipe when she's looking for a tasty, simple food to serve on Super Bowl Sunday.

The meatballs come together quickly, bake up nicely and can sit at-the-ready in the crockpot as long as necessary.

They taste pretty good, too, said Mather.

Mather shared four Super Bowl appetizer recipes at the Pleasant Grove Macey's Little Theater class recently.

"You can buy them in bulk at the store and put a sauce on top but these are so much better," said Mather. "I recommend baking them on parchment paper and using a cookie scoop so you get uniform-size meatballs that cook uniformly. I also use extra-lean meat so they only shrink slightly, and they're not greasy. You can also use ground turkey or sausage."

Be sure to measure the canned milk so the meatballs aren't soupy and if needed, make the meatballs ahead and freeze. Then simply pop them into the sauce and warm.

The other recipes; Chili Cheese Dip, Spanish Bacon Dip and Famous Queso Dip, can all be heated in the microwave as well as baked in a conventional oven.

Each is easy and tasty.

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Grandma Turner's Meatballs with Sauce

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2/3 cup undiluted canned milk
1/2 cup fine cracker crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Mix well and make into balls. Place on parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

Whisk ingredients together. Simmer 15 minutes and pour over meatballs. Bake 30 minutes to an hour or put in crockpot on low until served.

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Spinach Bacon Dip

18-oz. package cream cheese — softened
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 package frozen, chopped spinach — thawed (squeeze out all excess water)
10-12 slices fried, chopped crispy bacon
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Soften cream cheese in microwave, then combine all ingredients and cook in microwave 4-5 minutes (Cook 2 minutes, stir, cook 2-3 minutes more). Serve with Fritos scoops.

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Chili Cheese Dip (from Pampered Chef)

1 large can mild chili
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 green onion, sliced thinly
1 can olives, sliced
additional sour cream, if desired
tortilla chips