Tailgate Pretzel Bites

So we meet again on a Sunday night!  Hope your weekend was great and you’re getting ready to face another week.  I know I am.  It’s going to be a busy one, and I already can’t wait until Friday…

I had one of those weekends that’s jam packed with fun activities, but doesn’t leave anytime for relaxing…it was GO-GO-GO!

Saturday was the big UNH vs. UMASS football game at Gillette Stadium!  A big group of my friends from college got together for some tailgating and football!

I don’t tailgate much, and was having the hardest time thinking of something fun and different to make that didn’t involve needing to be heated up.

In the end I went with something I’ve had one my mind for a while now: homemade soft pretzels!

I saw this recipe online and decided to make the regular salted ones, AND the cinnamon sugar ones :)

Friday night I whipped up the dough.  The recipe called for it to rise for 1 hour, but at this point I just really needed to get to bed.  So I covered the dough with plastic wrap in the oiled bowl, and put it in the refrigerator.  Refrigerating it allowed the dough to rise much slower for a longer period of time. 

The next morning the dough had risen, and I just let it sit out to bring it back to room temp for about an hour.  I prepped some other ingredients while I waited. 

Then I got to rolling out the dough into ropes!

I used a pizza cutter to cut each rope into 1” pieces.

This was one of those recipes where it was crucial to have everything measured out and ready to go!

This was my first time making pretzels, and therefore working with a pot of boiling water + baking soda!  Just so you know, the boiling water will bubble up some when you add the baking soda!

In went the first batch

On to the pans

This is when I had Brian help by given them an egg wash while I continued boiling the dough bites

Then once they were all boiled, and egg washed, we salted one pan and cinnamon-sugared the other!

Baked each for 14-15 minutes, and voila!

Per the suggestions given in the recipe, I made the cheese sauce for the salted ones and a cream cheese frosting type sauce for the cinnamon-sugar bites.

The cheese sauce was the same one in the recipe, except I doubled it and added a pinch of garlic powder.

For the  sweet ones, I used roughly:

• 3oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 – 1 cup powdered sugar (start with 1/2 cup, then add more as needed)
• 2-3 T skim milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I ended up needing to use a hand mixer as I was having difficulty getting the cream cheese to incorporate thoroughly just using my hand.  I made mine a much thinner consistency than a regular cream cheese frosting…more like a glaze which is better for dipping.

I love how they came out!!  Soft, doughy, and perfect size to pop in your mouth.

My only issue was that the cheese sauce sort of solidifies as it sits out at room temp.  We ended up heating it up over the mini charcoal grill.

It was a gorgeous day for some tailgating

Beer

   
(possibly some jello shots…hello college!)

And fun (and shenanigans…of course…)

UNH won!!  Obviously ;)

Fun times!  I wish I saw some of my friends more often!!  I hate how time just slips and months go by to fast these days :(

Anyways…  on the other end of the spectrum, Brian and I had another fun and very important day today :)  We are now the godparents to this little cutie…

Another fabulous food filled day!  Although I carbo-loaded enough to run a race tomorrow haha…maybe I’m trying to tell myself something ;)

So many other things to share, so little time. 

For future reference, what are some great tailgating recipes???

I Used To Eat What?!?!

Did you ever think back in time and say to yourself "I can't believe I used to eat that!?" I sure do haha! This also makes me think of all the different foods I was introduced to when I went off to college. After reading so many of your "personal stories" about how you came about to be healthier and reach your goals whether it be fitness/weight loss/better nutrition...etc, a lot of us started these life changes after high school...and even then after college!

I thought it would be fun to re-hash some of my favorite treats from back in the day. These were a few reasons why I was on the...er...chubby side for a good portion of my childhood. I'd say I started to acknowledge and "feel fat" around middle school. When I look back I wasn't that over weight, but I wasn't really into sports, and other than dance, I didn't get much physical activity.

Lets look at some of the treats I recall enjoying when I'd get home from school (mind you I already at a lunch at school).
Oh man, I used to LOVE Chef Boyardee meals!!! Those ravioli and beefaroni and spaghetti and meatballs!! Mmmmm...and god knows I ate the whole thing. I think I stopped eating this maybe around junior year of HS.
Of course I had a snack size bag-o-chips in my lunch probably everyday...thank goodness these were pre-portioned, but I probably had another when I got home:\

Oh yeah and I NEVER ate breakfast until I got to college...I just was NOT hungry that early in the morning.
How could you NOT like Dunkaroos!! Little cookies with frosting to dip!! This was especially yummy to me because NO one in my family uses canned frosting ever...so to have the "fake" stuff was so fun for me.Ah yes, I remember these well...and I specifically remember like these ones WAY better than the classic Handi-Snacks. The cheese was much better in this brand :)

This next snack may have followed me to college...but THANKFULLY I treated it as a rare occasion...because even the High School version of myself knew this was RICH!
Mmmmmmm...neon orange cheese squeezed from a packet to melt into delicious shells. Is it bad I am now craving this?? Haha! Oh Velveta, what are you made of...creamy orange crack?

College

So if these weren't bad enough...when I got to college obviously I am surrounded by new people with food choices of their own and who am I not to try out these new creations! First there was Erin, my roommate all 4 years. She opened my eyes to a few things...one being Ranch Dressing, specifically this brand:Now, I've obviously had ranch before...carrots, salads...you know. BUT, she brought it to a whole new level...the first was Turkey meat, between two slices of soft white bread, cut into strips. Then each bite was dipped into ranch...A-MAZ-ING...damn her!! haha.

Again, I weened off the Ranch during college and haven't done that in a looong time...mostly because I just don't buy it :)

Did you think I could have a post about college food without Ramen!!? I think not.

I may have had this a few times before going off to college, but it wasn't a part of my normal food routine until then. How can you pass up deliciously salty, microwave-friendly, 10 for $1 meals!?

One would think...now how bad could noodles and seasoned broth really be, right? OY! Well first of all 1 packet is NOT 1 serving...but the way I learned to make it (less water, so its more noodle less soup...delicious)...was definitely 1 serving for me...plus 14 grams of fat, almost 400 calories, and 2/3 of my daily sodium needs...haha!

Again I weened off this as well...

**My eating and exercise habits started drastically improving Sophomore year...the year I started loosing weight...so most of these "bad" foods were consumed freshman year.
Dammit Erin!! I never even looked at Stove Top before her. My family always makes homemade stuffing and its AWESOME! I was a stuffing snob :) But these canisters of Stove Top turned into my FAVORITE comforting snack (plus it was my first choice for late night drunk food!). I'd take a serving of stuffing, little water, tiny bit of butter...microwave for 1 minute, stir, add 1 slice of American Cheese, heat for 30sec - 1 min longer..stir...enjoy!! Hot, gooey, cheesey, salty amazingness.

This habit took a little longer to break...I still had the occasional Stove Top fix a year after graduation...but haven't touched it since!

I guess I was a stroganoff snob too haha...my mom makes a mean chicken stroganoff, and we never bought any type of Hamburger Helper, ever. Boy was I missing out. I can thank...who else...Erin, for this one too.

I still enjoy this from time to time...but I've found a much better versionThank goodness for Annies!

Another Annie's staple that I've still carried through the years (but only 2 or 3 times a year) is
Mmmmm I should make this soon. You know the BEST part of Annie's shells and cheese...cold leftovers!! My roommate and I LOVE the cold leftovers. I remember one day this past summer we were sweating our butts off in the apt and all we wanted was COLD Annie's...too bad it was much too hot to turn on the stove :)

I had an AMAZING 4 years at the University of New Hampshire and wouldn't change anything. It's funny to look back and see all these food habits I picked up...and most have come and gone as I've learned to eat healthier.

Another great part of being involved in the "blog community" is that I've picked up more new food habits...although this time they are healthy and will stick around for a loooong time I think.

What are some foods you used to love and now can't imagine eating??

I had a lot of fun with this post!

Oh and don't worry I'm still friends with Erin...I'm in her wedding in June and she's in mine!