The Viral Olympic Village Chocolate Muffins

PHOTO: Lorraine Elliott

These muffins from the Olympic Village went viral in Paris. Now it’s your turn to channel your inner Olympic hopeful and swoon over a village favorite.

Mini Muffulettas

PHOTO: JENNIFER DAVICK; STYLING: AMY BURKE

This week’s Tailgate Treat is mini muffulettas-delicious, bite-sized sliders that are perfect for snacking and packed with flavor.

Enchilada Roll-Ups

Photo: Yummly

A fun snack, perfect for dipping in your favorite tasty sauce and who doesn’t love that?

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken (or turkey, chopped, white and dark meat)

• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

• 8 oz. cream cheese (250 mL, softened)

• 1/2 cup tomato salsa

• 2 Tbsp. lime juice

• 1 Tbsp. granulated garlic

• 2 tsp. ground cumin

• 2 tsp. chili powder

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

• Spinach tortillas

• 4 oz. diced green chilies (115g, flame-roasted, drained)

• 300 grams plum tomatoes (seeded, chopped)

• 1/2 cup scallions (sliced)

• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (fresh)

Instructions

1. Place chicken or turkey in bowl of your favorite KitchenAid® Stand Mixer. Attach bowl and Dough Hook OR Flat Beater Accessory to mixer. Turn to Speed 1 and stir for one minute, or until chicken is shredded. Add shredded cheese, cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and red pepper flakes. If using Dough Hook, remove and replace with Flat Beater. Turn to Speed 1 and mix 60 seconds. Scrape down side and bottom of Bowl. Turn to Speed 4 and mix 30 seconds.

2. Heat tortillas in the Over-The-Range Microwave with Flush Built-In Design on high for 30 seconds, wrapped in a paper towel. Transfer to clean work surface. Top with 1 cup chicken mixture, spreading evenly. Roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

3. Wrap each roll-up in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, unwrap the roll-ups. Cut off and discard about 2 inches from each end, then slice the roll-ups into 1-inch pieces. Garnish with green chilies, tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.

This recipe is just one of the many that we love from Yummly. Make sure to check them out for dinner delights and beyond.

Olympic Medal Popcorn Balls

Photo: A Beautiful Mess

If there was a gold medal for cookie consumption, call me an Olympic hopeful with these delights.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 bag (10 oz.) marshmallows

• 4 oz popped popcorn, approximately 8 (0.5 oz) bags of popcorn

• Wax paper

• Nonstick cooking spray

• Gold and silver edible color mist

• Flexible wire

• Patriotic ribbon

Instructions

1. Before you begin, wash and cut the wire into 10 to 12 inch pieces. One piece for each medal you plan to make. This is going to go inside our popcorn ball, so that’s why we want to ensure it’s clean before use. The wire can be purchased from the jewelry section of a craft store. Just look for something bendable.

2. For the popcorn balls: Cut the butter into 4 pieces and place in a large pot, the larger the better. Melt over low/medium heat. Once the butter is nearly melted, add the marshmallows and stir with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are nearly all melted.

3. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the popcorn. Take care to make sure the marshmallow mixture gets evenly distributed throughout. This is the glue that holds everything together, so make sure it gets on all of the popcorn pieces.

4. Pour all the popcorn onto a surface covered in wax paper.

5. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, remove about a cup of the mixture to a small piece of wax paper coated in nonstick cooking spray, add a piece of wire to the center and wrap the wax paper around the popcorn, pressing into a ball. (You can also butter your hands to form the ball).

6. Move to a cutting board covered in wax paper.

7. Now spray the popcorn balls with the gold or silver color mist. (Make sure to read the instructions).

8. Now wrap the wire around the back of the medal and loop it into place. Then, use the rest of the wire to create a small circle for your ribbon to go through. Cut your ribbons and assemble the medals. (Make sure to remove the wires before eating).

Kudos to A Beautiful Mess for this fun recipe idea. It’s great for the Olympics, but if you have festive ribbons, you can create them for any occasion.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Photo: AllRecipes

If there was a gold medal for cookie consumption, call me an Olympic hopeful with these delights.

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ cup butter, softened

• ½ cup white sugar

• ½ cup peanut butter

• ½ cup packed brown sugar

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk.

3. Add the flour mixture; mix well.

4. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Thanks to allrecipes for this recipe; it’s good no matter the time of year.

Kool-Aid Grapes

Photo: Bake It With Love

A new classic perfect for a poolside treat.

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs green grapes (one bag, seedless)

• 6 oz Kool-Aid mix (2-3 flavors of Kool-Aid with 1 3-ounce packet per pound of grapes)

Instructions

1. To get started, freeze your grapes for 1 hour. After an hour, remove the stems by giving them a quick twist (it's much easier when they are frozen).

2. After the stems have been removed, add your grapes to a colander and rinse them with cool water.

3. Transfer the grapes to ziploc bags (one for each color/flavor), then add the Kool-Aid, seal, and shake them up.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the grapes onto it. Return to the freezer for 24 hours. After 24 hours, pull them out of the freezer and enjoy!

There are many variations of this recipe online, but we chose this one from Bake it with Love because the clear directions set you up for success. Check out the website for tips or more incredible recipes.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Photo: Unsplash

A classic that never fails.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Cooked Shredded Chicken (Rotisserie-Style works best)

• 8 Ounces Cream Cheese (Softened)

• 1 (1 Ounce Package) Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

• 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder

• 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

• 1/2 Cup Frank's Hot Sauce

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients in a slow cooker.

2. Stir well.

3. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 1-2 hours until the dip becomes hot and bubbly.

4. Serve with chips, crackers or veggies

Alternatively, this dip can be cooked in the oven rather than in a crockpot. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the ingredients in a baking dish for 20-25 minutes.

Red, White And Blue Salad

Photo: Foodie Crush

Your friends will be grateful for a healthy dish to compliment the giant bowl of potato chips at the Independence Day party.

Ingredients

• 2 cups watermelon cubed

• 1 cup jicama peeled and cubed

• 1 cup blueberries

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 2 tablespoons honey

• pinch of chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Mix watermelon, jicama and blueberries in a large bowl.

2. Mix the lime juice, honey, chili powder and salt in a small bowl and pour over the watermelon mixture.

3. Add mint and more salt to taste and top with feta cheese crumbles. Chill for 30-60 minutes before serving.

Thank you Heidi at Foodie Crush for this recipe. Make sure you go check out the original recipe which includes tips and tricks as well as other fabulous dishes to try.