Easy Individual Party Pull Aparts: Game Day Snack!

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I’m not a big fan of communal food. I guess I’ve just had too many bad experiences. One particularly horrifying communal food experience that comes to mind is the time I witnessed two kids licking the salt & vinegar chips and putting them BACK in the bowl. I obviously panicked, “How long had they been doing that?”! “Had I eaten any yet?” Pull apart bread is up there with chips when it comes to risky communal food -you just can’t help but touch the other pieces! And that is precisely why I created these individual party pull aparts.

Okay, it’s not like I’m a big germophobe or anything-I just prefer to minimize the risk of getting sick wherever possible. And when it comes to group eats, I always appreciate utensils – at least it’s an attempt. You really don’t know the hygiene habits of other people. But having utensils in the bowl is going give you a fighting chance!

A wave of relief washed over me when I realized I hadn’t yet eaten any of those chips. And I will be forever grateful to the party gods that alerted to me to this abhorrent act. But damn it!  I was really looking forward to eating some of them!

Yes, this is an extreme example of the horrors that can occur when food is shared in this manner, but there are many others. I have seen kids drop food onto the floor then put it back on the tray, touch food they are not going to eat and then there is the dreaded double dipping! Surprisingly and so unfortunately, this one of the most common of all communal eating infractions.

NO Double Dipping!

This is one of the very first things I drilled into my kids about communal eating and I monitored it very closely for a long time. Yet, I still see people do this (both kids and adults- yikes)! It’s appalling, really. Like I said, I’m not some anal germ freak that flips out about a little dirt, I just happen to like my food served sanitary, absent of other people’s saliva, mucus, filthy hands or floor bits. And I will still eat communal food, I’m just a little more vigilant than the typical person.

But pull apart bread in a group – I’d just rather not, thank you. Although, pull-apart bread is such a great snack – especially when it comes to game day snacks. So in the spirit of still enjoying the good things in life and keeping my food as germ free as possible, I have created these mini pull apart rolls. They literally are rolls. Instead of a large loaf of bread, kaiser buns are used.

So, if you are looking for sanitary communal game party snack ideas, this cheese and bacon pull apart bread is your answer! Stuffed with cheese, bacon, jalapeno and buttery ranch, and served with warm, artichoke and cilantro pizza dipping sauce in individual bowls, you are sure to be safe from the typical hazards of party food.

Just be sure to keep an eye on that bowl of chips!

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Mini Party Pull-Aparts

These sophisticated, yet easy individual party pull aparts with bacon, jalapeno, buttery ranch and cheese make a great game day snack! Served with warm artichoke pizza dip.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine North American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 501 kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Ingredients

Pull-aparts:

• 4 round Kaiser buns
• 1/4 cup  unsalted butter melted
• 1 tbsp dry Ranch salad dressing/seasoning mix
• 1/3 cup real bacon bits
• 1/4 cup sliced tamed jalapeño peppers chopped
• 54 grams Monterey Jack Cheese 6-8 slices

Warm Artichoke & Cilantro Pizza Dipping sauce:

• 1 6.5 oz jar artichoke hearts 6.5 oz. , drained, chopped
• ¾ cup  Parmesan Cheese grated
• 1/3 cup light  Mayonnaise I use Hellman's
• 1/2   cup Pizza sauce with garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Garnish: fresh cilantro springs

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place 4 large squares of aluminum foil (shiny side up) on cookie sheets and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray
2. Place bun in centre of foil. Cut buns, using serrated bread knife, in grid pattern, about 4-5 rows each way ( lengthwise and widthwise),  spacing about ½ -inch between rows.  Do not cut all the way through bottom crust. Set aside.
3. Finely chop jalapenos and bacon bits and mix together. Spoon mixture in between slices in bun- try to get a little into all the spaces.
4. Slice each cheese slice into 4-6 strips and put into sliced rows. Again, try to get small pieces into all the spaces where the bread is cut.
   
5. Combine melted butter and dry ranch dressing in bowl.
6. Drizzle butter/ranch mixture over buns, dividing between all 4 buns
7. Pull foil up meeting the ends at the top and sealing as much as possible - try to avoid pressing against the bun.
8. Bake for 12 minutes, then unwrap and return to oven for an additional 3-5 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and the bun is a light golden brown. Serve with warm Artichoke & Cilantro Pizza dip.

Warm Artichoke & Cilantro Pizza Dipping sauce:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix all of the dip ingredients together and spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish or 9 inch pie plate
3. Bake 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
4. Garnish with springs of cilantro and serve immediately in individual sauce bowls.

5. Tear off pieces of the mini party pull-aparts and dip into the sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

 

 

Nutrition Facts

Mini Party Pull-Aparts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 501 Calories from Fat 306

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 34g 52%

Saturated Fat 18g 90%

Cholesterol 93mg 31%

Sodium 2097mg 87%

Potassium 305mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 28g 9%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 2g

Protein 19g 38%

Vitamin A 24.9%

Vitamin C 5.2%

Calcium 64.4%

Iron 13.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you are looking for more game day snack food, give my Healthy Yogurt Hummus a try!

Healthy Yogurt Hummus

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