Superbowl Sunday...and another small mishap!

As most of you know, I really don't care that much for watching football on TV (going to a game is a different story), but I almost never pass up a chance to go to/host a party!  Since I don't have cable TV anymore, I was invited over to a friend's house for the big game day.  I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that when she invited me via email, I had to email her back to ask exactly when Superbowl Sunday was...and yes, she laughed at me!  But back to the point, Superbowl parties, for me, have always been about hanging out with friends, watching the commercials and halftime show, and of course FOOD!  Since this was my first party since starting my paleo diet, I needed to research some recipes to make since my normal party standbys were pretty much out. 

My first creation was the easiest and involved everything I already had in my fridge except for the cucumber.  I made an organic veggie tray with baby carrots, celery, broccoli, and cucumber.  Instead of ranch dressing, which was always the status quo for me, I made a dip out of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. 

So healthy!

Next, I made one of my favorite paleo snacks:  Kale Chips!  Again, I already had the kale and seasonings in my possession, so this was a no-brainer.  Once the chips were done baking, I sprinkled them with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and cayenne pepper for a little spiciness.  It turns out I might have used a little too much cayenne because I found myself and others coughing a bit as we were eating them...whoops!  They were still good though.

 Pretty Kale...pretty spicy, too!

My last creation for the party was a recipe that I found online the day of the game (I literally Googled paleo superbowl party ideas and it came up).  I figured it would be a bit of a gamble as to whether it would be good or not, but I had 2 other things that would be fine, so I went with it.  The recipe is Pineapple Bacon Poppers: It's cubed pineapple and yellow or red bell peppers wrapped in bacon and skewered with a toothpick.  The instructions directed me to place the poppers on a baking sheet covered in foil and then bake for 25 minutes.  I did just as it directed, but about 15 minutes into the baking my kitchen started filling with smoke.  I opened the oven to pull out the rack which was holding the baking sheet and that's when I realized what was happening.  I used a flat baking sheet, not one with sides, so all of the bacon grease was running off to the back of the oven and burning off.  My kitchen was so smoky at this point that it set off the fire alarm in my bedroom and I had to open the kitchen windows and door to the patio to get the smoke out.  

Once my eyes stopped tearing up and I could finally breath, I figured it was time to call it quits and just take them to the party even though the bacon wasn't quite done.  Luckily, when I arrived at the party my friends and I decided to throw them on the grill to finish cooking them.  After the bacon was finally crispy, I plated them up and this is what they looked like...

sorry it looks a little blurry

So how did they taste...AWESOME! Like I said, I had some misgivings about how the bell peppers would mix with the pineapple, but it was simply delicious!  I wasn't the only one who thought so either because they were gone before anything else at the party was.  I will most definitely be making these for future parties, but I think I will take them straight to the grill instead of messing up my oven again.  That being said, my oven is currently set on the self-cleaning mode now and my house still smells like bacon/smoke hours later!  

Hope you enjoyed another one of my cooking mishaps...they make me laugh, but I always learn from them!

Oh, and one more thing, today marks 3 weeks on the Paleo diet and I've lost 10 or 11 lbs, depending on when I weigh myself in the day.  Some of the jeans that I just bought in January are now baggy and I think my face shows most of the weight loss, but maybe that's just psychological.  Either way, I feel much better and that's my main goal!