Boys Go Wild for Basketball and BLT Spread!

March in Minnesota comes with good news and bad news. The bad news is, it’s probably going to keep snowing even though spring is technically here. The good news? While you’re stuck inside, you have hours of March Madness basketball games to keep you entertained!

As I mentioned last year, I keep very little track of college basketball teams and their rankings. What I do know is that I am competitive, so I get sucked into making a bracket (guessing who will win each round) with my work team and another with our college friends for the annual March tournament. Yes, I use a highly scientific method: 1) Look at the ranking listed next to the name. 2) Have I ever visited their state or known someone who went to college there? 3) Would it make a good Cinderella story if they won (gotta love the underdog). This has managed to win me exactly one champion title, so I’m sticking with it.

And, because my husband is such a huge March Madness fan, we always host “the guys” (his college roommates and buddies) for a day of all-basketball-all-the-time as a little reunion. Naturally, the vigorous effort of alternate cheering and pulling your hair in agony during the tense moments of the game require consistent sustenance. That’s where the snacks come in. This year’s new addition is BLT Spread. I’ve never met a boy who doesn’t love bacon, so this quick, easy and flavorful snack is destined to be an instant hit.

Begin by frying up your bacon. Just warm up a skillet over medium heat and add your strips of bacon. Let them get nice and crispy, then flip them over to crisp the other side. When the bacon is done, lay a paper towel over a plate. Use tongs to transfer the bacon from the skillet to the paper towel-lined plate. The paper towel will soak up some of the grease while the bacon cools.

While the bacon is getting crispy, prep your other ingredients. Wash and chop your lettuce, tomato and green onion.

Beat together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and coarse black pepper. I went a little lighter on the pepper because I knew that my bacon was pretty seasoned with pepper already.

Smooth the creamy mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch round serving dish (the closest I could find was this nicer looking pie plate).

Layer the lettuce, bacon, tomato and green onion for a colorful mix.

Then top with your cheddar cheese.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until the gang arrives. Just use a spoon to serve up the BLT spread onto smaller plates with your favorite crackers. Then devour your tasty snack while you cheer on your bracket winners!

What is your favorite entertaining appetizer? Let us know by leaving a comment or posting a photo to our Facebook page showing off your favorite game time snack. And as always, make sure to come back and rate and review BLT Spread.

Come back in a few days when Becky will share a dessert perfect for entertaining.

Amanda is paid to write for the Land O’Lakes Recipe Buzz® Blog.