Chili, hoagies, chicken wings, chips, salsa and guacamole ... check, check, and check! But wait, did someone forget the dessert? No need to panic; cookies can be prepared in no time flat. Though they may not be traditional football fare, this time-tested recipe for super-simple dairy-free peanut butter cookies is really a no fail option when you need a sugar fix pronto.

Some of you may be familiar with this simple and delicious 3-ingredient cookie, but just to mix things up, we have also included Hannah's vegan recipe, which is a true, 100% straight from the pantry option. Whichever you choose, these are best eaten the same day, which shouldn't be a problem with all of those hungry football fans!

Even after making two big batches of Chocolate Peppermint Oreo Treats, I had gobs of marshmallow creme leftover, both Fluff and Ricemellow. Feeling uninspired, I simply made some s'mores for an after-dinner treat. Spread some marshmallow creme on a graham cracker, melt some dark chocolate, spread that on the other graham cracker, mush the two together and freeze for 10 minutes. Yes, they are sooo good chilled, just so you know. Anyway, this became our nightly dessert ritual for about a week, until sadly, I ran out of graham crackers. Not wanting to continue this sugar fest by investing in another box of grahams, I decided to go back to basics.

I still had some rather large dark chocolate bars on hand (when your local store is blowing out 1 lb bars of dairy-free dark Callebaut chocolate for $.50 a piece, you stock up!), so I stayed with the choco-mallow theme and made some Easy Fudgie Crispy Treats. I known, nothing fancy, but when you have a chocolate craving, and want something the size of a chocolate bar (not simply a little square) without causing too much damage to your waistline, these will do the trick. Just a warning though, they may be ugly, but they are rather addictive! Head to One Frugal Foodie for the Recipe.

For the past decade Europe and North America have battled back and forth in innovation for the free-from market. Soymilk became a common term in the UK before it really hit the mainstream in the US, and companies like Oatly in Europe jumped on the opportunity for soy-free, dairy-free needs. But North America responded with an even bigger selection ... almond milk, hemp milk, and most recently coconut-based milk alternative. As someone who is dairy-free I can vouch that the selection is wonderful. I enjoy the varying tastes and properties of every last option, and was very pleased with the richness of the latest coconut milk beverage. So I am thankful to see that the UK now has their own coconut milk beverage from Kara dairy free. From Talking Retail:

"Launching this January is Kara Dairy Free, the UK's first coconut based non-dairy milk. Aimed at consumers seeking a more natural and better tasting alternative to milk, Kara Dairy Free is freshly pressed coconut milk enriched with calcium. Like semi-skimmed milk, it contains just 2% fat, but has the added benefits of being cholesterol and lactose free, and contains the richest source of Lauric Acid of any kind of milk. Lauric Acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which is healthier than saturated animal fats and also helps control cholesterol.

Amy's may not be a 100% dairy-free company, but they have so many amazing prepared foods that are suitable for the special diet community (ironically the opening image on the video is cheese pizza - but don't worry, they have dairy-free pizza too!). My family has tried (and loved) at least half of the over 70 vegan / dairy-free items they do offer. Which is why I found this press release and short video on Amy's so interesting. It gives you a very quick glimpse into how the company operates and what a great demand there is for this high quality food. As someone who cares a lot about the quality of food my family eats, being able to see inside a company, if even for a moment, is a nice feeling. Click the images at left to head straight to the video on Oprah's website, and read on for the full announcement:

"The video offers a great depiction of the Berliner family and what motivates them to keep producing top quality, great tasting organic meals.

Oprah’s ground-breaking show that aired Wednesday 1/27/10), “Food 101 with Michael Pollan,” brought huge awareness to important issues pertaining to our food, its sources and problems, and the impact food has on our health. In fact, it made Food Inc. the #1-selling movie on Amazon.com ...