I understand that March Madness will be happening soon for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. For those who might be wondering, it is described as “a single elimination tournament of 68 teams trying to survive three weekends of games to be crowned national champions.”

My husband is a “sports nut.” He loves to watch and cheer for all the teams (especially Iowa State) and loves the sports channels. It always amazes me how he knows when they are all playing. Occasionally, I watch sports but find myself getting a little “anxious” sitting for long periods of time.

I’m sure there will be a lot of family and friends watching these games and cheering for their favorites. Snacks are always welcome at these times. This column features a few recipes that you may want to try. Ruth’s Vegetable Pizza can be made even healthier using the light version of cream cheese and mayonnaise.

Ruth’s Vegetable Pizza

Ingredients

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup each of assorted chopped vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and any other vegetable of choice

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

Put crescent rolls onto a cookie sheet and using fingers fit seams together and spread to fit the cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, cool. Cream together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion, dill weed and garlic powder. Spread over cooled dough. Spread mixture of vegetables over cream cheese mixture and top with cheddar cheese. Refrigerate and cut into squares prior to serving.

Sweet and Salty Snack Mix

Ingredients

1 bag puffcorn

1 jar dry-roasted peanuts

1 bag pretzel sticks

1 bag favorite M & M’s candy

1 bag Reese’s pieces

Instructions

Mix together in a large bowl and serve for fun snacking.

BLT Dip

This is a recipe that my daughter-in-law shared with me. She says this recipe is “super easy, pretty and yummy.” I will be preparing this recipe soon as our grandson loves bacon, and I’m betting he will love it when we have him over.

Ingredients

1 package bacon — cooked crisp and broken into bite-sized pieces

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup light mayonnaise

1 large or 3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Shredded lettuce

1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice

Instructions

Combine sour cream, mayo, salt and pepper along with most bacon, tomato and cheese. Reserve some bacon for toppings. Spread mixture on serving platter and top with lettuce and remaining cheese, bacon and tomato. Serve with crackers or pretzel flats.

Punch-Slushy

This recipe could be used for any special event or gathering. It might be a great recipe to “clip and save” since graduations will be taking place in the spring; it will save you searching for a good quick punch recipe later.

Ingredients

3 (3-ounce) packages gelatin, any flavor

6 cups boiling water

3 cups sugar

1 small can frozen lemonade

1 small can frozen orange juice

1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice

Instructions

Combine gelatin with boiling water. Add sugar. Mix well. Add lemonade, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Next add 1 gallon cold water. Stir, then freeze. When ready to serve, add 1 quart 7-Up before serving.

Note: the color of the Jello will be the color of the punch. This recipe can be prepared months ahead and can be used for family/friends gatherings, weddings, and graduations. It stores nicely in 2-gallon ice cream pails. Yield: 48 (8-ounce) cups for 1 batch of punch, or 3 gallons. Take it out of the freezer a couple of hours before your event.

Loretta’s Tips

1. Have leftover mashed potatoes? Combine leftover mashed potatoes with chopped chives and a little milk and butter. Put the potatoes into cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Top each with grated cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Delicious!

2. Fresh tomatoes keep longer if stored in the refrigerator with stems down.