Super Bowl Snacks

Ever since the Ravens broke my heart in the playoffs a few weeks ago I have been turned off to football pretty much.  Once the Ravens are out, I lose interest.  And I would be lying if I said I had any interest whatsoever in watching the Super Bowl this Sunday night.  New England v. Seattle - wow, who could have guessed that?  I guess I'll be joining every other AFC fan and rooting for the Seahawks solely because that means I am rooting against the Patriots.

BUT, with the Super Bowl comes fun parties, and with fun parties comes ... FOOD!  No one is really looking forward to the game - everyone just wants an excuse to gorge on snacks loaded with what I like to call the "three Cs:" calories, cholesterol and carbs.  I mean, is there anything better?!

I have been stumbling upon a lot of articles, blogs, recipes, etc. lately about Super Bowl snacks - some of which I would not dare show up to the house of anyone whom I would like to be friends with again (umm, buffalo cauliflower wing pizza with tofu blue cheese spread - no thanks).  In case you are scrambling for something to bring to a friend's house that won't get you banned for life or made fun of until eternity, I have picked five snacks that I think will make you everyone's favorite friend after Sunday (at least until next year).

1. Buffalo Chicken Layered Nachos

First, You Will Need ....

• 8 tortillas
• 4-5 oz. shredded chicken (I recommend buying a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shredding that -- the chicken is so tender)
• 1.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 1-2 oz. crumbled gorgonzola
• 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (Frank's is the best!)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• avocado for garnish
• olive oil for spritzing

Then, You Will Need To ....

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut the tortillas into wedges and spritz with a little olive oil.  Bake these for 10 minutes.  Once they are finished and golden brown, spread them along the bottom of a glass baking dish.
3. Top this bottom layer of chips with a few handfuls of the shredded chicken and cheeses.  Then sprinkle scallions and pour some wing sauce all over that layer of yumminess.  How much sauce you want to use is up to you!
4. Continue layering with chips, chicken, cheeses, and sauce until the ingredients are gone.
5. Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts.  Drizzle additional wing sauce over top and garnish with avocado.

2. Bacon, Bratwurst & Beer Cheese Potato Skins

First, You Will Need ....

• 6 slices bacon
• 6 medium russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
• 2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 (12-oz.) bottle beer
• 1/2 lb. bratwurst
• 8 oz. (about 2 cups) grated cheddar cheese 
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Kosher salt & pepper

Then, You Will Need To ...

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and lay the bacon flat, making sure not to overlap.  Bake about 14-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until bacon is crisp.  Once finished, set the cooked bacon aside on a paper towel-lined plate.  Drain off some of the bacon grease and set aside in a small bowl. 
2. Place the potatoes on the same baking sheet and brush with about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.  Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes, or until tender. 
3. While your potatoes are baking, cook the onions: heat 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring until softened (but not browned).  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, until completely tender and browned.  Add 2 tablespoons beer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly evaporated.  Season to taste with a pinch of salt & pepper and set onions aside in a bowl, covering them with foil.
4. Using the same pan, add the bratwurst and another 1/4 cup beer.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, turning bratwurst occasionally, until almost cooked through.  Remove bratwurst from skillet and slice it into thin discs.  Return the cut pieces to skillet and continue cooking, covered, until cooked through.  Keep bratwurst warm until potatoes are ready to be stuffed.
5. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 cup beer until gently steaming and simmering.  In a medium bowl, toss the grated cheddar cheese with the cornstarch and then add to the beer, one handful at a time and stirring constantly.  You want the cheese to melt and stir in entirely before adding the next handful.  Continue until all of the cheese/cornstarch mixture has been stirred in.  Reduce heat the medium-low and mix in the dijon mustard.  Keep cheese mixture warm until thickened, stirring occasionally.
6. When the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and allow them to sit and cool for a few minutes until you can handle them.  Cut them in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the insides.  You want to leave about 1/4-inch of the potato in the skins.  Brush the inside and outside of the potatoes with some of that leftover bacon grease and place them skin-side-up on the baking sheet.  Return to oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until edges begin to brown. 
7. Remove the potatoes from the oven and again allow them to sit for a few minutes until they are cooled enough to handle.  Fill the insides of the skins with the melted cheese mixture.  Top with the caramelized onions and bratwurst slices.  Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top.  Enjoy!

3. Sriracha Macaroni & Cheese Cups

First, You Will Need ....

• 1 12.9-oz. box of macaroni & cheese, cooked according to the package instructions
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup sriracha
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 bunch scallions, greens only, coarsely chopped
• 20 Ritz crackers, crushed to breadcrumbs

Then, You Will Need To ....

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.  Note -- you can use a regular muffin tin but you may just have to bake the cups a little longer.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked macaroni & cheese, shredded cheddar, beaten egg, sriracha, and scallion greens (all but about 1 tablespoon to save for garnishing).  Mix everything together until combined.  Divide mixture evenly among the muffin cups.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.  Add the Ritz crackers and stir just enough to coat them with the butter.  Remove cracker crumbles from heat and sprinkle over the muffin cups.  
4. Bake about 15 minutes, or until the macaroni & cheese is set and the crackers are lightly browned.  
5. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the macaroni cups cool almost completely before taking them out of the tin.  Carefully use a rubber spatula (or something else gentle) to free the cups from the sides of the pan. 
6. Drizzle with a little sriracha and serve 'em up!

4. Soft Pretzel Bites

First, You Will Need ....

For the pretzels:

• 1.5 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast (2.25 teaspoons)
• 3 oz. unsalted butter, melted
• 2.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 4.5-5 cups all-purpose flour
• vegetable oil
• 3 quarts water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• coarse sea salt

For the cheese sauce:

• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk (at least 1%)
• 8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Then, You Will Need To ...

1. Combine the 1.5 cups water, brown sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until combined.  Let sit for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the salt and 4.5-5 cups flour and mix on low speed until combined.  Increase speed to medium and continue kneading until dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead with your hands into a ball. 
3. Lightly oil a medium bowl with vegetable oil and add the dough.  Slowly turn the dough around the bowl to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for about an hour, or until the dough doubles in size. 
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5. Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.  
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface.  Divide dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4-4.5 oz. each.  Roll each piece into a long rope, about 22 inches in length.  Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces to make the pretzel bites.  Boil the bites in the water solution in batches - about 15 or so at a time - for about 30 seconds.  Remove from the water with a large slotted spoon and place bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Make sure the bites aren't touching, leaving about an inch or so of space in between.  Brush the tops of the bites with the egg wash and liberally season with salt.  Bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes until golden brown. 
7. Remove bites to a baking rack and let sit for about 5 minutes.
8. While the bites are cooling, prepare the cheese sauce: melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and cook for about a minute.  Gradually whisk in the milk and stir until the sauce becomes slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar cheese until it is all melted and smooth.  Season with sale & pepper to taste.
9. Once the bites have cooled down a bit, serve with cheese sauce!

5. Bacon-Wrapped Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers

First, You Will Need ....

• 1 lb. cooked ground chicken breast
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup hot wing sauce (again, Frank's is the best!)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 12 large jalapeno peppers, cored and seeded
• 6 strips of bacon, each cut in half

Then, You Will Need To ....

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine the chicken, ranch dressing mix, wing sauce, oil, celery, and pepper and mix well.  Take about half of the chicken mixture and place it in a ziplock bag.  Cut a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag (to use as a pastry bag).  Set aside.
3. Remove the tops of the jalapenos and scrape out the seeds using a corer.  Using your makeshift pastry bag, squeeze chicken mixture into each jalapeno.  Once all jalapenos are filled, wrap each pepper with 1/2 strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Place on a baking rack elevated on a baking sheet (this will allow the bacon grease to drip away from the pepper) and cook for about 20-25 minutes.