Glammed Up Game Day Grub

I hear this little thing called the Super Bowl is coming up this Sunday. Woo Hoo!!

Honestly, I know NOTHING about it! I’m probably the least sportsy person you’ll ever meet. Besides having no interest in football, I don’t understand it at all. It’s not just football though, it’s really any team sport. I guess if I was forced to, I would watch basketball…but only if forced.

That being said, game day party food is another story.  Bring it on!!

I want to show you some popular munchies that would work great for a crowd and some super easy ways to glam them up.

First up is chili. I just LOVE a big,  hot spicy bowl of chili. Since I do have kids, I ease up on the heat but you can just adjust for whatever you think will work for your crowd.

First up you need one diced up yellow or sweet onion and chopped up garlic. I used 3 cloves.

Let that cook up a bit in some olive oil but don’t let it brown – you just want it to soften up a bit – maybe 5 to 10 minutes.

Then you add in 1 package of ground beef – I would suggest chuck or ground round.

Let it cook until most of the pink is gone and then add in your spices – Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, chili powder and paprika.

You may have to adjust the seasoning later – I ALWAYS have to add more chili powder!!

Once that cooks in for a few minutes, it’s time to add the Ro-tel which is just diced tomatoes with green chilies.  I used the original and it was still pretty spicy.

I also add about a tablespoon of tomato paste and some chicken stock to loosen it up a bit.

Cover the pot and let it just keep cooking.  I stir every once in a while and also check for seasonings. I let it cook for about 45 minutes to an hour.  When it’s about 5 minutes from being done, I add in a can of small red beans.

You’re done! You can serve this over rice accompanied by my favorites – shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and diced red onion.

Whenever  I make chili, I always think of good times I had meeting friends at the Manhattan CHili Company and devouring the Texas Chain Gang chili – crying as I was eating it!  Talk about spicy!!!

To go along with my chili, I also made some black bean hummus. UH! We all LOVE this one!!

It’s so easy – basically in a food processor put one can of black beans, juice from 1 lemon, 1 clove garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, some cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Whiz it up and you’re done. Again – adjust seasonings as needed. I got the original recipe from Melissa D’Arabian on the Food Network and then just adjusted it a bit.

Next is guacamole!! This is actually very similar to my favorite salad but just with some slight adjustments.

You need one haas avocado, some chopped up tomatoes, scallion or red onion, fresh squeezed lime juice, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper.  I like my guacamole somewhere in the middle of chunky and smooth so as I’m mixing everything together, I smush down the avocado a bit.

Now you have three easy (and YUM!) items that would work great at any party – even if you are FORCED to watch “the game“!!

But I say, why stop there?!? Let’s glam it up a bit!

The other day I bought these Multi Grain Tostitos Scoops and my brain was immediately running with party ideas! They are so cute and make such an easy vessel for finger foods. Best part is you avoid the double dipping!!

So here goes – I used them with the 3 items just made – chili, black bean hummus and guacamole.

The guac was just straight up – spooned it right in. For the hummus, I just added a little cilantro leaf as a garnish. For the chili, I topped it with some of the shredded cheese.

How cute (and easy!) is that?!?

OK, don’t leave me yet – I have one more idea for you. Sometimes with chili, I like to serve it with corn bread. The sweetness can balance the heat so it’s not as noticeable. I just got some cute little mini corn muffins, cut off the tops and dug a little hole. Make sure not to go too far or they will fall apart.

Then start filling with your chili – top it with the cheese and red onion and there you have it…

with

or without the tops!

I hope these ideas help make your game day extra special.

and…Go Yankees!!

Uh, I mean…Giants!!   Right?!?