Winning Game Day Eats

There's nothing that defines fall/winter Sundays more than football. It's an American favorite for inviting friends over, dressing up in team jerseys, and most importantly, watching the game while munching on those addicting game day treats. On the menu are appetizer style dishes to satisfy a crowd. We start at the kickoff with pepperoni pizza dip, then move down to classic hot wings with homemade blue cheese dressing, a serving meant for a linebacker of loaded nachos with homemade pico de gallo and guacamole, and to end the game, a fizzy, colorful drink. So take a seat on the couch, turn the TV on, and sit back because we're going to score a touchdown with this menu!

Pepperoni pizza dip is a spin on the typical slice of pizza that is oh-so -delicious but could always use a fun twist. Start out by making the cream mixture. In a bowl, you want to combine cream cheese, sour cream, dried oregano, garlic powder, and a sprinkle of ground red pepper flakes. Once all mixed together, spread into a greased pie plate. Then on top of this layer, spoon on a thin layer of tomato sauce. For the next layer, add some chopped up pepperoni slices. You can really add any topping that you want such as black olives, peppers, or onions. Place the dish in the oven at 350 degrees for ten minutes. After the ten minutes, take the pan out of the oven and add a layer of mozzarella cheese. Put it back into the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted like a blanket over your delicious dip. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or cubes of Italian bread. This dip has all the elements of a great pizza: ooey gooey cheese, the fresh zip from tomato sauce, and all of the best pizza toppings. Just be careful, it's easy to eat the whole thing without even knowing it!

The next classic American food is none other than hot wings. This is a simple and abbreviated version served with homemade blue cheese dressing. Take you chicken legs and wings and place them on a baking sheet. Generously season them with salt and pepper. Broil under the oven for about half an hour or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Now, put them in a large bowl and toss with wing sauce. Once all wings are coated, place them on a platter with some carrots and celery and the best friend to the chicken wing, some blue cheese dressing. You can always use pre-made dressing from the bottle, but to make it yourself, stir together sour cream, milk, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce for a savory hint, vinegar to add some tang, salt, pepper, and of course, blue cheese! These wings are the victory dance to your football party.

Everyone loves a great wing, and with the crispy skin, spicy sauce, and blue cheese dressing, you're sure to satisfy everyone with this messy but delicious item. For those of your friends who are not as much into spicy food, you can mix this recipe up by simply tossing that wings in a different sauce. Try lemon garlic pepper, sticky honey mustard, Asian teriyaki, or barbecue. Wing Sauce Recipe

To round out the menu, nothing will satisfy a group of football watchers more than a heaping batch of nachos. These are very customizable so you can really add anything that you want. I suggest starting off by cooking your taco meat in a skillet on the stove. Start out with ground beef, break it into small pieces, and add some taco seasoning. For an option other than meat, you can use chopped up chicken with the same seasoning mixture. Once your meat if fully cooked, layer it onto

your tortilla chips. These can be of any variety: blue corn, white, yellow, or even lime flavored chips! A helpful hint for the assembly of your loaded nachos is to assemble them close to the time of your party so that way the chips don't get soggy sitting out. On top of your nachos, sprinkle on shredded cheese such as cheddar, mozzarella, Colby jack, or a combination of the three. Stick the whole platter in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Now, the fun part, the toppings! You can add anything from tomatoes to lettuce to sour cream to olives to hot sauce to nacho cheese. But here, I have two classic nacho toppers: pico de gallo and guacamole.

Pico de gallo is a chopped up, fresh salsa that is a staple at all Mexican restaurants. To make this topping, dice tomatoes, red onion (add however much you want, depending on how strong you want the onion flavor to be), jalapeño (take the seeds out if you want it to not be as spicy), and cilantro which adds a kick of freshness. Stir this all together with the juice of one lime and salt to taste. Pico de gallo instantly adds a burst of brightness to the nachos.

The second topping for the nachos is everyone's favorite guacamole. Simply mash together ripened avocados and diced tomato. Add like juice and salt. Just like that, you have a decadent and oh-so-easy topping. If you plan on refrigerating the guacamole, add a little more line juice than you normally would because the acid helps prevent the guacamole from turning brown. Also, press the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole rather than straight across the top of the bowl; this will eliminate air that can turn it brown.

To end the meal, I like to make a fun drink that everyone can enjoy. In a big pitcher, stir an entire bottle of lemon lime soda (Sprite), a jar of maraschino cherries including he juice, and circular slices of lime. And that's it! An easy drink that both kids and adults will love.

So look at that. You're able to make pizza dip, wings with homemade blue cheese dressing, nachos, pico de gallo, and guacamole, and a fun drink all whole enjoying the football game. It's always easy to win when you're Cooking with Carly!