Gridiron Grub: Playoff Time

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The playoffs are here and the Super Bowl is not far behind, which means it’s increasingly difficult to avoid football no matter how hard you try. Whether it’s a game blaring at the bar Saturday night, co-workers talking about how the weather will affect the Philly game or friends inviting you over for a Super Bowl party; the NFL is about to launch a full-scale assault on America.

We are well aware that many ES readers may not be football fanatics. If you are one of those people who doesn’t watch or can barely stand football, I apologize. You probably have read these Gridiron Grub posts only if the dish sounded/looked good, which is fine because, well, it’s free. But my point is — whether you love sports or hate them, January is the time to start seriously upping your appetizer repertoire. Because nothing saves a bad football game like a good dip

So Feed Us Back: What’s your #1 killer go-to gameday recipe? Share a link or a recipe below.

And of course, we’ll show you ours. Here are our favorite party recipes bound to please foodies and footballers alike:

Bacon and Bean Nachos
Chipotle Guacamole

Cuban Mixto Sandwich

Fancy Jalapeno Poppers

Fish Tacos and Chips

French Onion Soup Sandwich

Peach Bourbon Wontons

Southside Park Slope Sandwich

Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach, Cream Cheese and Ricotta

Sugar Cane Shrimp

Sweet Potato Pizza

Tequila Mango Salsa

Texas Caviar Dip

Tofu Buffalo Wings

Zucchini and Chickpea Spring Rolls

Gridiron Grub: In the Pocket

Rendell

Well the holidays are over and the east coast is in the process of clearing out from the first significant snowstorm of the year. Because of this snowmageddon/snowpocalypse, or whatever else weatherman say to get us to stay tuned in, my beloved Eagles moved their game from Sunday to Tuesday night.

It is a move that did not go over well. Even Gov. Ed Rendell came out and called America a nation of wusses. To be fair this is the same man who years ago admitted that when he was a Philadelphia-based district attorney he offered cash to anyone who could reach the field with a snowball. Despite the snow being cleared, the Iggles must not have been told that they were supposed to play Tuesday night because they barely showed up. Their lackluster effort ensured that the high point of the night would be the pierogi we had thawed out for dinner.

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Top 10 Holiday Song Food Shout-outs

Around this time of year, we start seeing food everywhere. Who are we kidding? We see food everywhere all the time. But during the holidays we hear it everywhere, too! Have you ever noticed how much of holiday songs are about food? We have. And here’s a list of our Top 10 favorite holiday song food shout-outs, with a recipe to match for each.

Click the pics for recipes and assorted goodness.

10. The Christmas Song: Roast Chestnuts

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos”

Chestnuts

9. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree: Pumpkin Pie

“Rocking around the Christmas Tree
Let the Christmas Spirit ring
Later we’ll have some pumpkin pie
and we’ll do some caroling”

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8. Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah: Latkes

“Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the menorah
Let’s have a party, we’ll all dance the hora
Gather round the table, we’ll give you a treat
Dreidels to play with and latkes to eat”

Latke

7. Let it Snow: Popcorn

“It doesn’t show signs of stopping
And I’ve bought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

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Gridiron Grub: Texas Caviar

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I screwed up! It’s true — it happens often, though I seldom admit it. But I have made a major oversight in this inaugural season of Gridiron Grub. We are here to talk about foods that fit perfectly with watching pigskin, and yet I have overlooked one of the ultimate football foods…Dip!!! I mean seriously, what the hell was I thinking? A bowl of something to slather on chips, pitas, tortillas or (gasp) veggies is almost mandatory when you invite people over for the game. Now the possibilities are endless, from standards like spinach-artichoke dip to the more inventive options that incorporate acorn squash or corn and walnut.

A few weeks ago, I began the popular P90x program to get an early start on a New Year’s Resolution. While it has proven effective I have found that 1) Tony Horton is a spandex laced devil and 2) It has really taken an effort for me to come up with new recipes and dishes that fit with the nutrition program. Because of that I wanted to stay away from the typical calorie busting dips. I also thought that since my Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys, I would give the great state of Texas some props in the form of Texas caviar. Depending on where you’re from you may know it as Mississippi caviar or may have no idea what I am talking about. Texas/Mississippi caviar is a fairly common cold dip in the south. It has a ton of variations but obviously neither of those states has a plethora of sturgeon so this “caviar” actually has no roe but instead black eyed peas.

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Myfanwy’s Way

welshcookies

As much as holidays are about celebration, they are also about tradition. I come from a very close family that values togetherness above all else this time of year and nothing puts me in the holiday mood as much as time with them.

I will never forget the Christmas Day blizzard where my cousin took a Jeep and picked up every family member so that even if we could not get home, we would spend Christmas Day together. But more, I will never forget the smell of plum pudding and white sauce. And I will never forget Welsh cookies.

My grandmother’s name was Myfanwy, and along with her Welsh heritage came many traditions, but none more important than her Welsh cookies. Generations of miners in Wales took these “cookies” with nutmeg and currants to work every day and that tradition continued when they came to Pennsylvania to work the large anthracite coal mines. They’re not made like traditional cookies and definitely don’t taste like them either, as they are cooked on a griddle like pancakes. The resulting cookie has a biscuit-like flavor and texture that combines the best characteristics of pancakes, shortbread and biscuits.

Welsh cookies have been called by other names—bakestones, Welsh cakes, griddle scones—and the ingredients are simple, but the process is tricky. While my grandmother had taught a slew of family members, it was my turn to learn a few years ago.

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Gridiron Grub: Remixing the Mixto

Mixto

A Cuban sandwich is simply a variation of  ham and cheese originally created in Cuban cafes as an easy lunchtime meal. Later on, Cuban immigrants brought it to South Florida where it is still very popular. Traditionally the sandwich is made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. Simple enough, unless, like me, you live in an area where it is almost impossible to find good Cuban bread and when your previous attempts at duplicating the sandwich just didn’t turn out quite right. Despite previous failures I thought I would again attempt what the Cubans call a mixto sandwich, but make some changes to kick it up a few notches.

I  attempted this right after Thanksgiving so I decided to incorporate turkey instead of roast pork to make my Remixed Mixto Sandwich. Ingredients and prep are simple because after hosting our first Thanksgiving, Black Friday and a trip to visit family a few hours away, I was beat on Sunday when game time rolled around. You will need: sweet honey cured ham, turkey, Gruyere, cranberry dressing, bread and butter pickles, mustard and ciabatta.

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100 Ways to Cook a Sweet Potato

Potato….. Potaahto….. Who cares? Just make sure it’s sweet. The health benefits of this tuber are well documented and it has become somewhat of a hip veggie recently. Unfortunately, many of us prepare it the same way time after time. Not anymore. From sweet potato mac ‘n’ cheese to sweet potato whoopie pie, here are our 100 favorite sweet potato recipes.

Click on any of the pictures to find the recipes

Sweet Potato Frittata Beni Imo Doryaki gnocchi Sweet potato Pierogie
Chicken w/Sweet Potato and Fruit Compote Sweet Potato Goooey Bars Sweet Potato and Gouda Soup sweet-potato
swpizza-300x269 Sweet Potato Pancake Lamb and Sweet Potato Pot Pie Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
Sweet Potato Enchiladas Sweet Potato Hummus Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito Candied Sweet Potato Crepes
Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese sweet-potato-dog Cream of Sweet Potato Soup Sweet Potato Prune Bake
Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes Sweet Potato and Mushroom Ravioli Spicy Sweet Potato Fritters sweet-potato-and-bulgar-wheat-1-500-x-332
Sweet Potato Bundt Sweet Potato Whoopie Pie Sweet Potato and Pancetta Ravioli mla102889_1007_pot_chips_l
Sweet potato, Papaya and Lime salad Southwest Sweet Potato Skins Sweet Potato Cake w/Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Sweet Potato and Gruyere Turnover
Parsnip-Ricotta-Spread-1-edited-500-x-332 Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Ravioli Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Gratin Coconut, Sweet Potato and Brussels hash
Sweet Potato Paratha P1 P2 P3
P12 Sweet Potato Peanut Soup Fruity Sweet Potato Salad sweet-potato-and-bulgar-wheat-1-500-x-332
sweet-potato-thai-soup-1-600-x-361 P15 p16 Barley Sweet Potato Salad
P19 African Sweet Potato Stew Sweet Potato Cocktail Sweet Potato Mini Tart
dsc_6513-2 P24 New Mexican Latke w/ Lime Cream Jamaican Sweet Potato Stew
P28 P29 Sweet Potato Bread Sweet Potato Sushi
pan-asian-chicken-1-600-x-398 4287776415_1858e1617a Sweet-Potato-Pie-18r-title-1024x667 Sweet Potato Bundt
P35 P37 Sweet Potato Biscuits Sweet Potato-Gulab Jamun
P39 P51 sp-hash-02-s Sweet Potato Coconut Pudding
Sweet Potato and White Chocolate Cake Chicken, Coconut and Sweet Potato Curry Sweet Potato Tamales Sweet Potato Oat Bar
Sweet Potato Flan IMG_5721 Sweet Potato Doughnuts Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Bleu Cheese Tart Scalloped Sweet Potato Inside Out Sweet Potato Casserole Sweet Potato Quesadilla
Cranberry Glazed Sweet Potato Sweet Potato Stuffed Apples Sweet Potato and Edamame w/Fall Spices IMG_2494
Sweet Potato Souffle Sweet Potato Fries Sweet Potato Chips Smoky Sweet Potato and Lamb Biryani
Sweet Potato Irish Candy Sweet Potato Sorbet Sweet Potato Smoothie Buffalo Sweet Potato Pizza
Pancetta Sweet Potato Waffles Stuffed Sweet Potato Sweet Potato Stuffing Sweet Potato Oatmeal

More? Drop your favorite sweet potato recipes in the comments and we may just add them!

More 100 Ways…

100 Ways to Cook an Egg
100 Ways to Cook Bacon
100 Ways to Cook a Tomato
100 Ways to Cook a Banana
100 Ways to Cook a Pumpkin

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