The annual Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game is being played today, as it always has been, at its namesake stadium in Pasadena, CA. If you’re among the millions who’ll be watching, you’ll be glad to have some newstalgic nibbles on hand…
Unsurpassed for flavour and ease of nibbling: Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos!
The Rose Bowl stadium opened its doors in 1922. It’s been a national fixture – and sports world treasure – ever since.
Today, it’s the focus of millions of pairs of eyes, which will be glued to ESPN and its affiliates. Ninth-seeded Alabama will face number-one seed Indiana. Coverage starts at High Noon. And don’t miss the parade that comes before! It, too, has become a tradition for millions…
Classic nibbles not to be shunned…
Seasoned fans will know there are unwritten rules governing what you should and shouldn’t serve as Game Day fare. Don’t shun the classics! Gotta have chips and dips. Gotta have deep fried, dippable finger foods. Above all else, You gotta have ‘endless’ Wings!
Ideally, you should have a second fridge full of everybody’s fave beers.
But with the new millennium came a major shift in Game Day menus. Call it a fork in the road. Most aficionados now feel a selection of new and newstalgic edibles is also de rigueur.
A modest proposal…
I humbly offer the following suggestions for a few choice Game Day Nibbles that may just become new Standards:
Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos
Begone, old, boring cheese-and-chips Nachos! Welcome, in their place, new(stalgic) Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos. These newstalgic bites have SO many advantages over their ancestors that they hardly look the same. And they sure don’t taste the same!
The first secret is to lay out plain corn chips (big triangular ones, like ‘Tostitos Restaurant Style’) in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with kitchen foul or parchment paper. This way you can load EVERY SINGLE CHIP with an equal blessing of top-pings. No more forlorn, naked chips left at the bottom of the basket!
Mini Egg Rolls or Spring Rolls
Couldn’t be easier! Get ’em from the supermarket freezer compartment, lay out on a baking sheet, and bake per instructions. Sized for 2-3 bites each! Great Dippers! Be sure to get enough of these to stand up to a voracious attack by your family and guests!
Ham & Cheese or Turkey Sliders
You can now get pull-apart Slider buns at almost any supermarket. With this in mind… Think forward to how easy it would be to build a platoon or two of these featuring ham and cheese (with just a light kiss of mild mustard). Or, (leftover?) turkey with mayo, cheese and bacon crumbles! You could also apply a nice spread of cranberry sauce or relish to the bottom bun…
Copycat Chipoltle Guacamole +
The ‘+’ refers to some additions I’ve developed a taste for over the past couple of years: Bacon Crum-bles, Roasted Mexican Street Corn (kernels), and Mango (finely chopped). Choose any or all of the foregoing. Just don’t mix ’em together in the same bowl of Copycat Chipotle Guac.
For the Corn: Spread out in a single layer on a lined sheet pan a couple of handfuls of frozen corn kernels, and dust with your own blend of chili powder, salt and pepper. It helps to toss the corn ker-nels in a bowl with a couple of Tbs. of olive or canola oil first, so the flavourings will stick. Roast in the oven at 400 F until they start to show browned spots.
Crispy Hot Honey Potato Wedges
Start with frozen Potato Wedges from the supermarket. Bake in the oven per the instructions (even though the recipe says to pan-fry or wok-fry the potato pieces after glazing).
Then toss while still piping hot in the Hot Honey Sauce (‘glaze’) you also got at the store, in the International or Asian Foods aisle. While the glaze is still sticky, sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds… Bingo!
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Smells good, looks great (see photo, top of page) – and tastes even better! Just adjust the spicy com-ponent to suit your (and your guests’) palates. The recipe author suggests rugged country bread or baguette for dipping. I recommend more of the same large, robust Corn Chips you used for the Load-ed Nachos, above. You can make this dip without the chicken if you wish. The absence of chunky or shredded meat pieces makes it easier to dip!
My take
Amid all the other ‘classic’ nibbles you may have planned… Any of these new and newstalgic treats will shine brighter! Have a great New Year’s Game Day!
~ Maggie J.