go niners!

Man, this is a good year to be a Bay Area sports fan. (I'm a Viking fan at heart, a 49er fan out of mere ease of watching football.  The only 2 games we get on Sundays in the Bay Area are the Raiders and the 49ers.  And since I'm not a fan of any team whose colors are black and silver, I am thereby a 49er fan.)

But I must tell you, Colin Kaepernick drives me a bit crazy.  Actually, it's not him. It's the announcers announcing the games.  Have you noticed that they cannot call him just by his first name or by his last name alone?  He is called his ENTIRE name all the time.  Why it bothers me, I'm not sure.  But it does.  And now that I've made you aware, you are totally going to notice it.

You. are. welcome.

I am really excited that there is a chicken wing shortage (apparently the shortage has been a media exaggeration, but have you read this article about the Chicken Wing Bandits) - at any rate, I've decided to branch out into unknown game day recipe territory.

If we were to have a virtual tailgate, this is what I'm going to bring:

Chef Ryan Scott’s Tomatillo Chicken Taco Dip

(Click on the link above to watch a video from the Rachael Ray show)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound cooked, shredded chicken, store-bought is fine
• 1/2 tablespoon packaged taco seasoning
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup roasted tomatillo salsa
• 1/2 cup Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• 1 cup lettuce, shredded (optional)
• 1 medium tomato, diced (optional)
• 1 avocado, diced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives (optional)
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped (optional)
• Yields: 1 1/2 quarts

  Preparation

  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

  Mix the chicken, taco seasoning, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, tomatillo salsa and cheese in a large bowl, reserving a quarter of the cheese for the top.

  Pour the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish and top with the reserved cheese. (The recipe can be refrigerated or frozen at this point.)

  Bake until the dip is bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 20-30 minutes.

  Top with the lettuce, tomato, avocado, olives and cilantro (if using) and serve.

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  Next up:

  Ginger Shrimp Potstickers

  

  
  

  Never a good idea to take a brand new recipe that you've never actually tried out at home to a potluck Super Bowl party, but this one is virtual. It's all good. Plus these look the. bomb-digity.  I'm such a sucker for a good potsticker. I think it's mainly because I like the soy sauce.  But it would just be a bit strange to watch a football game with a bowl of soy sauce in front of me.  The pot sticker makes me less strange.  (actually I'm not sure if anything can make me less strange.  I like strange.  I come from a long lineage of strange.  Strange is good.)  I also love any recipe with chili paste.  That stuff is like magic in a tube.  I love it.  But I digress...here's the recipe:

  Ginger Shrimp Potstickers:

  • Pot stickers:
  • 3/4 cup shredded green cabbage
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup matchstick-cut carrots
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 pound cooked peeled small shrimp 
  • Dash of hot sauce 
  • 24 wonton wrappers
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
  • 1 cup water, divided
  • Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter 
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Remaining ingredient:
  • Chopped green onions (optional)

  Preparation

  1. 1. To prepare pot stickers, combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 4 times or until coarsely chopped. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons shrimp mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of dough with water; bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring remaining 2 corners to center, pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. Place pot stickers on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch.
  2. 2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 12 pot stickers to pan; cook 2 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Slowly add 1/2 cup water to pan; cover and cook 4 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil, 12 pot stickers, and 1/2 cup water.
  3. 3. To prepare sauce, combine 1/4 cup water and next 5 ingredients (through sugar) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Serve sauce with pot stickers. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.
  4. Wine note: These exotically flavored pot stickers call for a wine that won't be a wallflower next to them. The sweet ginger spice and richness of the peanuts will be enhanced by the heady aromatics and lush mouthfeel of an Alsatian Gewürztraminer. Try one of the best producers from the world's best region for this grape varietal: Zind-Humbrecht 2005 Gewürztraminer Alsace, about $22. —Karen MacNeil
  Lindsay Weiss, Overland Park, KS, Cooking Light 
  MARCH 2008
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  And because no football game would be complete without massive amounts of cheese:
  
  
  
  
  
  • Baked Brie en Croûte 
    Click the link for step - by - step instructions. (Did you just start singing the New Kids on the block hit song too? I KNEW there was a reason we were friends.)
    Enjoy the game.  Enjoy the commercials.  Eat some good food.  Go 49ers!