Entertaining made easy: Game day snacks

Anyone who knows me well knows that my favorite holiday is Superbowl Sunday. Every year it’s a tradition that my dad and I make an exorbitant amount of game day food, sit in front of the TV and drink a six pack to ourselves. From the beer, to the football, to the commercials, I love every part of the very american holiday. But my favorite part is obviously the food. This holiday is partially my favorite because like Christmas and Thanksgiving it is usually food that I eat once a year. Buffalo wings, blue cheese dressing and chili are a given, but a Superbowl Sunday or any game day isn't complete without my Dads famous Guacamole and candied bacon. Both of these dishes are a game day MUST for your next super bowl or football viewing party. I personally love these two dishes because they are so easy to make, easy to eat and everyone loves them. I mean no one can resist chips and guac, and bacon just makes everything better. Also both of these dishes allow you to just snack away without deviating your attention from the big game. So the next time you're about to sit down on your couch for Sunday night football, feel free to try these game day snacks that will be sure to tackle your taste buds.

Dads famous Guacamole

Ingredients

3 large ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, and scooped out

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

2 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1/3 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper....to taste

2 medium tomato, seeded and diced

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a bowl until they are smoothed to your prefered guacamole texture.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Maple Candied Bacon

Ingredients

1 lb. good quality bacon, sliced

2 tbsp. pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

¼ c. brown sugar

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. Kosher salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Wrap a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack.

In a large bowl, add the maple syrup, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

Add the bacon to the bowl and toss gently with your hands. Make sure that all of the slices are evenly coated.

Place the bacon in a single layer onto the wire rack.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes. The bacon will be a bit brown, but will most likely need to bake for another 10-15 minutes. It should look slightly dark (not burnt) and crispy. If you take it out too soon, the texture will be chewy. Be patient!

Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the rack. Don't let them sit too long or else they will stick.

Serve at room temperature

Enjoy!