Game Day Goodies & Gathering

I realized, as we all gathered on Super-bowl Sunday, that I was the only one of us that remembers the first Super Bowl. My wife's family barely watched TV, let alone a sporting event on Sunday. My household, on the other hand, was headed by my dad, a real fan. Back then the only way to see professional sports was on TV, except for our minor league baseball team. Which is one reason we always had a very nice TV, in our basement, in the room we called the TV room. It was an unfinished room and if the washer was going, you couldn't hear the TV! The two things that were always on were The Tonight Show, (Carson of course) and any sporting event: Friday night fights, Golf on Saturday, and Sunday for pro football, which later expanded to Monday nights. Don't get me wrong, we watched many more programs...as long as they didn't get in the way of sports. Let me get back to the food...

I have tried to make the Super Bowl an event my Grandboys gather for. I try to have goodies for them and make it a special occasion, even if we hardly watch the game. We don't have favorite teams, so we just hope for a good game, and if not, we ignore it.

Starting with appetizers, my wife, "Turkey", was tasked with making the deviled eggs, which was the ONLY dish everyone ate. I made some Little Smokies which I placed in a crock-pot and then added a raspberry jam with jalapeño. Of course, we had chips and dip.

My favorite kind of chicken is wings. My favorite wings come from Winger's®. Because they are so good, I have never tried to match their quality and flavor...but today is game day and so it's on! I found a recipe from Chef John at Foodwishes.com, which promised crispy wings baked in the oven!
—Start with 2½ to 3 pounds of chicken wings.
— Mix together in a large bowl:

• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp baking powder (aluminum free)

—Coat the wings in the spiced baking powder mix, and bake at 425 F on a wire rack in a baking sheet, turning every 15-20 minutes, until they are browned and crispy. Total cooking time will be about 1 hour, but that depends on the size and the starting temperature of your wings. They will look unappetizing for the the first turn or two. (Also, "Turkey" recommends lining your baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean-up).

—I made a sauce from Texas Pete's Wing Sauce, a legacy from my departed mother, to which I added about a cup of brown sugar.

This was about as close as I will come to Winger's-like wings. My one grandboy liked his, but the other grandboy felt it was a bit too spicy for him. My wife peels the skin off of her wings, so she didn't get the full effect of the heat. 

My final contribution was cheddar brats. Shown here with a toasted bun and caramelized onion chips topped, of course, with mustard. I chose to braise the brats first and pan grill them to give them a rich color. I used a hoagie roll rather than a bun. It was delightful. 

I know who won but didn't care much. With my wife, 2 grandboys, and daughter here it was a great evening!