Chef Tim Laird's Super Bowl Recipes

Cooler Station Recipes

Big Game Cooler

In a large bowl or container mix the following:

2 750ml bottles of 100% Blue Agave tequila
2 12-ounce cans of frozen lemonade
1 12-ounce can of frozen limeade
1 gallon of water

Recipe makes about 34 servings using 12 ounce cups filled with ice.

Big Game Alcohol Free Cooler

32 ounces lemonade
6 ounces fresh orange juice

Blue Stampede

This cocktail is the same color as the team from Indianapolis and the tequila has a horseshoe on the front label.

1.5 ounces Herradura tequila
3 ounces lemonade
½ ounce blue Curacao

Nawlins Black and Gold

This cocktail is gold with a black garnish and is made from a whiskey that was born in New Orleans.

1.5 ounces Southern Comfort
3 ounces lemonade
Garnish with black licorice stick

Crunch Station Recipes

Seasoned Potato Chips

1 large bag plain potato chips, your favorite variety and style
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
½ teaspoon mustard powder
Pinch of chili powder

Preheat oven to 350. Spread potato chips out on a large baking sheet. Mix the garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper, mustard powder and chili powder in a small bowl. Heat the chips for 5 minutes or until you see the oil glistening on them. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the seasoning mix. Toss into a bowl or platter and serve immediately.

Serves 8 – 10

Cool Everything Dip

This non-fat dip works with everything from veggies to wings to an assortment of chips or even as a topper on chili in place of the standard sour cream.

1 cup non-fat plain yogurt (preferably Greek yogurt)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried Ancho chili or Chipotle chili powder (or a combination of the two)

Combine yogurt, hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder and chili powder together in a small bowl. This is best made one day ahead so the flavors have time to combine.

Note: You can add or subtract the heat to suit your taste. If you like it hot, add more hot sauce and chili powder.

Hummus in Cucumber Cups

1 English cucumber
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans/chick peas drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of salt
Paprika, for garnish

To make the cucumber cups:

Wash and dry the cucumber. With a vegetable peeler "stripe" the cucumber by peeling a ½ inch strip from top to bottom. Rotate the cucumber leaving ½ inch of the original peel then peel another ½ inch strip until you have "striped" the whole cucumber. Cut it into ½ inch rounds. With a melon baller or small spoon scoop out a little of the center of the round trying not to hit the bottom, making a small cup.

To make the hummus:

In a food processor add the garbanzo beans or chick peas, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic and salt. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fill the cucumber cups with a spoonful of the hummus, sprinkle with paprika.

Serves 8 – 10

Note: To make roasted red pepper hummus add ½ cup of jarred roasted red peppers that have been drained.

Note: Many varieties of hummus can be purchased in the refrigerator section of your grocery store and served with the cucumber cups.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2, 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
1, 8-ounce container of blue cheese dressing
1, 12-ounce bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
2 cups cooked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Corn chips
Shredded wheat crackers
Celery Sticks

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl mix cream cheese, blue cheese, hot sauce and chicken breast. Spread in 9"x13" pan and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve warm with corn chips, shredded wheat crackers and celery sticks.

Serves 8 – 10

Note: This dip is medium hot. For more or less heat adjust the hot sauce.

Halftime Hits

Beef and Chicken Fajitas

2 pounds flank steak, fat trimmed
4 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups Italian salad dressing, divided
4 tablespoons cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, divided
Fajita seasoning
1 lime, cut into wedges
2 large zip-lock bags
16 large flour tortillas

Accompaniments:

Salsa
Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Guacamole
Jalapeño peppers
Lettuce, shredded

In one of the easy seal bags add the steak, 1 cup of the Italian salad dressing and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro. Seal the bad and place in a baking dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

In the other easy seal bag add the chicken, remaining Italian salad dressing and cilantro. Seal the bag and place in a baking dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove the meat and chicken from their bags and pat dry. Season the beef and chicken on both sides with a few shakes of the fajita seasoning.

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes to warm and soften. Remove from the oven and keep warm in the foil.

Grill the steak to your preferred temperature, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain. Grill the chicken for 5 to 8 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips. Toss the steak strips with a couple squeezes of lime and do the same for the chicken strips.

Serve with the warm tortillas and accompaniments so your guests can build their own to their liking.

Serves 8-10

Vegetarian Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 10.75-ounce can pureed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 can green chilies
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Juice of ½ lime
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the garlic, onion, green, red and yellow peppers until they just begin to soften. Add the pureed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, green chilies, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, lime, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Serve with the following accompaniments so your guests can build their own:

Black beans
Kidney beans
Spaghetti
Hot sauce
Meat
Cheese
Onions
Oyster crackers
Fritos
Cool Everything Dip

Serves 3 to 5.