A Pleasant Little Football Menu

Post and images by guest blogger, Rebecca White, of A Pleasant Little Kitchen. 

Visit her full blog or find out more about her here. 

There is a question that seems to circulate in our household every week during football season…

“What are we making for the game?”

I dunno. What sounds good to you?

“Wanna grill?”

Absolutely I want to grill. 

Yup. Almost every Wednesday when I’m headed to Market Street for weekly grocery shopping this question is tossed into the air and waits a reply. The answer is typically some form of grilling along with other grab and go types of food.

I love this about football season.

What I also love about football season is the culture of food and gathering it creates. There’s nothing quite like watching a game with friends and family while eating food that’s just as exciting as the game (or in some cases, better than the game).

If you’ve experienced (or plan to experience) the same question I get asked weekly, today is your lucky day. Now you have an immediate answer. This weekend you’ll be cooking:

green onion bacon dip + Market Street tortilla chips

sirloin, sweet potato and garlic kebabs

loaded fries

cinnamon brown sugar popcorn with dark chocolate drizzle

Now it’s your turn to pop on over to Market Street and make all your football watching, food grazing dreams come true.

Oh! And don’t forget to throw in some Austin Eastciders Texas Honey, one of my favorite local beverages Market Street’s wine and beer department has available. 

Soooooo…

Wreck ‘Em Tech! Hook ‘Em Horns! Sic ‘Em Bears! Gig ‘em Aggies! Whatever your rally cry may be—happy watching AND eating! 

Green Onion Bacon Dip

Ingredients

2 cups green onions, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chives, roughly chopped

juice of 1/2 a lemon

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 pound bacon

chives, finely chopped (for topping)

Directions

1. In a food processor, puree the green onions, chives and lemon juice.

2. With a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth.

3. While mixing the cream cheese, slowly pour in the cream.

4. Add the onion and chive puree, lemon zest and salt to the cream cheese mixture. Mix well to combine.

5. Line a sieve with a few layers of cheese cloth (with excess hanging over the sieve). Pour the dip into the sieve, cover with the excess cloth, and place over a small bowl. Chill overnight.

6. The following day, cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.

7. Once the bacon has cooled, chop it into bite-sized chunks.

8. Remove the dip from the fridge and uncover. Take the desired serving plate and place it on top of the sieve (make sure to align the sieve in the center of the serving plate). Holding both pieces together, carefully flip the sieve upside down (recruit a helping hand the first time you do this; it makes it easier). The dip will fall onto the serving plate. Remove the cheese cloth.

9. In large handfuls, cover the exposed surface of the dip with bacon. Continue this process until the entire cheese ball is coated. Sprinkle with chives. Serve chilled with tortilla chips or crackers.

Sirloin, Sweet Potato and Garlic Kebabs

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 sweet potato, peeled cut into 1/4 inch thick and 1 inch long slices

1 onion, cut into 1x 1 1/2 inch pieces

garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon kosher salt

extra-virgin olive oil

pepper

skewers

yogurt sauce, for dipping (see recipe below)

Directions

1. 1 hour before grilling, soak the skewers in water (if using wooden skewers).

2. Heat the grill to 350-400 degrees.

3. On a skewer, alternate the pieces of meat, sweet potato, onions and garlic. Up to 3 pieces of meat per skewer. Be sure to leave a little room between each ingredient to help them cook evenly.

4. Coat each skewer with 1/2 teaspoon of oil, salt and pepper.

5. Grill 6-7 minutes per side.

6. Serve warm with garlic red pepper yogurt sauce.

For the garlic red pepper yogurt sauce:

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, rough chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and stir to combine. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Loaded Fries

Author note: Be creative with toppings for these fries. Guacamole, pimento cheese, brisket, shredded pork shoulder, brown gravy or fried onion strings could also be decadent toppers. If serving a crowd, set up a bar of toppings and let each guest decide how they want to top their french fries. There are no measurements listed on the amount of cheese to give you the flexibility to add as much as you would like.

Ingredients

1 bag frozen crinkle cut french fries

shredded cheese

1 package of bacon, fried and chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

sour cream

1 bundle of green onions, chopped

1/2 bundle of cilantro, chopped

hot sauce

Directions

1. Cook the french fries according to the instructions on the back of the package.

2. Once the fries are cooked, lower the oven to 400 degrees and top the fries with a generous amount of cheese, bacon and red onions.

3. Place back into the oven until the cheese is melted. Finish the fries with dollops of sour cream, green onions, cilantro and hot sauce.

Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Popcorn with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

Author note: I prefer to pop my own popcorn for this snack, but when time is short and I use purchased popped popcorn.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup brown sugar

10 cups popped popcorn

3/4 cup dark chocolate candy coating

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees.

2. In a small sauce pan, combine the butter, corn syrup, cinnamon extract and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Place the popcorn in a large bowl. Pour the corn syrup mixture on top of popcorn and stir to coat.

4. Next sprinkle the sugar evenly over the popcorn and stir to coat.

5. Lay the popcorn on one large parchment-lined baking sheet (or two small ones). Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

7. Melt the chocolate candy coating per the instructions.

8. Drizzle on top of the popcorn to the desired amount. Let harden and serve.