Spice up Sunday football with tasty, easy snacks

Finally! It’s football time, and I’m stoked for this season. New team members, new quarterback, but the same loyal fans cheering “Go, Pack, Go!”

I’ve been a diehard Green Bay Packers (cheesehead) fan for 30 years now. Green and gold all the way!

I was fortunate to have been taught most of my knowledge about football by my great-aunt and great-uncle. I will always be a California girl, but they’re from Wisconsin so that state will always have a piece of my heart, and that’s how I became a loyal Green Bay Packers’ fan.

No matter if it’s at a tailgate party, a bar screaming and cheering at the TV during football season, or having a football party at home, the food and drinks might be the best part of the season. Yes, one can go to a bar for a pint and wings, but in my opinion, making a smorgasbord for yourself and/or for friends at home with what’s in the refrigerator and cupboards — that’s what makes amazing memories.

So, this week, I just wanted to share a few ideas for some easy, yummy snacks to enjoy while watching the football games.

Chicken wings: This dish is one of my favorite game day meals. Wings are very easy to make, whether fried or baked. Personally, I bake chicken wings, just so I can indulge in other fried items. There are endless flavorful sauces to douse this particular meat in, and shortcuts are recommended. Sometimes taking a store-purchased sauce and adding seasonings at home can change the flavor base completely. My favorite way to eat wings is covered with barbeque sauce, buffalo sauce, garlic Parmesan, and even extra crispy plain wings dipped in ranch dressing served with celery and carrot sticks.

Zucchini coins: This is a delicious fried dish but we don’t have to feel guilty because it’s a vegetable. This is a three-station setup with a seasoned flour mixture, followed with a seasoned egg mixture and finished with a heavily seasoned panko crumbs mixture. Shallow fry the coins and serve with favorite sauces such as marinara and ranch.

Nachos: I think this dish doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It can be elevated from the ingredients and presentation, but it’s such a classic finger food perfect for watching the game at home. I always change it up when it comes to nachos — the limits are endless. Cooked ground beef seasoned with some taco seasoning (personally, my go-to is my own Taco Me Away seasoning) combined with some sweet onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, corn and fresh tomatoes. Smother the nachos with the meat mixture, beans, queso, salsa, avocado crema, rice … anything that you desire. A quick-and-easy tip is to use packaged rice so it’s less work in the kitchen while you’re watching the game.

Onion rings: Who doesn’t love deep-battered, thick-cut onion rings dipped in ranch? It’s super easy to make at home and season a bottled ranch dressing with your favorite spices as a hack if there’s not enough time to make it from scratch.

Veggies: To balance all the fried elements in a game day menu, simply cut fresh veggies, such as broccoli, celery, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, radishes, cucumbers and even avocados for an array of freshness served with a delicious dressing like ranch or Thousand Island dressing.

As always, live zestier and “Go Pack Go!”

Esther Kennedy is a Myrtletown resident. She can be reached at estherthezester@gmail.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/estherthezester.