Saturday Down South

It is officially game day!  We wait for this day in the south like little kids wait for Christmas.  And it is finally here! 

In the South, we are all about football, family, and food, so there is no better way to celebrate than having all your friends and family come over to stuff their faces with amazing food and watch the game together. Here are some of my favorite gameday recipes:

Aunt Mary's Chalupas

My aunt Mary and her husband moved all over the world when Uncle John Robert was in the Army.  They spent a lot of time in Germany, and when they came home, Aunt Mary brought this recipe with her.  The recipe is Mexican, so I'm guessing it came from another Army wife who had been everywhere and tried everything.  This is one of my absolute favorites for gameday (and any day).  You can substitute chicken for the pork if you like (make sure to cook the chicken with the skin on it so there will be a little fat in the broth, then remove the skin when you bone and shred the meat).  These go great with Tostitos chips.  My mom likes to add some chopped lettuce, grated cheese, tomatoes, and onion to hers, too. 

3 pound pork roast or pork chops (or chicken breasts - see note above)

1 pound pinto beans (uncooked)

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon oregano

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

Soak pinto beans in water overnight.  Put pork roast or pork chops in crock pot.  Fill with water and add pinto beans.  Cook on high for about 4 hours (until meat is tender).  Remove roast or pork chops and remove bones and fat.  Shred meat and return the lean meat to the crock pot.  Add seasonings and mix well.  Let mixture continue to cook until the beans and meat soak up most of the liquid.  Serve over tortilla chips with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and onions.

Mama's Rotel Dip

2 pound box Velveeta Cheese, cubed

2 cans of Original Diced Rotel Tomatoes

1 pound mild sausage

Put Rotel tomatoes in a crock pot on high.  Cube the Velveeta cheese and stir into the tomatoes.  Brown the sausage.  Drain and add to the tomatoes and cheese.  Turn crock pot down to low temperature and stir mixture occasionally until cheese is melted.  Once mixture is melted, turn crock pot down to lowest setting to keep mixture warm.  Serve with Tostitos chips.

Mama's Hot Wings

These hot wings are super easy.  If you have a crowd, you might want to make a couple different sauces (hot, extra hot, mild, etc.) so that everyone will have something they like.

28 chicken wing drumettes

Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce (They have Hot, Extra Hot, Mild, and Regular.  We use Regular.)

Salt

1/2 stick butter

Wash and salt the chicken and place in refrigerator for 3 hours to overnight.  Heat up vegetable oil to 350 degrees.  Fry unbreaded drumettes until golden brown.  Drain chicken on a paper towel.  

Melt 1/2 stick of butter and mix with 1/2 bottle of Texas Pete Wing Sauce.  Toss hot wings in the butter and Wing Sauce mixture.  These can be put in a Pyrex dish and put in the oven at 250 degrees to keep them warm until you're ready to serve them.  Serve with ranch dressing and carrot or celery sticks.

Low Calorie Ranch Dressing

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Mix

Whisk all ingredients together.  This makes a pint of salad dressing and only has 300 calories for the entire jar. 

I hope you enjoy these recipes!  They are great for tailgating or for any kind of party.  Now, I'm gonna go fill my plate up and watch Alabama roll over Virginia Tech.  

Roll Tide, Y'all!