Having people over to watch the big game? Be prepared feed those hungry mouths with easy, delicious meals.
Jodi’s Chili
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- (you can use whatever meat you like – even turkey)
- 1 can mild tomatoes with green chilis (I use Rotel)
- 1 can of tomato sauce (I use a big can, we like it saucy)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (its good if you can find “Chili Ready” – but you can use just diced)
- 1-2 pkgs of chili seasoning
- 1 can corn, drained
- 1 can beans (kidney or black) drained
- 1 small onion
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
Saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until it starts getting soft. Add the meats and brown in the onion mixture. Drain it quickly to remove some of the fat – unless you like the flavor the fat adds!! You can leave it. Mix all ingredients together in a big pot and cover. Simmer on Low-Medium for at least 20 minutes – stirring often to make sure it doesn’t stick. I like to let it cook on Low for about 40 minutes. It is BETTER the next day (to me). So easy!
Jodi’s Chili and Baked Potatoes
This is my FAVORITE idea for feeding a football crowd!
Have a BIG pot of chili ready (recipe below) and have a Chili BAR ready – Complete with Warm Foil Wrapped Baked Potatoes!
Chili Bar Must Haves:
- Baked Potatoes
- Fritos
- Tortilla Chips
- Shredded Cheeses
- Green Onions
- Bacon (bits or crumbled)
- Jalapenos
- Sour Cream
- Chives
- Queso
- Salsa
- Avocado (fresh, sliced)
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sliders (My EASIEST recipe ever)
- 1 small pkg boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 small bottle BBQ sauce
- 1 small bottle Italian dressing
Drizzle both bottles over chicken breasts, cover & cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. Don’t open lid until at least 6 hours. Shreds easily! Serve on rolls or pistolettes ♡ (Italian dressing gives it a tangy sauce – yum!)
Sam’s Wings
- 1 to 4 pounds (450g to 1.7kg) chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flats
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder per pound of chicken wings
- 1/2 teaspoon (5g) kosher salt per pound of chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce; 25g) unsalted butter per pound of chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce; 30ml) Frank’s RedHot Sauce per pound of chicken wings
- Blue cheese dressing, for serving
- Celery sticks, for serving
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a wire rack inside. Carefully dry chicken wings with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine wings with baking powder and salt and toss until thoroughly and evenly coated. Place on rack, leaving a slight space between each wing. Repeat with remaining 2 batches of wings.Place baking sheet with wings in refrigerator and allow to rest, uncovered, at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Add chicken wings and cook for 20 minutes. Flip wings and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, 15 to 30 minutes longer, flipping a few more times towards the end.Meanwhile, combine butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking until combined. Transfer wings to a large bowl, add sauce, and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve wings immediately with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks, conspicuously shunning anyone who says that real Buffalo wings must be fried.
Sheet Pan Nachos
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef (You can also shred chicken or pork)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
- 12 ounces tortilla chips
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and garlic, and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; stir in taco seasoning. Drain excess fat.Place tortilla chips in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Top with ground beef mixture, black beans, corn and cheeses. Place into oven and bake until heated through and the cheese melts, about 5-6 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with tomato, onion, jalapeno, sour cream and cilantro.
CARNITAS (Instant Pot)
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder/Boston butt, cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces (I had a 4lb butt, but after trimming the fat it was closer to 3lbs)1 pound pork belly, cut in1-inch pieces½ cup chicken stock or broth1 Tbs. salt1 tsp. black pepper1 Tbs. chili powder1 tsp. cumin½ tsp. ground coriander
NOTE: Substituting salt cured bacon for uncured pork belly: pork belly is basically bacon. I couldn’t find pork belly at the store so I bought giant chucks of salt cured bacon. If you use the bacon cut back or eliminate salt bc the bacon has enough salt from curing.
Place cut up pork shoulder/Boston butt and pork belly in the instant pot. Mix together the spices and pour over the meats in the instant pot. Toss the meats so they are covered in the spices.
Cook in instant pot for 60 minutes on high. When time’s up wait for pressure to drop or quick release…your call depending on how much time you have.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a large bowl. Cook the remaining juice in the instant pot on sauté for 10-15 minutes until it’s reduced. Pour reduced sauce on the meat and toss to coat.
ANOTHER NOTE: After cooking I removed a good bit of the bacon completely and left just a little in the bowl with the pork before pouring the reduced juice over it. Personal preference
Serve with whatever you like to serve your tacos with: sour cream, cheese, pico, guac, salsa…your call
**If you want your carnitas to be crispy just put them in a large skillet over high heat and crisp em up for about 5 minutes before you pour the reduced juice on them.
psst: (Click HERE for ALL the past Gameday Grub recipes!!)
DIPS
Jodi’s Pizza Dip
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons Italian spices
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- Mix cream cheese with Italian seasonings.
- Spread cream cheese mixture on a pie plate or shallow dinner plate.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of both the parmesan cheese and the mozarella cheese on top of the cream cheese layer.
- Top with the pizza sauce.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top of the pizza sauce.
- Cover with plastic wrap.
- Microwave for 5 minutes.
- (It will be hot!) Serve it with crusty french bread or crackers.
- Tip: You can double this recipe and put it in a glass casserole dish for parties.
Chunky GuacamolePick avocados that are heavy but soft to the touch.
- 1 lb. ripe avocados, cut into quarters
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup chopped white onion
- 1 serrano chile, minced
- 2 tsps. Lime juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Combine all ingredients in bowl and mash with fork.
- Add water as needed for desired consistency.
- Chill, covered, for 1 hour. Serve with assorted chips.
- Process the ingredients in a blender for a smoother consistency if desired.