Today's game day. Not that I care, really. Jess and I are going to my dad's house for a "big game" party. I'm not really in it for the playing, I'm in it for the food, the commercials, and for cheering on the underdog. Almost every year, before the game starts, I'll take a poll from my family and find out who they're pulling for. Whichever team has the most people pulling for it, I'll go for the other guy… just to make things interesting.
And the food's always good. My dad loves to cook. And he's good at it. Better than me. So, every year we're met with a wide array of, usually mexican themed, appetizers and snack foods for game day. This year, however, my dad said he didn't want to cook all day and so he wanted everyone to bring sometihng. So Jess and I are bringing a few things.
First, Jess made what she calls Parmesean rounds. It's a mixture of cream cheese, mayonaise, and butter, with dill and green onions spread on a lightly toasted and buttered piece of bread. Very tastey. Secondly, she made a three layered dip. The first layer is cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonaise. The second layer is salsa, and the third is grated cheddar cheese. Also very good.
I wasn't going to let Jess use store bought salsa. So I made her some. My dad usually makes a thin, VERY hot salsa. So I wanted some variety. So I made a hearty, mildly spicy, smokey salsa (recipe). It has roasted tomatoes, roasted poblanos, roasted anaheim peppers, roasted serranos, roasted garlic, and roasted tomatillos. All this in with onions and a touch of salt. It's kind of a fresher, smokier version of your standard Pace Picante sauce. It came out okay, I think. It's a little too cool for my tastes, but Jess didn't want something real spicy in her dip. I also think I may have used a little too much tomato. I'm bringing whatever is left after Jess makes her dip. Secondly, I made a Maytag Blue Cheese and walnut spread to be put on top of slices of granny smith apples. I haven't actually tasted it because I only bought four big apples and they'll brown if I cut them now. Finally, I'm making Shrimp En brochette. Take a peeled and deveined piece of shrimp. Stuff it with a little hunk of poblano pepper and a piece of cheddar chese. Wrap it in bacon. And either broil, deep fry, or grill it until browned. Mmmm.
Yeah. Not really your average "game" food. But, food at my dad's house never is.
