It’s that time of year again! We’ve been making it an annual tradition to post some snack recipes in advance of the Super Bowl, and this is the fourth year we’ve done that on Bullz-Eye’s Grub for Guys. This year, I made five new recipes that you can find on Grub for Guys on the Food & Drink homepage–queso meatballs; ham, avocado & corn tostadas; pizza potato skins; easier Italian beef sandwiches; and grill & chill Buffalo poppers.

It was way too much fun, as it always is, making these things and transforming our kitchen into a test kitchen. The poppers are the one gratuitous recipe I have to do every year with wing sauce. But the meatballs and skins were my favorites out of the bunch. Of course, everything is good…trust me, I wouldn’t steer you wrong with food like this. Hopefully you can try a few of these as you watch my Giants upset the Patriots again. Enjoy!

Here is last year’s Super Bowl spread post, and the second in a series of three. That’s because next week we will unveil a new Super Bowl spread on Grub For Guys.

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs, Steak Bites, Olive Poppers, Smoky Chipotle Dip, and Fiery Snack Mix

Hey guys….last year, we introduced you to some dude-friendly Super Bowl eats that you could pile on your plate before settling in for kickoff. This year, we took that concept a bit further, but without making things any more difficult than need be. Because really, you’ve got all that pre-game stuff to watch, and you have to drink a few beers to prime your gut for the barrage of awesome food that will ensue. Well, that’s just a suggestion. Meanwhile, here is what we came up with for Super Bowl 2010. All recipes serve four, so multiply them accordingly…….

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
You know, I think I have published more than a few recipes that feature Buffalo chicken sauce. That’s because for guys, that spicy, tangy, peppery awesomeness stimulates our salivary glands like a Victoria’s Secret model. Well, here’s a way to get that wing sauce flavor without the mess of chicken bones.

Ingredients
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3-4 baby carrot sticks, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. Ground turkey
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup Buffalo chicken sauce (we like Buffalo Wild Wings medium sauce), and more for dipping
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat and then add celery and carrots. Sautee for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Allow to cool slightly, then place in a bowl with turkey, egg, wing sauce, blue cheese, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Form into 1-inch meatballs. Re-heat skillet, which should have some remnants of olive oil left, and add half of the meatballs, browning on all sides. Put meatballs on a plate and add second batch, browning them on all sides. Then put reserve meatballs back in skillet and place in oven. Bake for 10-12 more minutes, or until cooked through. Heat about a cup of wing sauce in a small saucepan and serve meatballs with a few spoonfuls of sauce on top.

Steak Bites
This one is super easy, and on Super Bowl Sunday, you need easy!

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, this is the original “a can a week,” as the Blue Diamond Almond folks coined that phrase a few decades ago with their “A can a week, is all we ask” TV campaigns. And with nuts falling back into our good carb-hating graces again, Blue Diamond has expanded their line of almonds a lot in the past few years.

They first introduced their BOLD line which included flavors such as Chili Lime, Jalapeno Smokehouse and my personal favorite, Wasabi and Soy. Seriously, when that Wasabi flavor came out, I bought a case directly from the company–no joke.

Anyway, they have now introduced a flavor that is also near and dear to my heart–Blazin’ Buffalo Wing. If you love wings and if you’re like most folks who love wings, you’re addicted to the flavor of the sauce so much, that when you smell it or think of it your mouth waters on command. That’s how I am, and if you are, these nuts are for you….no pun intended.

However, if you eat these Blue Diamond beauties too fast –crunching and swallowing right away–you might miss the flavor of the powdered wing sauce on these almonds. So best to savor them slowly and let the taste of wing sauce linger on your tongue–yeah, i said “linger on your tongue”…go ahead and laugh, but these nuts are no laughing matter. They are bold and delicious and you should go try them, or buy a case just in time for Super Bowl week.