It was a great game and I'm pleased as punch that the Saints won. But the real story for us was the party we joined.
We were grossly unprepared.
Our friends invited us to their aunt and uncle's home. A long way out, east of town, nearly an hour's drive by interstate. "Bring an appetizer to share," we were told. I made a kind of chicken skewer with 3 kinds of dipping sauces. Something simple and somewhat out of the ordinary.
When we arrived, the spread was already laid out. Peeled jumbo shrimp, chips and dip (a great layered dip, btw), vegetable crudites, brownies, cookies, candies, flowing wine, bottomless beer and sodas. Our chicken fit in well, but already paled in comparison to the shrimp. Oh! if we had only known!
We ate for an hour before the game. THEN we were informed that dinner was going to be served. Roasted lobster tails, king crab legs, rigatoni al pomadoro, two kinds of salads, homemade pizza . . . there was probably more, but that's all I could get to.
Now, my brothers and I have a training ritual for events like this. For a Thanksgiving feast with the family, for instance, we will start eating a few days in advance, stretching our stomachs as best we can. Each day we'll eat a little more than the last. Then the day of, we'll fast until the big meal. In this way we can maximize our caloric intake in one truly glorious bout of gluttony.
How woefully unprepared for such a Super Bowl party. Pity.
Next year will be different.
Chicken Skewers
8 large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
Bamboo Skewers, soaked in water overnight
Marinade the chicken in the soy and olive oil for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the chicken length-wise into 1/2 inch strips. Skewer the slices and lay on a cooling rack on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Buffalo Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon Tabasco Sauce
2 tablespoons White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, over medium high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients in order, stirring as you go. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Best served hot and in an open area. It will sting the eyes.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves of Garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup old Jellies or Jams you have laying around (I used am apricot jam and grape jelly)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, over medium high heat. Saute the garlic until just soft. Add the jellies, stirring quickly until they are thoroughly dissolved. Add the vinegar and soy sauce and continue to stir and simmer until reduced to a slightly thicker liquid. (You can use a little more vinegar if you like it a little more tangy.)
Serve hot or cold.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 tablespoons ground Chimayo Red Chili Powder
1/2 cup smooth Peanut Butter
2-3 dashes of Tabasco
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Stirring quickly, add the garlic and chili powders. Stir until thick and smooth. Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir in the peanut butter, Tabasco and soy. Keep stirring until smooth. Best served warm.
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As the preparer of many of the savory goodies for this party, I can assure you the chicken was a perfect addition. The peanut sauce is now one of my all-time favorites. A few days later I put in on top of buffalo burgers flavored with soy sauce, honey, ginger, scallions, salt and pepper along with some sauteed red onions. Not your typical backyard BBQ burger! The peanut and S&S sauces were also great on the boiled shrimp.
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