Nothing goes together in sports like football and food. Well, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but it does seem that football, more than any other sport, involves a fixation with food. NFL has tailgating, CFL has its own version, and as Riders fans we have our own traditions of food – before, during and after games.
Regular season games, playoff games, Grey Cup and Super Bowl – there is always meal planning. Our plan for Super Bowl this year was “fried chicken,” which is my oven-baked specialty. The day was planned around it, as we both love it.
Add in a couple of appetizers, home fries on my Pampered Chef bar pan, and a fabulous salad that my sister brought over, and the meal ALMOST out-did the game. As a Seahawks fan, I have to say it did NOT completely out-do the game.
The key to a moist but crispy fried chicken (or wings) is soaking in buttermilk. After cutting a fryer into pieces, I prepare a casserole dish with buttermilk, an egg, some hot sauce and cayenne pepper, and the chicken pieces soak in it all day. When ready to cook, I toss it in my “special” breading – equal parts cornmeal, ground Corn Flakes, and Shake n Bake, with cumin, cayenne, chili powder and paprika tossed in to add spice. The chicken is baked for about 20 minutes, turned, and baked an additional 20 minutes, at 425. I check on it in the second half (of the baking, not the game!) to make sure it doesn’t get overdone. Crispy on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside.
Our appys this year were baked onion rings from the Chatelaine website:
http://www.chatelaine.com/recipe/vegetables/baked-onion-rings/
and crispy goat cheese and quinoa wontons from a great quinoa resource, Cooking Quinoa:
http://www.cookingquinoa.net/cheese-wontons
My sister brought a fabulous goat cheese, beet and arugula salad with candied pecans and blueberries tossed in. All in all, the meal was outstanding, as were the Seahawks!
theardizan 
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