Super snacks for Super Bowl chowdown

The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press

CHILI CORNBREAD

• 1 pound of ground beef
• three-fourths cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon chipotle or chili powder seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• one-fourth teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped chiles, drained
• 1 can (16 ounces) corn niblets, drained
• 1 can (14 and one half ounces) diced tomatoes in thick juice, undrained
• one-fourth cup sliced black olives, drained
• three-fourths cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 (8 and one-half ounce) packages corn bread mix
• Nonstick cooking oil
• Red pepper for garnish

For the condiments

• sour cream
• shredded Cheddar cheese
• prepared salsa
• chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray casserole or baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In medium frying pan, brown ground beef, drain and set aside. In same pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and cook onion and garlic until soft, but not brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in beef, spices and remaining ingredients except for cheese and corn bread mix. Heat for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare cornbread mix following instructions on package. Spread half of the corn bread batter into prepared pan. Add all the ground beef mixture. Top with Cheddar cheese and spread remaining batter over all.

Place on cookie sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Place on cooling rack, cool for 10 minutes, loosen sides and turn out onto serving platter. Let stand 10 additional minutes before slicing. Garnish with red pepper strips. Serve in slices with assorted condiments.

NOTE: Football-shaped baking pans are available at many candy, cake-decorating and kitchen supply stores. Recipes serves 8-to-10.

FLAT BREAD WITH VEGGIE-CHEESE SPREAD

• 1 can (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
• 1 (8-ounce) container vegetable cream cheese, softened
• one-half teaspoon garlic powder
• one and one-fourth teaspoon chili powder
• black olives, chopped and drained for garnish
• red pepper, coarsely chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray pan with vegetable pan spray. Unroll and pat pizza crust into large baking pan or on to a large cookie sheet. The dough should fill the entire pan or cookie sheet.

Bake 8-to-10 minutes or until crust lightly browns and is crisp. Remove from oven and cool completely on rack before spreading with cheese mixture.

In small bowl, combine cream cheese with chili powder and garlic powder.

Spread on cooled crust. Garnish with chopped olives (create your favorite player's number) and red pepper. Cut into squares and serve at room temperature.

Makes 8 to 10 squares.

MARINATED EYE OF ROUND ROAST

• one half cup soy sauce
• one half dry vermouth
• 2 to 4 garlic gloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 4-to-5 pound eye of round roast
• 1 cup water
• 1 to 2 pounds fresh mushrooms, sliced

NOTE: Prepare at least one day before cooking.

Combine soy sauce, vermouth and seasonings; mix well. Place roast into plastic bag or glass dish and pour marinade over it. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours, turning to marinate all sides evenly.

About 3 and one-half hours before serving time, remove roast from refrigerator to allow it to warm to room temperature for 1 hour before starting to cook.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Pour marinade off roast and reserve. Place roast in a pan on a rack, fat side on top, and add water to pan. Bake uncovered for 5 to 6 minutes per pound in preheated oven. At the end of cooking time, turn oven off and leave roast in hot oven for 2 hours. Do not open the oven door.

Roast will be rare to medium rare. For medium doneness, leave oven on for at least 10 more minutes.

Add the reserved marinade to the natural juices of the roast and heat, adding sliced mushrooms in and cooking until mushrooms are done (3-to-5 minutes).

Slice roast into thin slices and serve with the mushroom gravy.

Serves about 10.

CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN WINGS

• 3-to-4 pounds chicken wings, cut into three pieces
• peanut oil for basting
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 bottle hot sauce (like Tabasco)
• celery sticks, cut into 5-inch pieces
• blue cheese salad dressing

Discard the gristly tips of the wings and trim membranes from other pieces, removing the feathery edge of middle segment.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place all the wings on a broiler pan so they can drain while cooking. Put in oven. Every 15 minutes, baste wings with peanut oil, then turn over and brush other side with oil. Return them to oven.

Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until they are crisp and golden brown.

In a wok or big pan, melt the butter and add hot sauce to taste. Heat but don't boil.

Remove pan from heat, toss wings with sauce and serve immediately with accompaniments of celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

Makes 40 to 50 pieces.