Musings from Graceland

SUPER BOWL SNACKIN'

Before we know it, the Super Bowl will be upon us. Now for some of you die hard football freaks, the main thing is the game. No matter who is playing, your main reason for watching is the sporting action on the gridiron. For others, the game is okay, but it is the half-time show that draws you. And for a very large group, forget the game. Go straight to the commercials.




But for all these types, Super Bowl food is a main attraction. Hey! We're American. We like food and love it if we can figure out some way to make an event a food event.

I'll be honest, unless the Saints are playing, the food and the commercials are my favorite factor....though Donny Osmond doing a rendition of PUPPY LOVE during the half-time show would be pretty freaking awesome.

But back to the Super Bowl snackin'. Over the years, certain foods have seemed to become as much of a food tradition as turkey is at Thanksgiving and chocolate is on Valentine's Day. Can't remember a Super Bowl party where wings and Tex Mex were not part of the munchie line up.

Now I love snackin' and parties. I also love healthy eating. And I love yummy healthy eating. Those elements don't always seem to easily go together. But here at Graceland, I'll be making the effort to do just that. I'm going to be presenting food options that are great for a Super Bowl party, taste great, and are made of mostly wholesome, good-for-you ingredients.

The kick-off recipe is one I discovered at a homeschool mom's food blog. Can I just tell you that some of her food photos look as delicious as the dish they are illustrating?

CREAMY AVOCADO DIP...A TWIST ON GUACAMOLE



I don't have an interesting tale to tell about this avocado dip. It's creation came about due to one of many possible reasons or all of them. I'm new to guacamole, and boy is it green. Wow...this one avocado didn't go very far, we need more dip than this. I want it to be creamier. I sure do love sour cream....what if I just add some to this guacamole?

Whatever the reason....my family loves this dip; it's our favorite way to eat avocados! It's easy to make, there aren't too many ingredients, it's very versatile and great to take to gatherings and parties. It can be as spicy or as mild as you want it. Actually, I never make it the same way twice.

Denise's Spicy Avocado Dip

2 ripe avocados, mashed with fork
1 can mexican rotel (cilantro/lime), with liquid
1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream (I prefer Daisy, full fat)
1/4 medium sweet onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper to taste

In medium sized bowl, add rotel to avocado. This mexican rotel is quite spicy. I use it to top tacos, tostadas and what not. If you aren't into spicy, you can use mild or original rotel. If you don't have rotel, you can dice tomatoes and add 1-2 Tbsp lime juice (it just won't have any kick to it).

Add in sour cream, diced onion, garlic. Mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate. It tastes great right away, but even better if it's refrigerated an hour or so. I place the avocado pits into the dip to keep the avocados from turning brown. Stores well for several days.

Serve with tortilla chips or Food Should Taste Good chips.

So, give it a try. And while we're talking Super Bowl recipes, share your favorite with me.

To see more of Denise's wholesome, delicious recipes, visit her blog at: http://creativekitchenadventures.blogspot.com/