The Man Lab Kitchen is open for big sporting events too. While the Grey Cup might be unheard of in America, in Canada, it’s a pretty big deal. No, it doesn’t have the same big parties as the Super Bowl but that doesn’t mean that we don’t throw a bash at Lowdown HQ. So today, the Kitchen previews some of the things that’ll be part of our Grey Cup spread.

Bacon Wrapped Guacamole Poppers

Ingredients

• 10 large jalapeño peppers, stemmed and seeded
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 Avocado
• Juice of half a lime
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 10 slices of bacon, sliced in halves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the peppers in half lengthwise. Mash together the cream cheese, Avocado, lime juice, cumin, and salt until well combined, then spoon mixture into the jalapeño halves.

Tightly wrap one half-slice of bacon around each pepper. Arrange peppers on a coated baking sheet and bake for about 15 – 20 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crisp and the filling is bubbling.

Transfer the peppers to a plate lined with paper towels before placing them on a serving dish to remove any excess grease. Serve immediately.

Crunchy Chili Onion Rings

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
• 1 1-pound Vidalia onion, peeled, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices, then separated into rings
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Pour vegetable oil into heavy large deep skillet. Rest top of deep-fry thermometer against edge of skillet, submerging bulb end in oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, combine onion rings and buttermilk in large bowl. Mix flour, cornmeal, chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne in another large bowl. Remove 1/3 of onion rings from buttermilk; add to flour mixture and toss well to coat.

Add coated onion rings to oil; fry until golden brown, adjusting heat as needed to maintain oil temperature, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer onion rings to paper towels to drain.

Repeat with remaining onion rings in 2 more batches. Transfer onion rings to platter. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired, and serve.

Tijuana Trash Snack Mix

Ingredients

• 2 cups tortilla chips, broken into 1 inch pieces
• 1.5 cups Crispix cereal or 1.5 cups Corn Chex
• 4 -5 cups popped popcorn
• 6 ounces nuts (your choice)
• 4 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Combine tortilla chips, cereal, popcorn and nuts in a large roasting pan.

Combine corn syrup, butter, brown sugar, chili powder, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan and heat to boiling. Pour over the cereal-popcorn mixture in the pan; stir to coat thoroughly.

Bake uncovered 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn onto a sheet of waxed paper to cool.

Recipes via:
Modern Day Moms – Bacon Wrapped Guacamole Poppers
Bon Appetit – Crunchy Chili Onion Rings
Food.com – Tijuana Trash