Game-Day Recipes: Hot Chicken, Guacamole, And North Carolina-Style Banana Pudding

Jessica Butler at Preyer Brewing Company in Greensboro describes the "Spicy Nacho Cheese Randall." The "randall is like a filtration system" she says, "It brings the beer out of the keg, through the randall and out the tap, so we can stuff it with whatever we want to...we put in habaneros, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, and we're going to run our habanero beer through those peppers to kind of give it a last kick." The beer tastes "eerily - and deliciously - like spicy nachos."

While Preyer Brewing Company preps to host another Panthers Potluck (a playoff practice that Preyer will repeat for the big game), other fans across the Triad are also gearing up to celebrate the Carolina Panthers and Super Bowl 50. Food is a big part of that preparation and, for Triad residents, there's no shortage of game-day dishes.

Nikki Miller-Ka in Winston-Salem is making "Nashville Hot Chicken." Amanda Gogolak of Winston-Salem is the "Guacamole lady," and in Greensboro, Lamar Gibson is crafting his legendary (and lucky) banana pudding.

You can find Nikki Miller-Ka's recipe at her blog. 

Amanda's Guacamole

Ingredients

4 ripe avocados 

1 large white onion 

3 roma tomatoes

Large handful of cilantro

Salt - to taste (you will need more than you anticipate!)

Black pepper – to taste

1 ripe lime 

Directions

Peel and pit the avocados, scoop out (in large chunks) and add to a large bowl. Small dice the white onion, roma tomatoes and add to the bowl of avocados. Begin to mash the ingredients together until just incorporated, being careful to leave the consistency chunky. Dice the cilantro and add it to the bowl along with the salt (a generous amount) and pepper. Mix once to combine. Add the juice of the whole lime to the bowl of ingredients. *Pro Tip: Heat the lime in the microwave for 10 seconds to activate its flavor. (it will be much easier to squeeze, as well!) Mix all ingredients until incorporated, do not over mix. The key to GREAT guacamole is its chunkiness. Taste your masterpiece as it may still need more salt to really pop! Serve immediately, or if pre-making for later use, keep the avocado pit and place it in the middle of the guacamole to deter your dip from turning brown prematurely. Refrigerate until ready to eat!

Bonus – Homemade Pita Chips

Grab your favorite store bought chip, or to really impress your guests, grab a package of flour tortillas, cut them into 8 bite size pieces (imagine you are cutting a pizza) and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and olive oil and bake in your oven at 400 ° F until lightly brown. Your homemade pita chips will score a TOUCHDOWN at this year's Superbowl of Snacks! 

 ¡buen provecho!

Lamar's North Carolina-Style Banana Pudding

Ingredients

1 box of vanilla wafers – adventurous folks can find a recipe and make their own

1 can of Eagle brand condensed milk

8 oz of whipping cream

1 5 oz box of Jello Instant Vanilla Flavored pudding mix

3 cups of milk

3 moderately ripe bananas

Pudding mix

Directions

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine milk, pudding mix, whipping cream and condensed milk with a hand mixer. Let stand for 3-5 minutes.

In a 13 x 9 pan or medium to large bowl, arrange wafers bottoms up (this is important). Slice bananas with ¼ inch thickness. Place a banana on top of each wafer (also important). Layer with pudding and then repeat until the bowl or pan is filled. Cover with the remainder of the pudding and garnish with leftover wafers for a cool presentation. Refrigerate 5-7 hours before serving.

*Caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, pecans or strawberries can all be added for an extra twist!