It’s football season and that means it’s time for football finger foods. I have to admit, the one reason I watch football, is for the snacks.  So what’s more classic game food then wings and chips and salsa?This year I put a little tropical twist on these classics. For playoff games I made Coconut Lime Wings and Mango Salsa. Here in California the pleasant afternoon weather allows us to take our football party outside.  This Sunday, between games, we packed up our snacks and headed to the park to enjoy the sunshine and throw the old pig skin around.  

Come back for the drink recipe and the football straws tomorrow.  It’s a refreshing favorite from my childhood.

Coconut Lime Wings
3 lb. chicken wings (about 2 dozen)
1 can of coconut milk (I used light)
1 tbsp. Thai red curry paste
juice of 2 limes
zest of 1 lime
2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. honey
4 tbsp. chopped cilantro, plus 2 tbsp. for garnish
1/4 cup flake coconut

Combine all the ingredients above, except the flake coconut in a bowl.  Mix well.  Place the chicken wings in a large shallow container (I used Rubbermaid’s 1 Gal large rectangle TakeAlong container), pour the marinade over the wings, cover and refrigerate.  Allow the wings to marinade for at least 5 hours, over night if possible.  

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil.  Place the wings on the tray and pour about 1 cup of the marinade over the wings (discard the rest of the marinade).  Bake the wings for 35 mins.  

While they are cooking, toast the coconut in pan, tossing and turning it until it is just golden.  When the wings are done, remove them from pan and then brush the tops of them with the drippings left in the pan.  Then sprinkle the coconut and cilantro on the wings.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  

This recipe is adapted from here. 

Mango Salsa
2 ripe mangoes chopped
1-3 tbsp. of jalapenos finely chopped (depending how spicy you like things)
1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup red onion chopped
juice of one lime
1/2 tsp. salt
a couple dashes of hot sauce

Mix all the ingredients in bowl and store in an airtight container in the fridge.  It’s best if it has time to marinade for a couple hours.  Serve with white corn chips.  

To make prep, serving and then storage of leftovers easy, I headed to Target for a great deal on Rubbermaid containers. Just visit Target Online and print out this coupon.

Rubbermaid’s Easy Find Lids Containers are the perfect way to take food to the big game party. The lids snap to the bottom of the containers, so you’ll never lose a lid or leave one behind at the party again. And the TakeAlongs are a great value and great quality – perfect for giving food in as a gift, and leaving behind. All Rubbermaid’s containers have leak-proof seals to prevent messes and spills on the way to the party. And they come in a huge range of sizes. Large sizes for wings, chips and salads and even tiny ones for dips and sauces.

I also wanted to let you know that Rubbermaid is hosting a Game Day Party Sweepstakes.  They are offering the chance to win an Easy Find Lids Party Pack, a 48Qt Cooler and $100 VISA gift card! To enter the sweepstakes click here. Entries are limited to one entry per person / per email address / per day. Sweepstakes starts December 19, 2012 and ends January 21, 2013.

And if you’d like to know more about Rubbermaid and their great offers, you can visit them on twitter, facebook, and pinterest.


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