Chef Lara Lyn Carter's Superbowl Recipes-

 Dirty Bird Favorites & Hot Julio Cocktails

Houston is one of my favorite cities. A major arts center, international leader in advanced medical research and so friendly (as is all of Texas). There’s good food and fabulous music: Bob Wills is still the king.

It’s my birthday weekend and instead of being in Houston, I’m having family and friends over to celebrate the Atlanta  Falcons and their successful quest for the vaunted Lombardi Trophy.

We eat and drink in the spirit of the spectacle and grandeur. Sometime the game becomes a backdrop for fabulous food, spectacular cocktails and wonderful wines. This is the day Americans throw a big party.

Chef Lara Lyn Carter has been dubbed by Canadian media as “Georgia’s Golden Girl,” and she is also a devoted Falcons fan. Who else would I turn to for Superbowl food?

Matty Ice Gourmet Crab Dip

Chef Lara Lyn Carter

2 cups sweet onion chopped

½ cup red pepper chopped

½ cup green pepper chopped

2 cups of grated Swiss cheese

2 cups of mayonnaise

1 lb. lump crabmeat

1 tbsp. fresh limejuice

1 tsp. fresh dill chopped finely

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a buttered baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

I use Vidalia onions when they are available for this recipe. However, you may use any sweet onion available.

Jack Daniel’s Dirty Bird Baked Beans 

Chef Lara Lyn Carter

1 lb. dry kidney beans

1 sweet onion quartered

4 quarts of water divided

Soak beans in 2 quarts of water overnight. Drain beans and discard the water. In a large pot, cook beans and onion in 2 quarts of water over medium-high heat for 45 minutes. Remove beans from heat, cover and allow beans to rest for 30 minutes.

Sauce

1/2 cup sorghum

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground clove

3 tbsp. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sorghum, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, ginger, clove, and whiskey. Stir constantly until all of the ingredients have blended well and the sugar has dissolved. Pour beans with the water in a Dutch oven and pour sauce over beans and stir well. Cover beans and bake at 325 degrees for 3 hours.

Victory Shrimp Tacos & Spicy Slaw

           Chef Lara Lyn Carter

6 pounds of medium wild Georgia shrimp peeled and deveined

2 tbsp. olive oil2 tsp. salt
8 small soft flour tortillas
1 bag of premade slaw

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. garlic minced
1⁄2 cup chopped scallions
2 tbsp. Creole mustard
1 tbsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon juice

Toss shrimp with olive oil and salt and pour on baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until just done.

Combine mayonnaise, garlic, scallions, mustard, lemon zest and juice together. Pour over slaw and toss to combine.

Warm tortillas and fill with shrimp and slaw mixture. You can add hot sauce if you like. 

Cocktails

Stay tuned for the introduction of a signature libation, the Hot Julio. Serve with a napkin imprinted with the warning that some will  find this too hot to handle.

Wines

An array of white and red with the centerpiece selection the 2012 North by Northwest Syrah, a winning wine for the victorious Atlanta Falcons.