HKS NBA Finals Cookoff
HKS Team Holds Cook-off for the NBA Finals
Get Ideas for Game day Appetizers That'll Wow Your Friends and Family!
Do you think the cook-off winner will be an indicator of the NBA Finals winner? Guess we'll have to stay tuned!
Check out Jessy and Dana's recipes for easy game day appetizers.
Menu
Golden Nuggets and Waffles
Dana's idea for chicken and waffles comes from her love for chicken and waffles, and her desire to do something with nuggets, for obvious reasons! Also, fun fact: Dana has chickens at home and used their eggs to make the batter for the fried chicken.
The Big Three
Jessy made a trio of empanadas to represent The Big Three from the Miami Heat championship days with Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh. During that time she was still living in her hometown of Miami and had the opportunity to watch The Big Three play in person!
The three empanada flavors are: cheese, guava, and ground turkey.
Judging
Presentation
The way you plate and present your appetizer can be just as important as the taste. After all, most people tend to judge based on first impressions!
Taste
We all love tasty foods, right?
Enough said!
Winner Winner...
The Big Three - Guava Empanada
Amy, our retail specialist, gladly volunteered to judge the competition. She had a great impromptu lunch at work and loved it all! In the end, she chose the guava empanada with the Terrapin Ridge Farms Hot Pepper Bacon Jam for both presentation and taste.
Golden Nuggets and Waffles Recipe
- Approx. 1 lb. chicken tenderloins cut into 2 in. pieces that are 1/2 inch thick
- 1 jar dill pickle juice
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (plus 1 teaspoon for seasoning chicken)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper (plus 1/8 teaspoon for seasoning chicken)
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Your preferred waffle mix (or make your own)
- Guenther Apiary Hot Honey
- Brine chicken in dill pickle juice for a few hours or overnight if you have the time.
- Pat the chicken dry and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
- Combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a dish, whisking to combine. Pour onto a plate. 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- Add 4 large eggs to a shallow dish.
- Working in batches, coat the chicken egg, then dip it in the flour mixture. Repeat, putting it in the egg mixture and again in the flour mixture. Let the chicken sit for five minutes.
- While the chicken is resting, heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Dana likes to use the Staub Cocotte. Bring the temperature of the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the chicken in batches (read here about overcrowding) for 6 to 7 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees and is golden brown.
The Big Three Recipe
- Ground turkey
- Goya Sazon
- Red bell pepper (1)
- Vidalia onion (1)
- Garlic clove (2)
- Goya guava paste
- Mexican melting cheese
- Frozen empanada discs
- Cooking oil
- Hot Honey
- Momofuku Extra Spicy Chili Crunch
- Terrapin Ridge Hot Pepper Bacon Jam
- Heat skillet on medium with vegetable oil.
- Finely chop onion and pepper, and smash two cloves of garlic. Jessy used the Henckel Pro Series Knife. Place them in the heated skillet along with the ground turkey. Pour a packet of the Goya Sazon over the turkey and veggies, and mix well. Use a meat chopper to turn the turkey to crumble, and continue stirring occasionally as it cooks for 15-20 minutes.
- Take a baking sheet out to start preparing the empanada discs for the filling. Make sure the discs have been defrosted. Sprinkle flour on the discs and roll them out with a rolling or dumpling pin.
- Start filling your empanadas with the fillings that are ready. Place a handful or two of the shredded cheese in the empanada discs. Please a slide of guava paste in the empanada discs. Once the turkey is fully cooked, place 2 teaspoons of turkey filling in each disc.
- Once your discs are filled with filling, fill a small bowl with water to wet your fingers. You will want to wet the edges of each disc so when you fold the discs in half, the edges will stick. Once you fold the edges, crimp the edges tightly with a fork.
- Make an egg wash and brush the empanadas with the wash.
- Place the empanadas in the oven for 18-20 minutes.
- We served each empanada with its own topping. Choose your favorite sauce or condiment for your empanadas!