sprint cup snacks

Grilled Brick Chicken

July 26, 2013

Seriously, so yum.

Those grill marks. Oh, how I love them.

It was so weird not to have a Sprint Cup race to watch last weekend but those drivers’ totally deserve a mid summer break. But it just means I am really looking forward to this weekend’s race at “The Brickyard”!

And of course to celebrate the race at The Brickyard I just had to prepare Grilled Brick Chicken for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks. Those famous bricks on track get kissed all the time by the winners so you might just want to do the same after having this chicken. Of course you would want them to cool off… ouch!

I was a little nervous to cook a whole chicken on the grill as I was unsure of how it would turn out… would it undercook? overcook? would it stick to the grates? would it be difficult to work with the bricks? But all of my worries were tossed aside once the process began as it was sooo easy and so good. Plus all the downtime allowed me to enjoy reading some magazines. Win Win!

The chicken is so flavorful and juicy. The lemon and rosemary give the chicken rice flavor, as well as keeping it moist. But the real kicker is the skin and how well that grills right up. I don’t typically like to eat the skin of the chicken but since it has been grilled beautifully I couldn’t resist some. This grill marks just get ya! But the thing that really gets me is how juicy this chicken is. I couldn’t get over it.

Enjoy this weekend’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and make this chicken. It’s a great way to celebrate ‘The Brickyard’ and the return of summertime racing!

Grilled Brick Chicken

Makes 1 chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4.5 pounds
1-2 lemons, thinly sliced
fresh rosemary, finely chopped
vegetable oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bricks, wrapped in foil

Process

Either buy a spatchcocked chicken or prepare the chicken yourself. To spatchcock a chicken, use sharp kitchen shears and cut along both sides of the back bones from the tail to the neck. Once removed, flip the chicken over the press firmly down on the breast until you flatten out the chicken by breaking the breast bone. Wash the chicken down at this point, as well as remove any excess bits of fat on the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel.
Preheat your grill on high while you prepare your chicken.
Create a pocket between the skin of the chicken and the meat by running your hand between them over the whole chicken. In that pocket, place the lemon slices and chopped rosemary.
Cover the whole chicken with vegetable oil and generously apply salt and pepper to the skin of the whole chicken.
Very carefully, rub the grates of your hot grill with vegetable oil soaked paper towels. Place the chicken breast side down on the grill, reduce the heat to medium-low, place the bricks on the chicken, and cover the grill. Cook on this side for 25-30 minutes. , Remove the bricks with tongs and check on the chicken to make sure you have nice grill marks on it prior to flipping, and reapplying the bricks. Cook for another 25-30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes prior to cutting into it.

** If using a charcoal grill, at step 2- prepare the coals under the whole grill to heat the entire grill up. Then just before you coat the grates in step 5, move the majority of the coals to one side. Place the chicken on the side with less coals to cook it over indirect heat.

Adapted from Honestly Yum

Lobster Mac And Cheese

July 12, 2013

I have been determined to make lobster for this week’s Sprint Cup Snacks recipe for this weekend’s NASCAR race at Loudon International Raceway. in New Hampshire. Must have lobster when in New England. It’s a given! But my challenge was to make something that both Price and I would enjoy since he is pretty indifferent to lobster when I L-O-V-E it.

Often it works out well that Price is ‘meh’ about lobster and I love it (although I do feel super guilty about eating them now that I read the most amazing book called The Secret Life of Lobsters where I learned that our tasty ocean bug friends are at least 7 yrs old before gracing our dining tables…) since he will put them in the pot for me. I just can’t!

We typically do grilled steak and lobster… so I get the surf and he gets the turf… but I wanted to change things up so I had to go a searchin’ for something so mouth-watering that Price could not resist regardless of our royal red friend. Ultimately I found the best recipe… drum roll please… Lobster Mac and Cheese.

This was a very rich, luscious mac and cheese. Plus it was studded with lobster! If you don’t like lobster then skip it since the mac and cheese base is great anyway, but really, it is so worth it to add the lobster.

PS- I learned my local grocery store steams lobsters for you for Free!!! I highly suggest you check with your grocery store because it’s a total GAME CHANGER!

Lobster Mac And Cheese

Makes 4 generous servings

Ingredients

1/2 pound cavatappi or campanelle pasta
1/2 pound lobster meat
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups half & half
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.
In a very large skillet, combine the butter and flour on medium low heat. Stirring constantly until the rue is golden brown. Add about half of the half & half to the mixture and stir to remove the lumps from the rue. Stir in half of the cheese. Once the cheese has melted into the sauce, add in the rest of the half & half, cheese, and the seasonings. Continue to work together until the sauce is evenly incorporated together.
Add the cooked pasta and chopped lobster into the cheese sauce and toss to combine.
Pour into a oven-safe casserole dish or 4 individual oven-safe baking dishes and then top with bread crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Slightly adapted from Baked By Rachel

Key Lime Pie

July 6, 2013

So I have been trying to ‘spice up’ the massive amounts of water I drink on a daily basis with slices of limes. But really it just makes me want mojitos and margaritas. Dang it!

…

Grape, Celery, and Couscous Salad

June 21, 2013

Just about every time I tell someone I watch NASCAR I hear 1 of 3 things.

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Super Simple Mini Cherry Pies

June 14, 2013

Okay, okay! So this recipe isn’t really a recipe. But hear me out…

They are just so cute not to share! Plus, I just love simple things that you can throw together from start to finish in like 25-30 minutes.

I picked this summery recipe for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks because I wanted to take a picture and use these new napkins in it. NO!!! It’s because this weekend’s race is at Michigan International Speedway, and Michigan is known for their cherries. I mean, come on, the National Cherry Festival is held Michigan. Perfect!

Some helpful tips along the way. Basically don’t do what I did the first time I made these…

Do not over fill. They can easily bubble out all over the muffin tin.
Do not over bake. They are tiny so they are quick baking therefore don’t go up stairs to do laundry (out of range to hear the buzzer) and then run downstairs frantically when you remember you have something in the oven.
Let them cool a lot before you try to take them out of the well greased muffin tin.

Super Simple Mini Cherry Pies_01

Since this is a basic recipe feel free to change up the fruit or even the design on top. Just remember they are so super cute no matter what since they are teeny tiny 🙂

Super Simple Mini Cherry Pies

Makes 18 mini pies

Ingredients

2-9″ pie crusts
1- 14 ounce can of cherry pie filling
1 egg, plus 2 tablepsoons water
sugar
Need a 2″ circle cookie cutter and a very small star cookie cutter

Process

Preheat your oven to 425. Grease a mini muffin tin.
Use a 2″ circle cutter to cut circles out of the pie dough. Place one circle in each opening.
Place 2 tablespoons of the filling in each tart shell. (I placed 3 cherries per pie)
Cut the stars tops out of the remaining pie dough and top each tart with a star.
Make an egg wash by beating one egg with the water. Brush the top of each tart and then sprinkle with a bit of sugar.
Bake for 12-15 minutes on the upper rack.

Slightly adapted from Frankly Entertaining

Everything (Bagel) Pretzel Bites

June 7, 2013

I kinda felt that if I called this recipe Everything Pretzel Bites that it wouldn’t make sense exactly.

You see, instead of just topping them with the traditional salt I decided that the everything bagel topping would be the best thing ever.

When I was little I would not touch anything besides a plain bagel so an everything bagel was totally out of the question. But then time went on and I got some smarts and realized how amazing they are. If I could eat an everything bagel every day of my life I would.

Anyway, since I love all things ‘everything’ and carbs in general I made these rocking pretzel bites for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks. How can I ignore pretzels when this weekend’s race is at Pocono?!?! Exactly, I just can’t ignore those Pennslylvania Dutch and their love of pretzels.

Oh man, let me tell you that these pretzel bites rock! They were easy to make and the resulting pretzels were to yummy. The perfect amount of chew and great pretzel flavor. Just love how the baking soda skinny dip makes pretzels, well pretzels. And if you love salt on your pretzel then just stick with topping it with that but I swear the everything bagel topping is a fun twist.

We enjoyed the pretzel bites with a caramelized onion dip from Trader Joe’s and a pretty spicy brown mustard.

They disappeared quickly…

Everything (Bagel) Pretzel Bites

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups + 1 tbs hot water
1/4 cup everything bagel topping (to sprinkle on top)

Process

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the oil and yeast mixture.
Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes or use a stand mixer with the hook attachment. While the dough is coming together, watch it to see if it is looking dry so you can add a tablespoon+ of water. (I added about 2 tablespoons)
Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Lightly coat the dough with oil as well. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 – 2 hours.
When the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Put the risen dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope (do not re-knead) and cut into 1″ – 1 1/2″ pieces.
Once all of the dough is all shaped, dissolve the baking soda in very hot water in a bowl.
Dip each pretzel bite into the baking soda mixture and place on a generously greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with the everything bagel topping.
Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve warm with dip or mustard. Best the first day.

Adapted from Lily Shop

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Hot Crab Dip

May 31, 2013

Do you love snacks as much as I do? I swear I could eat snacks all day. Not that I mean I’d eat all day, but I could eat snacks for all my meals. I love nosh food and small plates. It makes meal time fun.

And I have my favorite snacks too. Don’t you? We eat chips and dip for a weekend lunch all too often. Or I’ll make a cheese plate with some some sliced fruit and vegetables for dinner. It’s fun, put also practical to help clean the fridge of some random things as well. ha!

Well, while I don’t think this Hot Crab Dip will help you clean your fridge but it would help you fill up your belly. And it is just so perfect to enjoy while watching this weekend’s Sprint Cup race at Dover.

Delaware has so much great seafood right at it’s Atlantic Shores so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use some yummy seafood. I used some lump crabmeat to make this Hot Crab Dip that is so good. It’s great for watching the race since it’s quick to prepare so you can kick back and relax while you watch the race and dig in.

Hot Crab Dip

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon old bay seasoning, divided
8 ounces low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced scallions
juice of a lemon
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked through for shells and cartilage
Ritz crackers or pita chips, for serving

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, 1/2 tablespoon old bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables are soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set vegetables aside.
Place the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, scallions, lemon juice, remaining old bay, cooked vegetables, and salt and pepper in a bowl, mix until smooth. Fold in the crabmeat. Transfer to an oven safe serving dish.
Bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve hot with crackers or pita chips.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Pimento Cheese Mini Burgers

May 10, 2013

It’s getting warmer up here in Boston. So we’ve been doing some garden work and busting out the grill. I just love the summer and spending our time outdoors drinking icy cold beers, snacking on chips and homemade guac, and dining on burgers. So lately I’ve been dreaming up all the fun burgers we can make this year (all of these sound awesome) and one such burger on my mind was a Pimento Cheese Burger.

We first had Pimento Cheese Burgers years ago while in Charlotte. Ahhhh-mazing. I’ve only made them a few times since then since they are so rich and indulgent. But the flavor combos are so dang good. I love mayo on my burgers and obviously cheese burgers are better than plain burgers so it all just adds up perfectly.

So when it came to thinking up something for my Sprint Cup Snacks recipe for this weekend’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 in Darlington, SC I pulled out my Pimento Cheese Burgers. So perfectly Southern! I whipped up some Mini Burgers since everything mini is just so dang cute. Plus I’m always trying to think of fun recipes for a crowd or ones to quickly nosh on while watching that week’s NASCAR race.

Pimento Cheese is yummy with just crackers but slather it on some burgers and it will become your favorite way of enjoying it. But, of course, putting it on sliders makes the whole situation that much better. Plus the best thing is that it is super easy to whip up. As much as I love our grill, I used my cast iron skillet since I didn’t want to run the risk of flipping the mini burgers through the grates. In all it took about 15 minutes of prep for this dinner. awesome!

I swear these will be a hit with you crowd!

Pimento Cheese Mini Burgers

Makes 6 sliders

Ingredients

Pimento Cheese

8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounce jar of diced pimentos, drained
1/3- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
cayenne and black pepper to taste

Burgers

1 pound of 85/15 ground beef
1 teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
pinch of black pepper
6 whole wheat dinner rolls

Process

To make the Pimento Cheese, combine the cheese, pimentos, and mayo. Mix thoroughly. Add the cayenne and pepper to taste. Set aside to chill for at least 1 hour.
In a large bowl combine the ground beef and the Seasoned Salt and black pepper. Evenly divide the burgers into 6 rounds. Shape and flatten each burger so they are slightly thicker than 1/4″.
Cook the burgers until desired doneness.
Slice the dinner rolls in half. Place each burger on the bottom portion of the buns, then scoop about 2 tablespoons of the pimento cheese on each burger, and top off with the rest of the bun.

Pimento Cheese adapted from Epicurious

Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread

April 19, 2013

You know who loves bacon? Our dog! Well, he loves the smell of it and sits in the kitchen desperately hoping he will get it. I see his little squish nose smelling the air frantically taking it all in. I’m sure he’s hoping that I’d use that to train him to ‘come’, ‘sit’ or ‘gimme paw’ but no way Jose!

Poor little Kempers had to endure while I made this Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread. Those poor little puppy eyes. But I didn’t crack! That bacon was for our cornbread!

And man, this cornbread is so good! It’s a very nice texture and of course the flavor is great. While I love sweet, dense cornbread this is savory and very light in density. The jalapeno gives it a nice little spicy edge. And of course anything with bacon kicks ass.

So, how did I pick cornbread for this week’s Sprint Cup Snack for this weekend’s race in Kansas? Well, Kansas is located in the bread basket and is known for their corn production. Well didn’t that just work out perfectly?

Eat ’em up!

Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups corn meal
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 stick of butter, melted and cooled
2 jalapenos, minced
6 strips of cooked bacon, diced

Process

Cover the surface of the 10-inch cast iron skillet with the canola oil.
Place the skillet in the oven while preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the corn meal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
Combine the buttermilk, eggs, and butter together.
Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour the batter into the skillet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

*I used a Scone & Cornbread Pan so I had some extra batter that I used to make 12 additional mini muffins, that I cooked for about 7 minutes.

adapted from The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

This is just the 3rd STP400 being held. When NASCAR changed up their schedule in 2011 this race was added to the schedule, in addition to the fall race at Kansas Motor Speedway. The speedway was built in 2001 to fulfill the need to have another Midwest track. Since then the economy in the area has been booming with new shopping center developments and hotels.

Track: 1.5 miles

Shape: D-Shaped Tri-Oval

Banking: 10.4-11 degree banking in the front stretch, 5 degree in the back stretch, and 17-20 degrees in the turns.

Surface: Asphalt

Capacity: 81,687 seats

Race: 267 laps for 400.5 miles

2012 winner: Denny Hamlin

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Texas Queso Dip

April 12, 2013

When Price and I went to visit our friends Natalie and Jason in Austin last year we fell in love with all of the food we had there. Everything was incredible. I couldn’t get enough of the tacos, bbq, agua fresca, and, of course, queso. (Also couldn’t get enough time hanging with great friends, natch.)

Each and everything we ate was amazing for a different reason. The fantastic Mexican we had at Chuy’s, to the BBQ we got to go after a night of drinking, to the chicken on a biscuit from Whataburger immediately after some bar hoping.

But the one thing that was a constant was the queso we had. We had it every change we had and even while we lamented ‘no more queso’ we loved it. I think there really is a limit to the amount of queso/cheese a person can eat in a few days and I think we were fast approaching that limit. But really, worth indulge. Or at least that is what I kept telling myself after dipped another chip in.

Well since this weekend’s upcoming NASCAR race is at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, I figured that I had to share something for my Sprint Cup Snack that I loved so much about my visit to Texas. Now don’t give me any lip about how Austin and Fort Worth are not that close to each other- 3 hr drive or so- because I say what goes on this blog! ha!

Plus any excuse to eat queso is okay for me.

Natalie emailed me her recipe for queso at a moment’s notice. True friends understand the love of cheese (even if she has gone Paleo now). And let me tell you it was fantastic!!

Texas Queso Dip_05 Texas Queso Dip_06

The queso is incredibly easy to make and would be fantastic to whip up for watching any sporting event, a movie, or having friends over for a side splitting night of Cards Against Humanity. << come over, let’s hang and just be ridiculous.

If you can whip up some simple pico de gallo and can melt some cheese in milk, then you are all set. It’s basically that, plus making a simple rue to thicken it all up. So, so much better than the queso you get in the jar that you microwave. Was that even necessary to say?!?! duh!!

Obviously, queso is best piping hot so it’s super ooey gooey yummy. If you have a little crock pot dip warmer then I suggest you use that to keep it hot and everyone happy.

Dig in!!!!

Texas Queso Dip

Makes 8 snack servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature-ish
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Pico De Gallo

3 plum tomatoes
1/2 of a red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 a hass avocado
2 jalapenos, seeds removed
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

Process

Remove the milk from the refrigerator, set aside.
To make the pico de gallo, dice the cored tomatoes, onion, and avocado. Mince the jalapenos and garlic. Combine together and add the cilantro, lime juice, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook to make a rue, whisking constantly until golden, about 2 minutes. Continue whisking and slowly add the milk. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Combine the cheese sauce and pico de gallo together and enjoy!

slightly adapted from my friend Natalie

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

Texas Motor Speedway seat a whopping 190,000+ people to watch a race. Repeat… 190k+. That was about 3 times the number of people in my whole town when I was growing up. Insane. But everything is bigger in Texas!

Besides being big, it’s also fast. It’s one of the fasted non-restrictor plate races in the series with qualifying speeds in excess of 192 mph and corner entry speeds over 200 mph. And in 2006 for the Dickies 500 qualifying, Brian Vickers shattered the qualifying record at Texas with a speed of 196.235 mph. Crazy.

Gotta enjoy this weekend’s race under the lights!

Track: 1.5 miles

Shape: Oval

Banking: 24 degrees in the turns

Surface: Asphalt

Capacity: 191,122… yep a lot of people!!!!

Race: 334-laps for 501 miles

2012 winner: Greg Briffle

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Homemade Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce

March 15, 2013

Oh my gosh! Last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas was an incredible race to watch. Well, it was awesome if you were a Kasey Kahne fan, like myself, or a Matt Kenseth fan. Kasey Kahne dominated the race leading 114 laps of the 267 lap race and finished 2nd. While I wanted Kahne to win sooo badly, I’m happy for Kenseth for winning on his 41st birthday and happy that Kahne went from 31st in points to 14th. Let’s keep the ball rolling!

This weekend’s upcoming race is at Bristol Motor Speedway. So I was excited that this meant BBQ for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks! But guess what. I don’t really know Bristol so I don’t know what kind of BBQ they enjoy in that area of the state. See, Bristol and Memphis are no where near each other. They reside on opposite ends of the state, a decent 500 mile car drive. So I felt a little weird making Memphis baby back ribs, which is how I came to making a whiskey based BBQ sauce. I love Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey!!!

The moment I saw these Jack Daniels Baby Back Ribs I knew that I had to make the BBQ sauce. Oh my gosh loving all the recipes on Czech in the Kitchen but let’s stay focused on this BBQ sauce. I had never made BBQ sauce before so I liked the aspect of learning something new. And let me tell you a secret… it’s so easy and so good. Plus as the sauce cooked it filled our house up with such a good rich whiskey and hickory from the liquid smoke.

Enjoy this Homemade Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce this weekend or throughout the summer on chicken, ribs, pulled pork, or burgers. It’s quick to make and tastes so fantastic!

Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 white onion, diced
½ bulb of garlic, minced
½ cup whiskey, preferably Jack Daniel’s
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke,
½ teaspoon each aalt and pepper

Process

In a saucepan, combine the diced onions, garlic, and whiskey. Simmer over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until onions are soft.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about a half hour.
Blend the sauce together with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender. Place the sauce in jars.

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

Bristol Motor speedway was built in 1961, and is the 4th largest sports venue in America, and the 8th largest in the world. This allows 165,000 people to watch is known drivers rip around the short track. Because the track is so small there are 2 pit lanes because the 43 cars can’t fit all on 1 side. As well, because the track is much shorter than the super speedways, the cars don’t go as fast, which not all fan enjoy. It can be quite divided! But no matter, everyone can agree on the nickname of Thunder Valley because the noise of the cars on the track is so amplified from the shape of the venue.

Track: .533 mile

Shape: Oval

Banking: 26-30 degrees in the turns and 6-10 degrees in the straights

Surface: Concrete

Capacity: 165,000

Race: 500-lap for 266.5-miles

2012 winner: Brad Keselowski

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Dress Your Own Baked Potato Buffet

March 8, 2013

After last week’s race I’m ready for this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 400 is held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. My favorite driver, Kasey Kahne, better finish better at this week’s race than last week’s since he was a favorite to win and then with some issues ended up at 19th. And he was involved in a wreck at the Daytona Race resulting in a 36th place finish. So, like last year, it ain’t starting off too well. But I’m hoping that, like last year, this get better and he makes it into the Chase. LAst year he ended up 4th overall, not too bad considering the start, but he needs some big finishes to get there!

So I’m excited about this race at Las Vegas since he does really well here. He is the all-time pole winner with three poles, including last years. In his 9 starts at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway he has won 1 race, hs 2 top-five finishes, and 4 top-ten finishes. Fingers crossed!

Well, what would I make for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks?

I figured what better way to gear up for the race in Las Vegas than to enjoy a buffet? They are everywhere in Vegas so I figured I would make a fun little buffet myself in its honor. I’ve done plenty of taco and chili bars but I thought that a Dress Your Own Baked Potato Buffet would be a blast. If you can bake a potato and put some toppings in some serving bowls than you are all set for a fun meal that everyone can enjoy and personalize.

The best is that this can be scaled down or up for any amount of people. For 4 to 40 this is a fun way to eat dinner or at a party.

Dress Your Own Baked Potato Buffet

Ingredients

1 baked potato per person

Toppings:

Butter
Sour Cream
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Bacon
Chives
Steamed Broccoli
Salsa
Sliced olives
Hot Sauce
Diced ham
Caramelized onions
Diced green peppers
Jalapenos

Process

Make the Best Baked Potatoes.
Prepare toppings as needed, like caramelizing onions, steaming broccoli, slicing peppers, etc.
Portion toppings into serving bowls and dishes. Arrange dishes with the serving dish of potatoes.
Dress your own baked potato and enjoy!

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

The Las Vegas Speedrome was built in 1971, which first consisted of a road course and drag strip. Over the years needs changes, as well as ownership which resulted in complex that was refurbished in 1995 to create the 1.5 mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The first Sprint Cup race there, and the first Kobalt Tools 400, was first held in 1998, which Mark Martin won. In 2006 the racetrack was enhanced again with more progressive banking taking the turns from 12 degrees to 20 degrees.

Track: 1.5 mile

Shape: Tri-Oval Super Speedway

Banking: 20 degrees in the turns

Surface: Asphalt

Capacity: 142,000

Race: 267 laps for 400.5 miles

2012 winner: Tony Stewart

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