3 Easy To Make Snacks For Lazy TV Evenings

Football season is pretty much snack season. And with all the late night games, one can hardly be expected to head out to mamaks every night. So here are some easy to make snacks you can throw together at home for your football viewing party (or any kind of viewing party for that matter).

For The Couch Potato: Thick Cut Fries

Keen on potatoes but not sure about spending money on store bought chips? Make your own fries instead! This bare minimum recipe ensure maximum satisfaction;

Ingredients For Thick Cut Fries

1. 2 large Jack Russet potatoes
2. Vegetable oil
3. Salt & pepper

How to Prepare Thick Cut Fries

1. Cut your potatoes into uniform pieces so it cooks evenly. Peeling is optional. If you do not peel the potatoes, scrub them well before cutting.
2. Add potatoes to a small but deep saucepan filled with cold water and bring to a boil. Let it sit for five minutes and then remove the potatoes and air dry them on paper towels.
3. Lay them out on a tray and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.

For The Meat Lover: Buffalo Wings

If the thought of deboning while you eat sounds troublesome, you can even opt for a chicken popper option instead and swap out the wings for bite sized chicken breast pieces;

Ingredients for making Buffalo Wings

1. 900g chicken wings
2. ¾ cup cornstarch
3. ¼ cup all-purpose flour
4. 1 teaspoon paprika
5. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
6. 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
7. 2 teaspoons baking powder
8. 2 teaspoons salt
9. 2 teaspoon black pepper
10. Vegetable oil
11. ⅓ cup of unsalted butter
12. ⅔ cups hot sauce

Steps for Making The Perfect Buffalo Wings

1. Toss ¼ cup of cornstarch and the chicken wings together until fully coated.
2. Let rest and dry out for 15 minutes while you prepare the batter.
3. Whisk together the remaining ½ cup of cornstarch, flour, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Gradually add the water and whisk until mixture is smooth but slightly runny.
5. Heat the oil in a large pot until it reaches 180°C (if you don’t have a cooking thermometer, stick a wooden chopstick into the wok or pan and if it bubbles, it’s hot enough)
6. Coat chicken wings in the batter and add the wings to the oil in batches, cooking for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and set aside to cool.
7. To make the buffalo sauce, just melt the butter over a low heat in a pan before adding the hot sauce, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
8. Bring it to a low simmer and add some salt and pepper to taste.
9. Let the sauce cool and drizzle the cooked wings with about a half cup of the homemade buffalo sauce and toss it to coat them evenly.

For The Health Conscious: Granola Bars

Feeling a little guilty for all the munchies? This one’s for you then. The best part is, it’s sugar free and customisable to your taste. Just swap out the dates or cranberries with your preferred dried fruits or nuts;

Granola Bars Ingredients

1. 1 cup dates, pitted
2. 1 cup dried cranberries
3. 1½ cups oats
4. ¼ cup honey
5. ¼ cup peanut butter

How to Make Granola Bars

1. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Chop the cranberries and dates to your desired consistency and place together with the oats in a large bowl.
3. Heat the honey and peanut butter over a low flame with a splash of water.
4. Pour the honey and peanut butter mixture over the bowl of dates, oats and cranberries. Use a wooden spoon to stir to mixture together.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it into an even, compact layer.
6. Store in the fridge to firm and slice into bars of your preferred size.
7. Store bars in room temperature for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.