Game Time Recipes From Celebrity Chefs

Game time snacks just got more exciting thanks to our favorite celebrity chefs. Paula Deen, Rocco Dispirito and George Duran are opening up their playbook and sharing unique, fun, delicious and easy to prepare recipes.



A burger on a bun is an all American classic but Paula Deen adds a lip smacking twist we're calling Savannah Sliders. Wrap par-cooked burger patties in raw puff pastry, add your favorite condiments, fold the burger pouches up, brush them with an egg wash and bake until golden in a 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes. Paula's Savannah Sliders are delicious, but for fans who are counting their calories try Rocco Dispirito's healthy halftime snack: Faux fried onion rings. Here is the simple recipe from his cookbook 'Now eat This!'

Faux Fried Onion Rings with Smoky Mayonnaise
Giving foods that glorious, crispy, crunchy texture without a deep fryer isn't easy. The best way to healthfully approximate the deep-fried experience is to use panko breadcrumbs, a mist of cooking spray, and a hot oven. Panko is a Japanese ingredient that used to be found only in Asian supermarkets and health food stores but is now available everywhere. The crumbs are made from bread without crusts, so they're lighter and crunchier than traditional breadcrumbs.

4 large Vidalia onions, cut into ½- inch- thick slices
2 cups skim milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
4 large egg whites
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
¾ cup Rocco's Magnificent Mayonnaise (page 200 in his book) or reduced fat mayonnaise such as Hellmann's Low- Fat Mayonnaise Dressing.
1 tablespoon liquid smoke, such as Stubb's Tabasco sauce

Separate the onions into individual rings. Use only the larger rings for this recipe; reserve the smaller rings for another use. You should have 20 rings total. Lay the rings in a single layer in a large rectangular baking dish. Pour the milk over the rings and allow them to soak for about 20 minutes, turning them once so that all surfaces of the onion rings have been exposed to the milk.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a wire baking rack on each of two foil lined baking sheets, and set them aside.
Put the flour in a shallow dish. Put the panko in a small dish. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks. Working in batches, remove the onion rings from the milk and dredge them in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the rings to the egg whites and toss to coat completely. Add the rings, a few pieces at a time, to the panko and coat completely. Spread the onion rings out on the wire racks. Season the rings generously with salt and pepper, and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Bake until the panko is golden brown and crispy and the onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and the liquid smoke. Season to taste with Tabasco. Serve the onion rings with the mayonnaise for dipping.

Chef George Duran, host of TLC's Ultimate Cake Off is a pro at whipping up sweet treats, but today he shared his favorite game time recipe called Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas. Here is his tasty, yet simple recipe.

Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas
by George Duran

Ingredients
4 12-inch flour tortillas
Pam non-stick spray
2 Cups shredded mozzarella
2 Cups shredded yellow cheddar
1 14.5 oz can of Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
8 oz. Sliced pepperoni
4 tsp. Dried oregano
4 green scallions, chopped
Sour cream and crushed red pepper, optional

Pre-heat a non-stick pan or skillet on medium heat. Spray non-stick spray on one side of a tortilla and add to the pan. Heat for about a minute and flip with a spatula. Evenly add 1/2 cup of each cheese throughout the quesadilla. Add a quarter of the pepperoni slices and tomatoes on one half of the quesadilla. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon oregano and one green scallion. Use a spatula to carefully fold the quesadilla in half. Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and crushed red pepper, if desired.

Score your own tasty touch down with your family when they bite into these game time recipes. See you next time on a brand new episode of Make Home A Haven.