Snack

The Seaman and Steel families are addicted to this homemade granola with dried blueberries and sweet dates. Serve it with a splash of milk or a spoonful of yogurt or ice cream, sprinkled on pancakes, or in a smoothie.

The recipe and introductory text below are reprinted with permission from Gameday Gourmet by Pableaux Johnson. An insanely easy-to-make candy that looks a lot like the famous nut of Ohio's state tree as well as Ohio State's symbol.The actual buckeye is a form of horse chestnut that, when eaten, might result in all kinds of unthinkable intestinal troubles. It's probably wiser to go for these sweet, bite-size globes with the famous peanut butter/chocolate flavor combo instead.

The recipe and introductory text below are reprinted with permission from Gameday Gourmet by Pableaux Johnson. If you're looking for a near-instant potluck contribution, you just struck pay dirt. It would be tough to make this recipe any simpler—unless you left out the beans. A little chopping, some liquid measure, and a quick whirrrrrr of your trusty margarita-maker, and you've got a bowl of ready-to-serve puréed goodness.

The recipe and introductory text below are reprinted with permission from Gameday Gourmet by Pableaux Johnson. Easy to make and even easier to devour, this dip is a crowd-pleaser that's hugely popular at Duke tailgates and welcome anywhere that big flavors reign. Thick-sliced, peppered bacon gives the dip a distinctly porky flavor.

This mix is everything you want with a drink—a little bit salty, but with a nice variety of textures and flavors.

The recipe and introductory text below are reprinted with permission from Gameday Gourmet by Pableaux Johnson. A fixture at pregame festivities at any SEC athletic contest, these little devils are simple to make. For a bit of added showmanship, keep the components (the cooked egg whites and the yolk mixture) separate until you get to the game. Assembling them on-site keeps them from getting watery (and makes it look like you know what you're doing).

File this one under "secret weapon" and pull it out whenever you need a quick but impressive appetizer. Warming the olives in thyme- and-lemon-zest-infused oil awakens their flavor and transforms a goat-cheese medallion into a sumptuous warm spread for flatbread.

Think of it as a cracker version of rosemary-flecked flatbread. But these are the easiest crackers you'll ever make: Rather than cutting the dough into small pieces, you bake three large pieces, then break them into smaller ones to serve. The jagged edges invite nibbling.

The idea for this sandwich came to me when my mother and I were about to have bagels and lox for brunch. I wanted a more nutritious spread than cream cheese, and I happened to have on hand a ripe avocado, which is rich in beneficial monosaturated fat and organic minerals. Mashed with a bit of lemon juice, it turned out to be the perfect choice. Its mild, delicate flavor provides the ideal balance for the salty lox, and its smooth creamy texture resembles that of cream cheese. Use whatever bagel you like. A whole-grain one has the best nutrition, but the sandwich will taste better if the bagel is not sweet; often whole-grain bagels also contain honey. The lox-and-avocado combination is also good in a whole wheat pita. Whether you're serving it to break the fast or for brunch, the sandwich is good accompanied by a green salad and a few high-quality olives.

The combination of three varieties of apples gives this applesauce sweet-tart flavor and great texture.

They look like sticky buns, but these sweet, gooey treats are actually made from biscuit batter. They're great with brunch.

To make this appetizer easy to nibble, serve the cheese and mushrooms with toothpicks.

A refined rethinking of a bagel-shop favorite provides a no—cook, imaginative way to appreciate the traditional flavor pairing.

The small, knobby tubers called Jerusalem artichokes grow wild all along the Eastern Seaboard, and southerners have long prized their sweet, nutty crispness in turmeric-spiked relishes and pickles. Countless cooks south of the Mason-Dixon Line have inherited a yellow-stained index card that reads something like this.

Substituting rice vinegar (instead of cider or wine vinegar) produces a pickle that's less tart.

Though you may not be familiar with the name, chilaquiles are the forebears of modern nachos. But the abundance of fresh, flavorful toppings—cool cilantro, salty queso fresco, crisp red onion—makes even the most fluorescent "nacho cheese" seem colorless.

The Japanese are wild about pickles, pickling practically every vegetable and root they come across—and in sweet, salty, sour, and bitter incarnations to boot. In this classic, a hit of wasabi powder adds a subtle heat to these savory quick pickles.