Evening Edge

Marcus Allen's Gridiron Guacamole

Jenni Girtman/Staff (ENLARGE)

Marcus Allen's Gridiron Guacamole -- Made the way Marcus Allen makes guacamole, when he makes guacamole: with Hass avocados.

Jenni Girtman/Staff (ENLARGE)

What to bring to a Super Bowl party? Slacker Jacks -- Alton Brown's simple recipe for candy-coated popcorn and peanuts.

What Can I Bring -- Big Game Edition • Chicken and Sausage Gumbo • Quick Kielbasa Gumbo • Cheesy Chili • Sala's Guacamole • Slumgully • Cheesy Chili • Diesel Pete's Southwestern Turkey Chili • Black Bean Dip • More Dips • Coca-Cola Glazed Wings • Barbecue Turkey Wings Over Cheesy Rice and Beans • Fried Beef Empanadas - from the Crazy Cuban • Chicken Quesadillas • Super Simple Mac and Cheese Mardi Gras Time for gumbo and king cakes. Story | Recipes

24 (2-tablespoon) servings (about 3 cups)

Hands on: 20 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

5 ripe Hass avocados

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 green chiles, such as jalapeno or serrano, seeded and finely diced

1/3 cup packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Per serving: 91 calories (percent of calories from fat, 74), 2 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 8 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 5 milligrams cholesterol, 35 milligrams sodium.

1 Slice the avocados lengthwise around the large pit in the center and split in half.

2 Pop out the pit with a spoon and then scoop the flesh away from the skin and into a large mixing bowl. Coarsely mash the avocados, leaving some chunks. Stir in lemon juice. You might want to add a little salt and some additional lemon juice, to taste.

3 Fold in the onion, tomato, garlic, cheese, chiles and cilantro. Serve with corn chips.

Did you know? Popcorn fact

Three ounces of popcorn happens to be the amount in an average bag of microwavable popcorn. Use whatever variety you can find with the least amount of added flavorings, salt and fat.

Alton Brown's Slacker Jacks

24 (1/2-cup) servings

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

3 ounces popped popcorn, about 3 quarts

1 cup salted peanuts

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 pound dark brown sugar, about 2 cups

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Per serving: 163 calories (percent of calories from fat, 37), 2 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 10 milligrams cholesterol, 90 milligrams sodium

1 Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray as well and set aside.

2 Combine the popcorn and peanuts in a large mixing bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

3 Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla and stir until combined. Heat the mixture until it reaches 250 degrees, about 10 minutes. (At this stage — right on the edge between firm ball and hard ball — a little syrup dropped into a glass of cold water will form a firm ball that, with pressure, can still be squished.)

4 Pour the syrup over the popcorn and stir to combine. You will need to work quickly because the syrup hardens rapidly. Spread the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Cool completely. Break into bite-size pieces.