If you’re having a party, you should make sure that the treats you serve aren’t boring. Your best bet is that some of the stuff you’re serving should be spicy. Spicy treats aren’t usually boring at all.
Sure, you can always order some spicy stuff from fast-food joints. You can get some wings from Hooters, along with their 911 sauce. Other options include Arby’s Spicy Gyro, the Popeyes Spicy Chicken Sandwich, and even the Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich from good ol’ McDonald’s. KFC can also deliver their Nashville Hot Chicken.
The thing is, none of these options are vegetarian. But you can always whip up some spicy treats at home that don’t contain meat. And what’s more, the meat-eaters will love these treats as well.
Buffalo Wing Popcorn
These days, you can have parties for many occasions other than birthdays. Heck, you can have parties with just friends watching the TV, whether it’s NFL games (especially the Superbowl) or even binge-watching movies and TV shows.
And for that, you need popcorn, and this is the popcorn you ought to serve when you have vegetarians attending. It’s great enough that even the carnivores will approve, and it’s enough for 12 viewers.
Gather the Ingredients
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 8 cups of popped plain popcorn (from ½ cup kernels)
- ¾ cup of sugar
- ¼ cup of Frank’s Red Hot Original sauce
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
What To Do
- Preheat your oven to 300° F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with some parchment paper.
- Lightly coat the parchment and a large bowl with the nonstick spray.
- Add the popcorn to the bowl.
- Set the baking sheet aside.
- With a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar and ¼ cup of water to a boil. Stir so you dissolve the sugar.
- Swirl the pan every now and then and boil for about 10 to 12 minutes until the caramel is deep amber.
- Remove from the heat, and then stir in the hot sauce and butter. You’ll get some vigorous bubbles, but that’s normal.
- Return to a boil and then cook for another 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, then stir in the kosher salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper.
- Work quickly to pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn. But be careful as well, since that caramel mixture will also be very hot. Then toss to coat the popcorn evenly.
- Spread out the popcorn on the prepared baking sheet and bake (tossing once) until dry. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Let it cool, and enjoy.
You may want to make this maybe 4 hours before the party, so you can just serve it when everyone’s ready to watch the game or the movie. Just store the popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature.
Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts
This is always a great option when you’re serving beer (and if you’re having a party, beer will be nice). While the recipe can be specific on which nuts and seeds to get, you can always experiment. You can pick your own favorites, or just use whatever that’s handy.
This recipe is for 8 viewers.
Gather the Ingredients
- 1 cup of blanched almonds
- 1 cup of pecans
- 1cup of walnuts
- ¼ cup of shelled raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- ⅓ cup of pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of rosemary leaves
- 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon of hot smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
What To Do
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Get a medium bowl and put all the listed ingredients in. Toss to make sure that the nuts are evenly coated.
- Then transfer the contents to a large cast-iron pan or a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast while you toast occasionally, until the nuts are toasted while the maple syrup caramelizes. That’s about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Transfer the nuts to a sheet of parchment.
- Spread it out in an even layer, and make sure to break up to prevent clusters from forming.
- Let it cool before you serve it.
Actually, you can make this 2 days before the party. Just put the nuts in an airtight container and store the container in room temperature.
Final Words
These are good finger foods to have available, whatever else you may be serving at your party. Whether you’re also serving soda or beer, popcorn and mixed nuts should be just fine!