EileenRose/Flickr

A Dodger Dog

Remember the Dodgers? The baseball team we loved but whose stadium we abandoned because of all that nasty Frank McCourt business? Now that Magic Johnson has gone on and saved the Dodgers, we can all head back out to Chavez Ravine on a lazy weekend afternoon to catch a game or two, baseball gloves in hand in the off chance that Andre Ethier's next home run is destined for you in the rafters of the Left Field Pavilion.

And while you probably can't avoid a Dodger Dog, garlic fries and a drink while you're watching the game, you also might want to grab a bite beforehand, at least to meet and make bets on how well Ethier will do. Or, you might want to nosh after the game, to collect on the bets, celebrate a win or angrily re-live the exact moment when the team lost it in the ninth. In either case, here are five spots around Dodgers Stadium where you can go.

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Amar'e Stoudemire

"a California omelette with a fresh cheddar biscuit."

Most Angelenos may not root for New York Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire, but they may at least appreciate what he eats. The dapper, self-proclaimed "Hebrew" with a tough and much-traveled backstory, Stoudemire has taken to posting pictures of his personal chef-prepared breakfasts and pre-game noshes on his Facebook feed. The results? We can't taste through the screen, but we're guessing you could try this at home.

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D. Gonzalez

The Original L.A. Snap: Tortilla chip

The matchup: set. The invites: made. The main: seafood, thin-crust pizzas, maybe both combined. And the snack: The one thing from Los Angeles that makes an appearance at nearly every 'Big Game' Sunday -- not that we are bitter -- tortilla chips.

Much like the lore behind other popular Mexican foods, the exact point of origin for tortilla chips can be disputed. However, much of the credit for their rise to national popularly is given to Rebecca Webb Carranza, who in the 1940s began mass-producing them at her family's tortilleria in the Los Angeles neighborhood of West Adams. Since then, while others have tried to elevate the tortilla triangle in sometimes frightening ways, we've found the best tortilla chips in L.A. share similar roots.

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Yahoo Sports

Marshawn Lynch enjoying some Skittles on the sideline

The toughest, most bruising running back in the NFL has been fined $10,000 for wearing Skittles shoes. Nicknamed "Beast Mode," Marshawn Lynch is most widely known for running through eight defenders in a 67 yard touchdown run to beat the Saints in the playoffs last year. The Seattle Seahawks player also has an obsession with Skittles candy, dating back to high school when his mom gave him a bag of Skittles before each game. Only now, his love of the rainbow-colored candy has gotten him in trouble with the league.

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Miami Herald/Mike Jachles

Passion for Pastry's Althea Hickman with the $3,000 cake that was rejected and ultimately left unpaid.

Only the best for the King. So went the line of thinking when a $3,000 birthday cake was deemed unworthy of Miami Heat basketball player LeBron James and promptly discarded. And now no one's left to pick up the tab.

The Miami Herald reports that Boca Raton baker Alethea Hickman had received a frantic, all-caps e-mail requesting a cake two days before James' birthday party, to be held at the Shelbourne South Beach hotel. The hotel staff asked Hickman to waive the cost of the cake in exchange for the free publicity. After all, she'd be making the birthday cake for the most talented basketball player on the planet. But when Hickman checked online the day after hand-delivering her cake to the party, she saw that the cake featured in photos with James was ivory, decorated with sparklers and it definitely wasn't hers.

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Magnolia Bakery

The NBA began its abbreviated season with more of a whimper than a bang, at least if you're a Lakers fan. (Note to David Stern: Maybe vetoing trades is a bad idea.) To console the hometown crowd -- who says sorrows cannot be managed by buttercream frosting -- Magnolia Bakery began fashioning Lakers cupcakes, available on game days.

But since the Lakers are not the only game in town anymore, the bakery has broadened the scope of their pastry kitchen's allegiances to include the Clippers. Because if you had a choice between watching Kobe try and dribble and shoot around the large Lamar Odom-shaped hole on the floor of the Staples Center, and watching the now nearly patented alley-oops between Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, what would you do? Okay, you don't have to answer that. At least not out loud.

Either way, you can now buy cupcakes for each team. Imagine how much buttercream frosting you'll get to eat when the Lakers and Clippers play each other. (Saturday, Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m.)

Guzzle & Nosh

Lakers gingerbread cookies.

Maybe nothing would have dried the tears of Lakers fans after that 88-87 opening day loss to the Bulls, but least these gingerbread men would have soothed their bellies -- while putting some cash in the coffers of a worthwhile charity. The gingerbread cookies were part of a special holiday menu available at Staples Center only on opening day. They cost $1 each with 100% of the proceeds going to the Laker Youth Foundation. Just don't toss any of your hardened, leftover cookies at Pau Gasol.

Sad about missing out on the purple and gold gingerbread men? You can still get Lakers-themed cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery.

Magnolia Bakery

Lakers cupcakes

Lakers fans have had a tough time of it lately, between losing Lamar Odom to the Mavericks and Chris Paul to the Clippers and Kobe Bryant to the divorce court. About the only people who've been enjoying this are the folks at TMZ, who at least get to take the Khloe Kardashian show on the road. Things may get better before the season opens on Christmas Day, but if we don't all get a big Dwight Howard-sized present under (well, beside) the tree, we can at least drown our sorrows in buttercream frosting.

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Xinhua

Yao Ming and his new wine

Given the size of the man's paws and his height relative to that of the hoop, the sight of Yao Ming shooting always made us think of a toddler dropping grapes into a plastic cup. The recently retired NBA star from Shanghai had a sweet shot, but the jury's still out on his new wine crafted from cabernet sauvignon grapes grown in California's Napa Valley.

Several days ago, Yao auctioned off a bottle of Yao Family Wines' "Yao Ming Wine" at a charity event for Special Olympics East Asia. The bottle sold for a breathtaking $23,499. The next 5,000 cases are going to be sold only in China. The cost will be lower -- a mere $278 per bottle -- but we're not talking Carlo Rossi here.

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*Actual Sizes May Vary

Turkey. Beer. Football. Also known as the three pillars of Thanksgiving. If your plans for Thursday include watching the game, enjoying a fine ale (seasonal perhaps) and feasting like a Nordic barbarian, allow us to help you optimize your day. We've compiled a rundown of each NFL matchup and beers to pair with each game. Turn the page.

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