Super Bowl Party ideas

Years ago when I worked in an office, the Super Bowl party was a major annual event. I never knew who was playing but always knew the half time star. A TV could be found in every room of the host’s home, including the kitchen. Coolers of beer were on the back porch and stuffed under tables. Kids hung out in the bedrooms and played with other kids they only met once a year. My husband found the room with the least amount of people so he could actually watch the game. Everyone brought a dish. I ate things at this annual fest that I would not eat (or see) at any other time of year – little smokies in BBQ sauce, Rotel Velveeta cheese dip, one or two kinds of chicken wings, potato chips and dip, wilted celery and carrot sticks with dip, 3 kinds of boxed brownies, a bowl of Chex mix and a few things in plastic containers you had to pry the lid off to get to. These dishes seem appropriate and necessary when you are drinking a beer and watching, in my case, the commercials and the half time show of the Big Game. None are gourmet and some a little embarassing but hey - it's part of the Game.

Our party this year will be pretty small. But that doesn’t mean we have to skimp on the delicously nasty Super Bowl food. So I have been trolling my recipes and the Internet for this year’s dishes. Some are a little healthy, some are not but all are worthy of The Game.

 I have a guilty secret – I love Buffalos wings – especially when they are crisp and fresh out of the fryer. And I only like the wing part and not the drummete. When I saw this recipe I thought this is a winner. They take a little time to prepare (some of it spent in the fridge) so plan in advance

Alton Brown’s Baked Buffalo Wings
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/alton-browns-buffalo-wings-recipe/index.html

Who doesn’t love to see the trapeze wire of cheese stretching from mouth to hand from that first bite of a fried mozzarella stick? Skinny Taste freezes them so they don’t melt in the oven. I would use your favorite jar of Marinara sauce to save time for other recipes.

Skinny Taste’s Mozzarella Sticks
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/skinny-baked-mozzarella-sticks.html

Guilty secret #2 – Velveeta cheese dip. This could not be easier. You can bring all the ingredients to the party and make it there. I usually use the microwave and put it in a removable crockpot bowl to zap it. Is Velveeta a cheese? I don’t think so but it makes a Super Bowl worthy dip. Perfect with Tortilla Scoops.

Famous Ro-Tel Cheese Dip
http://www.texmex.net/Rotel/cheesdip.htm

Some other possibilities:

I made this at Thanksgiving – it is really good. I left the topping off. It was really good. Bacon Horseradish is one of my favorite sour cream dips so wouldn’t a warm dip be even better?

Baked Bacon Horseradish dip
http://www.snackpicks.com/en_US/recipes/details/warm-bacon-horseradish-dip.html

Another easy peasy but always popular Game Day food. I made this over the holidays and people go nuts for it!

Crab Cream Cheese Pizza
http://www.thecookingmom.com/mimis-crab-dip/

Let me know what’s on your list. Enjoy the game!