For the Super Bowl this Sunday, Feb. 7, kick back a little. Enjoy yourself. Don’t spend too much time making the snacks, buying unusual ingredients, or worrying about the fact that you’re not eating carrots and celery. In fact, don’t even worry about finding something to make. We’ve got you covered:
[Make your Super Bowl pick to win a Weber Gas Grill]
Buffalo chicken dip
This one is hard to stop eating. You beat together cream cheese, ranch dressing and red hot sauce; add shredded, cooked chicken; and put it all in a greased baking dish to bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then you top it with shredded cheddar cheese and bake it for another 15 minutes. Or, you can heat it up in a crock pot, and keep it on warm throughout the game.
Brown sugar honey mustard wings
These wings are easy and cheap. You can buy the wings already cut, or get the whole chicken wings and cut them apart yourself. Place each one on a baking rack placed inside a baking sheet. You’re going to cook them before glazing them, so pop them in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze, using whatever mustard you like, plus honey, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. When the wings are cooked, dip each one in the sauce, and make sure they’re coated. Put them back on the rack, and cook them in the oven for 10 minutes.
Here’s the secret to great wings: Cover them in the sauce and re-cook them at least two times — even three. Each time you cover them in the sauce, cook them in the oven for another 10 minutes. They’ll be nice and brown at the end.
Spaghetti and meatball poppers
Mix together some grated parmesan cheese, an egg, a cup of marinara sauce and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Add in a ½ pound of cooked angel hair pasta. Grease a muffin tin, and spoon the spaghetti mixture into the little rounds. Add a meatball on top of each round, cover with marinara sauce, and cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top when it’s done, and voila.
Seven-layer dip
You shouldn’t spend more than $6 or $7 on this recipe. Layer the following: refried beans or smushed black beans (no liquid); smushed avocados mixed with a little lime juice and salt; and then a mixture of sour cream, mayo and taco seasoning. Sprinkle on green onions, tomatoes, olives (if you like olives), and jalapeno peppers (if you want it spicy). Finally, sprinkle cheese over the top. Really, you can make this recipe with any vegetable you want. Some people add chopped lettuce as a layer, for instance.
Shredded beef and blue cheese sandwiches
You could make these into sliders, serve them on ciabatta rolls, or just use whatever bread you have handy. Make the blue cheese mixture by adding together sour cream, blue cheese and mayonnaise (or plain yogurt). Make it into a smooth paste, add a dash of salt and pepper, and squeeze in a little lime juice. If you’d like a bit of a bite, add some horseradish. Then stir in some honey.
Place your cooked, shredded beef on the bread, and top it with the sauce. You can sprinkle chopped chives on there, too. Eat it as-is, or throw it in the oven to warm it up.
Bacon-wrapped tater tot bombs
These are pretty easy (and, OMG, delicious). Just get some tater tots (you can use frozen), bacon, small slices of cheese (whatever kind you want) and brown sugar. One piece of bacon is good for three tater tots. Place the cheese slice and tater tot together, wrap it with a bit of bacon, rub on some brown sugar, and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Make sure to put each one seam-side down.) Cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, turning halfway through.
Stromboli
Cook up a mixture of sausage, sliced peppers, garlic, onions and tomato paste in a pan on the stove. Meanwhile, roll out a pizza dough. (You’ll find dough in the store, or make it yourself.) Spoon the sausage mixture onto the pizza dough, and add some sliced pepperoni on top. Sprinkle cheese on top; you can also add banana peppers. Roll the whole thing into a cylinder, seal the edges, and brush with egg wash if you want. (You can also sprinkle more cheese on the top.) Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown, at 350 degrees. Cut into slices, and enjoy with dipping sauce.
Homemade nachos
These are the kind of nachos made with mainly cheese. Start by melting butter in a skillet. Then whisk in some flour. Add a cup of whole milk, turn the heat up, and let it come to a boil. Once it thickens, add a little salt and cayenne pepper. Turn off the heat, and add a mountain of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese. Once it all melds together, you can spoon the mixture over tortilla chips, or let people dip the chips in themselves. Serve it with just the cheese or add chopped tomatoes and scallions.
Cheddar ale soup
Melt butter in a large saucepan or pot, add minced onion, minced celery, minced carrot, and a bay leaf. Cook about four minutes. This base will add a nice complexity to the soup. Stir in flour, and keep stirring for about three minutes. Next, add the ale gradually. When it thickens, pour in the milk and chicken broth. You can add dry mustard for a subtle zip. Then throw in the grated sharp cheddar. Don’t let the soup boil, and make sure to discard the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. You can sprinkle crumbled bacon on top, too — yum.