Slammin SuperBowl Sustenance

Throwing a super bowl party has been a tradition of mine for about 12 years now. As soon as I got my own place I used every excuse to throw a party. The place wasn’t big so the parties were pretty intimate which is really what you want anyway. I mean, everyone needs to have a comfy seat to watch the game right? Well, this year, I just wasn’t in the mood to do it. Not sure what it was, but our dear friends came to the rescue and decided we should hang together at their house that day. Well, I certainly wasn’t going to go over empty handed and just because I wasn’t in the mood to entertain certainly didn’t mean I wasn’t in the mood to cook! Between me and my gracious hosts we put out a spread that was INSANE! Thank goodness the neighborhood came! Below are a few recipes, some old, some new and certainly not to be enjoyed ONLY on game day!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This recipe was given to me by my sister’s friend from Vermont who is quite a cook. It makes a lot and is fine to make the day before and reheat. Remember though, it’s a hot dip. These types of dips get kind of lame after an hour or two sitting around. If you have a hot plate it would be fantastic to use for this. This is a pretty thick dip so use a chip/cracker that can “hold” it. There is nothing lamer than going in for a scoop and having your chip break all over the place. I usually do this in my giant 6qt sauté pan. Remember NO DOUBLE DIPPING!

3 T butter
½ C minced onions
1T + 1 t minced garlic
2T flour
1 ½ C heavy cream
3-10oz boxes of frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1-14 oz can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
6 oz havarti or fontina cheese (Shredded or cubed small)
½ C grated parmesan
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t salt
¼ t white pepper
¼ t black pepper
½ t cayenne pepper

Melt butter in saucepan
Add onions and sauté until soft, do not brown
Add garlic, sauté 1 minute stirring
Sprinkle flour and stir and cook for 1 minute
Add ¾ C cream stir constantly until thick
Then add remaining ¾ c cream and stir until thick and smooth
Add rest of ingredients and stir until cheese is melted
Adjust seasoning and “heat” to your liking
Serve HOT with toasted crostini or tortilla chips

Tip: to drain spinach I have a tea towel that I ONLY use for spinach. (Its lightweight and dark green). Put all the spinach on the towel and twist the water right out of it. Remember to separate the spinach a bit so it’s not added to your recipe in one big ball.

Buffalo Calzone

OK so you know by now that my husband and I LOVE buffalo wings AND Calzone. This recipe (is it really even a recipe?) does not have MY “wings” in it but if I had the time I totally would put them in. I got the idea MANY years ago back in Boston and it was actually served at a Valentine’s Day party! The hostess used buffalo tenders from Mario’s in Lexington, MA. I loved that place but until that night didn’t know about them. Since then I only make this for Super Bowl although if you substituted the dough for some sub rolls filled it with chicken and spread the blue cheese on top…WHO DAT is right!

1 lb Pizza Dough
1 bag Tyson buffalo chicken tenders cooked according to package

Roll out dough, add wings, wrap up dough, spray top with Pam or EVOO and bake.
Oven temp should be about 425. I like to use my convection.
Bake on a foil lined sheet sprayed with Pam. If you have a seasoned baking stone use that.
Someone suggested adding Provolone cheese to it…

Serve with my Blue Cheese Dressing

Tip: I have been getting my pizza dough from Trader Joes lately in those plastic bags. To have the best crust you can with this prepackaged dough, cut it out of the bag and onto your floured pastry board or wherever you plan on rolling your dough out. Cover the dough with flour so it won’t stick, shape into a ball and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes if you have the time. The dough will stretch better and it raises better in the oven.

Potato Skins

This was a new venture for me and after finding many recipes I came across one on Allrecipes that looked good, easy and as healthy as one would get with tater skins. I don’t know why but these and twice baked potatoes seemed like a daunting experience for me. I also figured that if they were a disaster we had enough back up. I baked the potatoes the day before. Let them cool completely and then stuck them in the fridge. When scooping out the filling DON’T scoop it all out! You want there to be a nice layer of potato still formed around the skin, kind of like a boat. I am using the “insides” for baked potato soup, YUM! This is also another recipe that loses its luster when they get too cold although not sure if it will take that long to get them to disappear. These freeze well and I had 2 leftover and they reheated beautifully in the toaster oven the next day.

4 large baking potatoes, baked
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (save pulp for another use). Place potatoes skins on a greased baking sheet. Combine oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Lawry’s and pepper; brush over both sides of skins. Bake at 475 degrees F for 7 minutes; turn. Bake until crisp, about 7 minutes more. Sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese inside skins. Bake 2 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and green onions. Serve immediately.

Streusel topped Apple Pie
click here for recipe

I LOVE this pie! I wanted to let you know I baked it for this day because it’s an all American pie for an all American event! We served it with some praline ice cream…WOW!