The holidays have finally come to an end and with that brings the inevitable “January Lull”. Everything seems to feel quiet… until the next big event… THE SUPER BOWL! An event that brings together people from all walks of life to celebrate a great American tradition…
EATING FOOD!
oh…. and football… and judging new commercials.
Since we are specialists in the event industry, we wanted to share with you our top Super Bowl party ideas and a few of our favorite recipes by our CSO, Jim Boardman, a.k.a “Jimmy B”.
1. Fun Games for the “Big Game”
For The Football Fan:
Football Squares: HERE is a little way to make money (or lose money if “Lady Luck” is not on your side). Footballsquares.net teaches you how to play and offers templates for you and your guests to fill out. For the tech-savvy crew, they also offer an online version of squares (for a small fee) that you can send to your guest list via email to keep it easy.
For The Commercial Fan:
Super Bowl Bingo – HERE is an awesome game (with a printable version for you to fill out your own squares) to play while the big game is on pause.
2. Signature Cocktails Aren’t Just For Fancy Soirees
Beer and football go together like a horse and carriage. So, on this big day, offer a beer-cocktail for your signature drink. Sound odd? Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! www.celebrations.com has the ultimate drink for you called The Thirsty Touchtown Cocktail. Not sure about mixing beer with bourbon? Try PasteMagazine.com’s 10 Great Beer Cocktails.
Our “Beer”-cocktail favorite is the Kentucky Mule! Learn how to make it HERE.
3. Football Shaped Food!
One great way to get festive with football is to offer football shaped fun food. Here are a few creative ways to consume this American pastime.
Bake sugar cookies and cut them out in the shape of footballs and frost with brown frosting and white frosting for the stitching.
Empty a jar (or 2 or 3) of peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter spread) onto the center of a plate in the shape of a football. Completely coat with chocolate sprinkles and finish with a little white frosting for the stitching. Surround your football with pretzels for dipping!
Chocolate dipped football strawberries… so simple and easy! Dip strawberries in chocolate, let cool, then decorate strawberries with white frosting to depict the white stripes on the ends and stitching.
Feeling REALLY ambitious and want to tap into your inner architect? Design a football stadium with cold cuts!
Jimmy B’s Super Bowl Recipe Ideas
Homemade Mini Corn Dogs | Yield: 16 Pieces
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound of Your Favorite, Pre-cooked, Incased Meat (each sausage or hot dog cut into 4 mini pieces)
- ½ Cup Cornmeal
- ½ Cup Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely minced
- ¼ Cup Grated onion, very fine
- ¾ Cup Buttermilk
- ***Cornstarch for dredging
Process:
- Mix wet together
- Mix dry together (separately)
- Mix wet and dry together just until it comes together (it should be the same consistency as pancakes). Allow to rest for 10 minutes
- Dredge pre-cooked, encased sausage or hotdogs on sticks with cornstarch
- Dip in mixture – use a tall glass so the dogs get dipped all the way
- Fry at 375 degrees until browned, approx. 4 minutes
Artichoke and Crab Dip | Yield: for parties of 12
Ingredients:
- 1 Ounce Butter
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 3 Shallots, minced
- 1 #10 can Artichoke Hearts
- 2 ounces Olive Oil
- 4 Tablespoons Roasted Garlic Cloves, mashed
- ¾ Cups Mayonnaise
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 2 Ounces Worcestershire
- 1½ Cups Asiago Cheese, shredded
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Pound Lump Crabmeat (picked and cleaned)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
Process:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place one head of peeled garlic cloves on a cookie sheet (about 10 cloves), dress with olive oil and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Toss. Bake for 20 more minutes, until golden brown.
- Chop shallots & bell peppers.
- Saute shallots and peppers in 2 oz butter. Set aside to cool.
- Drain the cans of artichokes and finely chop 1 10 oz can.
- In a large mixing bowl combine second can of artichokes, roasted garlic oil, roasted garlic cloves-mashed, mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire, shredded Asiago cheese, lump crabmeat (picked and cleaned), black pepper, and salt.
- Once cooled, add shallots and peppers to all other ingredients and mix well.
- Chill before serving
- Serve with chips, crackers, toasted french bread, pita bread or chips, etc.
For more fun ideas on all things Super Bowl, check out:
http://www.celebrations.com/c/ultimate-super-bowl-party-guide