My Favorite Super Bowl Recipes!

I love Super Bowl Sunday! We always have everyone over to our house and I love the energy of the whole day. The food, the cheering, the commercials, the banter... oh yea, and the game!  

Skipping the pizza delivery and preparing some of your own Super Bowl snacks has it's benefits. You can save on calories and make generally more healthful dishes, AND with just a few easy steps, why not impress some of your friends with your spread!  

So whether you're looking for a simple recipe, a healthier option, something to impress your guests, or just some of the good 'ole classics, one of my favorites here might work for you! 

When I think about what I'm going to make for a party, I ask myself a few questions first... How much time do I have and how involved do I want to get with my preparation?  Do I want to go all-out indulgence or keep my menu on the lighter side?  Do I feel like really impressing my guests with some showy presentations or will it be more casual with an easy family style buffet?  From these questions I have come up with the following categories to consider with my Super Bowl Recipes, take your pick!: 

Slimmed-Down Snacks
Impress Your Friends
Get Down & Dirty
Easy Peasy 

BUFFALO CHICKEN MEATBALLS
Slimmed-Down Snacks

Buffalo Wings are a classic American staple of any Super Bowl party, but I LOVE to take the buffalo flavor and utilize it in other ways to shake things up and have some fun. These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are great because they give you the buffalo chicken that your guests are looking for without the fried greasy mess of the traditional wings. They are easy to make, easy to serve, and easy to eat!

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 lb lean ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce (divided into 1/3 cup & 1/2 cup)
• Serve with toothpicks, Blue Cheese or Ranch salad dressing and celery sticks 

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a large bowl, combine chicken, egg, bread crumbs, celery, and 1/3 cup Wing Sauce
• Shape into 1 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet
• Bake 20 - 25 minutes or unit cooked through
• Toss meatballs with remainder of wing sauce
• Serve with toothpicks, side of blue cheese or ranch dressing, and celery sticks for dipping! 
• Makes about 24 meatballs

(TRUFFLED) MINI MAC & CHEESE BITES
Impress Your Friends, Get Down & Dirty, Easy Peasy

Who doesn't love Mac & Cheese?!  One of the most classic yummy comfort foods just got a littttttle bit fancy!  This is a super easy way to take a favorite and make it into a party food.  You can decide to play around with a fancy mac & cheese recipe and make your own - or you can simply whip up a pre-packaged mac & cheese from the store and take it from there. (You can even get take out from your favorite restaurant and use THEIR fancy mac & cheese as your base!) In my book - adding truffle oil or truffle salt to just about anything makes it better, but if you don't like the flavor, skip it!  That's what makes this recipe so great, you can make it SUPER simple and totally look like a fancy chef!  

INGREDIENTS: 

• Your favorite Mac & Cheese Recipe (you can make this the day before) 
• OR pre-made Mac & Cheese from your favorite restaurant 
• OR store bought Mac & Cheese (I recommend skipping the neon orange kind and opting for a white version) 
• Grated Parmesan Cheese for topping
• Optional: Truffle Oil or Truffle Salt 
• Mini-Muffin Pans

DIRECTIONS: 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Spray mini muffin sheets with nonstick cooking spray
• Spoon Mac & Cheese into mini muffin trays, gently packing in to each cup
• Sprinkle Parmesan on top 
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden and sizzling
• If you want to add Truffle Oil or Truffle Salt, now is the time to drizzle or sprinkle it on top 
• Let cool before sliding out and transferring to serving platter 

TOMATO MOZZARELLA BASIL SKEWERS
Slimmed-Down Snacks, Impress Your Friends, Easy Peasy

You will find fried cheese sticks at many Super Bowl parties, but if you want to lighten it up and have a fresher, lighter option - these are perfect.  They are so simple to assemble and the end result is a beautiful and healthy treat to serve to friends and family.  These always leave you with compliments to the chef! 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 package grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 package of bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls) or cut op pieces of your favorite mozzarella
• 1 bundle of Basil, cleaned and pulled off stem 
• Olive Oil & Balsamic for drizzling and/or dipping 

DIRECTIONS:

• For a one-bite treat, cut your tomatoes in half so they can be like the outsides of a mozzarella sandwich
• Skewer one half of the tomato, one piece of mozzarella, one basil leaf (cut in half if it is too big) and then the other half of the tomato 
• Sprinkle with Salt & Pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic
• That's it! 

TURKEY CHILI WITH TOPPINGS BAR
Slimmed-Down Snacks, Impress Your Friends
If you want your guests to have a heartier meal rather than just finger foods, this is a great way to go while still leaving them with a nutritious, well-rounded dinner.  Swapping out lean turkey for the traditional fattier meats immediately takes this dish from sinful to sensible. You can make this ahead of time and warm it up the day-of, and making a festive topics bar makes everyone happy.  This really makes you look like the hostess with the mostess!
This is my personal Turkey Chili recipe - feel free to use whatever chili recipe you like!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 or 3 
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 packet of chili seasoning from the grocery store (I sometimes use half of a second packet)
• 1 can diced tomatoes 
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1/2 small can green chilies (I find these in the taco section of the market)
• 1 small can Corn
• Franks Red Hot Sauce to taste 

DIRECTIONS:

• Brown the meat, drain off fat, set aside
• In a large heavy pot drizzle a small amount of olive oil, add onions, garlic, celery, and carrots
• Add in meat and Chili seasoning packet
• Add tomatoes, beans, chilies & corn 
• Simmer for as long as you want adding hot sauce or more seasoning packet as needed
• If Chili get's too thick, add water in small amounts till thinned to your liking

TOPPINGS BAR SUGGESTIONS:

• Sour Cream
• Shredded Cheese
• Chopped Green Onion
• Jalepeños 
• Avocado 
• Corn
• Bacon Bits
• MY FAVORITE: Corn Bread Cubes (Or Mini Corn Muffins)

BUFFALO BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Impress Your Friends, Get Down & Dirty

OK, so these are "out of the box."  Another take on the classic buffalo flavor, but this time using the ever so trendy (and delicious) brussels sprouts.  I saw these on the menu at a little restaurant in Maine this winter and I immediately knew I had to try them.  They were delicious and I made it my mission to learn how to make them!  You can choose to batter these in a beer batter resulting in that "puffy" fried tried; you can try a lighter breading option using Panko bread crumbs; or you can throw them into the oil naked to get them super crispy - whichever way you choose, the outcome is delicious.  I know, I know, we're taking a perfectly good healthy vegetable and throwing it in oil... but hey, it is the Super Bowl, right?! 

Here are the recipes for all three:
Beer Battered Fried Brussels Sprouts
Panko Breaded Fried Buffalo Brussels Sprouts
Simply Fried Brussels Sprouts