Previously on Ladies…

We made it. Four weeks of pre-season. (Five if you count the Hall of Fame game.) 17 weeks of the regular season. Four weeks of play offs.

Now, it has become fashionable to consider the Super Bowl almost down-right irrelevant. Too much hype. Too much of a spectacle. Too much Ryan Seacrest. For sports tourists.

Bullshit is what I say.

If this game did not matter, it would not hurt that my team is not in it. If this game did not matter then why have I been sucked in to watching pretty much every rerun on the NFL Network the last two weeks of previous playoffs and Super Bowls. If this game did not matter, then why did we all bother to watch the last 26 weeks of play?

Being a football fan and not caring about the last game of the season would be like watching Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi and stopping the film when Han and Leia are captured on Endor, the Rebel fleet is trapped, and Luke has yet to confront Darth Vader.

It is leaving Woodstock before Jimi Hendrix plays.

Why do I bring this up? 1) I believe the spectacle of pro-football week after week is what makes it special. 2) You don’t have to be over-exposed to the hype if you don’t want to be. It is not that hard to avoid sports coverage if you choose to do so. 3) I really have no good way of wrapping up the Football Foodie for the season, and when I am tired am prone to hyperbole.

So how about a Friday Football Foodie retrospective for the best of the best. Sure fire hits if your a fan, a fanatic, or just a tourist.

9 Layer Ranchero Dip

This is my favorite football food of all time. I’ve made it for more Super Bowls than I can count for parties large and small. Heck, I made it one year just for my boyfriend-at-the-time Tom, my pal Britcher, and myself. The Super Bowl without a layered dip is like Thanksgiving without a turkey. (Note to self – lay off the similes.)

Pizza Loaf

Why anyone orders pizza on Super Bowl Sunday is beyond me. Delivery is unreliable and odds are you’re not going to get the best pizza on their busiest day of the year. A pizza loaf is easy enough to prepare ahead of time to throw in the oven for when you want it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

New to my roster this year, and probably my favorite new addition. Makes a enough for a dozen or so people, or for five people to just stuff themselves silly. Easier to make (and eat) than hot wings. No bones to deal with. I last made it for the Giants-Pats Week 17 Game when TSB and I had company over for the game. Debating if I should make it for the Super Bowl because the Giants almost won that game, so it could be a good luck dip, or if I should not make it because ultimately, the Giants did lose. Kind of torn between superstition and a really good dip.

Mexican Pinwheels

Easy make ahead snack for the game. Simple, people like them, and there is little mess. A low-risk Super Bowl option. The middle linebacker of snacks.

Pudding Shots

You’re going to need something desert-ish. At least one thing sweet to offset the savory. Clare’s Pudding Shots are incredibly easy to make and perfect for a party. I’ve made them myself, and god are they good. (Especially if you add even more whipped cream on top of them.)

Strip and Go Naked

Andrea’s Strip and Go Naked drinks are the perfect fit to a long day of football. Booze with more booze. Amen.

Dave’s Hot Beef Dip

This is when I wish I had room for fifty guests at my place. Then I could justify serving four different heavy dips.

Cuban Sandwiches

There is always someone at a Super Bowl party that feels out of place, because yes, they are not the biggest football fan. Put that person in charge or working the grill making Cuban sandwiches. You don’t miss any of the game, and they feel useful and more importantly, wanted.

Cheese Straws

Holly’s spicy Cheese Straws. A great bready, cheesy, hot mess to help absorb some of the extra tequila you sipped while making Strip and Go Nakeds.

Muffuletta

Meat, meat, meat, meat, cheese, meat, roasted peppers, meat, meat, meat.

Meat.

GordonShumway’s muffuletta… how do I say this without sounding completely dirty.

GordonShumway’s muffuletta, easy to prep, easy to wrap up ahead of time, and easy to stuff yourself silly. Yes, we all want GordonShumway’s muffuletta this Super Bowl weekend. I hear that GordonShumway’s muffuletta keeps nicely for leftovers the next day.

(Note – Sorry. So sorry.)

Everything you needed to know about taquitos.

Too busy to get anything ready for Sunday? Box of taquitos, some salsa and some sour cream is probably the easiest option that looks like you made an effort.

Precious Roy’s Gumbo

On the other hand, if you have the time, Gumbo is great for a big crowd that’s going to be sticking around for at least four or five hours.

Veggie Dip, Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Sneak in a couple of healthier options in addition to everything else you’ve got planned for Sunday. Who knows, after your fifth brat and your ninth piece of Pizza Loaf, you might want something lighter in your tummy.

The Best Damn Artichoke and Spinach Dip Ever

Bar none.

Thanks to everyone who emailed me during the season about the Friday Football Foodie series. Back in July when I came up with this idea, someone said I’d never make it to the end of the year without burning out on the concept. I almost didn’t, but despite ups and downs, bruises and cuts, the extra five pounds on and then the extra five pounds off, I made it through to the end.

Which means none of us are tourists when it comes to Super Bowl entertaining.

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0 Responses to Friday Football Foodie – Super Bowl Spread

  1. Minda says:

    Congratulations on finishing the FFF season. I might just have to bookmark this entry for reference every time I want to host anything at all in the future. P.S. This post is making me terribly hungry, thanks a damn lot.

  2. I am making all of this for Sunday. I’m not even kidding.

    It will be served as an offering to my muffuletta.

  3. Bullet! Bullet! Bullet! says:

    Definitely doing the pudding shots now that I see this. Wife is already making her own recipes of spinach/artichoke and buffalo dip.

    Apps:
    -Spinach/Artichoke Dip
    -Buffalo Chicken Dip
    -Guac & Chips
    -Bacon Wrapped Scallops

    Main:
    -Half Italian/Half American 3-ft sub
    -Marinated Flank Steak
    -Hoisin Marinated Chicken Thighs

    Dessert:
    -Pudding Shots

  4. MrsDobie says:

    Buffalo Chicken Dip has become a staple in my game day planning. Is it really supposed to feed that many people?? (I’ve been eating waaaaaaaaay too much then….)

  5. Please come watch the game at my house.

  6. Dobie says:

    Oddly enough, if you watch The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, and stop the film just before Amadala gives birth and names the twins right in front of us, thereby ruining all three of the following films when kids today wanna see it for the first time in chronological order, you get the exact same feeling as caring about the Super Bowl!

  7. Moonshine Mike says:

    I try to ignore the fact that my team is not in the game.

    however, if I ate your dip, my FUPA would be growing weiss-like.

    I should send you my pepperoni roll recipe which is quite different in its homerism.

  8. Peter Cavan says:

    I’m making the Buffalo Chicken Dip this Sunday. I wanted to do Pizza Loaf too, but with hot dogs, Cincinnati chili, and beans on the menu we don’t need another starchy cheesy thing. We’re making cole slaw instead.

    Is it OK if I make any of these for college basketball? I’m going to need something to do with my free time with no football.

  9. I made the pizza loaf, the chicken dip, and the artichoke dip this season.

    My scale still hates me, but my gym membership loves my guilt.

  10. Mrs Dobie – Depends. It can feed that many people, but usually doesn’t. (I too also eat too much of it.)

    MM – Please send recipe.

    PC – College basketball is like the chips and Lipton Onion Soup Dip of sports. Decent enough, cheap, easy, and ultimately forgettable.

  11. IJustMadeThatUp says:

    I was happy to be a participant in having eaten or helped in the construction of all of these dishes. (And when I say “helped” I am of course referring to how I would sometimes attempt to photograph TSW while she cooked, only to cause a myriad of shadows and blurry, unusable photos for the FFF, and then I would be ushered out of the kitchen and asked to reorganize the magazines, where I could do no harm to the Buffalo Chicken Dip.)

    Farewell FFF. Though, I hope this doesn’t bring an end to my beloved pizza loaves around the TSW/TSB/IJMTU household.

  12. metsgrrl says:

    for the record, EVERYBODY left Woodstock before Hendrix played. The promoters warned his agent that being the last act of a three day concert was not the headlining spot, but Jimi wouldn’t hear of it.

    If you ever saw the movie, they had to very very carefully shoot around the fact that he was playing in front of an empty field filled with garbage. There were very few people left.

    not to be a bitch or anything. but rock and roll history is one of those things i am completely OCD about.

  13. Metsgrrl – I know (I own the movie) which is my point exactly.

    If everyone leaves football early – which seems to be the hip thing to do these days, to say that the conference championships are the real show and the Super Bowl is for looky-loos – you are leaving before one the greatest acts of all time.

  14. Tuffy says:

    I liked Bravo’s version better.

  15. Nicole says:

    I can’t believe I missed this the first time around, but I’ve never EVER seen a muffuletta that didn’t have olive salad on it.

    Muffuletta’s are HUGE in New Orleans, and I’m always surprised to see them somewhere else. I always learned they were born there.

    Strange

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffuletta

  16. […] Your Super Bowl Party: A recap of all the food made for this NFL season at Ladies.  I’d like another pizza roll […]

  17. Yostal says:

    Ladies…

    If there were a Nobel Prize for Blogging, the Pizza Loaf would put you on the shortlist.

    Great work!

  18. DougOLis says:

    I’m in favor with any column that connects football to Star Wars.

    Seeing Holly’s Cheese Straws again brings back bad memories. But that’s my own dumbass fault.

    I think I made about half the stuff and it was all excellent. Thanks for the tips Ladies (and IJMTU).

  19. […] the blog Ladies… features several good Super Bowl Sunday recipes for the non-Dutch oven owning […]

  20. […] Sports Gastronomy: A Recipe for the Heartbroken NFL Fan Today in Tuffy History: I show that I really know how to whore myself out to search engines by casually dropping phrases like “Brillat-Savarin”, “field of gastronomy”, and “fondue recipe”. I have no shame and neither should you. (Thanks to the inspiration for my piece.) […]

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