The biggest obstacle for many Super Bowl shindigs is how to best tackle the menu. Ideal dishes need to be finger-friendly, universally appealing and well suited to feeding hungry groups. Here are six vital tips for sidelining game day stress, as well as a sumptuous all-American recipe guaranteed to be the MVP of your party planning playbook:
Game Plan Greatness: Plan ahead and prepare as much of the food as possible before the blitzing begins, so you don’t have to miss any of the pre-game fun shut-out in the kitchen.
Supe-up Team Spirit: Use colorful team jerseys, posters and pennants to create a festive field of decorations. Build a little friendly rivalry by decorating one side of the room for each team, or line table tops with green turf in place of coasters and table clothes.
Stock Your Roster With Reserves: Game day parties bring hungry crowds, so when planning for food quantities, think big to avoid a grocery store rush at fourth quarter. In addition to your starting line-up of dishes, you may also want to consider preparing items that you don’t bring out until half-time.
Avoid Penalties, Safety First: Make sure to offer a variety of “mocktails” (non-alcoholic beverages) for kids and designated drivers.
Be Replay Ready: Set up your digital video recorder (DVR) the night before the Big Game so you can be sure to capture close calls and commercials for a second look or laugh.
Simplify the Sideline Set-up: To save time and money, choose shareable favorites like pitchers and punches (rather than complicated cocktails) and bowl dips and finger foods like this hearty Cheeseburger Bowl Dip, provided courtesy of King’s Hawaiian Bakery:
r
Cheeseburger Bowl Dip
rMakes 8-10 servings
2 16-ounce loaves King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Bread
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
24 ounces American processed cheese
7 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup peeled cooked tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/3 cup hamburger dill slices, chopped
Thousand Island salad dressing
Carve out center core of bread within two inches of bottom and sides, keeping bread intact.
Cut reserved bread and other loaf into 1-inch cubes for dipping.
Cook ground beef, season with seasoning salt and pepper to taste.
Cut American cheese into chunks and add to cooked beef and stir until melted.
Add crumbled bacon and diced tomatoes, stir to mix well.
Spoon warm mixture into carved bread bowl.
Top with red onion and pickles (to taste).
Drizzle with Thousand Island dressing (if desired).
Options:
• Ground turkey can be substituted for ground beef.
• Bowl dip mixture can be spooned onto King’s Hawaiian rolls for a group meal alternative.
