HAPPY SUPER BOWL WEEKEND! We’re so excited in our family. We watch football all fall. When it’s Monday night and football is in the background of dinner, my daughter rolls her eyes and says “football again?” But she still knows the players and teams, so it’s not like she hates it as much as she pretends. It started with my youngest’s obsession with football as a baby and has grown into a full blown preoccupation.

Super Bowl is literally the biggest thing at our house. Once it is over, my youngest sinks into a small depression when football ends and start watching reruns of games from the season. Then there’s combine, the draft, and the preseason. Do don’t worry about him too much. He’s already started setting up his mock draft for this off season.

For the kids cocktails this year I’ve been making fizzy lemonade. They love it. It’s just sparkling water that I stir in powdered lemonade. That’s what they’ll be drinking this Sunday. But it reminded me of beergaritas - also known as the Lemonade Shandy.

Lemonade Shandies are one of my favorite things to mix up when you host a party for a football game. They are boozy but not so boozy that you can’t keep up with the whole game (and the ads). Clearly we aren’t hosting parties this year thanks to the Covid which has literally ended all fun social interactions. I still left the ratios for the ingredients as punch bowl sized. I don’t recommend you drink the whole thing yourself. Think of it as ratios that you can adjust.

SUPER BOWL SHANDY

36 ounce corona beer

2 cups vodka

52 ounces lemonade

In a pitcher or a punch bowl, combine all of the ingredients and serve with a wedge of lemon.

SUPERBOWL! In our house it’s literally waiting for the Super Bowl. We are a big football family. It started with college ball. That’s my personal favorite. I started watching Husky football games as a child because my cousin played for them. I had a purple and yellow stripe outfit that I wore to cheer on the team every week. It was hot. It was a sleeveless turtleneck number with matching stretch pants. Welcome to 1988.

Then when my youngest was born, he became obsessed with football. Like as a one year old he watched games and cried when football season was over. He’d watch ‘talk about football’ in the off season (that’s Sportscenter). Nine years later, he’s more obsessed than anyone I’ve ever met. He knows every player and where they’ve gone to college and their stats. He’s ridiculous.

So we spend every weekend watching football games, playing fantasy football, and talking about who’s been traded. SuperBowl is literally the biggest thing in our house.

We’ve been talking about what we are going to eat for Super Bowl for at least a month now. Planning the food has been a paramount decision. Two weeks ago for playoff games we tested out WingStop to make sure they would be up to the task. I usually make my own wings but Jud had seen ads for WingStop and it became mandatory to see if they lived up to the hype. We’re planning a bucket of those to go along with the healthier options like this popcorn. And queso because it’s queso and there is no Super Bowl without queso.

RANCH POPCORN

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter

2 tbs parmesan cheese

1 package powdered ranch dressing

1 tsp dried chives

1 tsp paprkia

STEP 1

In a pan or a stovetop popcorn popper, pour in olive oil and popcorn kernels. Shake the pan while cooking over high heat for 5-8 minutes until the popcorn stops popping. Let rest for one minute.

STEP 2

In a small bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients except the cheese.

STEP 3

Stir the butter into the hot popcorn to coat evenly. Then pour the seasoning on top and mix well. Add the cheese after all of the kernels are coated with ranch seasoning. Serve warm.

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Are you hosting a Super Bowl party this year?  It's such a fun excuse to have a party.  The struggle of course, is that it's an all day type thing.  You start at kick off, claim your spot on the couch, and it lasts until well after the awards ceremony.  

Here's how I'm making Super Bowl super this year.

Shop the party

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I was with a friend of mine talking about the Super Bowl party last month and she said "You have to have bacon at the party."  As soon as she said it, I said "What about bacon brownies?" You would not believe the look of disgust on her face.  

But I could imagine it.  Salty, sweet, creamy, rich, perfect.  A caramel topping with extra bacon on top seemed like the perfect way to finish it off.  Can you imagine a better dessert?  Especially for a big group?  

Bacon Brownies

makes 12

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare the brownies according to package instructions.  Crumbled three strips of bacon into the batter.

STEP 2

In a saucepan, melt butter.  When butter is melted add brown sugar and 2 tbs heavy cream.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  

STEP 3

Let the brown sugar mixture bubble for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.  Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let rest 30 minutes.

STEP 4

Remove the brownies from then oven when they are done and let cool.

STEP 5

Add the whisk attachment to the stand mixer and blend in powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.  You may not need all of the sugar.  If it's too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream.

STEP 6

Spread frosting over cooled brownies and crumble remaining bacon on top.

1 box brownie mix

6 strips cooked bacon

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

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Over on Weeknight Society, I regularly post a recipe so I can share what I'm cooking on the app with people who can't download the app (Android).  When I'm finally willing to pop for the Android build (it's almost $20,000!) I may not post as often, but I like to be able to offer all of the people my recipes.  

This week I'm going on Q13 FOX News with my fun ideas for a fabulous Super Bowl party.  This salad is the centerpiece of the party - well, the chicken strips on top are the centerpiece.  The lettuce is like the greenery around the roses.  It also makes this feel a lot healthier than a big pile of chicken wings (which are my very favorite thing in the whole world).  I also baked these chicken strips adding another level of healthiness that traditional wings just don't have.  There is a bit of butter on these chicken strips so they aren't "health food" by any means.  Just slightly better than the greasy fried version at the bar.

Speaking of the greasy fried wings, where are your favorite wings?  I'm on a mission to eat them everywhere. Currently, our neighborhood dive bar has my favorite.  They serve them naked, but with a side of Franks for dipping + the blue cheese.  I'm getting hungry writing this, so I probably can't tell you about the ones I had last month that were rolled in a blue cheese dust before frying.  They were awesome.  A hint of blue cheese flavor without even dipping them.

BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD

Seves 4

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 375

Toss all tenders in milk then bread in panko.  Bake 20 minutes until cooked through. (30 mins)

STEP 2

Combine dressing ingredients and set aside. 

STEP 3

Remove tenders from the oven.  Melt together franks and butter in a small sauce pan.  Dip each tender through the hot sauce. 

STEP 4

Toss lettuce, celery, tomatoes and dressing.  Top with blue cheese crumbles, buffalo chicken, and dressing.

1 lb chicken tenders

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

1 cup franks wing sauce

¼ cup butter

1 head butter lettuce

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2  cup blue cheese crumbles

1 cup blue cheese

1 cup greek yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 clove grated garlic

salt and pepper

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Totally perfect for Super Bowl!  And if you are also allergic to shrimp, try steak bites instead!

Seahawks Hat

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Green Stripe Paper Straws

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Sur la Table Punch Bowl