Chef Up Your Snacks With These Easy Super Bowl Recipes

IT’S TIME FOR THE FOOTBALLING!!! I was going to write this post about NFL Probes and how they connect to foot fungus and helmet-related wall dings, but then I remembered I don’t watch football. (I do play in an ultra-violent abandoned subway tunnel league, but that’s not important right now. Back off.)

In truth, I’ll just be there for the snacks, drinks, and commercials. Let’s talk about how to step up YOUR Super Bowl Snack Game:

PopPop’s Cheesy Pita Bobs

This total winner of a recipe is from my dad. I couldn’t decide between calling them “Colonel Cheesies” or “PopPops!” where I yell “POP POP” and gesticulate wildly at the oven while they bake. Pretty sure “PopPops!” is the way to go.

This recipe makes about 100, so feel free to cut in half. They are full of creamy, tangy, oniony deliciousness. People will like you for bringing them, which is good because you could use the ratings boost.

Ingredients

• 1 pt mayonnaise
• 1 lb Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finally chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• Garlic powder, to taste
• 2 9oz pkgs of pita bread

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except pita bread.
2. Split and cut pita bread into triangles.
3. Spread cheese mixture on pita bread and broil until cheese melts and gets bubbly and golden.
4. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top.
5. Call them “Salads”

The mixture refrigerates nicely for 7 days if you made too much. It’s also a great topping for homemade pizza.

Chorizo in a Blanket/Cerdos en Mantas

Step up your piggies in blankets. Pick up a pack of store-bought puff pastry. DuFour is my favorite brand, but it’s a little pricey. Pepperidge Farm makes perfectly respectable puff pastry, too.

Ingredients

• 1 package frozen puff pastry thawed
• 8 oz chorizo (pre-cooked variety)
• Fancy Mustard (Honeycup is super yummy)

Directions

Roll the puff pastry twice as thin on a floured surface and cut 2-inch x 4-inch strips and slather on some grainy mustard. Roll those puppies up and bake at 400 til they poof and turn a golden brown (about 15 minutes). Better too brown than too light. Too light means they are still raw in the center. See, Puff Pastry is made out of multiple layers of dough and butter. As it bakes, the water in the butter evaporates and the steam causes the layers to expand. When the butter melts into the dough, it leaves behind a flakey layer. Science is delicious!

Mix a few tablespoons of the mustard you used with an equal amount of honey to serve on the side.

Candied Bacon

Yes, I am suggesting you put out a few pint glasses with artfully displayed candied bacon. C’mon! The Super Bowl only comes twice a year, right? Right? This is a fun recipe to put your own spin on. Like syrup? Well then by golly halve the sugar and replace it with maple syrup and baste it onto the bacon. Want it to be more Bloody Mary friendly? Add 1/4 Cup of rice wine vinegar and some cranks of fresh black pepper to it and baste away.

Ingredients

• 1 lb bacon
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Mix together everything but the bacon.
3. Dredge the bacon slices through the sugar mixture. Feel free to pat it on any bald spots.
4. Lay the bacon slices out flat on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet with a lip around the edge. You don’t want your bacon grease dripping off the edge or for the bacon to be resting in it. For easier clean up, line the cookie sheet with foil.
5. Bake until crispy. Depending on the thickness of your bacon, that can take 10 to 30 minutes.

Teriyaki Drumettes

Step up those slimy chicken wings by making meatier and easier to eat Teriyaki drumettes. This recipe from Beyond Kimchee is beyond awesome!

Pizza

Yes, it’s expected — but you can still really wow your guests by making your own. It’s ridiculously easy and super cheap. Make a couple and experiment with ingredients you already have. How about Mushrooms and Swiss Cheese sprinkled with herbes de provence? Or pull apart a rotisserie chicken, douse the pieces with Frank’s red hot and bake with bleu cheese dressing and mozzarella. It’s good to have a classic on hand too.

Ingredients for dough

• 4 Cups Bread Flour (you can use all-purpose but it will be chewier)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 packet instant yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 Cups warm (not hot!) water
• 2 Tbl canola oil

Directions for dough

1. You can do this recipe by hand, in a stand mixer or even in a cuisinart.
2. Combine everything in a bowl and mix until the dough forms a ball. If it’s very wet, add another tablespoon or two of flour. If the dough is too dry and has left flour crumbs on the bottom, add water a tablespoon at a time.
3. Place in an oiled bowl covered with a towel or plastic wrap in a warm area until it’s doubled in size (about an hour).
4. After an hour, punch down the dough and cut it into two balls. Allow it to rest another 20 minutes before using or keep them in the fridge wrapped up overnight. The dough is good for about 2 days. Then the yeast starts to die off and get funky. If you want to freeze it, double the yeast and cross your fingers.

Ingredients for simple tomato sauce

• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 Tbl dried oregano
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Combine in a bowl and use right away, no need to cook it ahead of time.

Directions for making Pizzas

1. Pizzas cook SUPER HOT! If you can get your hands on a pizza stone, get one! They conduct heat very well and bake your pizza evenly. You’ll want to crank up your oven as high as it goes (around 550 is great) and have the stone in there as it preheats. If you don’t have a stone, leave a cookie sheet in to preheat. Grilling? You can put the dough on the grill and top it there for amazing charred crust.
2. Dredge your dough in flour to make it manageable and form into a circle-like shape on your counter top. Start by smashing down any bubbles and pressing it into a round shape — or square, it’s your pizza. Next, gently lift it onto the back of your knuckles and lightly pull it apart to make a larger pizza. If you make a hole, just pinch it back together. Place on a cardboard or underside of a cookie sheet with a generous amount of corn meal or flour underneath — this is so it slides into the oven without dumping your ingredients on the bottom. Spread your sauce and place your ingredients evenly up until about 1/2″ from the edge. Slide into the oven and in about 8 to 15 minutes, you should have a beautiful bubbly pizza. Try not to burn the roof of your mouth shoving it in your face.
3. If you are nervous about your pizza not sliding easily into the oven, you can form it on a parchment sheet and leave it on there to bake. Just trim the parchment so as little as possible is exposed. The paper will brown and get crinkly, but shouldn’t catch fire. It’s also okay to form and top the pizza on a cookie sheet and put the whole thing in the oven. It’s just a bit crispier when it’s directly on the stone.

Have a great Super Bowl!