Super Bowl Sunday has became an unofficial national holiday. It’s a day of fun featuring football, friends, and of course, food. So while you and your guests have a spirited debated over whether Brady or Eli will be walking away with the title this year, why not do it over some great dishes made especially for the occasion? These six appetizers won’t distract from the action on the field, but they will keep the crowd energized to celebrate that game changing clutch play or comfort that frustrated fan after a heart wrenching turnover. Win or lose, every party-goer will at least be satisfied from your fiery food. Enjoy!

Chipotle Mayonnaise

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 Asian Hot Wings

There quite possibly could be a federal law that states no citizen is allowed to watch NFL games without having hot wings present. Just in case you’re afraid you might be in violation of this statute, make sure to spice up your party with this eastern inspired hot wing recipe.

Ingrediants:

Wings

• 3/4 cup sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or other Asian chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 stick cold butter cut into pieces
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 1/2 pounds of chicken wings (about 12 pieces), cut in half with wing tips cut off

Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 scallions cut into thin slices
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber

Directions:

Wings

1. Add vegetable oil to 12-inch skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°.
2. Salt and pepper wings and add to skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
3. Drain wings on paper towels.
4. In a saucepan, bring sriracha and vinegar to boil. Whisk in cold butter gradually.
5. Add cooked wings to saucepan and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Dipping Sauce

1. Mix ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

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Hot Spinach Dip

Dip and chips is a standard party appetizer, but you can’t just accept ordinary for the biggest event on the sport’s calendar. So save that typical dip for the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and break out this Worcestershire and Tabisco flavored spinach dip for your football fanatics.

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium.
3. Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Add spinach in two additions, letting the first batch wilt before adding the next; cook until completely wilted, 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Transfer spinach to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid.
6. In the same pot, warm milk over high heat.
7. Whisk in cream cheese until melted, about 3 minutes.
8. Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and 1/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
10. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
11. Serve hot with accompaniments, as desired.

Sloppy Joe Pizza

One of the great joys of watching football is the way it takes you back to those carefree days of playing two-hand touch in the street or the excitement of those Friday night high school games against your crosstown rival. Why not let the food being served help you reminisce as well? This take on the sloppy joe vs the pizza pie combines two childhood favorites into one great dish.

Ingredients:

• pizza dough for 1 pizza, homemade or purchased
• Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon spicy mustard or Creole mustard
• 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning, or a seasoned salt blend
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Topping:
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, or a Cheddar and Monterey Jack Blend

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with onion and celery in the oil, breaking up the ground beef into small pieces. Cook, stirring, until beef is well browned and onions are lightly browned.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Creole seasoning, chili powder, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Fit pizza dough into a 12 to 14-inch pizza pan.
4. Spread ground beef mixture over the pizza evenly.
5. Top with sliced onion and shredded cheeses.
6. Bake at 400°. for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is browned and cheeses and topping are bubbly and melted.

Super Bowl Potato Skins

Your local sports bar appertizers list wouldn’t seem complete without potato skins, and neither will your party. Add this hearty finger food to your party platter and as the Giants and Pats fight over control of the pigskin, your guests will fight over the last potato skin.

Ingredients:

• 6 med sized baking potatoes
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 strips of bacon
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 green onions

Directions:

1. Rub potatoes with olive oil and bake in a 400 degrees oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 15 minutes, or until crisp.
3. Drain on paper towels. Crumble.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool
5. Cut potatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the insides leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.
6. Increase the heat of the oven to 450 degrees. Brush canola oil all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt.
7. Place skins on a baking rack in a roasting pan. Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
8. Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
9. Remove from oven. Place skins on a serving plate.
10. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.

Cumin Chili

If you’re heading to Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI, you may want to stop by local treasure, Nick’s Chili Parlor for their “not-yet-world-famous” 5 way chili. If you’re not so lucky and plan to watch it on the tube with friends like the rest of us, the next best thing is a nice pot of homemade chili. Help your guests shake the winter cold with this cumin chili made perfect to eat with crackers or tortilla chips.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1  onion, chopped
• 1  green bell pepper, chopped
• 3  cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pound ground beef
• 3 1/3 cup canned whole tomatoes with their juice (one 28-ounce can), broken up
• 2  tablespoon tomato paste
• 1  tablespoon ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 1/3 cup drained and rinsed canned pinto or kidney beans (one 15-ounce can)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to moderate. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper and bring to a simmer.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
6.  Add the beans and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender and the chili thickened, about 5 minutes longer.
7. Variation: Add one ten-ounce package of frozen corn, thawed, to the chili along with the beans.