Go big or go home.
This Sunday it’s the big game, Super Bowl XLIX, and you’ll likely be entertaining friends and family at home. The hometown, defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks and those cheaters and owners of underinflated footballs, the Patriots, square off for all the marbles in Arizona.
That means it’s party time.
So how to feed that hungry horde of pigskin-loving fans? This is going to be tough on those dieting under New Year’s resolutions. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest calorie-fests of the year. Throw in the fact that the local team is in the game and you’ll definitely have a number of folks nervously eating more than usual.
So we’ve collected some of the best finger food recipes that can be made ahead of time.
Enjoy, and go Hawks!
Mini dinner roll burgers
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound ground pork
1 egg
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs to add to the meat, and 1 cup to roll in.
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoon lime juice
Salt to taste
3 cheese slices each cut into 4 squares
1 cup of pickled cucumbers
1 cup of sliced tomatoes
1 cup thin strips of red onion
1 cup of lettuce torn into small pieces
12 dinner rolls, split horizontally
In a large bowl, mix the meats, egg, fenugreek, cilantro, lime juice, chili garlic sauce, crumbs, pepper and salt, Mold them into 12 meatballs of equal size. You may make these a day ahead and chill them. When you are an hour away from serving it, flatten the meatballs to make patties. roll them in a plate or graham cracker crumbs. Place them in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
While the burgers grill, prepare the dressing.
As soon as they are done, place the cut up mini cheese slices on them. The patties are hot enough to melt the cheese.
Butter toast the top and bottom of dinner rolls. Assemble the bottom rolls with spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, and onions. Top it with cheesy meatballs. Cover it with the top half of the dinner rolls. Hold it all together with picks or mini skewers. Serve warm.
— Reshma Seetharam, Herald writer
Light and crunchy taco dip
2 cups chunky salsa, homemade or
1 cup guacamole
1 cup chile con queso (melted cheese and chili dip)
1 cup ranch dip
1 cup sev (crunchy Indian lentil vermicelli) or mixed cheese, grated
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 cup red onions, diced
1 cup cilantro finely chopped
6 plastic cups
A bag of tortilla chips
Spread a layer of chunky salsa as the base layer in the plastic cups. Top it with guacamole. Then a layer of con queso, and ranch. You can make these cups ahead of time and chill it a day before. Then an hour before serving, sprinkle a layer of crunchy sev or grated cheese. Follow that with tomatoes, onions and cilantro.
Top it off with a taco chip and place it in a platter filled with tacos.
— Reshma Seetharam, Herald writer
Football cake pops
1 box of your favorite cake mix
8 ounces of raspberry jam
Lollipop sticks or mini skewers
Sheet of waxed paper.
Styrofoam bed or sheet
2 pounds chocolate candy melts
1/2 cup of white chocolate candy melts
Bake the cake as the instructions say on the box. Cool it completely. You can just leave it in the baked pan. Crumble it with your bare hands (better still, give this to your little kids, they will enjoy it!) until it is in fine crumbs.
Add in the jam and mix well yet gently, kneading until you can roll it into a ball, and extending two opposite ends to resemble a football. If you think it is not moist, add some more milk. Place them on a plate, wrap a plastic wrap around it and let it chill in the fridge for an hour.
Now melt the chocolate candy melts in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until the liquid is warm and smooth, or use a double boiler in a hot water bath.
Run the lollipop sticks or mini skewers through on end and set it in nearly all the way.
Dip the cake end of the lollipop stick into the melted chocolate/candy and turn, to coat them evenly. Stick the coated pops on Styrofoam, do this to all the cake balls and let them set in a cool place.
Melt the white chocolate and and pour them into a plastic bag. Decorate the pops with white lines to resemble a football. Let it set.
— Reshma Seetharam, Herald writer
Deviled egg toasts with country ham bits
Half a baguette (8 to 9 ounces)
1 dozen large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch garlic powder
Hot sauce, to taste
Kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped crisped country ham, proscuitto or thick-cut bacon, to garnish
Want to get a jump on this? The toasts can be prepped up to a week ahead and stored in an airtight container. The egg mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead, then refrigerated. If refrigerated, let the egg mixture come to room temperature before piping.
Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Mist a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
To prepare the melba toasts, slice the baguette into thin rounds. Arrange the rounds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, then mist the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30, or until dried and crisp.
Meanwhile, to prepare the deviled egg topping, place the eggs in a large saucepan. Add enough cool water to cover by 2 inches. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, cover the pan, turn off the heat and let sit for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, drain the eggs and run under cold water until the eggs are cool to the touch. Let sit another 10 minutes.
Peel the eggs. You don’t need to worry about keeping the egg whites intact. Cut each egg in half lengthwise and remove the yolks. Set 4 whites aside on a platter and reserve the rest for another use. Place all 12 yolks and the 4 reserved whites in a food processor. Pulse several times to chop.
Add the mayonnaise, butter, mustard, lemon zest and juice, garlic powder and hot sauce. Pulse until smooth. Taste, then season with salt. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag or quart-size plastic bag. Snip off one corner of the bag, then squeeze to pipe some of the egg mixture onto each of the melba toasts. Top with pieces of country ham, prosciutto or bacon.
Start to finish: 1 hour (20 minutes active). Makes 8 servings.
— Elizabeth Karmel, Associated Press
Bean and beef burritos
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and ground black pepper
8 8-inch flour tortillas, room temperature
1 15-ounce can refried beans
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salsa, to serve
Guacamole, to serve
Be sure to let your tortillas warm to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. Cold tortillas will crack and split when you try to roll them. Alternatively, you can wrap them in foil and heat them in the oven for a few minutes, or until softened but not toasted.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and saute, breaking it up, until browned, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle in the chili powder, then stir well. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside off the heat.
One at a time, lay a tortilla flat on the counter. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the refried beans evenly over the entire surface of the tortilla. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the ground beef mixture in a line near the edge of the tortilla closest to you, then top that with about 1 tablespoon cheese.
To fold the burrito, start with the edge closest to you, lifting it and rolling it toward the center. Halfway into the roll, fold both sides toward the center and over the rolled bottom edge. Now continue rolling the bottom until the burrito is fully formed as a log. The refried beans should hold the burrito together. Place the burrito in the prepared pan, then repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the tops of the burritos, then bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Serve with salsa and guacamole on the side for dipping.
Start to finish: 30 minutes (15 minutes active). Makes 8 servings.
— J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press
Korean-style chicken wings
3 pounds chicken wings, split into drummettes and wings (tips discarded)
1 tablespoon baking powder
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
6 tablespoons gochujang (for a milder heat, use 3 to 4 tablespoons)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
6 cloves garlic, finely grated (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Gochujang is becoming increasingly common. You should have little trouble finding it in the Asian or international aisle of most larger grocers.
Chilled cucumber spears dressed with sesame oil and salt, to serve
Heat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then set a metal rack over it.
Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken wings. In a large bowl, toss the wings with the baking powder and a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken pieces in an even layer on the rack over the prepared pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until golden, turning the pan after 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a second large bowl, whisk together the gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Set aside.
Once the chicken wings have roasted, transfer them to the bowl with the sauce. Toss until well coated, then return them to the roasting rack. Increase the oven to broil and set the chicken on an oven shelve about 6 inches from the heat. Broil for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles and chars in places. Transfer to a serving platter, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and accompany with cucumber spears.
Start to finish: 1 hour (15 minutes active). Makes 4 servings.
— Aarti Sequeira, Associated Press
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