Easy Super Bowl Appetizer Menu

Even though Marcia hates sports, she never passes up a chance to have all the Brady's over for Super Bowl Sunday. Greg and Bobby fly in every year to bond with Marcia and watch the big game. Marcia does a barbecue theme every year. Her caterer brings over heaps of pulled pork, coleslaw, beans, and all the fixin's. And poor Jan is sick to death of her tired old theme.

So, she planned a bit of a coup by combining a promotion party for Philip (he finally has tenure) with Super Bowl Sunday. She completely beat Marcia to the punch by mailing out Save the Date cards in October. Sure, it will be hard to squeeze 54 people into her 1,800 sf house, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Besides, Super Bowl Sunday is all about the food. You want easy, delicious, junky snacks that people can really dig into. Nothing complicated. And, of course, you need bags and bags of chips and dip. And buckets and buckets of beer. And diet soda for people like Marcia who only drink at their own parties.

HOWEVER, because the game last for f-n ever, you want to serve a couple main appetizers at different times. That's okay. Because we'd rather be getting drunk in the kitchen cooking that sitting on the couch for six hours. Here is a very focused menu consisting of four yummy appetizers and a quick make-ahead dessert. Two of the appetizers are served alone (Macho Nachos during first quarter, Stromboli at half-time) and the others (cheese mold, wienies) are out with chips when people arrive

Don't worry about making twelve appetizers. Have chips, pretzels, and peanuts all around the house for people to snack on. And make enough of the following to feed all of your guests. Give yourself a break and use high-quality paper plates and napkins. These are perfect for the occasion and sinfully good. If you are just celebrating at home with your family or a small group of people, just make the Macho Nachos. A meal in itself. And we've made some notations on how to make the recipe even easier.

The Marcia's will be sure to give you lots of back-handed compliments. Or use Marcia's famous line whenever Jan tops her:

"Oh, no thanks. I already ate."
Sure you did, biotch. Sure you did. Poor Jan.

Macho Nachos
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

1 can refried beans
1 large bag white corn tortilla chips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup shredded pepper jack (we use extra sharp cheddar)
1 jalapeno, sliced crosswise, plus extra for garnish (we used 1 small can diced jalapenos)
1 can chili, or your favorite chili recipe (you can also substitute taco meat for this)
1 cup shredded Cheddar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup green onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced (you can also substitute salsa for this)
Have all the prepped ingredients easily accessible to assemble nachos.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan over low heat, cook refried beans until they are loose enough to spoon onto nachos. On a large ovenproof platter (we use a foil-lined cookie pan), spread out a layer of tortilla chips and spread hot refried beans across, getting some on each chip. Working quickly, sprinkle with some onions, jack cheese, and jalapeno slices. Spoon on chili and top that with Cheddar. Repeat this layering process until ingredients are used up. Save some of the jalapeno slices for garnish. Place platter/pan in the oven and bake until cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a trivet or heatproof surface. Top nachos with sour cream, green onions, diced tomato and jalapeno slices and serve hot. P.S. You can easily heat these up in the microwave later in the night.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies
1 pound sliced bacon, cut into thirds
1 14 ounce package beef cocktail wieners
3/4 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Refrigerate 2/3 of the bacon until needed (it is easier to wrap the wieners with cold bacon). Wrap each cocktail wiener with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over all. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the sugar is bubbly. To serve, line them up like soldiers and cover with foil to keep warm. Serve hot.

Marcia's Famous Cheese Mold
Jan hesitated before using this. But if she didn't, she'd hear about it. This delectable dish needs to be at every party you ever have. It is THAT good. You can also use a theme-shaped mold to dress it up. Just put saran in the mold, scoop in mix, chill, and release. Marcia used a wreath shaped mold for Xmas.

1 bag of sharp cheddar cheese grated (2 cups)
6 strips of bacon (crispy) crumbled (pre-cooked is fine, pop in the microwave for 25 seconds)\

1/2 cup toasted almonds
Dash of Cheyenne pepper
4 green onions, chopped
Approx. 3/4 cup of mayo - not light but the REAL THING (note: you may need a little more or less. Just mix the ingredients until it is the right consistency...not to dry but not too sloppy)

Mix all ingredients together. Serve on your favorite crackers. YOU MUST SERVE THIS WITH A SIDE OF STRAWBERRY JAM. Sounds gross but it makes the dish! Flavors taste so good together.


Jen's Quick Stromboli
1 can pizza crust (Pillsbury)
1/4 cup pizza sauce of your choice (or spaghetti sauce)
1/2 lb. pepperoni or thinly sliced deli style ham
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped green peppers, optional
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Olive oil
Sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll dough; place on greased cookie sheet. Press dough into 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Spread sauce on dough to within 2 inches of long sides and 1/2 inch of short sides. Top with ham, cheese, peppers and Italian seasoning. Fold long sides of dough over filling; pinch to seal. Also pinch short sides to seal. Sprinkle with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before cutting into 1-2 inch slices. Serves six.

Chocolate Mint Brownies
Courtesy of reader Heather--a holiday favorite typically served with green frosting. But change the color to make it work for other occasions.

BEAT TOGETHER:

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar

ADD:
4 eggs, one at a time
1 can chocolate syrup

MIX IN
1 c. flour
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

BAKE @ 350 for 25-30 min.

MINT FROSTING (Beat together until creamy)
1 c. butter, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
add food coloring (use color of your favorite team)
peppermint extract, to taste
*Spread frosting on cooled brownies

GLAZE
6 TBS. Crisco shortening
12 oz. chocolate chips
Melt together and drizzle over top