Super Bowl 2014: Broncos v Seahawks
It’s game time! Bronco and Seahawks fans are sure to be huddling around the TV and firing up their grills come rain or snow! Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just exciting for football fans, it’s also exciting for music fans (who doesn’t love Bruno Mars!). It’s also a perfect excuse to stray from your New Year’s resolution by snacking on yummy bites all day long.
If you have been selected to be the hostess with the mostess this year, don’t feel pressured to go crazy with the décor. The real highlights as a Super Bowl hostess are the food and beverage. Grab a couple inflatable footballs to set around, throw a few team colored coordinated pom poms in a vase as a centerpiece and decorate your entrance with Broncos and Seahawks balloons to get all of your guests in the spirit as they arrive. If you have kids coming, grab a football shaped piñata and let them have their own halftime entertainment!
When preparing your menu, think about what dishes are popular in Denver or Seattle, like:
Denver’s famous green chile (not to worry, it is a slight green color so will not get mistaken for a Seahawks chile) is easy to prepare ahead of time. Here is a recipe from a Denver restaurant:
Ingredients
- 25 fresh Anaheim green chiles or 5 4.5 ounce cans green chiles
- 3 sticks butter or margarine, plus more for sauteing pork
- 3 pounds pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 large white onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 3/4 teaspoons dry mustard powder
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 6 large tomatoes, diced
- 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 3 fresh jalapenos, diced (optional)
- 1 cup flour
Directions
- If roasting your own chiles: Preheat an outdoor grill to high. Place the Anaheims (or Hatch chiles if desired) on the grill and cook, turning so they grill evenly, until the skins blacken and blister. Remove from grill and place in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and let the chiles steam 5-10 minutes. Remove the blistered skin, stems and seeds and chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
- Heat some butter in a large pot and add the cubed pork. Cook about 15 minutes, then add the onions and spices. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. When the pork has cooked through, add the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, green chiles and the optional jalapenos. Stir occasionally.
- After 5 minutes, add 8 cups water. Bring to a low boil. Stir occasionally. Increase the heat and bring the chili to a rolling boil. In a separate pan, melt the butter or margarine and whisk in the flour, stirring until creamy. This is your roux.
- Slowly add the roux to the chili, stirring constantly, and shut off the heat. Continue to stir so that the roux is evenly distributed. (Roux amount can be adjusted for desired consistency.)
- Let stand 5 minutes and serve in a bowl or as a smothering sauce for eggs, burritos, etc.
To represent Seattle in the kitchen, pick up some fresh fish for the grill or make homemade fish and chips. Oysters are also a great Seattle signature! For a fun side dish serve “Golden Tate(r) Tots”. Be sure to have signage for these so your guests know this is a clever play on Seattle Seahawks starting wide receiver, Golden Tate. Check out this basic recipe for Golden Tate(r) Tots.
Georgia is not the only place known for their peaches. Colorado’s Western Slopes are also famous for their peaches. Even your Seahawk fans won’t be able to resist these mini peach pies a la mode! To highlight more of your team spirit and further satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth, create a candy station using the two team colors. Since they both share the color blue, throw blue candy into the mix.
Create a popcorn bar for snacking— set out bowls of different flavored popcorn: caramel, cheddar, kettle…as well as a few unique flavors like jalapeño cheddar and chipotle jack.
Of course, what is the Super Bowl without beer?!?! Consider having smaller coolers around verses in one location so guests can easily grab a refill. To satisfy your non-beer fans, have a specialty bar with sport themed mixers: red bull, Gatorade and cranberry.
Lastly, keep the competition going, by having your guests fill out a bingo card for “Commercial Bingo” before the game starts. Each guest fills in their card with the brand or commercial type they think they will see throughout the game, i.e. Nike, movies, Doritos, etc. The first guest to fill their card wins a prize!
