I really don't watch sports. That being said it has become a yearly tradition for me to watch the Super Bowl with my husband. Over the past nine years we've developed our traditions so we both have something we enjoy about the day. I enjoy cooking and eating good food. My husband enjoys eating and watching the game and screaming at the TV.
Since my health hasn't been the greatest, I did take some easy routes in cooking by picking super simple recipes. In past years we'd go all out cooking BBQ ribs or steak with asparagus in cheese sauce or really big complex meals. This year we just did simple finger foods. I made spinach dip (my own recipe here), salsa (5 minute salsa recipe here, pigs in a blanket, and spaghetti. My husband made buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks. Some of our guests brought brownies and garlic bread and wine.
My Recipe For Spinach Dip
This is my favorite spinach dip I worked hard to master. We love spinach dip from a restaurant called Cheddars. I spent a really long time trying to make a copycat recipe for it and it's now a permanent part of Super Bowls in our family. It's super easy to make. You just melt a bunch of cheeses, spices, and cream together and mix with spinach. This time I put it in a baking dish, topped it with mozzarella, and baked it then I put some extra sour cream on the top.
5 Minute Salsa
I've never made salsa from scratch before and this is my first attempt. It's a food I'd like to find a perfect recipe for because chips and salsa is a nice snack. I feel like our local Mexican restaurant changed their formula or doesn't make theirs in house anymore because the taste isn't great. This recipe for 5 minute salsa took me 30 minutes with my toddler running around my feet but it was a good start to finding a recipe we like. It had an interesting effect where you felt the spice hit your tongue and you thought it would burn but it didn't. I don't like spicy things so that was a really nice sensation it gave.
Pigs in a Blanket
Take some cocktail weenies, wrap them in Pillsbury croissant dough, and bake until fluffy and brown...can't get much easier than than. I enjoy making a big batch of pigs in a blanket to snack on. They're good cold so I grab a few to snack on throughout the day. They're best when fresh because the croissant dough is so fluffy.
Spaghetti and Buffalo Wings
Spaghetti with meat sauce is my favorite food. I haven't had it since November because I've been sick and I just haven't felt like cooking. Now that I've had antibiotics and am feeling better my appetite is back. I really wanted spaghetti so I made it mainly for me. My husband loves Buffalo wings so he made those for him. He basically deep fried chicken wings plain so the skin gets crispy then he dips them in a cup of sauce as he eats them one by one.
Vicki kept me company while cooking and begged for chicken
Watching the game...
Yeah...it was a really boring game. My husband hates the Patriots but he really didn't yell much. It was a low scoring game and not much excitement happened for a long time. There wasn't much for my husband to yell at. He's so entertaining when he gets mad and yells at the TV. Our toddler was really cute and playful so I enjoyed playing with her on the floor off and on while the game went on. The food was goo and we enjoyed our guests company.
Eventually when the Patriots were going to win a Patriot loving guest did lots of screaming in celebration. That was pretty funny to watch. I was glad when the game was over. I was exhausted from all the activity of the day and ready to go to bed.
My husband and I joked that it was nice to be alive for another Super Bowl. It doesn't matter if we enjoy the game or not. It's just nice to have one more year where we could be alive together watching the game as a family.
