Super Bowl 2013
But I do love the Super Bowl. It’s a time for family to come together, to enjoy some commercials and to eat.
So when I was asked to handle the food for this years’ shindig, I jumped at the chance (I’m including a list of the recipes I made at the bottom of this post.
I didn’t see all of the ads, but what I did see was a little underwhelming. I was not immune to Budweiser’s Clydesdale ad this year (who is), and that was definitely the best ad of the night. I also enjoyed Samsung’s spot with Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen (though it felt like it should have been two shorter spots instead of one long one). I also liked the Bud Light spot with Zoe Saldana and Stevie Wonder, the Tide spot with the Joe Montana stain (a playful nod towards the teams playing), and JELL-O’s post game commercial. GoDaddy was revolting as usual (I’m so sick of the ugly nerdy boy being played for laughs).
Now, the music. I thought Alicia Keys’ national anthem was lovely. Simple, straight forward, but still very powerful. (And always great to have a singer who is also a musician, too) The choir from Sandy Hook were very good, and managed to steal Jennifer Hudson’s thunder (though she was very good).
And Beyonce? Damn that woman puts on an amazing show. She did not stop moving, and she looked amazing. While I think the Destiny’s Child reunion was one of the worst kept secrets, it was still great to see them together, even if the sound wasn’t very balanced during Single Ladies.
I’ll go on record saying that this was the best halftime show in a LONG time. Madonna’s last year was boring, and the less said about The Black-Eyed Peas, the better.
What was your favorite ad? Your favorite SuperBowl treat? And how did you survive the great Blackout?
Now, the food:
Hot Corn Dip – From Ezra Pound Cake. While I couldn’t eat this (I meant to sub in sheep milk cheeses, but couldn’t find what I wanted), it got rave reviews, and couldn’t be simpler to make. I put it together in the morning and refrigerated it, then just popped it into the oven.
Mushroom Spread – my own recipe – w/ french bread Someday I’ll share the recipe. I watched the video I shot and man… I need a camera person and better lighting. But I promise, I will share it.
Soft Pretzel Bites – From Annie’s Eats. This was my first time making soft pretzels, and was a little panicked since a lot of people tweeted at me that their pretzels failed. But these turned out beautifully. They are a little labor intensive, but they were great.
Trader Sam’s fried green beans w/ sriracha mayo sauce. TheBoy is a fan of green beans and we loved this dish at Trader Sam’s (the tiki bar over at the Disneyland Hotel). I got to try out my new dredging trays from Williams-Sonoma… and these were yummy. They’re not overly spicy (the dipping sauce only used 1 tsp of sriracha – so if you like heat, adjust accordingly), but they’re very flavorful.
My rule of thumb for any party is to keep it simple. Try to plan for recipes that you can make ahead and heat. You want to hang out, and not in the kitchen. (The pretzels were a lot of work, but admittedly, I wasn’t all that interested in the game- so being in the kitchen wasn’t a big loss for me!)