Super Bowl Sunday: Will You Be Cheering?

Well, it’s Super Bowl XLVI weekend! Are you getting geared up for the event? As a joke, someone sent me a Craigslist ad for a guy willing to shell out a few hundred bucks for lessons on football to impress his girlfriend; whether or not that was for real I can’t be sure, but I’m positive there are probably more than a handful of people studying up on positions and plays to blend in with diehard fans this Sunday.

So why would people pretend to like (or even LOVE) a sport that they could care less about during the other 364 days of the year? Well, I’m sure the reasons vary depending on who you ask, but my educated guess would be the excuse to PARTY. And everybody knows that no Super Bowl party would be complete without a serious spread of snacks, including staples like nachos, wings and beer. But if you want to stand out from the rest of the potluck crowd, Tostitos and salsa probably aren’t going to cut it. What to make, then?

Foodies agree it's pie vs. pie this Sunday! Photos courtesy The Kitchn.

If we’re approaching this from a regional perspective, it might be nice to pick your game day dish based on your team’s local favorites. I guess that means Giants fans could jazz up some pizza or hot dogs with unexpected ingredients, while Pats supporters could do a spin on classic fish and chips or mini lobster rolls. The Kitchn has plenty of ideas for a menu based on the regional rivalry theme, so check that out here.

Since I’m a recent Seattle transplant, I was thinking it could be interesting to combine flavors from New York City with those of the Pacific Northwest to create a fun dish. The one that sticks out most to me would have to be this recipe from Cayla’s Kitchen Sink for smoked salmon-bagel nachos; it sounds like a perfect Super Bowl snack to highlight favorites from my old home and my new one!

It's East meets Pacific Northwest! Photo courtesy Cayla's Kitchen Sink.

And no matter where you’re from, you’ve probably got a regional beer selection that’d be great served alongside the standard Super Bowl fare. The Pacific Northwest definitely has its fair share of brews, both of the alcoholic variety and the caffeinated one, so I’m sure we’ll be all set in the beverage department. In fact, I read this article from The Kitchn a while ago about Portland bartenders that’ve been crafting beer-based cocktails to spice things up. This trend seems to be spreading, so it could be an interesting idea if you’re bored of the run of the mill canned and bottle brewskies. Check out these game day ideas from Serious Eats if you think it might be up your alley!

A cool Michelada might go nicely with those spicy wings and nachos! Photo courtesy Serious Eats.

If you’ve got any ideas for some SUPER snacks, be sure to let us know in the comment section! And regardless of who you’re rooting for (if you’re rooting in the first place, that is) I hope you have a LOVELY Super Bowl weekend, even if it doesn’t involve nachos, football or beer. In other words, Happy Friday!