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Super Bowl Celebrations

by John Torsiello

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the goalpost, so you know what that means. No, not just football, silly. Food, and lots of it.

While there are those among us who actually are excited about watching the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons play for all the marbles this Sunday, many more of us are just as jacked up to, well, put some Jack on a cracker and snap open a cold one with friends and family.

Listen, this isn’t a day to practice healthy eating. While you may want to have some celery to go with the wings or a veggie platter for vegans who may drop by for the big game, you must have the good old standbys available for the huddled (get it?) masses who hover around your flat screen.

Most football fans like to keep it pretty straightforward. Lay out buffalo wings of various flavors and levels of spiciness, a few foot-long subs cut into hand-sized sammies, chips and dip, various cheeses and some chili and you can’t go wrong.

If you want to notch it up a bit and impress your friends, maybe throw a few steaks on the barbecue, grill up some burgers and hot dogs or even cook up a pork shoulder, smother it with sauce and cut it up for pulled pork sandwiches. See what I mean about forgetting the calorie count for the day.

Remember, your guests aren’t going to want to sit down to a formal meal. Once the game starts, it’s all about eyes on the television screen, so the food you put out has must be prepared, presented and devoured with little fanfare and effort.

Make certain you have enough refreshments on board for everyone, especially those who don’t drink alcohol. I prefer making the Super Bowl party a BYOB (most guests will bring beer or wine unasked anyway), so everyone has what they like to drink at their disposal. It is a good idea to have some beer, wine and liquor on hand at your house just in case some of your friends “forget” to bring their beverages.

I recommend not kicking off the party too early. The game doesn’t start until almost 6:30PM so, beginning at, say, noon, means half your guests might not make it to the opening kickoff, especially if they like to have a few to loosen up. Starting your football fest around 4PM keeps everyone fresh and excited for the real reason you are all together; the Super Bowl, and, of course, to watch the commercials and Lady Gaga’s halftime performance.

Apparel is also key to a well-appointed Super Bowl party. You really shouldn’t have to tell your guests to dress in the colors of their favorite team, even if those teams aren’t playing in t

It’s cool to spice up the interior of your home with team pennants and flags and maybe a few football helmets (full of nachos). And make sure your food accessories, i.e. plastic plates, cups, napkins, bowls, a tablecloth have a football theme to them. Little touches like these really add to the enjoyment and mood of the day.

And whatever you do, make sure your guests don’t over indulge and drive. Ideally, there will be more than enough designated drivers in the crowd to keep everybody safe. A gracious host will always offer to drive home someone who has a little too much to drink. Don’t ruin a great time by doing something foolish on the way home.

Go Pats’?

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