Potluck Parties: Superbowl Sunday

Posted by on Saturday Feb 6th, 2010 | Print

baked pasta, a game changer

EVENT: Super Bowl Sunday
VENUE: Adam’s Parents’ Apartment, Upper East Side
PARTY SIZE: 20-25
TYPE: Casual Buffet
MENU: Shirley’s Cannelloni; Guacamole and Chips; Honey Mustard Chicken Strips; Bowls of Candy; Brownies

The Super Bowl is one of my favorite eating events of the year. I’m not sure why, since you’d think the football-watching part would kind of balance things out to result in a pretty mediocre day for me. But the prospect of wings and dip and pizza in alternating bites always gets me pretty excited.

Two Super Bowls ago, just weeks after moving into my new apartment, I got food poisoning and spent the day watching Lost episodes on my computer and trying not to think about food. It was miserable. Last year, to make up for all the calories not gained the year before, I went crazy. Luckily, I had the perfect venue at which to do so. My friend Adam, who also functions as my full-time quarter-life camp counselor, had us over to his parents’ apartment for the festivities. The Nelson Family Super Bowl Party has apparently been a tradition since 1972, but it wasn’t until 2009 that the event was opened to members of the female gender.

Still, the most revered figure in the family’s Super Bowl traditions is Adam’s mother, Shirley, whose cannelloni alone made me wish I could watch football everyday at the Nelsons’. While it’s not necessarily what you should eat every day, Shirley’s baked pasta is everything you could want while watching football and so much more: cheesy, creamy, fatty, and filling. Last year, I filled up a little too early on guacamole, but this year, I’ll know better. I’m saving myself for the cannelloni.

From my kitchen, where I’m cheering for Peyton and pasta, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipes**

If you aren’t lucky enough to be adopted by someone else’s mother, here are a few recipe ideas to feed the kids at your table:


1st Quarter
Guacamole
Mexican Dip
Onion Dip
Panko-Crusted Spinach Dip
Spicy Chipotle Hummus


2nd Quarter
Black Bean Cakes
Pigs in a Blanket
Cilantro Succotash Quesadillas
Mini Meatball Subs


3rd Quarter
Autumn Brisket & Pumpkin Chili
Smoky Chipotle Vegetarian Chili
Chicken-Chard Enchiladas
Butternut Squash Nacho Casserole
Man Burgers
Mexican Shepherd’s Pie
Mustardy Turkey Meatloaf
Macaroni and Cheese
Penne Gratin with Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms
Meghan’s Turkey Lasagna
Cilantro Slaw


4th Quarter

M&M Blondies
Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Bark with Pretzels and Toffee
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  • Kelly and Molly

    This makes the superbowl sound not just tolerable, but fun for those of us whose loyalties lie with other sports!

  • Frankie

    Can we have Shirley's canneloni recipe sometime?

  • Chef Aimee

    That is SOME amazing tailgating menu! Those black bean cakes sound delicious…and the desserts are divine.

  • Vanessa @ Peace, Joy, Style

    Although I'm not a football fan (I'm a baseball fan!), I will say that the recipe for penne gratin looks fabulous. I'm saving it to use at a later date!

    - Vanessa

  • Christine

    I made the Mexican dip for my Superbowl party and it was delicious! I also threw in some leftover taco meat and refried black beans and they added some spice and texture to the dip. Yum!

  • Andrew Curtis

    the spread was outstanding!
    i think an attempt at the crazy crab pasta would make an even better post.

  • shayma

    that baked pasta looks stupendous. shall try the chipotle hummus- i know my syrian and lebanese friends will be thumbing their nose at it, but hey, fusion is good, right? x shayma