12 Superbowl Snack Recipes

This year, I have no vested interest in the Superbowl, but I do really like the idea of relaxing for a few hours on a Sunday, watching commercials and eating snacks.  Really, how can you be opposed to any of that?

Since we haven't had TV for the past year (we still watch TV, don't worry), we haven't gotten to watch any football all season.  I almost forgot about the game entirely.  But then I saw the new Budweiser #BestBuds commercial and that got me excited!...And teary.

If you're not sure what to make this Sunday, I've got some suggestions for you!  These are the kind of suggestions that will make you happy even if your team is losing.

13 Holiday Sides, Appetizers, Desserts and Cocktails

I really don't like when people call Thanksgiving 'Turkey Day.'

Part of this is because I think we should just remember that we're supposed to be thankful tomorrow (and every day), but more importantly, it's really not about the turkey. 

It's about the pie.  And the sides.  And the cocktails.

If you're at a loss for what to bring to your in-laws' tomorrow...well, you're quite the procrastinator, but I applaud you for taking the 'it-will-all-work-out' mentality to heart!  Here are some last-minute sides, appetizer, cocktail and dessert ideas for you.*

And remember to have a happy Thanksgiving!

*Click on the pictures for the recipes.

1. Chestnut Mashed Potatoes

2. Sweet Potatoes au Gratin

3. Confetti Quinoa

4. Artichoke w/Lemon Rosemary Butter Sauce

5. Jalapeño Popper Dip

6. Baked Brie

7. Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

8. Apple Cider Moscow Mule

9. Cranberry Margaritas

10. Eggnog

11. Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

*Or try Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie or Sweet Potato Pie.

12. Cranberry Pecan Pie

13. Salted Caramel Apple Pie

*Or try Aunt Betsy's Apple Pie or Dutch Apple Pie.

Layered Taco Dip

Hey guys, guess what?!

I'm married!

That's a really weird thought.  After being someone's girlfriend for almost 10 years, 'wife' might be a hard word to get out for a while.

Austin and I have lived together for years already.  We literally graduated from college together...oh, and high school.  I'd say we know each other pretty well.

I've always wondered what it's like for people who get married so soon after meeting.  Or for people who don't live together first.  They probably have to figure everything out that first night or week or month.

I'm glad I don't have to do that right now.  The wedding was stressful enough :)

For example, I know that Austin hates olives and refried beans.  I also know that he's allergic to avocados.  So, I know that this app is not going to be his favorite.

Doesn't mean I can't make it anyway - so glad we're already past that stage of doing everything for each other ;)

Cucumber Fruit Salsa

For a few months this year, we lived with Austin's parents while I was looking for a permanent job.  And they were great.

No, really.  They were.

I'm not saying I'm not enjoying our own space, but as far as living with in-laws goes, it was probably the best possible scenario.

The point is, when we lived there, we ate a lot of chips and salsa.  A lot, a lot.

Austin's parents are big snackers.  I'm not saying all the time, but often, we'd all sit around a bowl of salsa and a bag of tortilla chips and that was dinner.

Even though I really like sitting down to a full meal, I miss the salsa dinner too.  There was literally no fuss.  Besides the one bowl, there was no cleanup.  No thought went into it.  There was no indecision when the questions started.

"What do you want for dinner?"  "I don't care what sounds good to you?"  None of that.

I know what I'm having for dinner tonight.

Caprese Picks

The first time I went to Europe, I ate a lot of caprese sandwiches.  Mostly because they're delicious and also because they're cheap.

We were traveling around for about a month and I needed to save my money for more important things than food.  Things like alcohol and Ritter Sport.  (I was 18 at the time, although I don't think my priorities have changed much.)

The nice thing about Europe though is that you can buy a very cheap caprese sandwich and it will still be on some of the best bread you've ever eaten.

And, I still like a caprese anything.  Caprese sandwich.  Caprese Salad.  Caprese on a toothpick.  It's all good.

Watermelon Baby Carriage

At this point you've all seen the 'Pinterest fails.' And, they're really funny, sure.

But they're also kind of sad.

Nothing upsets me more than spending a lot of time and energy on something and then having it look like a scary mess on the plate.  Not a hot mess.  A scary mess.

This watermelon baby carriage was a Pinterest find, but it actually worked!

If I'm being totally honest with you, I didn't actually make this.  My mom did.  But since my mom is a real person and not a Pinterest liar, I think you can still trust that it is doable.

Also, when you're hosting a baby shower, it's pretty much a must.  Every. Single. Guest will comment on it and say how amazing you are as a hostess.  Promise.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Shooters

Everything is cuter when you serve it in a shot glass.  Well, except for shots.  Shots are very rarely cute or at least the people taking them are very rarely cute.  (Contrary to what you think while you're taking them!)

But food in shot glasses?  Adorbs.

Pretty much every party, gathering, or event I've gone to, at least 3 people bring hummus with them.  Maybe that's just the crowd that I run with, but either way, it must mean that people like it.

What I don't like about hummus is that everyone reaches into the same bowl with their veggie sticks or pitas or whatever.  It takes about 6 seconds for that nice little swirl of hummus to be destroyed and then it looks completely unappetizing.

So, put a little dollop in a shot glass, drop your veggie sticks into it and problem solved!  Everyone gets to eat it and no one has to share or wonder which kid poked their finger into the bowl!

Fried Pickles

You know how your facebook feed seems to go through phases.  Like, at one point all your friends will be getting married; then, they get puppies; then, they have kids...and you get to see the whole process?

Well, I seem to be in the baby part of that timeline.  Everyone must think I want to know about their stomach's growth progress and their nicknames for their unborn children.  And before you say anything (Mom), I know that all I post about is Dingo and yes, I am a hypocrite and if I ever have kids, I'm sure I'll do all the things I'm annoyed by.

So anyway, as an apology for offending all of my facebook friends, here's some stereotypical pregnant woman cravings!  And even better, they're fried!  Still friends?  Great.

Jalapeño Popper Dip

You know what I like?

Instant gratification.

I like mixing up some ingredients, putting them in the oven, and then eating it.  There's very little waiting around.

In my 26 extremely wise years, I've learned that not everyone's as into this as I am.  Some people like to procrastinate.  Well, I don't know if they like to, but they do it anyway.  In some ways maybe that's a good thing.  You get to do what you want.  Now.  I just couldn't deal with the stress of putting things off though.

It's already stressing me out that I haven't done my taxes yet.  I got my W2s like 3 weeks ago now!

So, if you're like me, this recipe is for you.  Jalapeño popper dip won't leave you hanging.  You'll know exactly what's going on as it starts to heat up and brown in the oven.  The smell will tell you when it's getting close to being done.  You'll know the whole process from the very beginning all the way to the end.  And that whole 'process' only takes about 35 minutes.  Plus, in the end, you get the reward!

Superbowl Sunday Roundup

The Broncos are going to the Superbowl!  I'm convinced that my sister is rooting for the Seahawks just to be contrarian.  I guess that's good to have opposition in something like this though.

More importantly than who wins or what happens to Bruno Mars' shirt during the halftime show is what you eat.  There have to be lots of snacks that can be thrown into your mouth without looking away from the TV for more than 1/2 a second and there has to be lots of beer.  That's it.

Of course you could just go to the grocery store, pick up a jar of salsa and bust open a bag of chips, or you could make your own corn salsa.

It's also probably a good idea to have some warm food.  Nachos with big pieces of tri-tip - can't really go wrong with that.

Homemade onion dip is kind of a wow factor.  Kind of like how people don't know you can make your own whipped cream ;)

Whatever you do, enjoy the game and make sure you're rooting for the right team!  Go Broncos!
Click here for more ideas.

Onion Dip

When Austin and I were living in Boulder, we got to be Broncos fans.  You pretty much have to jump on the bandwagon if you live there.  It's all anyone talks about on Mondays and the only colors you see are orange and blue.  So, if you want to fit in or make friends at all, you better have something in common to talk about.

Whatever the reason, I'm excited they've made it this far in the playoffs and I don't want to jinx it, but I will be really excited if they make it to the Superbowl.

Most people I talk to watch the Superbowl just for the commercials.  Maybe for the halftime show.  I get that.  And, if I don't like either team playing, that's definitely the only reason I watch.  The main reason I like the Superbowl though is the parties.  And the main reason I like the parties is the food.

I really like onion dip.  Onion dip with some Ruffles can't really be topped.  And sure, I do the sour cream with soup mix stirred into it thing - I'm not above that by any means.  However, after making it from scratch without all the preservatives, I don't know if I'll be able to go back to Lipton.

Baked Brie

In case you didn't already know, there are cheeses that I like to consider 'grownup cheeses.'  Brie is a total grownup cheese.  It might as well be a whole different food group from American and string cheeses.  You never see kids requesting brie or Muenster or Gorgonzola.  Well, maybe you do, but I never ate it as a child.  To be honest, I never even ate it as a young adult, until recently.  Am I still a young adult?  Let's just say that I am.  Thanks, you're so nice!

Baked brie...that's really stepping it up.  That's pretty much full on adulthood. 

Every year we have a Christmas party at my parents' house on Christmas Eve and my sister's been bothering me about what should be on the menu.  This is all I've come up with so far.  It's festive, it looks fancier than it is, and it's easy.  Sounds like it's gong to make the list to me.

Corn Salsa

There is not enough time in the day.  Simple as that.  There are so many things that I want to get done in a day, and there are just not enough minutes.  It's pretty safe to assume that food is on high on my list, but even for me, dinner gets pushed aside fairly often.

If we're out late at all, dinner ends up being whatever we can find in the cabinets or fridge.  We eat it on the couch, get through maybe one tv show and then go to bed at 10:00.  (Yes, I'm only 25.)

I understand for some of you out there with families, it's not really an option to not feed your children, but if you're single (or empty-nesters), you should take advantage of the freedom.  Sit down with a bag of chips, a bowl of salsa, and a beer and make it 100% hassle free.

If you make this salsa ahead of time, you could have dinner for at least three days really.  Adjust the amount of chili powder to make it spicier if you want and if there is any good corn left where you're at, it's worth boiling the water and cutting the kernels off the cob.

Pea Shoot Crostini

Now that the nights are getting a little longer, slowing down is so much easier.  Right now, I'm loving sitting out on our deck with the string lights on and having long conversations with a lot of laughter.

I really like having people over to just relax and have some drinks, but it can be kind of stressful too.  There's nothing worse than having awkward lulls in the conversation or having the people leave sooner than you planned.  I find that food and drinks ease some of that discomfort quite nicely.  People need something to do with their hands and mouths, you know?  It's just human nature.

At the same time, you don't need any more to worry about, so your food and cocktails should be pretty effortless.  Food that you don't need silverware for is always a good idea.

Sometimes our snacks turn into dinner and that's ok too.  It's really all about keeping it mellow, enjoyable, and easy.  I'm planning on taking advantage of the rest of these cool summer nights for as long as possible.  You in?