By Cayla Destefani

Super Bowl season is upon us! Some people are planning to host big parties, while others plan to party hop. But no matter whether the plan for Sunday is to host, hop, or simply stay home, there is one thing that is always necessary, and that is food. Everyone needs the classic appetizers, so here are some recipes ranging from simple to complex to prepare. Also, some fun desserts can bring spirit into any Super Bowl party, so I added some delicious and festive treats that can be shared with all.

Appetizers

Advanced prep:
Home-made soft pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe.html

 

Buffalo Wings

Ingredients

• 12 whole chicken wings (about 3 pounds)
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• Kosher salt

Directions

Place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic. Pour this along with the hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown for Food Network Magazine

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/alton-browns-buffalo-wings-recipe.html

 

Quesadillas

Ingredients

• 2 ripe Haas avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• A couple pinches salt
• 1/4 cup sour cream, 3 rounded tablespoonfuls
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, available in cans on specialty food aisle in Mexican section
• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage, sliced thin on an angle
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
• 1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin and crushed
• 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed, ask for easy-peels at fish counter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (12- inch) flour tortillas
• 1/2 pound, 2 cups, shredded pepper Jack cheese

Directions

Cut avocados all the way around with a sharp knife. Scoop out the pit, then spoon avocado flesh away from skin into a food processor. Add the juice of 1 lime, a couple of pinches salt, sour cream and chipotles in adobo. Pulse guacamole until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Brown chorizo 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from pan. Add oil, garlic, then shrimp. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and cook shrimp until pink, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a cutting board and coarsely chop.

Add a drizzle of oil to the pan and a large tortilla. Cook tortilla 30 seconds, then turn. Cover 1/2 of the tortilla with a couple of handfuls of cheese. Arrange a layer of chorizo and shrimp over the cheese and fold tortilla over. Press down gently with a spatula and cook tortilla a minute or so on each side to melt cheese and crisp. Remove quesadilla to large cutting board and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 5 wedges and transfer to plates with your spatula. Top wedges of quesadillas with liberal amounts of smoky guacamole.

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chorizo-and-shrimp-quesadillas-with-smoky-guacamole-recipe.html

 

 

Simple Prep:

Eight-Layer-Chicken-Chili Dip

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and stems
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled cornbread
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• One 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups shredded yellow Cheddar
• Tortilla or corn chips for dipping

Directions

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add half of the onion and the garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and just begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, until the oil is brick red, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and stir until just warmed through, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice and zest in a small bowl. Toss together the corn and pepper in another small bowl.

Layer the dip in a medium, straight-sided 3-quart glass trifle bowl or your favorite serving dish. Spread the cornbread on the bottom, then top, in even layers, with the tomatoes, beans, cheese, cilantro-lime sour cream, chicken chili, the remaining chopped onions and the corn-pepper mixture.

Wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve with chips for dipping.

Copyright 2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

From Food Network Kitchens

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/eight-layer-chicken-chili-dip.html

 

Pizza Pockets

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces Italian turkey sausage
• 1 cup tightly-packed arugula (about 1 ounce)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (13.5-ounce) package of store-bought pizza crust (recommended: Pillsbury)
• All-purpose flour, for rolling out pizza dough
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized, heavy skillet. Add the sausage and cook until crumbled and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the arugula and cook until wilted. Turn off the heat and let cool about 10 minutes. Add the cream cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to a thin 20 by 12-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise. The cut each half into 8 equal rectangles.

Spoon topping onto 1 side of each of the rectangles. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the rectangle with egg wash. Close the rectangle of pizza dough over the topping. Use a fork to seal and crimp the edges. Place the pizza pockets onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each pizza pocket with egg wash. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce over low heat in a medium saucepan. Serve the hot pizza pockets with the marinara sauce alongside for dipping.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pizza-pockets-recipe.html

 

Desserts

Advanced Prep:

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 16 fluid ounces Hershey’s chocolate syrup
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• For the ganache:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and coffee granules and mix until just combined. Don’t overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don’t overbake! Let cool thoroughly in the muffin pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache. Do not refrigerate.

2008, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-ganache-cupcakes-recipe2.html

 

S’more-Pizza

Ingredients

• 2 1 -pound store-bought pizza-dough balls
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed (about 1 1/4 cups crumbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 4 -ounce dark chocolate bars, broken into 1/4-inch chunks

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Form the pizza dough into two 12-to-14-inch rounds, 1/4 inch thick. Bake, preferably on a pizza stone or pizza pan, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Leave the oven at 400 degrees F.

While the pizza crust is baking, toast the almonds in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the almonds to a plate to cool.

Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the graham cracker crumbs, chili powder, cayenne and salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the crumbs are well coated. Remove from the heat and set aside.

For each pizza, top the crust with half of the marshmallows and scatter half of the chocolate over the marshmallows. Return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, until the marshmallows are puffed and lightly browned. Sprinkle the pizza with half of the graham cracker mixture and top with half of the almonds. Let rest 3 to 4 minutes, slice and serve. Repeat to make the second pizza.

Photograph by Yunhee Kim

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri for Food Network Magazine

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/smore-pizza-recipe.html

 

Missouri Mud-Pie

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 9 chocolate graham crackers (1 sleeve)
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• For the filling:
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• For the topping:
• 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
• Chocolate sauce, for drizzling (optional)

Directions

Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pulse the graham crackers and pecans in a food processor until finely ground. Add the melted butter and process until moistened. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chocolate crumb mixture for topping, then press the rest into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until set, about 10 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat, then stir in the flour and salt until smooth. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup, coffee liqueur and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake until set and cracked on top (like a brownie), about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly, about 2 hours (the pie should still be slightly warm).

Make the whipped cream: Beat the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla with a mixer until soft peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream, pecans and reserved chocolate crumb mixture. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Photograph by Kat Teutsch

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/mississippi-mud-pie-recipe.html

 

Simple prep:

Football Cocoa Crispy Treats

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• One 10-ounce bag mini marshmallows
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• 6 cups cocoa-flavored crispy rice cereal
• About 12 vanilla- or chocolate-flavored candy chews, such as Tootsie Rolls

Directions

Coat a wooden spoon and 1/3-cup dry measuring cup with cooking spray. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and coat lightly with cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows, honey, vanilla and a pinch of salt, and stir with the prepared wooden spoon until the marshmallows have completely melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cereal and stir until the mixture is fully combined.

Use the prepared measuring cup to scoop out the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in mounds. Let them cool for a few seconds to make them easier to work with. Spray your hands with cooking spray, and firmly press and pat each mound into a football shape. Let the treats sit at room temperature to harden slightly, about 20 minutes.

Cut the candy chews lengthwise into quarters. Roll the pieces into thin ropes and cut into short and long lengths to make laces. Arrange the candy on top of each football, pressing in to help them adhere. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Copyright 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

From Food Network Kitchen

Full recipe can be found at…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/kids-can-make-football-cocoa-crispy-rice-treats.html