As we move through the holiday season one more big event is fast approaching; Super Bowl XLVII! For most football fans this is an even bigger holiday than Christmas and New Years combined! With the Super bowl also comes Super Bowl parties, and while it can be easy to just order a few pizzas this is a great opportunity to show off your party hosting skills! With a little ingenuity you can have the best Super Bowl party of the year! Dress up the chips and dip! Don’t settle for a stale bag of tortilla chips and store bought salsa. To make store bought chips taste homemade place them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with lime juice and salt. Toast them in the oven for five minutes on 350°F. Next put down the jar of salsa and make a quick and easy seven layer dip instead. In a casserole dish layer refried beans, browned ground beef, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and olives. Serve with your “homemade” chips and impress your guests!

Super Bowl parties are a great time for finger foods so don’t spend too much time making an elaborate dinner. After all you need to get out of the kitchen in time to watch the game! One of my favorite filling appetizers are sweet and spicy meatballs. Thaw a bag of frozen precooked cocktail meatballs and place in a slow cooker along with one jar of grape jelly and a bottle of chili sauce. Turn the slow cooker on low for 2 hours and they are ready to serve once your guests arrive! Another easy thing to dress up is popcorn. Mix together ¼ cups of sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon chili powder Take a bag of microwave popcorn and drizzle with 4 tablespoons melted butter and toss with the sugar mixture. Have a few bowls of this around the room to satisfy everyone’s munchies during the game.

As great as appetizers are sometimes you do need something a little more filling if you plan to settle in for a long day of football. Pigs in a blanket are usually a favorite of everyone since childhood and are quick and easy to make. Start with a package of crescent roll doll and wrap each triangle of dough around a cocktail sausage and slice of cheese. Bake according to the packages directions or until dough is golden brown and cheese is melted. To dress these up a little bit serve with homemade honey mustard. Simply mix ¼ cup yellow mustard with 2 tablespoons of clove honey. There is no reason to spend all day slaving in the kitchen to create homemade appetizers your guests will love! As long as there is plenty of beer and food your guests will be thrilled and this will be a nice change from the years of cold greasy pizza. Best of all these appetizers can all be made before your guests get there so you can sit back and enjoy the game! Just make sure to make extras in case things go into overtime!