Posted by Jim 2.0 | tagged: show, Super Bowl, FiOS, TV, games

Of course, the two most essential items to making this year's Super Bowl party the best ever are:

1) A high-def TV with Surround Sound, like our 2.0 Families have
2) FiOS TV service

(Duh.)

But even if you're lacking one or both of the above, you can still have a pretty swell time on Sunday. Here are a few tips, a last minute shopping checklist, and one of my personal favorite recipes, to make your Super Bowl party the rockin'-est gathering of people and Roman numerals since...well, ancient Rome!

STEP 1: Cook ahead of time

Of course, the easiest noshing plan would be to pick up pre-made wings, pizza or party subs just before the game, or have them delivered. But if you're the type who loves to put out a homemade spread, try to get as much prep work done as you can, several hours (or even a day) beforehand, so you're not still scrambling around the kitchen when the kickoff comes.

If you're doing the snacks yourself, consider making a deli platter, rather than individual sandwiches or a big party sub -- that way you can lay out your meats and cheeses all pretty-like the day before, wrap the platter in plastic wrap, and you won't get your bread all soggy. Plus, guests then have more choices for the type of sandwich they want.

Pasta, potato or other cold salads are good day-before options, as are casserole-style dishes you can keep in the fridge and just pop in the oven when you want them, like my ridiculously easy artichoke dip (recipe below.)

Don't worry too much about adding gourmet flourishes, though -- spicy Thai peanut noodle salad is great and all, but on such a quintessentially American day as Super Bowl Sunday, most people welcome the tried-and-true basics, as long as there are plenty of 'em.

STEP 2: Keep the party supplies near the TV

Even if you have a DVR, you don't want to miss the play of the century happening live because you've got your head in the fridge. Stock a cooler with ice and canned drinks, and keep it close to the action. Make the food buffet-style and save the formal dining room for Thanksgiving.

Be sure to keep the garbage/recycling bin near the main TV area as well, and let people know where it is. Guests will be less likely to leave paper plates, cups and napkins lying around -- and possibly staining your furniture -- and you'll have less to tidy up after the game.

STEP 3: Be prepared for overindulgers

Since the festivities seem to start earlier and earlier each year -- I think this year's pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-game show is around 4am -- it's quite possible that some of your guests may have over-partied by the end of the evening. Be sure to have plenty of fresh, cold water in your cooler, and have water and coffee already in your machine, ready to brew. Look up the phone number of your local taxi service before the party and have it handy, perhaps written large on your refrigerator's dry-erase board.

All those salty, spicy, greasy (and let's face it -- delicious) snacks can be a source of overindulgence as well, so have some antacid tablets and breath mints on hand, too.

Then there's also the excitement of the game itself, which can lead to some overly enthusiastic -- and sometimes accidentally food-flinging -- victory dances. Have some stain remover spray on hand, as well as a full container (or 2) of regular, iodized table salt. If someone spills a drink on the carpet, immediately cover the stain with a thick layer of salt. (It will probably take most of the container of salt or more, depending on the size of the spill.) Leave it alone for several hours -- the salt will soak up the liquid, then you can sweep the salt into a dust pan.

Before kickoff is probably a good time to move your great grandma's prized ceramic poodle to another room, too. And some inflatable mini-footballs or foam "bricks" are good for throwing around, so people can take out their frustration on that blind ref without smashing the plasma TV you spent your kid's college fund on.

STEP 4: Be prepared for underindulgers

Here's a shocking fact: not everyone loves football. Even more shocking, one or more of these people might be at your Super Bowl party! Be ready for guests who may not be sports nuts by having a second room available for chatting and hanging out, away from all the ruckus.

If people are bringing children over, have another room set up for them, too, with another TV, board games, video games or other safe, fun activities. If you have FiOS, you can sign up for Games on Demand and pick from hundreds of family-friendly video games on the spot, with a free two-week trial period.

If you want your non-football-loving guests to get into the game and feel like part of the action, though, you can set up a side game to keep them interested. Pick up some fun, goofy door prize, and before the game, have everyone list several "firsts" that can happen -- first touchdown, first fumble, first penalty flag, etc. -- and which team will do that particular first. The person with the most correct guesses at the end of the game wins the prize. Any novice can play, since there are only two teams to pick from, and they just might learn about the game to boot!

STEP 5: Have fun!

It may sound head-thumpingly obvious, but when you're trying to be a gracious host, it can be very easy to get caught up in all the cooking, serving and cleaning, and forget the #1 reason you're having the party in the first place. Try to get as much done before the big day as you can (see Tip #1) so you can relax and enjoy the game with your friends. I'm sure they'd much rather have you hanging out and getting in the spirit than frantically trying to crank out another batch of fancy lobster puffs in the other room. So make up your mind that once the kickoff happens, you're ditching the kitchen and chilling out -- and stick to that plan. As long as there's something for people to munch on, it's a great Super Bowl party -- the food usually takes a back seat to the game itself anyway, so don't knock yourself out.

SUPER BOWL PARTY CHECKLIST:
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__Cooler
__Canned/bottled beverages
__Water
__Ice
__Coffee
__Deli meats/cheeses
__Sandwich toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles)
__Condiments (mayo, mustard, salad dressing)
__Bread/rolls
__Crackers
__Chips
__Dips (onion, ranch, salsa, cheese, spinach or artichoke)
__Veggie sticks
__Nuts, candy, or other non-chip snacks
__Plates (if paper, be sure they're strong enough to not stain laps)
__Napkins and/or paper towels
__Utensils, personal
__Utensils, larger, for serving
__Cups
__Trivets or towels (for putting hot dishes on table)
__Garbage bags
__Bottle opener (if needed)
__Stain remover
__Table salt (for putting on carpet stains)
__Inexpensive containers or zip-lock bags (for guests to take leftovers)
__Games/toys/activities for the kids
__Inflatable mini-footballs or foam bricks
__Decorations (if desired, most guests will just have their eyes glued to the TV)

RECIPE: Jim 2.0's Ridiculously Easy Artichoke Dip
(printer-friendly version)

I'm calling this a "recipe" even though some sticklers might argue that word implies ingredients that are actually measured in units like cups and tablespoons. It's just that this awesomely delicious dip is so easy, and practically impossible to mess up, that I never really bothered measuring its 3 ingredients. So here goes....

Ingredients:
1) Some canned artichoke hearts
2) A handful or two of shredded Parmesan cheese (Romano, Asiago or any blend of these is fine, too.)
3) A couple plops (sorry for gettin' technical on ya) of mayonnaise

Whatcha Do:
1) Open a couple cans of artichoke hearts -- the kind that are just packed in water, not the fancy marinated-in-oil kind. Regular cans the size of soup and veggies. Figure about one can for every three people or so.

2) Drain the artichoke hearts and give them a quick, rough chop with your knife, or a couple pulses in the food processor. You want to still be able to see pieces of artichoke, not a bunch of mush, so don't overdo it.

3) Put the hearts in a mixing bowl and add a plop or two of regular mayonnaise. (I can't vouch for the results if you use low-fat or fat-free mayo...skip the diet for a day, it's the Super Bowl!) You want to have enough mayo to hold the hearts together, but not so much that they're swimming in it -- about the same ratio you'd use if you were making tuna salad.

4) Add a handful or two of the shredded cheese. If you really, really like cheese, add a little more -- it won't hurt it.

5) Add a couple twists of fresh cracked pepper, if desired. (Okay, I guess that's technically Ingredient #4, recipe sticklers.) Save the salt for your grape juice stains, though -- the cheese and artichokes make it salty enough already. Mix well.

6) Spoon the mixture into an oven-safe casserole dish and bake in a 400-degree oven for about 10-20 minutes or so -- until the top is a nice golden brown.

7) Serve with hearty wheat crackers, tortilla chips or crusty French bread.

You can do all the mixing the day before and keep the casserole dish in the fridge, ready to pop in the oven whenever you want. It's also not a bad idea to make two smaller casserole dishes, rather than one big one, in case you get a hankering for some fresh dip later on.