Superbowl XLV

Happy Superbowl Sunday to you! I hope you were rooting for the Packers (I was--I am fond of those cheese hats).  But even if you're a Steelers fan, you have to admit, it was a good game. Then again, what do I know about such things?  I hate sports and only tune in for the commercials and the halftime show. The rest of the time, I'm in the kitchen, whipping up the party food. I didn't go all out this year, as it was just me and my roommate. But I did make a few simple, tasty, though admittedly artery-clogging treats. ;-)

To begin with, I made some Swedish meatballs that were just okay, so I won't bother posting a recipe for them. And devilled eggs hardly seem worth blogging about, but Cyd said they were my best batch EVER, so for posterity's sake, I will note that I hard-cooked a dozen eggs and mashed the yolks with about 1/3 cup mayo, a squeeze of yellow mustard (1 teaspoon?), a tablespoon or so of onion relish (zucchini relish is good, too), maybe 1/2 teaspoon of sriracha for a little bite, salt and pepper, plus a sprinkle of paprika. Pretty basic, but darn good!

Next, I whipped up a quick Rotel dip to be eaten with tortilla chips. I tried making the traditional Velveeta-based version over the holidays, but I just LOATHE processed cheese sauce, and even all zhooshed up with a lot of add-ins, I just can't get past the texture. A friend of mine from college told me that she makes the same sort of thing with cream cheese, so that's what I tried this time. It's not a very attractive-looking concoction (=understatement), but it's delicious. In fact, if you're a "mild" person that eschews hot sauce, you might want to add a little (sweet) chili powder and/or paprika to turn the greyish hue to something pink or reddish. It's still going to have a certain...emetic...quality to it, but the flavor will far outweigh its appearance.

Lastly, instead of the classic Superbowl hot wings, I made a stellar batch of teriyaki wings--perhaps my best yet. However, they may have been even better with honey, but I was out, and I didn't want to make my way through yet another dumping of snow to get to the store today. So I made do with brown sugar. As I said, they were really good, but the honey would have given them a certain gloss and stickiness that I find desirable in party wings.

Whatever you munched on, I hope you had fun with your family and friends feasting at your own Superbowl throwdown. And if your team didn't win, there's always next year!

No-Velveeta Rotel Dip

1/2 pound mild sausage
1 small onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes with cilantro and lime, drained
1/2 can seasoned chili beans, drained
1 tablespoon hot sauce (or to taste)

Brown the sausage with the onion and garlic. When cooked, drain off the fat, and add the remaining ingredients. Let everything melt over low heat. Serve with tortilla chips.

Teriyaki Wings

2 1/2 lbs. chicken wings, thawed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon sriracha (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and marinate wings overnight. On a lined baking sheet, place the wings so that they are not touching and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour, turning them over at a little past the halfway point, or when they've taken on enough color on one side.