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Super Bowl Grub: Top 10 Dips

Bravo to the NFL marketers! The Super Bowl has turned into something that is as much about food, commercials and friends as it is about football. Standard at almost every Super Bowl party is a dip of some kind. Here at ES we have covered dips, been covered in dips and we even have a theory as to why dips are so universal. Today we’ll just stick to sharing our Top 10 dips as you prep for the thundering herds.

10. Poblano and Garlic Scape Dip
Highlight: Roasted poblano lends a heat gentle enough for all crowds.

9. Tequila Mango Salsa
Highlight: One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.

8. Texas Caviar
Highlight: Creamy mustard meets sweet-tart apple cider vinegar, which encircles black eyed peas and fresh corn.

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in Lists 2 comments
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Super Bowl Grub: Sliders with Onion Marmalade or Tomato Jam

There are few things more American than the hamburger and the Super Bowl. The two are just meant to be together. And yet, if you’re having a crowd over for the big game, the last thing you want to do is have to slap a couple dozen patties on the grill and miss the game (or commercials).  I am a huge fan of prepping stuff beforehand, and it definitely sets a tailgating mood when you begin making hamburger patties at 10am. I use 90% lean ground beef, which can be a little tough to keep moist, but with these sliders, the stuffing and toppings help out in that department.

The ingredients, along with incredibly simple prep, are really what make these work.  As for the toppings, I am all for homemade ketchup and use it on many many things, but sometimes you need to up your game. This onion marmalade can be made beforehand and lasts about a week.

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in Cheese / Recipe / Red Meat 0 comments
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Bacon Streusel Maple Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Stats, spreads, percentages…um, let’s talk about what really matters during the Super Bowl. Commercials, the half-time show and of course — food! All the other stuff is extraneous, unless of course you win the pool, in which case football is great.

As for the food, the Super Bowl calls for a dessert sophisticated enough to bring to an event, but crowd-pleasing enough to…well, please a crowd. Enter the Super Bowl Cupcake.

The streusel on top framing that thick cloud of maple cream cheese frosting is not your everyday streusel. That my friends, is crushed bacon wrapped in some cayenne and brown sugar for a sweet and spicy flavoring, then paired up with some crushed almonds for added nutty goodness. This is the kind of killer combination that will make you glad you publicly declared to eat better for your New Year’s resolution.

Bacon Streusel Maple Cream Cheese Cupcakes

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in Bacon / Desserts / Endless Bacon / Endless Cupcakes / Featured / Pig / Recipe 14 comments
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Super Bowl Grub: Kimchi and Apple Brats

I have never been one for slow cookers. I understand the appeal and do not deny the results but I typically take little satisfaction from putting all my ingredients  in a crock pot and letting it do all the work. That being said, the Super Bowl is the slow cooker’s — well — Super Bowl. When you have a bunch of friends coming over, nothing is easier than having a portion of the game day eats just simmering away without needing much attention.

And what better to have simmering than sausage? Recently the governors of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin made the typical Super Bowl bet of food/drink from each respective state. Included in Wisconsin’s bet is a selection of bratwurst, cheese and beer. Besides making me want to visit Wisconsin for the first time in my life, it also had me craving some brats. But instead of the typical sauerkraut and brats, I decided to top mine with Korean kimchi, the spicy, funky Korean cabbage dish that is basically what sauerkraut wants to be when it grows up.

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in Recipe / Red Meat 3 comments
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Chocolate Beer Truffles

I love chocolate and I love beer. Put the two together and I am down for the count. I made these over the weekend and ended up eating nearly half of them. Ten, yes, 10 truffles later, 30 minutes lost and two days’ work gone, I am wearing my fat jeans. My skinny jeans with the stretched seams are now buried under some mismatched socks.

Okay, so maybe the debut of the fat jeans doesn’t completely coincide with the truffle-fest, but word of warning — these are addictive so try to eat them in the presence of others so you don’t end up inhaling them like I did. On that note, they’re perfect for a super bowl party — what’s better than  beer and chocolate in the same mouthful?

Chocolate Beer Truffles

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in Featured / Recipe 23 comments
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Gridiron Grub: Playoff Time

sports2

The playoffs are here and the Super Bowl is not far behind, which means it’s increasingly difficult to avoid football no matter how hard you try. Whether it’s a game blaring at the bar Saturday night, co-workers talking about how the weather will affect the Philly game or friends inviting you over for a Super Bowl party; the NFL is about to launch a full-scale assault on America.

We are well aware that many ES readers may not be football fanatics. If you are one of those people who doesn’t watch or can barely stand football, I apologize. You probably have read these Gridiron Grub posts only if the dish sounded/looked good, which is fine because, well, it’s free. But my point is — whether you love sports or hate them, January is the time to start seriously upping your appetizer repertoire. Because nothing saves a bad football game like a good dip

So Feed Us Back: What’s your #1 killer go-to gameday recipe? Share a link or a recipe below.

And of course, we’ll show you ours. Here are our favorite party recipes bound to please foodies and footballers alike:

Bacon and Bean Nachos
Chipotle Guacamole
Cuban Mixto Sandwich
Fancy Jalapeno Poppers
Fish Tacos and Chips
French Onion Soup Sandwich
Peach Bourbon Wontons
Southside Park Slope Sandwich
Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach, Cream Cheese and Ricotta
Sugar Cane Shrimp
Sweet Potato Pizza
Tequila Mango Salsa
Texas Caviar Dip
Tofu Buffalo Wings
Zucchini and Chickpea Spring Rolls

in Uncategorized 5 comments
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The Best Super Bowl Ad CBS May or May Not Air

As you may have guessed, the above ad is not selling potato chips.

But given the food-centric nature of Super Bowl advertising, and that fact that this particular ad has CBS execs waffling back and worth, we’ve deemed it worthy of coverage on ES. The ad, for gay dating site ManCrunch, has been submitted for one of the Super Bowl’s $2.8 million, 30-second time slots, but CBS has not yet officially approved or rejected it. According to So Good, ManCrunch believes CBS is purposely putting off a decision until the last minute, unsure whether they’d rather piss off gay rights groups or my-family-is-more-valuable-than-yours types.

Stirring the controversy further, Fox News reports that CBS is trying to dodge the issue altogether by telling ManCrunch that all Super Bowl ads are already sold out. But wait — at the same time, CBS has reportedly told Pop Tarts (the breakfast pastry, not another gay dating site) that Super Bowl slots are still available! And all this after CBS has already approved an anti-abortion ad, preemptively negating their own “we just don’t want to get too political” defense. It’s all a little surprising given the Super Bowl’s long, successful history of selling food and beer products via (fake) lesbian action.

Care to place any bets? Will CBS air it?

in Politics / TV 2 comments
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