My husband and I have been hosting the annual Super Bowl bash since 2001. We love to cook and get bored by doing the same thing over and over again, so our way of tackling this issue with an annual party is changing our menu yearly. We tailor our menu to fit the teams who made it to the show and/or the location of the big game. Last Year's Pittsburgh vs. Seattle in Detroit brought our guests a unique meal that included Kielbasa and Kraut, Salmon Cakes and Pop Tart Cheesecake (Michigan is the home of the Pop Tart). New England's dominance in the past few years did an extra challenge to be unique, but with Boston Baked Beans, Clam Chowder and Samuel Adams, we were able to change things up. Everyone left very full after Philly Cheesesteaks and nothing beats a Super Bowl in New Orleans because that means gumbo, jambalaya and hurricanes.
The biggest joke during the playoffs year after year has been what we would make if the Indianapolis Colts ever made the Super Bowl. Many of us have visited Indianapolis and noted that there is really nothing unique about the city or its cuisine and laughed that we would have to have the event catered by chain restaurants. Well, our worst culinary nightmare has come true (note: we were happy it came true as we didn't want to serve any more food from Boston nor see Bill Belachick and his team anymore). With much research we have for you a menu that we believe represents the cities in the Superbowl nicely.
Chicago Dog Bar: Hot Dogs, Big Buns, Sauerkraut with Celery Salt, Tomatoes, Hot Peppers, Relish, Mustard, Ketchup (I'm from NY and don't adhere to Chicago's mustard only philosophy), and anything else people might want to throw on their hot dog that makes it impossible to eat.
Van de Camp Baked Beans: Another product of Indiana, we usually prefer Bush's or a family recipe, but to represent Indiana, we must serve Van de Camp.
Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake: Chicago is home to Eli's Cheesecake, Peyton Manning's Brother is Eli.. perfect compliment to the menu.
Frozen Daiquiris: My sister noted that the problem with seeing a game in Miami is you have to watch the dolphins, but at least they have Daiquiris and Pina Coladas to make that more bearable. Well, today our guests get to watch a game played in Miami without suffering through the Dolphins. However, it is currently -12 here in Minneapolis so I'm guessing there won't be many people partaking in the tropical beverages.
We hope everyone out there enjoys their Super Bowl parties whatever you or your hosts are serving. Since neither my beloved Bills nor our hometown team the Vikings are playing in the big game this year, we are going to be decked out in Blue and White rooting for the Colts (well, and against Chicago).
2 comments:
Nice post. I love the serendipity of a Google search. :) Here's my suggestion for this year if the Colts can overcome their current injury situation. Probably the closest thing to a signature dish in Indy is the breaded tenderloin sandwich. Not your typical buffet food, but I've seen them cut into squares and served with toothpicks.
Mack, thanks for the heads up on the breaded tenderloin sandwich. I certainly hope that will be present on the menu for the 2008 Superbowl, otherwise I will be serving nothing but Tums from how sick all of us are of the Patriots.
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