Super Bowl, Super Food

Well, it’s finally here.  Since Fantasy Football teams were selected in August, and Sundays in September were once again defined by 1 pm kickoff times, diehard NFL fans have been looking forward to today. Despite the fact that the playoff season felt like an entire year in and of itself, finally it’s Super Bowl Sunday. I gather it’s a bit disappointing if you are anything but a Chiefs or Eagles fan, but here we are.

Last year, over 123.7 million people watched the iconic championship game. It was the most watched telecast in history. That’s pretty impressive. I’m sure Taylor Swift might have had something to do with the record viewership last year. Admittedly, I’m a “Swiftie” fan and a total pushover for a good love story. Speaking of Travis Kelce of the Chiefs, I love the fact that he’s so close to his brother, Jason who recently retired from the Eagles. I have a soft spot for a brother whose very favorite person is his brother.

Of course, my family has our own Super Bowl traditions. My brother will have his Super Bowl quiz ready for those who attend his annual Super Bowl Party. I’m sure my kids and their people will be bantering about this point spread or that betting odd, and my husband will be making some kind of chili this afternoon, with beans of course.

I love to watch the Super Bowl. Like many, I look forward to the commercials.  I don’t know what it is about the those Clydesdale horses in the Anheuser-Busch commercials, but their majesty and grand gallops always make me just a bit teary.

What I’d really like to think about is food. Did you know there’s only one other day when more food is consumed?  And that is Thanksgiving. That means as soon as you read this, permission is given to bring out the soft pretzels and cheese dip and put the chicken wings in the air fryer. Americans will eat over 1.4 billion chicken wings today. I don’t really care for chicken wings, so you can have mine. I actually prefer loaded nachos with enough melted cheese, sour cream, black olives and green onions to cover an entire plate. Oh wait, put a few crispy potato skins slathered with butter on the side as well.

If you ask my kids, they’d tell you Super Bowl Sunday was the only day of the year we at dinner in front of the tv. I’m sure we’ll all chat over Face Time as they settle in with their own families to watch the televised festivities. I’m going to completely embrace the fact that throughout this epic late afternoon and evening, calorie intake just might exceed the quota for the entire month of February. And I haven’t even mentioned dessert yet. I mean if you are going to indulge, you’ve gotta do it right.

I think a pretty good standard for today is, if the dip is not loaded with sour cream or mayo, if the hand held appetizers don’t require a gazillion napkins, or if freshly cooked bacon bits don’t top every dish served, then I say you’re selling your Super Bowl experience short. I’ll get back to leafy salads with quinoa and fruit plates tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll join you in settling in today for some good entertainment, a gastronomic blitz,  and hopefully a very exciting game.