Last minute recipes for a Super Bowl party at home

If you're hosting a Super Bowl party chances are you're ready for the kick-off. It's the biggest game of the year and for some families -- the biggest party of the year. So what happens when someone on your team gets sick and you find yourself benched from the game? Like any good coach, you come up with a new game plan. 


Since the spinach dip and chicken wings are likely to be sold out at most grocery stores you'll need to be creative. It's for this reason I enlisted a couple of Super Bowl fans, who are quick on their feet and big-time football fans. Kathy and Joseph came up with two touch-down recipes that don't require a lot of work. Also included, in case you're a die-hard Packers fan and cannot bring yourself to cook up a rival dish, is a non-partisan recipe for chili. 

Steelers Super Burger Hoagie
By Kathy
Makes 4 servings


1 package of thinly sliced chipped ham (Isaly's if you're at home in Pittsburgh)
1 onion
1 package of brick cheese (sliced)
1 jar of your favorite barbecue sauce (Kathy's is Malnar's)
1 bottle of Heinz ketchup
1 package of hoagie buns
teaspoon of vegetable oil
salt and pepper




Blend the barbecue sauce and ketchup in a bowl (to your liking). Set it aside. Heat vegetable oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside in a bowl. Using the same saucepan, fry up the chipped ham. Add the 50/50 mixture of barbecue sauce and ketchup. Separate the hoagie buns on a tray and add a helping of the Super Burger mixture to each one. Then add onions and a slice of brick cheese, salt and pepper. You can also add hamburger fixings or if you're a true Pittsburgh fan you can make it Primanti-style by topping it off with coleslaw and fries. If you grew up in Pittsburgh you know about the wonderful Primanti Brothers sandwiches, which are a local delicacy. The combination of coleslaw, fries, cheese, and meat on thickly sliced Italian bread or fresh hoagie buns brings a taste of Pittsburgh to wherever you may be watching the game. Kathy also recommends serving it up with one of the oldest lagers in the United States, Iron City Beer. And for desert: Klondike Bars.

Green Bay Crab Dip
By Joseph
Makes one platter


2 packages of shredded imitation crab

2 8-ounce packages/tubs of cream cheese 

1 pint of sour cream 

1 bottle of cocktail sauce
1 box of fancy crackers
green onions (optional)
Decorative platter about an inch deep


Cut up the crab and toss it into a mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese and sour cream. Pour it into the platter and spread it over the playing field. Cover it with a layer of cocktail sauce. Now, if you really want to make it Super -- use the green onions to create the letters "G" and "B" or "Go Packers!" Serve it with Wheat Thin crackers and a glass of Pele Island 


Both of these recipes can be made and served during half-time. The chili recipe that follows, should probably be made a couple hours prior to the kick-off allowing the ingredients time to heat up before the game. Serve it with a glass of Chateau 1997, which is the year Green Bay beat the New England Patriots 35-21 at the Superdome stadium in New Orleans.  

Photo courtesy of Family Features.

Game-Day Chili


If there's one thing Steeler and Packer fans can agree on it is that chili is a great dish for any Super Bowl party. This hearty, winter classic with a spicy Southwestern twist can be served with an array of toppings on the side including cheddar cheese, red onion, Tabasco sauce (for those who like it hot), corn chips. Don't forget the fresh Italian bread, crackers and plenty of cool beverages.


Game-Day Chili
Makes 6 servings


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 can (16 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) red kidney beans, drained
2 tablespoons original Tabasco brand pepper sauce
1 can (11 ounces) corn, drained
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
      Shredded Cheddar cheese, optional
Chopped red onion, optional
Cilantro sprigs, optional


Heat vegetable oil in medium saucepan and add onions; cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


In drippings remaining in saucepan, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until well browned on both sides, stirring frequently.  Stir in chili powder and salt; cook one minute. Add tomatoes (and their liquid), kidney beans and Tabasco sauce. Heat mixture to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn and cilantro; heat through.


Garnish with shredded Cheddar cheese, red onion and cilantro sprigs, if desired.