Texas-Style Super Bowl Party Recipes

We always have a Super Bowl buffet of finger foods and easy to serve items so we can nibble our way throught the big day. It's very important to have time to see the commercials that run during the Super Bowl. I love them! So much, in fact, that my hero in the July, 2011 "Brody's Crossing" Harlequin American Romance, The Texan and the Cowgirl, gets to star in a 2012 Super Bowl commercial. Okay, it's fictional, but it's a good idea!

I haven't made this first recipe yet, Bacon-Apple-Jalapeno Pop 'Ems, but it looked good to my daughter, April Renno, so I'm posting the link. We're going to try it on Sunday. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/bacon-apple-jalapeno-pop-ems-recipe/index.html

In Texas we like our blackeyed-peas, and since the real Black Eyed Peas are entertaining during halftime at the Super Bowl, here's a recipe we call Texas Caviar. You can serve it with any type of crackers or chips, or as a side dish to barbecue or almost anything. (Have you tried the seasoned baked pita chips? They are great and wonderful for dips.)

Texas Caviar
2 cans (15 or 16 oz each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 or 16 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (11 oz) corn or equivalent of defrosted frozen or fresh corn
1 large red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup (or a little more to taste) cilantro or Italian Parsley washed and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Cumin Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Mix all ingredients and let marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Makes 8 - 10 servings (or more if you use as a dip.)

Cumin Vinaigrette: Combine 2/3 c apple cider vinegar, 1 T. Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 t. ground cumin, 1 t. minced garlic, 1 t. ground blackk pepper and 1/2 t. salt. Whisk in 1/2 c. olive oil.
(Victoria's Note: Cumin contains tumeric, which has been shown in some tests to reduce dementia, so this is actually a health food dish, especially when you consider that blackeyed-peas are a traditional good luck food served on New Year's Day!)


You can't go wrong fixing a Crock Pot full of queso. Use a brick of Velveeta and two cans of Rotel tomatoes with green chilis, or substitute "real" cheese for half of the Velveeta. Add everything in a big microwave bowl and "nuke" it until it's hot, stirring often. You can also add 10 - 12 ounces of browned sausage or up to one pound of browned lean ground beef to the hot queso.

From my Facebook friend and high school classmate, Barbie Kinney, I have this meatball recipe we are trying on Sunday. I'm not sure of the name of the recipe, but several people have mentioned it as the "one with the grape jelly."

Easy Meatballs
1 pkg frozen meatballs or make you favorite meatballs from scratch, about 2 pounds of meat
(I make my meatballs from lean beef/eggs/breadcrumbs/salt & pepper, roll them into small balls, and bake on aluminum foil, sprayed with PAM, in a 400 degree oven until browned. Turn once. Much easier than frying!)
3 bottles Heinz Chili Sauce
1 c. grape jelly

Warm meatballs in Crock Pot/slow cooker if not already hot, stir together chili sauce and jelly, pour over meatballs and warm.

From another Facebook friend and former classmate, Jan Caffee Lewis, here's a suggestion. "I love [the] spinach dip on the back of Lipton's vegetable soup mix. Put in Hawaian bread [make a bowl] (cutting up some pieces to dip too!). Put out some veggies and yum yum." Note from Victoria: Spinach dip goes well with the Texas staple, tortilla chips, also. I love the blue corn ones with flaxseed from Target.


Since we're talking about a Texas Super Bowl, you can't go wrong with barbecue, either. Buy some shredded/chopped beef or pulled pork barbecue at your favorite place to make Barbecue Soft Tacos. You can also get it prepared in the meat section of your grocery. Serve it with flour tortillas to make barbecue soft tacos. Provide shredded cabbage and/or lettuce, shredded cheese, corn relish, salsa, and anything else that would make a yummy taco. Keep the beef warm in a slow cooker.

Last but not least, here's an idea from Memphis that involves barbecue beef or pork. My friend Becky Russell and I did a girl's road trip last summer to my hometown of Louisville, KY, up to Indianapolis, and over to her hometown of Carey, Ohio. Our first night we stopped in Memphis and ate at B.B.King's on Beale Street. Becky had some delicious and unusual nachos. Here's how they were made (I think!)

Barbecue Nachos
Multi-color tortilla chips (red, white/yellow, and blue)
Shredded or chopped barbecue
Barbecue sauce (slightly sweet - not too "vinegary")
Sour cream
Shredded Mild Cheese

On a large plate or platter, layer tortilla chips, barbecue and cheese. Drizzle with sauce. Repeat until you have a nice mounded platter. Warm in oven until cheese melts. Drizzle with sour cream. (Note: I believe the restaurant used a pastry bag or a squeeze bottle for the barbecue sauce and sour cream because of the excellent "presentation.") You can also add pinto or red beans to this dish, or serve the sour cream on the side.


I hope these recipes give you some ideas for having a Super Bowl party or family buffet. If you don't feel like cooking, you can always get a pizza and cut it into squares or triangles to make it fancy. Have fun and I hope your team wins (although I'm cheering for the Packers.)