Swifty’s tips and dips for a super Super Bowl 

Ah, the Super Bowl. The time of the year to celebrate the most American of sports while simultaneously stuffing our faces with finger foods and watching commercials that entertain rather than annoy. However, in order to enjoy a Super Bowl with friends and family, you almost have to create a super smorgasbord to keep the energy alive for the long game.  

With these tips, dips and finger foods, you’ll surely be able to leave your crowd happy, whether the desired team won or not.  

A few tips:  

  1. Finger foods and dips reign king in these types of events. Everyone is too focused on the game to use a fork and knife, so put that beef wellington recipe away, and just use your hands.  
  1. Keep it coming! The game is long, people eat more than they should, so just keep the pizza roll trays flowing and the guac and queso cascading throughout the living room.  
  1. Lastly, while this makes me extremely sad, the food is secondary to the game, so plan to organize your snacks to come out at different times during the game so you don’t miss it! Also, choose recipes that aren’t difficult to whip up but will keep the crowd happy.  

“Hey, how come people don’t have dip for dinner? Why is it only a snack, why can’t it be a meal, you know?” 

  • David Puddy  

For any Super Bowl party, you need food that you and your guests can easily access and enjoy quickly. Dips work well because many of them can get cold and still taste good, which will probably happen when the action starts to heat up. So, here’s three essential dips to serve.  

Classic Guacamole  

Ingredients 

5 avocados, peeled and pitted  

Pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered  

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced 

Juice of 1 lime  

1 teaspoon garlic salt  

1 teaspoon onion powder  

Salt and black pepper to taste  

Directions 

In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocados with an avocado masher or fork until smooth but a few chunks remain. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos and juice of one lime, fold into the mashed avocados.  

Add in the seasonings and mix. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or maybe even quesadillas! 

Classic Texas Queso  

Ingredients  

1 pound breakfast sausage 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 

2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded 

½ cup half and half   

1 14 oz can flavored black beans, drained  

3 jalapenos, seeded, roasted and diced  

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained  

Directions  

In a small sauté pan, cook the sausage, grounding it up into bite size chunks as you go. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter until foaming at medium low. Add in the cheeses, half and half, black beans, roasted jalapenos and can diced tomatoes. Let the mixture melt together. When the mixture is smooth and melted add in the sausage. If it’s really thick, add more half and half.  

Serve with tortilla chips.  

Homemade Hummus  

Ingredients 

2 14.5 oz cans chickpeas drained and rinsed (save the liquid) 

½ cup tahini  

Juice of 2 lemons  

¼ cup olive oil  

Za’atar (for topping) 

Directions 

In a food processor whip together the tahini and lemon juice for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the chickpeas and process until the mixture is smooth. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until the mixture is cohesive. If it’s still a little thick/chunky, add more olive oil or liquid from chickpea can.  

Place the hummus in a bowl and serve with pita chips, carrots or celery.  

Lastly, how could we have a Super Bowl party without finger foods? While you can have as many as you want, I have one perfect recipe for you to try out. The following is a recipe for pesto chicken pepperoni rolls. That’s right.  

I first came across these on the Big Island in Hawaii at a little pizza shop called Black Rock pizza, and as soon as I got home, I knew I had to recreate them. So, without further ado, here’s my copycat version.  

Pesto chicken pepperoni rolls  

Ingredients  

1 pound store bought pizza dough, at room temp 

1/2 container store bought pesto   

1 bag low moisture mozzarella  

1 rotisserie chicken, breasts shredded  

1 teaspoon garlic salt  

Sliced pepperoni  

Directions  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a glass pan. This will ensure the bottom of the roll cooks evenly.  

Flour a cutting board and roll out the dough into a half inch rectangle. Spread the pesto all over the surface of the dough, leaving a half-inch border. Sprinkle half the mozzarella, followed by the chicken, and sprinkle the garlic salt on top. Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top and roll the rectangle into a tight spiral.  

Cut the cylinder of dough into 1 inch rolls and place one pepperoni on the bottom of each roll, then place in the pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the roll is lightly brown.  

Enjoy with your favorite marinara sauce and your best buds!