Eat.Drink.MPLS: Green & Yellow

MENU:

Sriracha honey wings with blue cheese dip from Pizza Luce (the best)
Dad's wings
Cheese straws
Mock-a-mole and Velveeta cheese dip with tortilla chips
Hummus/veggies
Prosciutto/phyllo wrapped asparagus
Green and gold Amaretto cheesecake

It was quite possibly one of the greatest days of my life. Now, I say this for a variety of reasons. The day began with my company party at the restaurant. It was a typical company party (not that I'd know, seeing as it was my first ever) filled with prizes, decent food and awkward small talk. My co-worker/roommate/friend and I went for the slight chance of winning the coveted top prize- an iPad- or possible any of the "$50+ valued prizes". The iPad was a nogo but I left with some restaurant gift cards (including to my own work) and a nice bottle of wine. I deemed the event as worth waking up earlier than I like to on a Sunday. But what was really on my mind was the rest of the day filled with food prep for the Super Bowl, the game itself and the new episode of Glee on after.

Now, if we have ever had the chance of meeting, you would be aware that two things I am pretty passionate about are food, and the Green Bay Packers. Even though I was born and raised in Minneapolis, my whole family is from Wisconsin. I've always felt I had the best of both worlds; city experiences with smaller town morals. And most importantly, a die hard passion for the green and gold. Being a Packer fan is not really something one chooses. I was born into it and never knew anything different. Thank God.

Somehow the Packers wound up in the Super Bowl. I couldn't believe it. The second they beat the Bears I went into Super Bowl planning mode. "What should we eat? Should we go back to Wisconsin? Should we have people over? Who should we have over? Are the Packers actually going to the Super Bowl?????" It was surreal. I slept in Packer pajamas every night the week before, thought about menu planning every day and had dreams each night related to the Super Bowl. Needless to say, I was excited. By my dad's daily text of "Who's ready?" I knew my family was just as excited.

So we settled on food that would result in the least amount of time in the kitchen during the game. Most of the food we could easily prep or completely make the day and night before. We needed food that could be eaten with one hand so the other was available for plenty of high-five-ing. My dad always makes these delicious sweet wings with soy sauce and Sprite, oddly enough. Because of my Mom's kidney condition we wanted a menu that yielded the most flavors with the least potassium. I liked Bethenny Frankel's version of guacamole with peas because it offered more fiber and less potassium filled avocado. I also decided to make a homemade hummus with tahini because chickpeas are low in potassium. Our Super Bowl "party" was only six people, so we did not want to overdo it.

The food was amazing, and the game somehow topped it. We had family and friends over, and I had one of the most memorable football experiences in my life. Every play, pass, punt, kick, slight motion of the players resulted with me on the edge of my seat, gripping my chair and holding my breath. Words cannot describe the feeling of watching your favorite team win the highest award possible.

For me, football does not exist without food and family. The food was easy, flavorful, football-friendly, spicy and the perfect complement to an amazing day. The day was only made better by a new episode of Glee. What more could a girl ask for?

What's a Super Bowl party without a Super Bowl cookie?

Mom and I assembling asparagus

Such a great party snack. Goes like this: ham or prosciutto wrapped around asparagus, then rolled in phyllo dough with shredded parmesan. Bake on 350 for 12-15 minutes and voila.

Crispy, salty, crunchy

Baked cheese straws made with extra-sharp Wisconsin cheese

These were not the greatest success. Tip: Don't overdo it on the red pepper flakes and DON'T overcook, even for a minute. Resulted in kind of a bitter taste.