Long-Awaited NY/NJ Super Bowl

"I know that there have been a number of players who have walked away as champions. I'm sure that is a great feeling for those people."

(Peyton Manning)

Alas, it was not meant to be for the Broncos quarterback, whose team was crushed (8) by the Seattle Seahawks (43) during Super Bowl XLVIII, played at MetLife Stadium in NJ on Sunday, February 2. The game wasn't exactly exciting, and the commercials were not very noteworthy overall, but Bruno Mars did a good job with his halftime performance, and it's always fun just getting together with friends over food and drinks.

It was our 2nd year watching the Super Bowl at home in Brooklyn (see last year's "A Southern Super Bowl Sunday"), but this time, 5 friends came over. We had everyone guess the winning team and score, and the person who was closest to the final numbers won a Starbucks gift card.

Daniel won (and clearly, I was way off)

We love Ting!

Please see below for more photos and links to all the recipes: seven-layer bean dip, buffalo chicken mac and cheese, honey teriyaki hot wings, slow cooker beef chili, brownie bars made with Guinness, simple cranberry white chocolate cookies, and an icy treat spiked with tequila.

Seven-Layer Bean Dip

The Martha Stewart Seven-Layer Bean Dip was fresher and less processed than the usual layered dip, with 1) pinto beans cooked and mashed with onion and garlic, 2) low-fat shredded cheddar, 3) sliced scallions, 4) fresh chopped tomatoes with onion and salt, 5) lemony avocados with jalapeños, 6) light sour cream, and 7) black olives. I made it the same day, because I thought if I had done it earlier the avocados would brown, but found that it tasted even better as leftovers in the refrigerator a couple of days later.

Seven-layer bean dip

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

The Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese from The Girl Who Ate Everything was delicious, and how could it not be? Classic elbow pasta, chicken, Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce, butter, half and half, sour cream, and lots of cheese: cheddar, pepper jack, and blue. Such indulgent comfort food! (The blue cheese mixture on top looks a little clumpy because I accidentally combined a couple of steps at the end.)

Buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese

Honey Teriyaki Hot Wings

I wanted to make chicken wings, but not buffalo-style since I was making the mac and cheese, so I baked Honey Teriyaki Hot Wings from Damn Delicious. These wings had great flavor, with soy sauce, honey, garlic, fresh grated ginger, and Sriracha.

Honey teriyaki hot wings

6-Hour Beef Chili

I made my go-to Williams-Sonoma 6-Hour Chili recipe, with ground beef instead of the usual turkey; but no matter what I use, I always decrease the amount of meat and add black beans to make up the difference. Sam likes this chili very spicy, but I prefer it a little milder, but still with a nice kick from plenty of chili powder and a pinch of cayenne.

6-hour beef chili

Guinness Stout Brownie Pretzel Bars

At least a year ago, I pinned a recipe for Guinness Stout Brownie Pretzel Bars via Hostess with the Mostess (from a blog called Batch From Scratch, which I'm not sure is around anymore). There were some critiques in the comments, but I wanted to give it a try, and I liked the way it turned out. You could taste the Guinness, the chocolate was dense and fudgy, the butterscotch on top was sweet but subtle, and the salty crunch from the pretzels was a nice contrast.

Guinness stout brownie pretzel bars

 

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I also baked simple Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies from Table for Two. Why not? I had dried cranberries and white chocolate chips to use, and I love dessert options!

Cranberry white chocolate cookies

Mojito Sorbet Margaritas

Almost a year ago, I had also pinned an idea for Lime Sorbet Margaritas from Real Simple: tequila is poured over lime sorbet, and the glass rims are rubbed with lime and coated with sugar. We weren't able to find plain lime sorbet, but we did find mojito sorbet, so I made frozen mojito margaritas!

Frozen mojito margaritas, inspired by Real Simple

Tomorrow, I'm going to the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden; on Friday, Sam and I plan to enjoy a nice Valentine's Day dinner at Thalassa; and the following weekend, we will fly to Las Vegas and see Britney Spears in concert! I hope you all have a great week.