Must-Have Appetizers for Your Super Bowl Party

I have to admit I've got it pretty good. My wife, Lesley, is not much of a football fan, but she loves to cook football food.

We hosted a small party for the Patriots/Broncos playoff game the other week, and her recipes were as big of a hit as was the game.

Over the years she's cooked some great appetizers, so I figured this would be a good time to put a handful together and share them with you.

If you have a favorite of your own, feel free to share them in our comments section below. Enjoy the game ... and your apps!

Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients

• 2 links Mexican chorizo, casings removed
• 1/2 pound smoked gouda, shredded
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 large jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place into a large mixing bowl. Add the cheese, red onion, egg, cream cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Press into jalapeno halves and assemble on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Mexican Seven Layer Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (16 ounce) can re-fried beans
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa (buy fresh if you can)
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch chopped green onions
• 1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (or the cheddar/Monterrey jack combo is great too)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and re-fried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the re-fried beans.
3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

Honey Soy Wings

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs of chicken wings, rinsed and patted dry (about 20 wings)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup honey
• ½ tsp cracked pepper

Place wings in slow cooker or clay baker. Combine garlic, soy sauce, honey and cracked pepper. Pour mixture over wings.

Slow Cooker: Cook on low for 3 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Clay Baker: Cook in baker with cover on for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 425 degrees.  Remove cover and cook for additional 15 minutes then remove from oven.

Sideline shrimp and cocktail sauce

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of large shrimp (don't shell them)
• 1 pound of kielbasa sausage
• 1 six-pack of good beer (opt for a seasonal micro brew or dark ale)
• 2 - 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 bottle cocktail sauce OR
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 2 generous dashes of hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions

This shrimp recipe is easy and all you need is a large pot, and:

• 2 pounds of large shrimp (don't shell them)
• Six-pack of good beer (we prefer a dark ale)
• 1 pound kielbasa sausage
• 2 or 3 bay leaves
• tbsp coriander seeds
• salt and pepper

The night before the game...

Slice the kielbasa into one-inch slices. Wash the shrimp in cold water.

The day of the game ...

In a large pot, bring to a boil the beer, sausage, bay leaves, coriander seeds, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Dump in the shrimp and bring back to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes (shrimp should turn pink). Remove with a slotted spoon, discard bay leaves and serve with toothpicks.

Put the shrimp on ice and serve it cold with cocktail sauce made by mixing together:

• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup horseradish

Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped
• 1-2 hot chili peppers, serrano or jalapeno, finely chopped
•  3 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors.
Makes about 2 cups of salsa.