Throwing a Super Party for the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is days away and the only thing more important than the game itself is planning and throwing an awesome Super Bowl party. This year the game will be between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburg Steelers. It will feature one of the top offenses in the league and the top defense in the league. The game will surely be a good one to watch. With the most popular event in the TV watching world on tap, all you need is a plan for a party to match it.

The most important part of any party is the food. Make sure and have plenty of it and have it all ready for when the game starts so you don’t get stuck in preparations during the kickoff or first few plays of the game. My favorite menu for the Super Bowl has always been home made subway sandwiches. I go to the store the day before the game and purchase some large Kaiser rolls or other large soft sandwich buns found fresh in the local grocery store’s bakery department.

Once you have picked your bread, make your way over to the deli to pick out either ham, turkey, or roast beef and have them slice it to your liking. I like mine sliced slightly thicker than regular sandwich slices. I like honey ham, smoked turkey, and Italian roast beef. If you don’t have any cheese at home, get some in the deli, too. Try Pepper Jack cheese, provolone, or Swiss cheese for a change of pace from regular cheddar (avoid the pre-sliced/packaged Kraft cheese slices). Purchase lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, banana peppers, and jalapenos (for extra kick) to top off your subway sandwich. When you are in the process of making your sandwich on Super Bowl Sunday, add oregano, salt, pepper, and vinegar and oil to add that extra bit of flavor. Then add mayo, miracle whip, and/or spicy mustard.

Now that your sandwich is taken care of, you need to buy the snacks and drinks to compliment your meal. Choose your favorite chips- mine is Salt and Vinegar potato chips and Lime flavored Tostitos. Purchase some dip for your chips or purchase the ingredients to make your dip. I always buy avocados and guacamole dry mix to make guacamole dip for the Tostitos. I also buy a variety of nuts including honey roasted peanuts, cashews, and almonds to snack on. For drinks, I usually just drink water, but popular drinks are soda and juices. Make sure the drinks are cold and there is plenty of ice. Salty snacks and cold drinks are a great combination. Make sure you have plenty of treats, too. M&M’s, cookies, ice cream, and candy are great to break out during halftime after you have had a chance to devour your subways and snacks.

Ask your friends, relatives, and even co-workers to come to your party. Let them know the time, your address, and anything you would like them to bring. When setting up your TV room for the big party set up lots of chairs, sofas, bean bags, tables (for the snacks and food), and TV trays. I have been to a few parties many years ago where there was hardly anywhere to sit. Plan your invite list according to how big your TV room is and also how big your TV is so that all those who come can get a good view of the game.

The party should be lots of fun if you invite the right people. You need the die hard football fans (like myself) so you can really get into the game, but you also need those cute girls who don’t know what a first down is (like my wife) to provide comic relief for the die hard fans. If the food is good, if you have a nice TV, and the game is close, then it will be an awesome party. Don’t forget the commercials either because those cute girls need something they can understand.

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The grand-daddy of sports: The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the largest single annual event in the sporting world. Last year’s match up between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants had 130-140 million people tune into the game at one time or another. The Super Bowl is more than a football game; it’s a chance to get together with friends, watch the Super (expensive) commercials, eat good food, and watch the best teams in the NFL face off in the biggest sports battle in the World. The storylines will be plenty, the commercials will be talked about all night, and 2 great football teams will square off for 60 minutes in the biggest and best game of the year.

This year’s Super Bowl features the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. There are many interesting story lines this year that will make this game intriguing to watch starting with the fact that the Cardinals have not been to a championship in about 60 years. If you are looking for an underdog then the Arizona Cardinals would be the team you want to cheer for this year. Another storyline is the re-emergence of the Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner. Warner played for 5 years for the St. Louis Rams and was highly successful being voted as the league MVP for 2 out of the 5 years. He also took the Rams to, and won, Super Bowl XXXIV. Warner was released by the Rams and signed by the Giants where he struggled before going to the Cardinals where he had played average until this year where he broke out of his slump and had an excellent year leading his team to this year’s Super Bowl,

The final storyline, and probably the most interesting, has to do with the coaches. When Bill Cowher (head coach) retired from the Steelers 2 years ago, it was speculated that the offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, would take his place as the next head coach. The Steelers had other plans and decided to hire Mike Tomlin instead. Tomlin at the time was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. Once Tomlin was hired he chose not to retain Whisenhunt or the defensive coordinator Russ Grimm, who was also a strong candidate for the Steelers head coaching job. Whisenhunt was subsequently offered the head coaching job for Arizona and he hired Grimm as his defensive coordinator. The Arizona coaching staff now meets up against their former team and the coach who came in to Pittsburgh and stole what they thought should have been theirs in the biggest game of all. This scenario will provide for very interesting interviews and discussions among players, coaches, media, and fans during the 2 weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. It may also provide that extra motivation for the Arizona Cardinals team.

The Cardinals boast a high-powered offense with a strong veteran quarterback in Kurt Warner with one of the best up and coming receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald. The Steelers bring to the table one of the all-time best defenses with James Harrison and James Farrior leading a fierce attack at the linebacker positions, and Troy Polamalu providing hard hits from the strong safety position. The Steelers will look to shut down the Cardinals aerial attack and the Cardinals will look to take it straight into the teeth of the Steelers defense and show the Steelers who’s boss.

Will the Cardinals win with Kurt Warner slinging the ball down the field or will the Steelers smash the Cardinals into submission- Tune in Feb 1^st at 4pm to find out.

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