Hi friends!
It’s super bowl week, and while I know the Red Kingdom is psyched, I can confidently say everyone — even Chiefs haters — should be pumped for the super bowl spread. Pigs in a blanket. Spinach artichoke dip. Sliders. Seven layer dip. WINGS! Come on… it doesn’t get much better than that.
I will be cheering on Kansas City from 30,000 feet up, flying back from St. Louis to Denver, so I’m heartbroken to say that the only snacks I’ll be eating will be the Southwest snack mix — although I actually really love their snack mix so things could be worse — but what that means is I hope all of you eat what I cannot. I hope you wear your most oversized jersey, and chow down.
My attempt to help you do just that is to give you not only one super bowl recipe, but two! And to send this newsletter early enough so that you can still find all these ingredients at the grocery store.
Here’s my recipes for two things I believe are essential at any and every super bowl party — Classic Chili and Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Let’s start with the Classic Chili.
Here’s what you’ll need —
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with its juices
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
You can go nuts with toppings, but I chose shredded cheddar cheese, oyster crackers, green onions and sour cream.
Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven or soup pot, and heat over medium. Add the diced onions, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the ground beef, and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the beef is browned. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the beef, and stir occasionally.
Add the chili powder, cumin, granulated sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne and tomato paste to the pot, stirring until everything is combined. Season again with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper.
Add the broth, diced tomatoes with its juices, tomato sauce and kidney beans to the pot. Stir so everything is combined.
Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove the pot from heat, and you’re ready to serve. Top with whatever your heart desires.
Now, I understand that some people prefer white chicken chili over classic chili, and to those people, I’d say I’m right there with you. But I feel like classic chili is just the way to go on super bowl Sunday. If you disagree, I completely understand, and I've got you covered.
Now, for my favorite super bowl snack of all time —Buffalo Chicken Dip — recipe courtesy of the woman who makes it better than anyone else — Anna Langhorst.
For ingredients, you’ll need —
12 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp— this is about 1 1/2 blocks
12 oz bottle of Frank’s hot sauce
1 cup ranch
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded — you can watch a video on how to do so here
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup green onions, chopped
Preheat your own to 350 degrees F.
While your oven is preheating, in a skillet-like dutch oven (like this one) or larger skillet, add the cream cheese, hot sauce and ranch, cooking over low heat, until everything is combined and smooth, about 5-7 minutes. You may need to use a whisk to break down the cream cheese.
Once smooth, add the shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. Stir so the chicken and cheese are evenly distributed. Remove from heat.
If you’re using an oven-safe skillet, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the dip is warm and bubbling. If you’re using a skillet that’s not oven-safe, like a non-stick, transfer the dip to a baking dish before transferring it to the oven. Stir every 10 minutes or so, to ensure even cooking.
Remove from the oven. The oils from the hot sauce will likely have gathered to the top of the dip. Stir so everything is combined.
Serve with tortilla chips, celery, carrots or cucumber slices.
And because I’m TOO MUCH, I went ahead and searched through the Cooking With Maddie archive to see what other recipes might be useful to whip up for game day, and here’s what I’ve found—
For what’s been bringing me life this week, it was spending the snowy Saturday in Fort Collins. We wished our friend Connor farewell, as he heads to a new adventure in Wyoming. Yeehaw! It was finding out that our friends Kristi and Grant are having a BABY BOY! (I called this btw).
It was bowling and playing arcade games, although I was much better at the candy claw machine than I was at getting strikes. It was the season finale of 1,000 lb Sisters. Not sure what my Tuesday nights will look like now without Amy and Tammy’s shenanigans — more specifically, Amy’s tears. It’s hyping myself up for this year’s super bowl by rewatching Rihanna’s performance from last year. I’ve now been officially doing the Rude Boy booty slap for 365 days.
And lastly, it’s heading to St. Louis this weekend to cheer on my besties Care and Austin as they say ‘I Do!’ We love love!
Wish I was with you (and go Chiefs!),
Maddie