It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, the holidays are not making a return, but the Super Bowl is just around the corner. For those who have not been keeping track, the game is this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on Fox. This year’s battlefield will be the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers will be going for the kill in what is expected to be a game for the ages.

In this neck of the woods, there are two major kinds of viewers this year. The first, and borderline psychotic, group is dying to see their black and gold win yet another ring (after all, it’s been a whole two years). The larger, more bitter, group will do anything to see the Steelers come this far just to be defeated. These groups mix as well as oil and water. Yet another one exists that will probably tune in just for the commercials and has not lost much sleep in the past few weeks anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl. Regardless of what category fans fall into, one thing is certain for the entire audience – halftime is game time. It is time to finally stand up and stretch, refuel and relax before another nail-biting half. The following are recipes for some NFL Sunday snacks that, just like the Steelers and the Packers, have made it this far due to their superior quality compared to all other snacks in their league.

Buffalo Chicken Dip – Extra Buff

Tried and true, this is a recipe that has taken some personal tinkering and years of football games to perfect. Always a crowd favorite and easily prepared before the game, just pop it in the oven five minutes into the second quarter and it will be perfectly heated by halftime.

Ingredients:

• 1 Fully cooked rotisserie chicken

• 2 blocks cream cheese

• 1 cup ranch dressing

• 1 cupFrank’s RedHotHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce

• 1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese (or your preferred cheese)

• 1 medium disposable aluminum lasagna pan (20” x 12” x 2”)

Pull the white meat off of the rotisserie chicken. Leave half of the pieces in larger chunks, but shred and/or cut the other half into smaller pieces. Heat the cream cheese in a saucepan on low to medium heat, constantly stirring (it will burn). When it is fully melted, stir in the ranch dressing and hot sauce until it is all one color and smooth in consistency. Take the saucepan off of the heat and stir the chicken into the sauce until it is all covered. Pour the mixture into the aluminum pan, and then sprinkle the cheese on top to your liking. Then, pour some extra hot sauce and ranch dressing on top of the cheese. Heat it in the oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes. Enjoy with Frito’s Scoops, because this dip calls for a heavy-duty chip.

Easy Cheesy Calzones

This Woman’s Day recipe is quick and easy. The calzones are tasty without the backbreaking work of waking up at dawn to cook the sauce and knead the dough from scratch.

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated pizza dough

• 1 jar (24 to 26 oz.) pizza sauce with meatballs

• 1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese

• A variety of your favorite pizza toppings

Heat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Unroll the crust into a 12-inch square and cut into fours. Use a slotted spoon to distribute the meatballs into the center, and top each with about 1/4 cup of cheese. Add pizza toppings to your liking then fold corner to corner. Use a fork to seal the edges and poke holes in the top. Bake for 10 or 13 minutes and serve with the remaining sauce.

Mango Red Pepper Salsa

Not every Super Bowl snack has to be cheesy and fattening. Thisfitsugar.com recipe puts a summery spin on a game day staple. Easy to prepare, healthy and very tasty, try this instead of the typical chip sand salsa.

Ingredients:

• 2 peeled, pitted and diced mangoes

• 1 diced red pepper

• 1/2 chopped red onion

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• Dash cayenne pepper

• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour. Serve with pita chips or flatbread crisp.

Sources:

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/45

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Recipes/30-Super-Bowl-Snacks.html