Super Bowl Food

Much to my surprise, I’m hosting a small Super Bowl gathering tomorrow. So what’s a guy to do to keep it simple and edible? Well, how’s this:

• Swedish meatballs
• Fresh vegetables with a homemade bleu cheese dip
• Reuben sandwiches
• BBQ coleslaw (with a vinegar dressing, not mayo)

The total prep time for this is just over an hour. Yes, I’ll be cheating on the meatballs. My good friends at Trader Joe’s make that easy. I’ll fire up the crock pot (oops. That’s now called a “slow cooker”) at 3:00, and pop in the meatballs and sauce. Tonight, I’ll make the coleslaw (the recipe is below) and the bleu cheese dressing. That means, tomorrow, all I’ll have to do is assemble the Reubens and cut the vegetables for the dip. Total prep time? Less than an hour. Which will leave me more time to watch the pregame show, which started last Tuesday.

And in keeping with tradition, I just might throw in a bag of Ruffles with California Onion Dip. Would it be a Super Bowl without them?

Here’s the coleslaw recipe. It comes from a long-time family friend, in Ballston Spa, New York.

Dorothy King's Cole Slaw

1 large head, green cabbage, shredded
2-3 large carrots, shredded or shredded
1 large onion, grated
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil or melted butter (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Whisk together the sugar and vinegar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Keep stirring. It may not all dissolve. That’s okay. Pour over vegetables. Add the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for at least 30 minutes (or overnight, which is better), and season to taste with salt and pepper.

OPTION #1: Add 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds to the coleslaw.