Super Foods for Your Super Bowl Party

It’s one of the biggest sporting events of the year, and aside from who the winner will be, the burning questions surrounding Super Bowl Sunday is what Super Bowl Food Recipes will you make.

Chips and wings make the cut at every party, and while pizza is always a crowd pleaser, it really isn’t that exciting on a Sunday when man, woman and child join forces to party together. We’ve got the inside track on what to serve this Sunday from the moms. Not just any moms, thought. NFL moms.

“I’m from Detroit, Michigan and when Super Bowl  XL was in Detroit in 2005 I was so excited mainly because Anthony had promised me the tickets.” Connie Davis is talking about her son, Anthony Adams defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears. The devoted mom never missed a high school or college game. At Martin Luther King High School in Detroit he led the team to the city championship three straight seasons, in between being a star shot putter for the track team.

So when he promised is mom some Super Bowl tickets, she knew he meant business.

Earlier in the year, she met Gladys Bettis, mom of Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But not just any running back. One of the best all time running backs in the NFL. The ladies hit it off and since Jerome was playing in the big game that year, and it was in Connie’s hometown, the football moms had planned to sit together at the Super Bowl to cheer on Jerome and the Steelers.

But Anthony had other plans. “ Right before he came home he said, ‘Ma I have good and bad news’. I wanted the bad news first. ‘I’m not giving you the Super Bowl tickets’. I was crushed. But then he told me the good news. He decided to give the tickets to a student at Youth Ville.”

Youth Ville is an after school program in Detroit set up for the inner city youth to get help with homework after school and also participate in extra curricular activities. Adams decided to reward a Youth Ville student who improved in his grades from the first card marking to the second in hopes that he would continue on the right path with some incentive. “ It worked,” says Connie. “The young man is an honor student to this day and has improved his grades every term since. He and Anthony still stay in touch.”

So what are Connie and Gladys serving up this Super Bowl Sunday?

“Anthony and I make sweet potato pie together. But I’m not sharing that recipe! It’s a family secret!”

What she is sharing is the recipe for “Super Bowl Extravaganza”: turkey lasagna that will have the crowd lining up for seconds before halftime.

And while Jerome is known for the moves that helped the Steelers win the Super Bowl in 2005, his mom is known for her center cut pork chops. Now you can make both for your own Super Bowl party.

May the best dish win you lots of compliments from you hungry armchair quarterback:

GLADYS’ FRIED CENTER-CUT PORK CHOPS:

8 center-cut pork chops

Unseasoned meat tenderizer

Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

Ground pepper

Garlic powder

All-purpose white flour

Vegetable oil

1. Rinse center-cut pork chops in cool water and pat dry.
2. Add dry seasonings to taste and combine with flour.
3. Coat chops with flour mixture on both sides.
4. Heat skillet on low heat; add vegetable oil.
5. Cook chops approximately 10 minutes on each side.
6. Drain and serve with favorite side dish.

CONNIE’S SUPER BOWL EXTRAVAGANZA:

1 box of Lasagna Noodles

1 twelve-ounce container of small curd cottage cheese

2 eggs

1 package of cheddar cheese

1 package of extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 package of any mild cheese, like American or more cheddar

1 can of Parmesan cheese

1 large can of tomato sauce

2 lbs of ground turkey

1 package of turkey sausage

1 package of turkey pepperoni

Salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasonings to taste

1. Take approximately 6 noodles place in boiling water and let cook until firm (not soft).
2. Fry the turkey, and turkey sausage meat in a skillet.
3. Season meat to taste while cooking with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasonings.
4. Strain your meat, and then open up the can or jar (Ragu, Prego, etc) of tomato sauce and stir into the meat. Let simmer.
5. Place one cup full of meat sauce in the bottom of oblong pan and top with the turkey pepperoni.
6. Place drained noodles on top of meat sauce.
7. Take the two eggs and mix them up in the cottage cheese.  Then place splats of cottage cheese down each noodle.
8. Place either one of the cheeses or mix the cheeses up and place on top of the cottage cheese.
9. Repeat process.
10. On the very top place left over meat sauce and remainder of cheese along with Parmesan cheese and let cook until the cheese is fully melted and you can see signs of boiling on the top of the Extravaganza Lasagna

(Photo): Here’s hoping that the Bettises have a lot to celebrate.