Has the Super Bowl become a nation-wide holiday?
The Super Bowl is fast approaching. Football watching is a national pastime. With all the hype for the Super Bowl you'd think it was a national holiday!
Each fall season is also pigskin season. It's that time of year when the days get shorter and the football season seems to last longer and longer.
I long for there to be more hours in a day. I yearn for occasional time-outs. I wish five minutes in my daily life could be as long as the final five minutes of any football game.
About the time we say enough to the on-going games, it is time for the bowl games to begin. I can remember my dad watching the four big bowl games on New Year's Day when I was young---Sugar, Cotton, Orange and Rose.
There were so many bowl games 30 years ago that a Kansas City, Missouri radio station, not wanting to be left out, sponsored their own---The Cereal Bowl. And, since then, the number of bowls has probably tripled!!!
Snacking While Watching Football is Certainly a National Pastime!
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| The best bowl of all holds a treat of some kind! |
Whether you have had your fill of the sport or not,
here are some bowls you can fill --- and then consume ---
while watching the Big Game or any game or. . .any time.
1. Bread Bowls
- Hollow out the centers of hard or sour dough rolls a few hours before serving.
- Leave them on the counter so they can dry out a little.
- When ready to serve, heat up a thick soup or chili of your choice and ladle into the bread bowls.
You can butter the chunks of bread you scooped out of the rolls, toast them in the oven, crumble them, and garnish the soup if desired. Or, you can just serve them on the side.
2. Dip Bowls
- Hollow out a loaf of pumpernickel bread, leaving a one-to-two inch shell.
- Just before serving, place bread bowl on a large platter and fill the cavity with your favorite ranch-style dip.
- Tear the bread into chunks and place them on the platter around the bowl---along with carrot and celery sticks and other vegetables pieces.
You can use pumpernickel rolls to make individual servings if you prefer.
3. Chocolate Bowls
- Placed fluted cupcake papers into muffin pans. Melt real chocolate chips or almond bark squares, or a combination, over very low heat or in a microwave, until melted and smooth.
- Brush melted chocolate on inside of the fluted cups. When chocolate hardens you can add another layer if necessary to build up the sides to desired thickness.
- Refrigerate until serving time.
- Peel paper from chocolate cup and spoon ice cream, pudding or any filling of your choice into the bowls.
Instant coconut pudding with a little added grated orange peel is a great combination.
4. Bag Bowls
This next one, from a Northern California restaurant, is a bit Martha Stewart-ish. You use small square-bottomed paper sacks (I finally found them in a hardware store, that sells nails in bulk). Prepare as above. The restaurant serves soft ice cream and thick malts in them.
They take a lot more time than the "cupcake" bowls but they are unique, fun and --- they hold more!
5. Meringue Bowls
The following light and crunchy bowls lend themselves to a wide variety of fillings, including ice cream, puddings, whipped cream concoctions and fruit medleys.
To make approximately eight bowls:
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup white sugar
Heat oven to 275 degrees. Cover baking sheet with heavy brown paper (the inside of a grocery sack works great) or parchment paper.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar, a little at a time. Continue beating until very stiff. Drop spoonfuls of the thick meringue a few inches apart on the paper. Shape bowls with back of a spoon. Bake for 60 minutes. Turn oven off, do not open door, and leave in the oven until completely cool.
With spatula, carefully remove from paper. Fill just before serving.
These are my kind of teams!
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