With the Super Bowl approaching, I am kind of like a kid anticipating a favorite holiday — Easter or a birthday or something. See, I am from New York and my home team — the Giants — are playing. Super Bowl Sunday will be extra special for me this year as I get to root for a team I’ve had an affinity for since childhood. Of course, there is that little detail that my husband is from Massachusetts and will be rooting against my Giants. But that may make it more fun, actually.

Of course, everyone knows that the Super Bowl isn’t just about the game or the teams. It’s about commercials that may or may not be the talk of the water cooler. And it’s about the food — the delicious game day food.

Have you thought about what you’re making this year? If not (or if you are thinking now), this list will help. I scoured Pinterest, Foodily and my favorite sites to come up with 50 fabulous recipes perfect for your Super Bowl party. Enjoy!

What’s your favorite game day food?

Bites

• Chili Cheese Dip on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Brown Butter Garlic Snack Mix on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Bread on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Hot Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip on Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Italian Gorgonzola Bread on Sweetnicks
• Hot Pretzel Bites on Betty Crocker
• Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Ham on Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Ginger Spice Mixed Nuts on The Perfect Pantry
• Bacon-Wrapped Apple and Sausage Bundles on Recipe Girl
• Roasted Pancetta and Herb Butter Crostini on Family, Friends and Food

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Ok. I failed at photos this Thanksgiving. I didn’t get any shots of Will and Paige together (sad, because they looked so cute). Nor did I take many shots of anything else. I was just too busy cooking and enjoying myself — and as a result, I just don’t feel too bad about it. It was a happy day.

This was the biggest spread I’ve done thus far. We had a delicious turkey that was super juicy and perfect, along with a ton of sides.

But why have one Thanksgiving when you can have two? Last night, Will, Paige and I joined the Sweetnicks clan, Patsy of Family, Friends and Food and Joanne of Eats Well with Others for a fun bloggers Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Read the rest of this entry…

Our Thanksgiving Table, Circa 2006

Are you ready for tomorrow? I’ve been cooking since about 7 a.m. today (not including the pre-7 a.m. breakfasts I made for the kids) and am all set for our Thanksgiving feast tomorrow.

I hope you’re ready too but if not, here’s a quick, easy last- minute menu for what to make and serve for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry…

Seven years ago, I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner. Shawn and I were newly weds, and I couldn’t wait to play hostess. It was practically an obsession for me, and I wasn’t happy until I could do it. I devised an aggressive menu and tried my hardest to make it awe-worthy. In the end, the meal was okay — but I was so stressed about the whole thing that I barely spoke until we sat down to dinner. Back then, I didn’t yet have a tried and true method of preparation or a cache of recipes that I loved. All I had was a vision for this beautiful and epic dinner that reality couldn’t live up to. I’m lucky anyone let me do it again.

Since then I have hosted Thanksgiving every year — even last year when we had two Thanksgivings and in 2007 when I was released from the hospital on Thanksgiving Day after having Paige earlier that week (we actually had two Thanksgivings that year too — the second, where I cooked, was three days later). Over the years, I have changed how I approach the meal dramatically and honed a method that makes cooking for Thanksgiving practically stress-free.

So, what are my best Thanksgiving planning tips?

• Plan Smartly – The biggest mistake I made when planning my first Thanksgiving was that I selected recipes without paying much attention to how they worked together or how their cooking times differed. Now, when I plan the menu, I pay attention to ingredients and look for ways that I can use ingredients in more than one recipe. I also pay attention to cooking times and methods. I have two ovens and four burners to cook on (plus a hot plate with two more burners) and my turkey is cooked in a rotisserie — so everything needs to work within those cooking spaces.
• Don’t Overdo It – The first few years, I served a variety of hot appetizers in addition to dinner. Do you know what that meant? I basically cooked the entire time. It wasn’t relaxing or fun — just stressful. So for the past four or five years, I have stuck to cold appetizers that can be prepped ahead of time. This year, I am adding a hot dip in, but I will be preparing it the day before and just sliding it in the oven before it’s time for our guests to arrive. It won’t be a stress. Whether it’s the appetizers or side dishes that stress you out, it’s important that you recognize the problem and back off. You’ll be happier for it.
• Mix It Up – Traditional Thanksgiving dishes are great — but don’t feel like you have to serve them. Plan your menu around what your family likes instead. If you aren’t a turkey fan, it’s okay to trade in a spiral ham or a chicken. Not a sweet potato casserole lover? Then skip it. Thanksgiving is about honoring family and heritage and the harvest. The dishes you serve should reflect what you like — not about what you think you are supposed to have.
• Accept Help – Probably the smartest and best decision I ever made was to let Shawn make the turkey. He has his own recipe for creating a juicy, flavorful turkey in our rotisserie and takes care in creating it. Me? I’m happy to hand off the responsibility and focus on my favorite part of the meal: the side dishes. And in the end, we have an awesome turkey that goes really well with all of my sides.

After the jump … Thanksgiving Menu 2011.

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Ahoy, me hearties. Today be buccanneer tide at me office. Me work shipmates an’ I dressed up like sea dogs. Thar be sea dog foods, games an’ treasure. It be a great, grand day.

I’m a big, huge, gigantic pirate fan. After hearing legends as a child of Captain Kidd allegedly burying treasure off the New England coast, I just fell in love with the lore and romantic pirate histories. Of course, the reality was far less romantic. My interest is more Captain Jack Sparrow than real-life pirates. (And for the record, I know that real life pirates are nasty … nothing like Jack.)

When my editor suggested we have a pirate party to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day this week, I was all for it. I might have yelped in glee, but who’s counting? Today was our party (though the actual day was Sept. 19).

This was our treasure chest — filled with a few fun prizes for the pirate trivia game (I won!) and the hook game (we had to use a homemade hook hand to pick up five pretzels. That takes skills. Did I mention that my coworkers are awesome?

Oh, and of course we dressed up. Why would anyone skip the opportunity to dress like a pirate? Arggggg!

For my contribution to lunch, I brought a plate of Chicken Daggers, a fun take on skewers that’s fashioned after daggers (as in the knife). My coworkers brought fun pirate foods like anti-scurvy fruit salad and walk the plank cookies.

Making them is simple – you marinate strips of chicken (I cut mine from chicken breasts) until they are filled with flavor. Then you thread the chicken onto skewers with a thick slice of pepper and a pineapple chunk (the dagger handle). Once that’s all done, all you need to do is cook them.

Fun, right?

And hey, these aren’t just for Talk Like a Pirate Day. They’re allow a perfect food for a Halloween party. Think how awesome the daggers would look on a spooky buffet.

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Happy Memorial Day!

When I woke up this morning, I heard the rumble of thunder and the tap-tap-tap of pouring rain. A cool breeze blew in the windows, cooling down the house for the first time in days. Now, it’s sunny and warm … That’s one of the things I love about spring: the contrast of cool breezes and warm days.

What I also love — about both Memorial Day and spring — is that summer is coming soon.

Today’s Eat. Live. Be. topic is all about summertime. Specifically, our favorite things about summertime. What are you most looking forward to this summer?

For me, it’s the beach. Hands down, summer isn’t summer for me without toes dug into the sand, swimming in the cool Long Island Sound and lunches eaten precariously by the water (where I frantically try to keep sand out of my sandwich).

We love everything about the beach: Kayaking in the waves, riding my beach cruiser along the shoreline, laying in the sun (with sunscreen on, of course), running on the sandbar, searching for periwinkles and hermit crabs, creating sandcastles, flying kites on windy days, seeing how far we can walk out on the sandbars at low-tide, boogie boarding and even screech-worthy skim boarding. We’re all ready for a beach-filled summertime.

Looking for some tasty bites for your next beach adventure? Try these! Read the rest of this entry…

Shell shocked. That’s how I feel about April starting tomorrow (with the cruel joke of snow too). And Easter is coming too. Oh freakin’ my. Someone asked me today if I am ready for Easter yet. The answer is a big, fat no. I haven’t put a single thought into it at all. But it’s time to start thinking about Easter, and especially my Easter menu.

Thank goodness for Foodily.You might remember me speaking about Foodily over the past few months. It’s a fantastic, graphic food search engine that launched earlier this year. It’s so fun to type in an ingredient or recipe title and see what comes up. The fact that there are pictures to see, front and center, makes it all the better for me. Read the rest of this entry…

St. Patrick’s Day is next week, so it’s almost time to break out the Harp beer and slice the corned beef. Not kidding.

When Foodily asked me what we’ll be eating on St. Patrick’s Day, I giggled. As much as I am a firm believer in authentic foods, I am also a full-fledged, card-carrying, head-over-heels fan of corned beef and cabbage. And while that’s not really Irish per se, I have been eating it for St. Patrick’s Day since I was a wee little thing.

You bet your britches we’ll be having that this year too.

When it comes to purchasing corned beef, I prefer a flat-cut of it (instead of the more marbled point cut). I love marbling as much as the next girl, but in corned beef, leaner and more evenly sized slices are my preference — and you get that with the flat cut. As for the veggies in the dish, of course there has to be cabbage, which I love. Additionally, I always toss in potato chunks (red or Yukon gold) and carrot pieces.

So, here’s my Foodily St. Patrick’s Day menu. Let me call your attention to the cheesecake. Wow, it sounds amazing, right?

One of my favorite part of any holiday is the leftovers, and St. Patrick’s Day (at my house) means corned beef begging to be used. And what is corned beef perfect for? Hash, of course! This corned beef hash can be whipped up in about 15 minutes and is fabulous with a poached egg (or sunny side up, if you prefer).

To make the hash, you start by finely dicing the leftover corned beef and potatoes.

Then you mix it all up.

Then you fry it up. And voila! You have a fabulous Homemade Corned Beef Hash.

What will you be eating this St. Patrick’s Day?
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This morning, Paige and I finished off her Valentine’s and packed them up for school. This weekend I will do the same with Will. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and we’re in the midst of parties and preparations.

On Monday, Will has his party at school (Paige’s was today). He’s so excited. Meanwhile, Shawn and I will have a nice breakfast out together (with Paige in tow). It will be low-key, but just right. For dinner, the kids and I will be on our own since Shawn has to work. I decided that my little Valentines and I will celebrate with a meal of things we’ll love. We’ll indulge a little …

I’m keeping all of this a surprise. That will make it more exciting and special for the kids (did I mention that they are strangely excited for Valentine’s Day this year?). But little do they know that I have hearts and merriment planned that they’ll love. Oh, and a great menu.

When Foodily asked me to share my ultimate Valentine’s Day meal with my readers, I figured what better to share than the actual meal that I will make?

My Valentine’s menu starts with a light Cucumber Salad, which is cool, refreshing and something we all love. It will be served with our family favorite Creamy Gorgonzola and Shrimp Pasta. I developed the recipe over the summer, and it’s been a frequently requested one since, although we haven’t had it in awhile. Along with that, we’ll have Roasted Cauliflower with Kalamata Vinaigrette, which just sounded too good to pass up. And for dessert? Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls. I actually started planning the menu with these in mind … and though they are typically breakfast fare, they will be perfect for dessert too. (Get all the recipes here).

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? Will you be cooking?

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Christmas this year was nothing short of magical for my family. It was happy, joyous, relaxing, restful and beautiful — and many other colorful descriptive words too. It was amazing.

On Christmas Eve, the kids decorated gift bags for all the presents they were giving. And they helped to wrap the last few stragglers. When Christmas morning rolled around, Paige woke first, running into our bedroom and declaring that it was “morningtime!” and Santa had come. We sent her to wake Will. I could hear her talking to him, telling him that Santa had brought presents and that he needed to get up. Her bubbling excitement was amazing to hear and watch. Read the rest of this entry…