I don’t follow NFL football at all. In fact, I’m ashamed to say that at the very moment I’m writing this, I can’t tell you the names of the two teams playing in the Super Bowl next weekend. (Ok, I just looked it up – Saints vs. Colts. Thanks, Google; this means nothing to me.) Yet inevitably at this time every year, I end up at some sort of Super Bowl gathering and I find that, despite my cluelessness, I actually enjoy watching the game.

This, however, has nothing to do with discovering a new appreciation for the sport or even being entertained by the over-the-top commercials. It’s the food. And the beer. But mostly the food (Sunday is a “school night” after all). Super Bowl parties are a great excuse for people to gather and eat copious amounts of delicious artery-clogging junk. It’s one of the only times when it’s acceptable to bring a White Castle crave case to a social gathering. What’s not acceptable is having a contest to see who can eat the most sliders in the shortest amount of time. Trust me, this always ends badly.

So, while I can’t share with you my predictions for the game, I can share some of my favorite recipes for Super Bowl snacking, tested and approved by yours truly. Enjoy!

Olive Cheese Balls

Ingredients

1 5 oz. jar Old English cheese spread (Kraft)

1 tbsp margarine

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Dash of Worchestire sauce

¾ cup all purpose sifted flour

1 small jar of green olives

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend soft cheese and margarine. Add flour and blend. Add Tabasco and Worchestire sauces to mixture. Blend thoroughly. Form dough into small balls around each olive and roll into a ball, about 1 teaspoon per olive. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden.

Spinach Crescent Pockets

Ingredients

Frozen spinach

Cream cheese

1 can crescent roll dough

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the crescent rolls and put in a little bit of spinach and a dab of cream cheese on the thickest part. Roll the crescent back up and pinch the ends closed. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Taco Dip

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese

16 oz sour cream

1 envelope taco seasoning

½ head of lettuce, shredded

10 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tomatoes, chopped

Sliced black olives

Directions

Mix cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Spread onto 11×14 cookie sheet. If you want to get creative, this mixture can be spread into shapes – like a football! Top with lettuce, cheddar, tomatoes and olives. Chill.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

3 bags Tyson baked or grilled chicken breasts

16 oz cream cheese

1 cup ranch dressing

¾ cup buffalo wing sauce

¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop the chicken into very small pieces. Mix all ingredients together. Bake until heated through – usually 15-20 minutes. Serve hot or cold with tortilla chips or celery.

Carlie is the Food and Drink Editor for Girls Guide. By day she is an educational textbook editor, and she moonlights as a foodie and barfly. You can email her at carlie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @carbirwin.