The biggest sporting event in the States is around the corner, and while football fans are eager to find out which two teams will make it to MetLife Stadium, we at Chow Bella are getting excited for the Super Bowl snacks. Throw the ultimate party with your very own snackadium, a centerpiece made of game day foods like burgers, potato chips, and -- if your resolutions are still on your mind -- veggie sticks. If you're more focused on enjoying the eating event of the season, opt for pizza, M&Ms, and piles upon piles of Twinkies.
Can't decide how to build your edible football stadium? Here are ten ways to construct a one-of-a-kind snack stadium for Super Bowl XLVIII.
Need we say more? Pile on the burgers and hot dogs to build a stadium of meat. You can go in whole hog by making walls of ribs. The structure starts with giant meat patties, and the crowd is -- you guessed it -- more grilled meat. Top with a lettuce field and mustard and ketchup end zones. We can't help but think this is missing cheese, but cheddar helmets are a simple solution to that problem.
See also: Will Ferrell Puts Out Yet Another Bizarre Guerrilla Super Bowl Ad
The 2014 Super Bowl will be played in Rutherford, NJ, at the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. What could be more appropriate for your party than a MetLife Stadium made of cake? This one requires baking and assembling a 4- or 5-layer cake and sculpting the entire thing by hand. A replica of MetLife Stadium is an expert-level cake project; intermediate cake crafters can try their hands at the Rice Krispies Stadium (page 3).
This version of a snack stadium, courtesy of Pillsbury, is practical, easy to make, and will no doubt get demolished at your Super Bowl party. Bon Appétit supplies video instructions for this simple snackadium. The field is guacamole with white yard lines made of piped sour cream, and the fans -- chips, pigs in a blanket, and Chex Mix -- are kept in check with foil and plastic containers. Don't like guac? Swap it out for a Football Pizza. Line the perimeter with sub sandwiches to complete.
Have a hundred people to feed? Check out this snacking smorgasbord from Break.com. LA Weekly shows us behind the scenes of the construction process; so if you dare, you can take on this project yourself. But you'd better get down to the Home Depot now because game day is two weeks away. Better hit up Costco too for crackers, chips, popcorn, and other edibles to fill the stands. Bonus points for finding appropriately colored M&Ms for the end zones.
Using three colors of dip is a common way to make an edible football field, and here are straightforward instructions to help you build your own snack station-meets-stadium without making a mess. This is a simple enough style to adapt it to whatever you want to serve: tortilla chips, Cheez-Its, pretzels. But no matter what the spread, don't forget the ingenious beef jerky goal posts.
You might have to spend an entire day stacking deli meat, cheese, and tomatoes to put together this stadium, but it will definitely be worth the effort. This version also features other creative options: slices of pizza in the stands and crispy breadsticks for flagpoles and goal posts. Don't forget to offer some support so your sandwich stacks don't topple. Try inserting wooden skewers into the middle layers and adding another layer of hoagies on top to hide them. Or, for an all-edible structure, use graham crackers and frosting to build out the stands.
Having a vegan or vegetarian Super Bowl party? You can still build an impressive stadium that every guest can enjoy. But this impressive wood structure requires a lot of supplies: 60 crates of fruit! If you have a hook-up at the local grocery store or farmers' market, this is well within reach. Originally a football pitch (as in soccer), this can be adapted for the American sport by adding the end zones and 50-yard line.
The simple triple-dip style gets a big upgrade in this version, which integrates both Twinkies and bacon strips to build the frame. As the instructions state, "The Twinkie is nature's brick," so it's easy as can be to build a wall out of them. Use bacon to hold back the rabid Cheetos fans by creating a barrier of toothpicks. Crispy bacon also makes great separators for the crowd, but be sure to fry up extra slices. We don't want you to devour your creation before your guests can get at it.
For an outrageous dessert, make a stadium-shaped cake out of brownies and crisped rice treats. This photo provides a great model for building your own masterpiece. Depending on size, bake three to six pans of brownies or cake in a rectangular mold. Layer together with frosting or caramel, and round the corners. Using two large jelly roll pans, at least as big as the cake, prepare crisped rice. Cut the field out of the center of one large sheet of Rice Krispies treats, and stack on top of your layer cake. Use the second sheet of treats to cut out the bleachers and stadium walls (which support the stands). Roll out fondant to cover the sides, and finish decorating however you like.
For a great finishing touch, cut out logos from boxes, bottles, and take-out bags to decorate the walls of your stadium. Attach your selected product sponsors to cardboard, and use them to line the perimeter of the playing field, or create tiers in the stands. EdibleStadiums.com also has great ideas for edible fans: skewers, chocolate chip cookies, and trail mix. And if you live in the San Jose or San Francisco area, you can order an Edible Stadium to be delivered to your door.
