This year’s Super Bowl has several layers. You’ve probably already heard (or if you’re completely sports-unaware like me, maybe you haven’t) the super bowl is being held at Levi’s Stadium where the San Francisco 49’ers play. San Francisco is hosting a whole week of free events in what they call “Super Bowl City.” Super Bowl City is just steps from my office and is a swath of the city that has been barricaded off and can only be entered through metal detectors, long lines, and security checks. It’s a really big event and causing a lot of disruption to most of the locals. However, it is kind of cool to be apart of something so big. It’s got that buzzy team spirit you feel at a live sporting event.

Every year we go to our friends’ house to watch the game. I’m the kind of person whose only interests in the super bowl lie in the food, commercials, and friends. I have verrrry little interest in sports, Super Bowl included. But, that aforementioned, fun team spirit seems to come out which I like. Plus, even though our friends love football, they are really nice and humor me by making up some games with questions related to the big event but require no sports knowledge. Think: what song will Katy Perry sing first during the half time show or what will the coin flip be? As for the commercials, the only one I’ve heard anything about is the coffee company from NY who won a spot during the game from Intuit. Worth $5 million – whoa. Other than that it seems the commercial news has been pretty quiet.

As I mentioned, another one of my very favorite parts of the game is the food! So I’m sharing a couple snaps and recipes for what we’re making this year. We were charged with a side, a sauce for dipping homemade pretzels, and a dessert. We’re making a combination of twice baked potatoes/potato skins for the side (Xan’s on that one), a cheddar beer dip for the pretzels, and brownie sundaes for dessert. Yum, I can’t wait. I’ll be saving up my stomach space until then!

Brownie Sundaes 

Brownies
1 c. butter, melte
2 oz cocoa (¾ c)
2¼ c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
5 oz flour (1¼ c)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ c. chocolate chips (optional)

Extras
Vanilla ice cream
1 c. whipping cream
1 T. sugar
Hot fudge sauce
Caramel sauce
Sliced almonds or other desired nut

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease 9x13 pan.

Make the brownies by combining cocoa and melted butter in bowl of an electric mixer.  Whisk together until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla and eggs and beat until thoroughly mixed. Combine flour, baking powder and salt, add to chocolate mixture and combine well. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into prepared pan, covering bottom completely Bake for 40 minutes or until top is dry and toothpick inserted in center is almost clean.  Cool in pan completely.

Make the hot fudge and caramel sauce (recipes linked above).

When you’re ready to assemble the brownies, make the whipped cream by combining whipping cream and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix on high until stiff peaks form. Tip: put the bowl of the mixer in the freezer for 15 minutes before making and the cream will whip up much faster and be more stable.

Assemble sundaes and enjoy!