SUPERBOWL PREP STUFF: The Superbowl is--at this point--an actual American holiday. You have to do something on it, get together with friends and family, ask people, "So what're you doing for the Superbowl?" It's also a feast day. It's not centered around a single meal like Thanksgiving; rather, the idea is to provide enough types of food to last through the first half, and have a second wave prepared that you can fix at halftime. In this spirit I've been trawling the Internet--I don't want to pick up carryout this year or even do frozen jalapeno poppers or mozarella sticks or that sort of thing. I have Jim Henley's dry wing recipe--which sounds incredible--and I wish to contribute my family's own meatball recipe. The wings would be the kind of thing you would have at the beginning of the game; you'd keep the meatballs stewing in the crockpot waiting for people to pick through them at halftime. That's the plan.

So here it is, from a letter written to my parents in my greatgrandmother's own hand:

Grandma's Meatballs

1 pound ground pork (some people use half pork, half beef)
3 slices white bread (dry or stale)
2 eggs
pinch of salt
dash of pepper
"a small juice of garlic [cut] very fine;" garlic powder is mentioned as an acceptable substitute
You can stick in some hot pepper seeds if you like.

Mix in bowl with hands. Shape them into balls (she thought there was enough for twelve) and fry in oil. When they're done you can simmer them in your sauce for about an hour.

There you go. They're really good.

Other stuff I've been digging up:
Blue cheese & almond stuffed olives, part of Emeril Lagasse's dirty martini recipe.
Pepperoni pizza bread from the Hormel corporate kitchen. I'll probably use Bridgford pepperoni since it's much tastier.
Beef and potato burritos that I'm sure will not be of Taco Bell quality. I'm serious--those things are really good.
Tasty cheddarwurst and beans. I just wanted something to do with cheddarwurst, the finest of the packaged pre-cooked sausages.
This tricked-out recipe for miniature hamburgers, that seems too weird not to try.
Cap'n Crunch chicken.
Pork roll pigs in blankets (about half way down the page.)
Pepperoncinis stuffed with cream cheese and bacon or cream cheese and salmon.
Bacon wrapped scallops, which are easy and delicious.
The California olive industry's corporate kitchen.
Two words: Frito pie.

Basically I put every snack food I like through Google with the word "recipe" after it. Try it yourself. And enjoy the football contest.