When I was a kid, my father used to get so upset yelling at bad calls and missed balls during the college bowl games that he finally had to stop watching them for fear of giving himself a heart attack. So it is safe to say that I grew up with an unreasonable fear of televised football, because WHO KNOWS? IT MIGHT KILL YOU.

Still, I am a wee bit envious of people who look forward to Super Bowl Sunday. Especially women who know what a touchback is and who not only own but proudly wear their favorite team's jersey. Who are they, and how did they get that way? Why aren't they spending the entire game on their laptops having emotional affairs on Facebook, flinching every time someone scores a touchdown?

I know, you could always just leave the house if you don't like the Super Bowl -- the streets are empty! It's the perfect time to go to Target! Fortunately, there are a lot of good reasons to stick around for the game.

We're getting ready for the showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Giants by cooking up some crowd pleasing football party foods in our Super Bowl Recipe Challenge. Each day we'll be pitting two delicious recipes against each other and declaring one a winner. Join us today as we make Guinness cake.

We've already tested recipes for onion dip, spinach dip, quesadillas, guacamole, chili, and burgers and saved the best for last: dessert. Here's a question: Is there any better combination for Super Bowl Sunday than Guinness beer and cake? Answer: Not a chance.

In search of the best Guinness cake to serve on Sunday, I test-drove two recipes: Nigella Lawson's Guinness Gingerbread and Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Stout Cake. Any guesses as to which one turned out better?

We're getting ready for the showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Giants by cooking up some crowd pleasing football party foods in our Super Bowl Recipe Challenge. Each day we'll be pitting two delicious recipes against each other and declaring one a winner. Join us today as we make hamburgers.

I love experimenting with hamburgers. There's an infinite number of ways to have it your way! For the Super Bowl I thought I'd try out two "super" ideas: The Animal-Style Cheeseburger (from In-N-Out's famous "secret" menu), and the Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger with Apples. This isn't just a burger with strips of bacon in it -- it's a burger with ground bacon mixed in with the beef. Who will win?

Every family has those special heirloom recipes they pass down from generation to generation. I come from a family of huge football fans and the recipes that we pass down all revolve around football party food. Seriously, I'm not kidding: In fact, our annual Super Bowl party was something I'd look forward to literally all year.

Here's what we'd do for the big day: We'd make a huge crock pot of chili and then a second crock of BBQ pulled pork. (And then, of course, provide all the chips, dips, and beer your stomach could handle.) You can mess around with coleslaw or pickles for toppings on the pork, but really all you need are big, fresh, toasted buns to sop up all those savory, meaty, barbecuey drippings. Are you drooling yet?

We're getting ready for the showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Giants by cooking up some crowd pleasing football party foods in our Super Bowl Recipe Challenge. Each day we'll be pitting two delicious recipes against each other and declaring one a winner. Join us today as we make guacamole!

Guacamole is always a crowd-pleaser, whether you're a Patriot or a Giant. (Or really, anyone in the entire universe.) With only a few ingredients and a bag of chips, you can throw down the green stuff and watch it disappear. Which is why the guacamole recipe challenge was a no-brainer. Make guac two times? No problem-o.

Trying to step up the guacamole game, I tested out a truly easy version and compared it to a grilled recipe that also added sour cream to the mix. Super interesting! Grab your chips, and dig in to see what won the Super Bowl guacamole challenge.

We're getting ready for the showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Giants by cooking up some crowd pleasing football party foods in our Super Bowl Recipe Challenge. Each day we'll be pitting two delicious recipes against each other and declaring one a winner. Join us today as we make quesadillas.

Every Super Bowl Sunday, there's no doubt in any of our friends' or family members' minds that whatever Maressa brings will be Tex-Mex. Not only do I love Tex-Mex, but I feel like dishes like burritos, nachos, and quesadillas are the perfect party foods. Not only can you eat them with your hands, but they can be full of lean protein and veggies -- OR you can go the indulgent direction and pack 'em with spicy meat and ooey-gooey cheese. Mmmm!

But before deciding on THE dish for the big game, I test-drove two recipes: Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas (from Food.com) vs. Tequila Chicken Quesadillas (from FoodNetwork.com).

We're getting ready for the showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Giants by cooking up some crowd pleasing football party foods in our Super Bowl Recipe Challenge. Each day we'll be pitting two delicious recipes against each other and declaring one a winner. Join us today as we make chili.

On Super Bowl Sunday, ours is a house divided. We can agree on teams (lets go Giants!), but the food is the true battle. He's Southern, which means his chill packs some serious meat with his heat. And did I mention I'm a vegetarian? My challenge this year was to actually convince him that my chili loaded down with my favorite veggies could actually fill his tummy.

Know what goes great with the Super Bowl? Chicken Wings! Mmm, noshing on some hot, sweet-and-spicy wings with a side of ranch sauce and celery sticks sure would hit the spot. And wouldn't it be nice if some wings just showed up at your doorstep around half-time? Well, we've got you covered.

We rounded up some national chains that deliver hot wings and looked into what you get with your order. You know, just to make decision time a little easier for you.