The Super Bowl has become a nationwide event - leading to gatherings of family, friends and neighbors. The essential ingredient in a successful Super Bowl party is the food, and this is one time where haute cuisine is unwelcome. Supermarket staples such as Velveeta and cocktail franks soar in sales, as the nation blows its New Year's resolutions for a of night nachos and onion dip.

This month's menu is a step above the dishes mentioned above, but it will please your guests young and old. Succulent Saucy Shrimp takes marinated shrimp to a new level, with a creamy sauce that is always a party favorite. Creamy Bacon-Olive Spread is a snap to prepare and is better if you make it a day or two ahead. Sweet-Heat Cocktail Meatballs are an update of your Mom's party meatballs, with jalapeno pepper jelly standing in for her grape jelly. A Super Stromboli rounds out the menu and is a hit with those who favor "meat lover's" pizza.

For dessert, my Touchdown Cookies are packed with a pantry full of tasty ingredients. Oats, coconut, two kinds of chips and nuts make these cookies crowd pleasers.

Recipes:

	Hot Spiced Cranberry Apple Cider
	Bacon-Olive Spread Creamy, tangy, salty, tart – these are adjectives that well describe this delicious Bacon-Olive Spread. Simply reading the ingredients will have any spread lover’s mouth watering.
	Saucy Shrimp Shrimp is a perennial party favorite, especially when it is drenched in a luscious marinade. While most recipes for marinated shrimp call for a vinaigrette type of dressing, this Saucy Shrimp is bathed in a creamy, tangy sauce.
	Super Stromboli Take everyone’s favorite meat lover’s pizza, roll it up and you’ve got a Super Stromboli in less time than it takes to wait for pizza delivery.
	Sweet-Hot Cocktail Meatballs Cocktail meatballs are retro party fare. This recipe for Sweet-Hot Cocktail Meatballs is straight from my mother’s recipe files but created with a new twist.