I'm not having a Super Bowl party this year, but this is a very good way to celebrate it without too much work. We eat lots of Mexican food here in south Texas. Depending on how much time, effort, availability of food and money you want to spend, you might want to consider serving all or some of the following foods. If possible, I would serve lots of different meats including ground beef with taco seasoning, beef and chicken fajita meats, shredded pork, fried and/or grilled shrimp and fried and/or grilled fish (fish tacos). Also be sure to serve corn and flour tortillas and crispy taco shells. For toppings have on hand shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, both sweet yellow and red onions, black olives, stuffed olives, several types of shredded cheese, chili peppers including jalapeños, serranos and habaneros, sliced avocadoes, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, pico de gallo, and sliced lemons and limes. And beans (frijoles), pintos and/or black, frijoles soup and/or refried beans. I would skip the boxed Spanish rice. The Mexican restaurants down here serve yellow rice which I much prefer. Brown the yellow rice in a little oil with diced onions and garlic, then substitute chicken broth for water, and I add a can of drained baby peas and a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, RO*TEL or Hatch. Both are very good. Also lots of chips served with chili con queso, guacamole, salsa and pico de gallo. And you might want to make up a big tray of nachos that can include meats, refried beans, cheese, etc. Jalapeño poppers would be good, i.e. peppers stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon and cooked. For drinks be sure to have margaritas, frozen, on the rocks, with salt, without salt, sliced limes and be sure to add a couple of green stuffed olives for an extra flavor. And be sure to use a good tequila. And Mexican beer served with sliced limes and salt is good. For desert fresh fruit, sopapillas, ice cream and/or flan. The following might be of some help. Ortega has some good suggestions. It states the following: A Taco Buffet When you have a taquisa (taco party), you can join in on the festivities because your guest fill their tacos to their own liking. Have both crispy corn taco shells and soft flour tortillas warmed and on hand. Then, let your guest choose from a variety of fillings: shredded beef, pork or chicken; different varieties of refried beans; a vegetable filling, such as, fried potatoes and zucchini with chiles; crisp, cool garnishes, such as, shredded lettuce, dices tomatoes, sliced radishes, sliced green onions, sliced ripe olives and fresh cilantro; an assortment of shredded and crumbled cheeses; sour cream and guacamole; and, of course a range of salsas to satisfy all tastes, from mild to fiery.

Some more suggestions: Serve it cold with potato salad. Dice it and use in omelets, or make a ham quiche. Make a super ham sandwich: good, fresh bread smeared with mayonnaise and topped with thin slices of ham, slices of good cheese, slices of tomato, bits of crispy bacon and butter-sautéed mushrooms warm from the pan. Serve it warm with sugar-glazed potatoes, redcurrant jelly, Brussels sprouts and a salad. Make the salad from finely sliced white cabbage, grated carrots and quartered grapes, sprinkle a little brown sugar over it and drizzle some lemon juice over that, toss and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Glaze the ham with a mixture of brown sugar, mustard and ketchup and serve with plain boiled potatoes, pineapple slices and Waldorf salad.

How food is served, what is served, etc. is a bit of a touchy issue for me. I think, like everything else, different people have different lifestyles (and probably different histories). No big deal. Just as different families handle finances, discipline, decorating, and everything else differently. I really appreciate that attitude. That's the way I feel. When I'm invited to someone's home for dinner, I appreciate whatever they've done. If it's different than my own personal tastes, then I just appreciate the adventure of experiencing someone else's family culture or lifestyle. The reason it's a touchy issue for me is this: And some of us feel if you have company over, you should offer plenteous food, lots of choices, but leave to the guest which items they want to eat, and in what quantity. Just different styles That's the way my MIL feels about it, but without the "Just different styles". I've known my MIL for 30 years, and every meal I've ever had at her house offered lots of choices, tons of food, buffet-style, everything was delicious. I deeply appreciate all the effort she puts into all her meals, and they are always wonderful. But she just can't seem to accept any other way as appropriate for guests. When we were a young married couple, we almost always invited my inlaws if we had some type of special occasion or dinner. Sometimes I did a party with a theme, or served just one special entree, etc. It always clearly upset and embarrassed my MIL that I didn't have lots of choices and tons and tons of food. She tried to make up for my deficiencies by bringing lots of extra food. I'm not talking about dinners for her extended family, in which case I keep to their customs if I'm the hostess. In all the years I've known my MIL, her special meals have all been for family, no dinner parties with friends. And that's fine. Special meals involve 3 meats or more, all her regular every day homestyle vegetables dishes (mashed potatoes, peas, fried okra, etc.), served on paper plates. Basically the same as her every day meals, just more of it. And that is fine. It's wonderful, and I never have ever thought she should do anything different than that, I've always just been happy to eat it. I just wish she didn't see a special meal with only one entree, one salad, one fruit, one starch, one vegetable, and one dessert, plated and served on china as an offense against my guests. Like azzalea said, it's all good. I will be happy if you serve me on paper plates, hopefully you won't care if I serve you on china. I will be happy if you serve me mashed potatoes and peas, hopefully you won't care if I serve you marinated asparagus and fish with a garnish. I will be happy if you serve me 10 choices, all of them plain and family style. Hopefully you won't care if I go to a lot of trouble and expense to create that one special entree for you. I could go over to someone's house, step over the toys and the laundry that needs to be folded, eat hot dogs and chips that they plated on paper plates and have a wonderful evening. So I guess it just astounds me to meet someone who thinks you shouldn't invite someone over unless you're going to have 3 meats, 5 vegetables, 2 salads, 6 desserts, and deviled eggs and serve it buffet style, in a house that's immaculate. Whew! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!

My husband's uncle used to carve the bird at the table and did a masterful job. She was a home ec professor and the food was wonderful. And he attacked that beautiful bird with great skill and aplomb. He picked the furthest from him, looked you in the eye and said "dark or white" and proceeded to slice a neat slice or 2 from the proper spot. Then he cut a hole in the turkey behind the ribs and in front of the thigh and proceeded to spoon out a spoonful of stuffing, adn your plate went back to you and the next plate was passed while you filled your plate with wild rice and mushrooms, and greenbeans with pearl onions squash souffle etc etc! Good food at Aunt Tiny's house!