curried devilled eggs (photo: Ruth Flickr/flickr)

It’s SUPERBOWL WEEKEND! Which means many traditions kick-in for a lot of people, including the wagers placed by so many – people like the Governors of the states of the teams who are playing.

This year Deval Patrick (MA – Patriots) and Andrew Cuomo (NY – Giants) have done the usual thing; a bet of regional foods. If the Patriots win, NY will send 46 (since it’s Superbowl 46) cases of New York-made yogurt, 46 dozen bagels from Manhattan’s Ess-a-Bagel and 46 cheesecakes from Junior’s in Brooklyn to a Massachusetts food bank.

If the Giants win, MA will send 46 pies from The Pie Ladies in Centerville, 46 cases of chips made in Needham Heights and clam chowder from Boston-based Legal Seafoods. All of that is just fine – why turn down an opportunity to showcase regional delicacies? Who doesn’t love cheesecake or pies? But wait, they’re playing in Indiana, so where’s the mention of Hoosier Pie? (mmm, pies…mmm cheesecake…mmm snap out of Homer Simpson mode!)

Then there’s a lot of on-line advice about hosting Superbowl parties and making food for them. Some say to go for the usual – pizza, wings, chili and tailgating type foods like bratwursts and burgers and such. Those are all perfectly fine – they match the event and are pretty darn comfortable. Some say go for the regional theme. Some say go for your local regional food preferences.

Well, howzabout we repurpose any kind of food favorites? Let me give a few examples.

Deviled eggs. People usually make them one specific way, with some ratio of dill pickle relish for instance, maybe some paprika sprinkled on top, maybe not. But how about making them curried? The first time I did that I was sure that only I would like them that way – but nope! They were gone in a flash, just like deviled eggs usually disappear. In fact my sister-out-law Jennifer only likes them that way now.

Reubens. One of the finer sandwiches known to human kind if you ask me. Well, turn the fun parts of it into a dip, and serve with crackers or cut up rye bread. That’s just two “re-purposers” and I’m sure there’s more.

Then there’s disguises. A few years ago Mr. B and I went to a “pizza party” Superbowl party and I was griping “boring – I don’t want to make or buy pizza.” But Mr. B said “Let’s make a calzone and pay attention to making it look like a football.” We did that and it was a hit! There’s more than that “disguise” right?

I guess my point is, there’s those two techniques: re-purpose, disguise and then others that I haven’t even thought of that one can do to any kind of food, drink to make any event, not just this Superbowl, fun and interesting. Considering there’s meats, main dishes, side dishes, salads, dips, appetizers and desserts of all kinds that one can really get creative.

I say let our imaginations as well as our fondnesses for some regular comfort food just step forth in the comments and set a Splendid Table. With all the creativity here at the Lake, with pure imagination with no ingredient constraints, along with what some may need to consider for dietary constrictions, or budgetary constriction too for that matter, I’m completely convinced that we’ll end up with a fabulous spread.

So much that anyone who sees it would want to, well, Pull Up A Chair.