Turn Your Super Bowl Leftovers Into These Consolation Snacks

Everyone (including The Takeout) put out their latest and greatest Super Bowl recipes last week. But almost no one talked about what to do on the day after when you're left with the detritus of your Super Bowl party.

There's nothing sadder than cleaning up after the guests have gone home and discovering that they left you with half a cup of mixed nuts with all the cashews picked out, an inch or so of broken bits of chips and pretzels at the bottom of the bag, and a little dish of Chex mix that someone has denuded of all the prize little rye chips. The good news is that if you are a fan of sweet and salty, as I am, these bits and bobs can make for a killer bar dessert. My Garbage Malted Blondies provide a buttery, tender receptacle for all of your leftover bits of snacks. If the idea of salty things like chips or pretzels in your bars seems too weird, stick to the leftover nuts or trail mixes or bits of other broken cookies that you might have lying around. A little bit of malted milk powder helps these blondies stand up to the added salt, and they will quickly become your go-to post-party bake.

For many people Super Bowl Sunday is an opportunity to mix up a giant vat of chili, sometimes more than one if you are hosting people who might want both meat and vegetable versions. And there is nothing wrong with leftover chili just on its own, but anytime I am faced with a stewy sort of leftover dish, I always wonder, "Will it shuka?" And of course it will. Re-warmed chili with eggs cooked right in it makes for a hearty winter breakfast that is the cure for what ails you—especially since work still happens on post–Super Bowl Monday morning (Less-Than-Super Monday?), no matter how much you might have indulged the day before. It is a quick breakfast that will help to gird you against the Monday blues, and it will feel like comfort to those whose team lost and celebration to those who were the victors—or those who were just there for the commercials.


Garbage Malted Blondies

Makes 24

Salty and sweet is the name of the game here—the batter is just there to bind everything together. You can also include leftover baking goods like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, etc.

  • 2 sticks butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. malted milk powder
  • 2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 4 cups leftover chips and snack mixes, mixed nuts, pretzels, popcorn, etc.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and malted milk powder and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar until combined, then add the eggs and vanilla and whisk again until you have a smooth mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir until there are no more dry streaks of unincorporated flour. Fold in your mix-ins until well combined (it won't look like enough batter, but it is). Spoon batter into a greased 9x13 baking pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes until a skewer in the center comes out clean.


Leftover Chili Shakshuka

Serves 1-4

For every person you want to serve, you will need 1½ cups leftover chili and 2 eggs. Put your leftover chili in a skillet that is large enough for the chili to be at least one inch deep, has room for the number of eggs you are looking to cook, and has a lid. For two people, I use my 8-inch skillet with 3 cups of chili and 4 eggs.

Heat your pan of chili over medium heat until it begins to simmer and bubble around the edges. Using the back of a ladle or spoon, make one divot for each egg you want to cook. Gently crack one egg into each divot, sprinkle a little kosher salt and freshly ground pepper over the top, and cover the pan with the lid. Simmer 5-8 minutes until whites are set and yolks are at your preferred level of doneness. Serve with chopped avocado, shredded cheese, or any other topping you like.

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