Create A Super Strategy For Your Super Bowl Party

Forget the game. Hosting a Super Bowl party is an event in itself.

Every year, football fans buy up more than 15,000 tons of chips, scarf down 8 million pounds of guacamole, and pop up and serve 4,500 tons of popcorn.

Together, that makes up one super party. In fact, Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest day for food consumption in the U.S. -- right behind Thanksgiving Day, according to General Mills.

"The Super Bowl is an eating phenomenon," said Peg Buchheit of Betty Crocker Kitchens. "It's the top at-home party event of the year, surpassing even New Year's Eve for parties. And, the average Super Bowl party has at least eighteen guests. That's a lot of pressure on the party's host."

A good game plan is to keep it simple. That means keeping plenty of the traditional munchies on hand, of course. But, there are also plenty of recipes for making super treats without too much effort. While keeping to a football theme, almost anything can be made to fit the occasion.

"Keep your foods festive," said Buchheit. "This is your chance to show off your team spirit and keep your guests entertained, whether they're watching the game or not. It's a great idea to use your team colors all over the place, even on the food."

If you're making cookies, add some team spirit to them. Also, don't forget to stock up on plates, napkins and plastic tableware in team colors. On average, Super Bowl party guests go through three sets of party ware during the course of the game.

Of course, all those munchies can lead to one super tummy ache. That's why sales of antacid increase nearly 20 percent on the day after the Super Bowl.