Super Bowl Snack Roundup! | The Alt-Weekly, Issue No. 14, Friday, February 6, 2026 (Patreon)

Notes, News, and Nerdiness from JKLA World HQ

Hello Frienjis! The Super Bowl is here and this year it's my home town (Boston!) pitted against my adopted home down (Seattle!), which means that rather than worrying about the outcome, I'll do what I usually do: Worry about the snack. Thankfully, worrying is something you won't have to do, because we've got a dozen of them lined up for you down below.

In other news, last weekend you all showed up in droves for my friend Renée Erickson's Pancakes for Peace fundraiser. Together we spent a day enjoying delicious pancakes, making new friends, listening to some killer fiddle tunes from my partner Tessa Lark, and raised over $12,000 for Minneapolis' Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization.

It's not going to stop there. We have several other community-building and fundraising events planned in the near future, including a special performance at of Tasting Notes at Town Hall on April 2nd. It's my live food and music show, now entering its third season. We're still working on the chef and artist lineup, but as usual, it will be an all-star cast and a fun and unforgettable night. Stay tuned.

What I'm Eating

A couple of excellent burgers (one from St. Bread and one from Smash That with my friend and fellow East Coast-to-Seattle transplant, Zoe Khan.

And excellent double-baked croissant breakfast sandwich from Golden Bakery in the Central District.

You can find a running list of over 125 of my favorite spots in Seattle over on my Apple Maps Let’s Eat guide. It's updated each month with five new spots, so make sure to check it out regularly (especially if you've got friends visiting the area.

What I'm Reading

This week we had a visit from my friend Polina Chesnakova, author of several books, including her newest, Chesnok, a book that explores her Russian heritage with recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucuses, and Central Asia. We cooked her mother's kotleti together while having a far-ranging conversation about cookbook writing, immigration, and the importance of food traditions for historically displaced peoples. Stay tuned for the full video interview and recipe coming next month. Polina is currently on tour with her new book around the U.S. Check her Instagram for her upcoming appearances..

I just picked up a copy of Naoko Takei Moore's (AKA Mrs. Donabe) cookbook Simply Donabe, a cookbook dedicated to the Japanese cooking vessel used for simmering and stewing. It's packed with perfect one-pot meals. She'll be doing a live event at Book Larder on February 26th, and stopping by JKLA World HQ later this month to cook with us.

Shop My Tools

One of the best ways you can support everyone who works here at JKLA World HQ while simultaneously upping the joy and pleasure you can get out of cooking is to visit our shop, where you'll find links to all my books (including signed and personalized copies), the tools I use most in my own kitchen, as well as the various projects I've collaborated on designing and producing.

Twelve Recipes for the Twelves

This Sunday, our Seattle Seahawks are headed to the Super Bowl! Any Super Bowl Sunday is a perfect excuse to indulge in America’s guiltiest pleasures, but our hometown team being in it sure helps justify the extreme caloric intake. Here are Twelve recipes to celebrate the Seahawks!

Tortilla chips are the perfect snack when hosting a party. They’re even better when piled high with all the fixins for these (vegan!) ultimate nachos.

If you’re hosting a smaller gathering and looking for a Super Bowl food with a touch of sophistication, these Texas-style nachos are the perfect bite, each assembled by hand. 

And none of this would be complete without the guacamole. My recipe is available over on Serious Eats, and you can find a video of me making that recipe here.

If pizza is your Super Bowl meal of choice, try these recipes to mix it up. Chicago (Tavern-style) thin-crust pizza is crispy and cheesy, just how you want it. Read the recipe on NYT Cooking (paywalled) or watch the video on their YouTube channel.

This foolproof, no-knead pan pizza is perfect for first-time pizza-makers and lovers of a thick, soft crust. No special tools required; just a classic cast iron skillet. It's one of my most popular recipes of all time.

Also using a cast iron skillet, and inspired by knots of pizzerias past, are these easy pull-apart garlic knots.

This meatball pizza just feels right for the Super Bowl: it’s indulgent, a bit absurd, and so delicious you might just make a tradition out of it.

If those meatballs end up in a sub, you won’t hear complaints from me. Here’s my recipe for meatball parm sandwiches.

Or, you could go for a traditional italian sub. The key here is to let the sandwich rest to let the flavors meld. Prep it 10 minutes before halftime and you’ll be set.

It’s been unseasonably warm in the PNW for this time of year, but if you’re in parts of the country dealing with snow storms and below freezing temperatures, a bowl of chili might just be what you need. Don't have all day for a pot to simmer? Try my weeknight 15-minute chili instead.

If you've got a big crowd to feed, nothing beats a DIY taco/nacho bar, and I've got you covered with my Homemade Crispy Gringo Tacos.

And finally, the wings. We’ve all heard the statistic about the billions of chicken wings that Americans will consume this upcoming Sunday. And frankly, I’m not doing anything to stop it! If you’ll be indulging in wings, these extra-crispy baked buffalo wings are the place to start. These easily feed a crowd and you don’t need to deal with the stress of a deep fryer. Perfection.

While the Hawks being in the Super Bowl is plenty romantic… you might also be planning ahead to next weekend. Here are a few show-stopping meals for Valentine’s:

Pan-seared tenderloin steaks with mushroom and yuzu butter sauce. Classy and flavorful with enough variety of flavor to build a full dish around. 

Crispy, evenly-cooked fish fillets that never stick to the pan. The trick? Panko bread crumbs. This technique also works for crab cakes.

While we’re on the topic, in my opinion, the best steak or fish sauce you can make at home is béarnaise. Elegant and versatile in under thirty minutes. 

And after you spent all your time on the show-stopping entrée, this 10-minute lime cracker pie will help save time and still get something special out for dessert.  

Thank You!

Thank you again for joining me as a Frienji of Kenji here on Patreon. I want my content here to serve you and your needs in the kitchen. Comment down below what recipes, techniques, or topics you’d like to see me cover!