Super Sunday

You don't have to be among the fans in Miami to make this a super Sunday. Whether you'll be glued to the game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints or looking for alternative ways to spend the evening, here are a few tidbits to get you ready for Super Bowl XLIV.

The ultimate Super Bowl breakfast

The Colts may very well dominate on the football field, but when it comes to the dining table, even the most ardent Indianapolis fan would have to concede the cuisine title to New Orleans and its world-class fare.

Even family and friends I polled on Facebook had a tough time coming up with foods that defined their town. They came up with pork tenderloin, fried (cornmeal) mush, fried Pop-Tarts, alligator from a place called Roselyns or a sweetheart coffee cake.

Just sticking the words Cajun or Creole in front in any breakfast item makes it infinitely more interesting. Say it in French, and you'll conclude "Ca c'est bon (That's good)" before you know it.

Of course, serious Colts fans could start their day with a big bowl of Peyton O's if they were lucky enough to buy a box years ago. They could be found on eBay this week for about $8.

-- By Barry Courter

Souper Bowl of Caring

Many area churches will collect canned and nonperishable food and money Sunday for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank in conjunction with the Souper Bowl of Caring, a national annual event in which youth are mobilized to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities.

In Tennessee in 2009, 249 groups raised $92,264.23 and donated 36,689 cans of food for their local food banks during Souper Bowl of Caring. Across the country last year, $10.3 million in cash and food were donated.

According to officials at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, that congregation's Souper Bowl has contributed more food and nonperishable items to the food bank than any other local group for the past five years. Last year, the church contributed 8,400 pounds (with each dollar qualifying as one pound of food).

Some congregations will donate their money to other causes. Signal Crest United Methodist Church, for instance, will send its monetary gifts to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, where 100 percent of its donations will go to relief efforts in Haiti.

-- By Clint Cooper

Party with a purpose

Make-a-Wish Foundation of East Tennessee is hosting a Super Bowl party today in the Stadium Club of Finley Stadium.

The party kicks off at 5 p.m. with a silent auction and talk by Mocs football coach Russ Huesman leading up to the game's start at 6:30 p.m.

Among auction items are a flat-screen TV, go-cart, fire pit, a signed B.J. Coleman jersey and a four-day trip to Orlando, Fla., complete with Walt Disney World tickets, according to Dave Cope, Make-a-Wish director of development.

Tickets are $65, which includes a barbecue pork and chicken dinner from Famous Dave's. Tickets will be sold at the door. Proceeds will help fund the wish of a 3-year-old Chattanooga boy who wants to swim with dolphins.

-- by Susan Pierce

Game-day wings

Buffalo wings are the No. 1 dish served in restaurants across the city on Super Bowl Sunday. From Bud's in Brainerd to T-Bone's on the Southside to Beef O'Brady's in Ooltewah, wings are flying from the kitchen, according to a recent survey of area sports bars.

Want to make them at home? Here's a recipe from homecooking.about.com.

Original Buffalo Wings

4 to 5 pounds whole chicken wings

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt (if desired)

4 cups vegetable oil

4 tablespoons butter or margarine (1/2 stick)

5 tablespoons Louisiana-brand hot sauce or Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

Chop off the tip of each chicken wing and discard it. Chop the wing in half (cutting at the joint) to make two pieces. Sprinkle with pepper and, if desired, salt.

Heat the oil over high heat in a deep skillet, Dutch oven, or deep-fat fryer until it starts to pop and sizzle (about 400 F). Add half the chicken wings, and cook until they're golden and crisp, stirring or shaking occasionally. When done, remove them to drain on paper towels and cook the remaining wings.

Melt the butter or margarine over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, add the hot sauce and the 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar. Stir well and remove from the flame immediately. Place the chicken on a warm serving platter, pour the sauce on top, and serve. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

-- by Anne Braly

Peyton fans

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has a legion of devoted fans who have followed his career from the Tennessee Vols to the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, it's not unusual to hear Tennesseans call his current team "The Peytons."

"How can anyone not like Peyton?" asked former Fort Oglethorpe resident Erin Fister, who now lives in Lexington, Ky. "He's such a good athlete and seems like a really nice guy."

"The dude absolutely rocks," said local physician Rink Murray.

"I'm still ticked off he didn't get the Heisman," said Susie Crouch of Chattanooga.

Just this week, Mr. Manning was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team.

DeAnn Rauth of Ooltewah named her daughter Peyton, now 13.

"I think it's a very strong name for a girl," she said. "I'm a huge fan of Peyton and his entire family. I'm an NFL fan because of Peyton, and I love seeing him do so well. My husband, who is a Florida fan, said if we had a son, there was no way he would be named Peyton. He didn't have a problem, though, naming our daughter Peyton."

The football player spends some of his free time at his lake home in Chattanooga.

"He bought my aunt and uncle's house on Waconda Bay several years ago," said Sharon Ludwig.

-- by Karen Nazor Hill

Fourth and Nightlife

* The ultimate Super Bowl party:

Mellow Mushroom, 205 Broad St., is offering fans a chance to watch the Colts stomp the Saints (or vice versa) on any of eight new 42-inch high-def screens. The $50 entrance fee includes access to an all-you-can-eat buffet and all-you-can-drink beverages from the Mushroom's selection of 40 draft beers. Attendees also will receive a free Bud Light T-shirt, custom Sweetwater pint glass and other goodies.

Table seating is available for parties of six ($275) and eight ($350). Advance reservations required for all tickets. Cabs will be on call at the end of the game. For more information, call 266-5564 or visit www.mellowmushroom.com.

* A penultimate alternative:

Don't have $50 to spend to get in on the Super Bowl smorgasbord at Mellow Mushroom? Fear not, there's another option for Super Bowl festivities just up the street at Big River Grille & Brewing, 222 Broad St. Starting at 4 p.m., $25 will get you drink specials and access to Big River's all-you-can-eat appetizer buffet until the final whistle blows. A $55 VIP package tacks on a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, access to more comfortable seating and complimentary house wine and microbrewed beers. For more information, call 322-6149.

-- by Casey Phillips

Hangover remedies

The best way to prevent a hangover -- don't drink -- is the one suggestion millions of Super Bowl fans have no intention of following. And forget those "hair of the dog" remedies, which only produce more of the same results.

The medical experts at webmd.com offer these five tips instead.

1. Know your limit, and be careful not to go past it. Loss of consciousness does not constitute "moderate" drinking but rather a medical emergency.

2. Drink plenty of water. Alcohol dehydrates the body, so alternate a glass of water for every mug of beer you chug.

3. Never drink on an empty stomach. Consuming alcohol when your stomach is empty leads more quickly to intoxication.

4. Get plenty of rest. Your body needs time to recover from the damage you've done. And you'll want to be fresh for Monday-morning quarterbacking.

5. Take two aspirin the night before and again when you wake up. Aspirin relieves the headache and inflammation that alcohol can cause.

-- by Lisa Denton

The ultimate anti-Super Bowl

If "who dat" is a question, not a cheer, and "colt" means either "gun" or "baby boy horse," chances are you're probably not counting down the hours until Super Bowl ... what number is it this year?

But what to do when it seems almost everyone else in town is busy screaming at athletes in a television? (No, they don't understand that the players can't hear them).

How about a Super Satirical Anti-Super Bowl Bad Football Movies Night?

Get a bunch of fellow football naysayers together, bring on the wings and beer, and settle in for a night of terrible football movies. And yes, you can indeed scream at actors playing fumbling fake athletes in a television.

Suggested plays:

* "The Replacements," starring Keanu Reeves as a has-been quarterback who leads a team of NFL replacement players after the real ones strike.

* "Varsity Blues," starring that blond dude from Dawson's Creek as a second-string high school player. And a Texan.

* "The Waterboy." Adam Sandler carries buckets of water. OK. Adam Sandler plays football. Hmmm.

* "Leatherheads." George Clooney and John Krasinski fight over Renee Zellweger and flop around in a lot of mud. And, oh yeah, there's some football. Sort of.

* "The Longest Yard." More Adam Sandler. And Chris Rock. With Burt Reynolds. In prison. Enough said.

-- by Holly Leber