The Super Bowl is today, and if you’re anything like us, you haven’t done much of anything to prepare a menu. But food is every bit as important to the Super Bowl experience as the commercials and the halftime show, so we’ve got you covered with some simple, straightforward dishes that will please your guests.

We’ve compiled 10 of our favorite recipes for football-watching snacks that are sure to be hits:

It pains me to post this dessert and call it a “recipe,” but hear me out: I’m a hardcore baker. Much like some people don’t consider Dominos real pizza, I don’t consider pre-packaged break’n’bake cookie dough real cookies. If a birthday cake isn’t from scratch with love and heart and soul, well, it simply doesn’t count. The birthday may as well have not happened. You are still one year younger.

I recently hosted a housewarming party and between all of the appetizers, dips, punch, and prep, desserts fell by the wayside. (I know. I KNOW.) Ten minutes before the party started, I turned to Pinterest for a sweet tooth Hail Mary and found it in the form of this S’mores dip.

My quick-fix dessert felt like a cop out at first. But when I took the glistening golden-brown puddle of chocolate and marshmallows out of the oven, everything was right in the world again. S’mores dip wasn’t just the most popular thing at my party, but probably the most popular dessert I’ve ever made. —RE

Search Pinterest for “s’mores dip” and you’ll find hundreds of variations. Don’t bother with anything more complicated than this!

Ingredients

One 10 oz. bag regular marshmallows
One 12 oz. package milk chocolate chips
One box honey graham crackers

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spread the entire bag of milk chocolate chips around evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate or cast iron skillet.
3. Cut approximately 20-22 marshmallows in half widthwise and place them, cut side down, on top of the chocolate chips until the chips are fully covered. I started with a circle of marshmallows around the outside edge, then worked inward.
4. Bake the dip at 450 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Keep a close eye on the dip, and remove it from the oven when the tops of the marshmallows are golden brown.
5. Serve at once with quartered graham crackers for dipping.

Serves a crowd of 8-10 people…if they’re willing to share.

Lisa Fain’s three-ingredient salsa is a minimalist wonder. Tomatoes, jalapeños, and garlic, broiled then blended together. That’s it. The salsa has such an incredible depth of flavor that you’d never guess how spartan it truly is.

Even though the foundation is amazing, I can’t resist jazzing this salsa up a little (especially in the dead of winter, when we could all use some jazz). Everything is still cooked together in one pan, keeping things incredibly simple and easy to clean up. And don’t be afraid of those scrawny, out-of-season tomatoes — the broiler coaxes out every last bit of flavor. —RE

Ingredients

1 pound plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
2 jalapeño peppers (or just one, if you like a less kicky salsa), stems removed and cut in half lengthwise
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
½ small white onion
Juice of a half a lime, freshly squeezed
Handful cilantro, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Turn on your oven’s broiler and move one rack all the way to the top.
2. Line a baking pan with foil and spread the tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, garlic, and onion out over the pan. Salt the vegetables.
3. Cook the vegetables under the broiler for approximately five minutes, until the jalapeños and garlic begin to brown. Remove the jalapeños and garlic and place them in a blender or food processor. If you like your salsa mild, remove the seeds from the jalapeños now.
4. Return the tomatoes and onion to the oven and broil for another five minutes, until the tomatoes are browned and the onions are charred on top. Add the tomatoes and onion to the blender or food processor, making sure to add any tomato juices that have collected in the pan.
5. Add a few tablespoons of water, a large pinch of cilantro, and lime juice to the vegetables, then pulse salsa to your desired consistency.
6. Add salt, pepper, and more cilantro/lime juice to taste, if needed. Blend and cool to room temperature. Serve with your favorite chips.

It’s downright baffling that kolaches — a Czech pastry made in both savory and sweet varieties — haven’t spread much past Texas here in the United States. There, a popular kolache includes sausage, cheese and jalapenos. This is our Italian twist on that treat.

A warning: Fresh pizza dough can be surprisingly difficult to work with. Make sure you let it get to room temperature before you start, and if you grow frustrated, remember that you’re stuffing pizza dough with sausage and cheese and everything’s going to be all right. Tip: Many good pizzerias will sell you a ball of dough better than those available at the supermarket. – TB

Ingredients

1 ball of fresh pizza dough
5-6 Italian sausages, hot or mild
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Hot peppers, chopped (optional)
Marinara sauce for dipping

1. Pre-heat the oven to about 425 degrees.
2. Heat a medium-sized pot of water to a low boil. Carefully add the sausages and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. Remove the sausages from water and let cool, or prepare to handle piping hot sausages.
4. Rip off fistfuls of dough and stretch them into ovals slightly longer than the sausages.
5. Place the sausages on the dough ovals (doughvals?), and pile on some cheese and, for extra kick, hot peppers.
6. Wrap the dough around the sausages and cheese, crimping it together so the cheese won’t leak out once it melts. Place kolaches on a greased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, then brush with melted butter.
8. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the kolaches are golden brown.
9. Let kolaches cool for a few minutes before eating, or deal with a burned tongue because you’re unwilling to wait.

Serve with marinara sauce.

Basically what it sounds like: A pizza made of taco stuff atop cornbread baked in a cast-iron skillet.

This one’s open to lots of interpretation based on what you feel belongs in tacos. I used ground beef seasoned with chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and a little salt, and I topped the “pizza” with fresh cilantro and sliced jalapenos. -TB

Ingredients

1 package cornbread mix (enough for an 8″ or 9″ square baking pan)
Everything else the mix calls for
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 lb. your favorite taco meat
Your favorite taco-meat seasonings
Salsa
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Your favorite taco toppings

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook and season taco meat
3. Warm a cast-iron skillet on a stove over medium-low heat.
4. Prepare cornbread mix per manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Melt butter in skillet
6. Pour cornbread mix into skillet and spread into a thin, even layer.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the center of the cornbread is firm.
8. Using oven mitts, remove skillet from oven.
9. Carefully spread an even layer of sour cream over the cornbread.
10. Spread meat on top of the sour cream, and salsa on top of the meat.
11. Cover the whole thing with cheese and return skillet to oven.
12. When the cheese melts, remove skillet from oven.
13. Add any fresh toppings you favor, slice and serve.

Serves 6-8.

Chocolate-covered strawberries aren’t just for Valentine’s Day. No, you can — and should — make them anytime you want because they’re easy and delicious. And everybody loves them, unless you’re allergic to chocolate or don’t like fruit.

For the Super Bowl, turn them into cute little footballs by using white icing as laces. -LL

Ingredients

12 strawberries
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Small tube of white decorative icing

1. Wash strawberries and pat dry.
2. Pour chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Place in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. If not melted, microwave for 30 more seconds. Stir again.
3. Dip strawberries into melted chocolate and lay neatly on wax paper to cool.
4. Use icing to decorate your strawberries like footballs.
5. Place in refrigerator to harden…or eat immediately.

Serves 4-6 but if you want more strawberries, make more.

There are lots of delicious dips out there. But many of them will cost you a lot of calories. This one is essentially guilt-free and has protein. With Greek yogurt and fresh vegetables, it’s healthy and awesome.

You can add other toppings like avocado, black beans, other spicy peppers, and/or use more Greek yogurt instead of the cream cheese/sour cream. -LL

Ingredients

Adapted from Skinny Taste
5.3 oz container of Chobani Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of fat free cream cheese
1/3 cup of sour cream
Your favorite taco seasonings
9 oz salsa (for what it’s worth, Whole Foods has awesome ready-made salsa that works well)
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 jalepeno (with or without the seeds), chopped
2.5 oz can black olives, sliced

1. Combine Greek yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasonings in a bowl with a mixer or a fork will do.
2. Add half the salsa, continue to mix. You may have to drain the salsa before adding so it’s not watery.
3. Spread on the bottom of the bowl.
4. Layer the rest of the toppings: salsa, tomato, cheese, jalepeno, olives, anything extra.
5. Serve with your favorite chips.

Serves 6-8

Pre-made wing sauces are available everywhere now, but you’re better off without ’em. And Buffalo wings are best when they’re freshest; resorting to delivery will cost you some crispiness. One important key is to use Frank’s Red Hot sauce. This is not a paid endorsement or anything, it’s just by far the best hot sauce to use for making Buffalo wings.

We heartily recommend frying the wings: It’s the Super Bowl, not the Still Pretty Tasty But Definitely Not As Good Bowl. Baked or broiled wings will still be pretty tasty with the same sauce, but definitely not as good. —TB

Ingredients

12 whole chicken wings, cleaned and cut into flats and drums
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
Celery salt (optional)
Oil for frying
Blue cheese or ranch dressing

1. In a deep-fryer, dutch oven or large pot, heat the oil to about 375 degrees or medium-high heat.
2. Fry wings in oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 12-15 minutes depending on size.
3. While the wings are frying, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add hot sauce and stir. Add celery salt or lemon pepper to taste, if desired. For spicier wings, up the ratio of hot sauce to butter. For milder wings, do the opposite.
4. When the wings are done, transfer them to a plate covered with paper towels to drain off excess oil. Then toss them in the wing sauce and serve with blue cheese or ranch.

Serves 4-6. If you have more people coming, do math.

Guacamole recipes can vary greatly, but one thing is practically always true: Fresh, homemade guac is better than anything you can get at the supermarket. What follows here is only a suggestion. Some people might prefer more onions, more cilantro or more jalapeno, some might like to add tomatoes for some sweetness. —TB

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
1/2 lime
1/4 cup diced onion
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno
Salt and pepper
Tortilla chips for dipping

1. Peel and pit avocados, then mash them in a medium bowl or mortar.
2. Add onion, cilantro and juice from the lime.
2. Wear rubber gloves to handle the jalapeno, especially — trust me — if you wear contact lenses and will need to remove them later. Otherwise you’re in for a world of pain.
4. Dice jalapeno and add to desired spice level. Depending on preference, you may only want 1/2 the pepper and no seeds. Some may want the whole thing, and all the seeds. Go slow.
5. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Serve with tortilla chips. Baby carrots work, too, if you’re feeling guilty about frying the wings.
Serves 4-6.

Let’s face it: Spinach and artichoke dip is played out. The ubiquitous combo of cream cheese and veggies had its heyday at the Olive Garden a few years ago, and now it’s time to crown a successor.

In my opinion, this jalapeño popper dip improves on basically every aspect of spinach artichoke dip. It has the same bubbly, cream cheesy consistency but with added heat from the peppers and a satisfying crunch from the topping. Since my tolerance for spicy food is roughly ten times that of a normal human’s, I like to add in seeds from one of the jalapeños, plus some red pepper flakes. Up to you! —RE

Ingredients

Adapted from Rachael Ray
8 jalapeños, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
¼ teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup Panko (or your favorite breadcrumbs)

Preheat a broiler or grill to medium-high.

Toss the jalapeño halves with the olive oil and roast under the broiler or char on the grill until softened and blackened, about 3 minutes per side.

Turn the oven to 400ºF. Let the peppers cool enough to handle them, then chop them up.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, half of the cheddar, the chopped roasted peppers, and all spices. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese and Panko.

Bake the dip until golden brown and bubbly, 15-18 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or cut vegetables…or both! Serves 6-8.

There’s nothing wrong with ordering enough Papa John’s to feed all of Delaware on game day (mmmmm, doughy crust dipped in garlic sauce). But if you want to take your pizza to the next level, a homemade pie won’t take any longer than any other traditional Super Bowl app.

My friend Brett hosts an amazing home-cooked pizza party a few times a year, and this pie is always a crowd favorite. It also evokes a certain breakfast-for-dinner feel that would be perfect after halftime, with your favorite hot sauce on top for good measure. —RE

Ingredients

Recipe via Brett Mickelson
1 Premade pizza dough (from your local grocery store, or – pro tip – your favorite local pizza joint)
Generous portion mashed potatoes
Mozzarella and/or cheddar cheeses
4 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and torn into bite-size chunks
2-3 eggs

Assembly: Well, it’s a pizza. Without getting overly scientific, you’ll want to toss the dough and then put down a bed of mozzarella (and some cheddar if you want). Then, add the potatoes and bacon. You can either dollop and gently spread or pipe the potatoes, as shown below.

Cook the pizza halfway, until the cheese is melting but the crust isn’t quite done yet. Then, remove from the oven and crack your eggs on top of the pizza. Return to oven and cook until pizza reaches desired done-ness. (The cooking of the eggs is the trickiest part. If you like them runnier, add them closer to the end of cooking time).

Note: You can make mashed potatoes however you like them (this could include instant), but add more butter/sour cream than you normally would so they don’t dry out in the oven.

We’d love to hear about your standby Super Bowl recipes! Share them with us on USA TODAY Your Take.