Column from February 4, 2010

The Super Bowl XLIV logo on the beach

in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Heading for the end zone

It’s hard to believe we’re already a month into the new year and there’s still a debate on what to call it.

Is it “twenty-ten” (the one I prefer), “two-thousand-ten,” “two-oh-one-oh” or as heard on a local TV commercial, “tenennium?”

Another question for this time of year is: Who will win the Super Bowl?

That big event is this weekend and we will watch quarterbacks Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) and Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) go head-to-head to bring home the trophy.

This year is the 44^th Super Bowl. They write it XLIV. Is there a particular way to pronounce that, too? Not everyone can translate Roman numerals, so unless they do the conversion, they wouldn’t know those letters stood for 44.

If you take the V off the end, you have XLI – or 41 – which was the year the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears to win the Super Bowl.

Same quarterback, different team … that says a lot for Manning, don’t you think?

I’ve read where many think Manning ranks as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. This is a young man who has so many records that go clear back to his high school days.

Brees holds quite a few records, too, but not nearly as many as Manning. Of course, he’s younger and hasn’t been in the professional end of the game as long.

Needless to say, it should be an interesting game. I’m not sure which team I’ll be rooting for yet. Neither is a favorite of mine.

I will, however, enjoy the halftime show. The Who has been a standard in rock culture since 1964 – or 46 years. That’s almost as old as the Super Bowl.

Translated in Roman numerals, that would be XLVI.

OK, this is way too much for me! I’m just going to kick back and enjoy the game and the show. That’s a lot more interesting. I’d rather think about what to serve for snacks. Here’s a recipe you might consider for your own crowd Sunday.

It’s one of my favorites.

Mexican scoop

1 can (16-ounce) refried beans

¼ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup taco sauce

1-1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1-1/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup finely chopped green onion

1 cup chopped tomato

1 cup shredded lettuce

½ cup sliced pitted black olives

Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine beans, chili powder, salt and taco sauce in 10-inch quiche dish or similar shallow baking dish. Spread bean mixture evenly in bottom of dish with spoon.

Sprinkle cheese evenly over beans. Bake 15 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. Cool 10 minutes. With paper towels, blot any oil from cheese surface.

Combine sour cream and green onion. Spread over cheese. Arrange tomato, lettuce and olives decoratively on sour cream.

Serve warm with chips for dipping.

If dish gets too cool and difficult to scoop, use spoon for scooping mixture onto chips.

Makes 6 to 8 appetizer servings.