Super Bowl 50: Box Score Game, Recipes and More Party Entertainment

As the most popular event in American sports, the Super Bowl, nears, most people across the country aren't as concerned with which team will win as much as they are in trying to have fun.

From entertaining commercials, to bets, to finding the perfect finger food, Super Bowl Sunday has become the ultimate "school night" party.

The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos should provide plenty of entertainment on the field, but in case you just aren't that into either team, keep reading for some other options on how to have fun on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Always Popular Box Score Game

The Box Score game, a.k.a. Super Bowl Squares, can keep even the most casual fan entertained for most of the game.

It's pretty simple to play. All you need is a piece of paper that can be divided into an 11-by-11 grid, shown here at footballsquares.net. Of course, if you can get a huge piece of cardboard paper and pin it to the wall, it makes it that much better.

There are variations, but the most popular includes vertically assigning one team to a side of the grid and the other horizontally. Randomly place numbers zero through nine across the top and the side of the grid by each team.

Participants then "buy" squares for a certain amount and payouts are awarded after each quarter. Winners are decided by the second number of each team's score corresponding to their square after the end of the quarters. For example, if the Panthers lead the Broncos 7-3 after one, whoever purchased the square that lines up to the Panthers' seven and Broncos' three is awarded the prize money. It continues that way after each quarter, and participants can win multiple times.

It's fairly simple to set up and follow. Of course it always seems like getting zero, seven or three are key to victory, but all it takes is one safety, a missed extra point or multiple field goals to start throwing the game haywire.

The good thing about it is you can purchase a square then sit back and enjoy some customized Super Bowl Sunday food and pray your numbers appear on the scoreboard.

Super (Bowl) Recipes

Speaking of food, no Super Bowl party would be complete without some you'll have only once a year. Yes, wings and nachos must be present, but if that's all there is, you could have just gone to Buffalo Wild Wings.

Bustle.com shared 20 amazing Super Bowl appetizers, but here is one that will leave your mouth watering.

The Easy Cheese Bomb Bread sounds like it's not so great on the love handles, but it is taste buds approved. Here is a list of the ingredients:

Item	Amount
Refrigerated biscuit dough	1 tube
Mozzarella cheese, cut into eight 1-inch square cubes	4 oz.
Unsalted butter, melted	4 tablespoons
Italian seasoning	1 teaspoon
Garlic powder	1 teaspoon (or to taste)
Salt	1/2 teaspoon (or to taste)
finely chopped fresh parsley, optional for garnishing	2 tablespoons

Preparation, per averiecooks.com, is pretty simple:

Directions:

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1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

2. Separate biscuits and put 1 cheese cube into the center of each biscuit, wrap the dough around the cheese, seal, and place on baking sheet with the seam side down. Repeat until all dough and cheese is used. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until very lightly golden browned; watch them closely in the last minutes of baking because they can go from un-done to over-done in less than a minute. While biscuits bake, prepare the butter mixture. 

3. To a small microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 30 to 60 seconds.

4. Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and stir to combine. As soon as biscuits emerge from oven, generously brush each one with the butter mixture, optionally garnish with parsley, and serve immediately. Biscuits are best warm and fresh.

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Other good suggestions from Bustle.com are Beer Cheese Dip, Twice-Baked Loaded Ranch Potatoes, Baked Jalapeno Poppers and Baked Buffalo Chicken Taquitos. For a complete list check out the website.

Just remember, whatever you do, don't show up to the part empty handed, and make sure to try something in addition to the wings.

The Games Within the Game

As noted, there are more games than just the Big One on Super Bowl Sunday. Some of the most popular include the commercials—that way the casual fans can play. The contests can include guessing which company will have the first ad or having each person pick a genre and the one with the most commercials landing in that category wins.

It's always fun to play a game of actual football before the Super Bowl starts, and "drafting" a player prior to the game and awarding prize money to the winner who correctly selected the MVP never gets old.

However, there is one game that might take the cake, and it can be played for a good cause. If you want to add some fun to the football game, there's a contest that could lead to laughs all night. "Don't say it!" is the game that starts on the opening kickoff and doesn't end until the final second ticks off the clock, as explained by tasteofhome.com:

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Pass out necklaces or stickers at the beginning of the party, then choose a football-related word that no one can say during the game, such as "touchdown" or "field goal." If someone hears another person say the word, they can take their beads or sticker. The person with the most beads or stickers at the end of the game wins a prize.

A variation of this game can also be played where a person donates a quarter into a cup when they say the pre-determined word. After the game, the money in the cup is donated to a local food pantry.

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A fun word this year would be "dab," considering Carolina quarterback Cam Newton will most likely be doing some celebrating. If you want to make it really tough, choose "Newton," "Manning" or even "ball." If so, the food pantry could be getting a great donation this year.

However you choose to have fun, make sure to be safe and remember it's just a game—although it's one that could make you a little extra money if you're lucky.