Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts
Feb. 4 at Dolphin Stadium, Miami
Kickoff 6:25 p.m. on CBS

Jenni Girtman/Staff (ENLARGE)

From cheese-and-meat-filled empanadas (far left) to Marcus Allen's guacamole (right front), these recipes will qualify you as MVP, whether you're hosting the party or bringing a dish as a guest.

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If you think the Super Bowl hype from the media is bad, you should see the hype to the media.

"Sick of the same old deliveries on Super Sunday?" asks a news release from FoodNetwork.com, one of dozens of companies that sent off a Super sales pitch, laden with football imagery, to newspapers this month. "Even if you aren't a culinary MVP, FoodNetwork.com has the playbook to make you a winner in the kitchen for the big game!"

Not that we're complaining. We love an excuse for a party as much as the next Food section, so of course we appreciate great recipes, whether they come from readers or corporate interests. But separating the perfect party food from the promotional hype can be challenging.

"To give fans a taste of how a true football legend celebrates Big Game Day, the Hass Avocado Board has teamed up with past Super Bowl MVP Marcus Allen to create the ultimate guacamole recipe, 'Marcus Allen's Gridiron Guacamole,'" said one release.

Whoa — a chance to talk to Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, even if only about his newfound love of Hass avocados and his pride in working with the Hass Avocado Board? Cool! We'll bite.

"Unfortunately, Marcus is not available" for a phone interview, explained Dea Eldorado, a senior media specialist with the public relations agency that represents the HAB. But there is a quote from Allen already included in the release:

"The best game day parties are those with good friends and great food," says the former NFL player. "Guacamole made from Hass avocados is always my top choice, because it's delicious and easy to make. With the 'Marcus Allen's Gridiron Guacamole' recipe, fans across the country also can enjoy my favorite game- day snack."

Really, now.

(Lest Eldorado think we mock her, it should be noted that she did, in fact, hustle and get us an actual comment from Allen, e-mailed in time for our deadline. Eldorado is a true pro. An MVP, if you will.)

The press release from FoodNetwork.com included a link to a yummy-looking snack from chef Alton Brown, called Slacker Jacks. Brown is metro Atlanta's hometown hero on the Food Network, so that sounded promising.

"Alton's so busy, it looks like his schedule won't allow an interview next week," a publicist for the Web site told us.

Oh, well. We still liked his recipe. And we tried the recipe that Allen apparently serves at all his Super Bowl parties and loved it, too. Then we rolled in some wonderful contributions from readers and partyin' metro Atlantans. Together, they make up quite the spread (of the food kind, not the points kind).

But not every promotional recipe we received was bound for the big game. Some we had to disqualify, for obvious reasons.

"This year's Superbowl menu need not include the same old nachos, wings and delivery pizza laden with artificial preservatives, trans fat, GMOs [genetically modified organisms] and sugar. Why not make pizza right at home using your own favorite fresh ingredients atop a ready-made 100 percent organic certified Rustic Crust? Ready for half-time, and scoring points with fanatics of both game and ads alike."

Ooh, sorry, Rustic Crust ... we've got a yellow flag on the field. "Super Bowl" is two words, not one. And that last sentence seems to be missing a subject and a verb. We can't work under these conditions.

And hey, where's our celebrity connection? This is the Super Bowl, after all. Even if we don't get to talk to them, we still like to know that they've prepared a special recipe just for us.