Selden family sets 19th Super Bowl party

Jim and Kristine Leonard are hosts Sunday of Super Bowl Party XIX.

At their Selden home, the windows are decked with Giants signs. On the backyard deck stands a miniature goalpost. Stashed in the kitchen is 25 pounds of turkey, pastrami and pepperoni, along with chicken wings, chips, dips and cupcakes.

"We've got enough to feed two football teams," said cousin Shawn Leonard. That's a good thing: Fifty relatives and friends are expected Sunday afternoon for food, fun and -- of course -- The Game.

"Bring it on," Jim Leonard said.

Across Long Island, many will gather at Super Bowl parties. For the Leonards, the effort began early Saturday morning, when Jim, Kristine and their two teenage sons met Shawn at The Gourmet Whaler, Shawn's restaurant in Cold Spring Harbor, to pick up the meats.

Then, the Leonards drove home and spent the day preparing food and getting the house ready, as they have done every Super Bowl for 19 years, except in 2008. (Superstitious Giants fans, take note: That was the year the Giants beat the Patriots. The Leonards went to the game, in Arizona.)

In keeping with tradition, there will be food representing both teams -- New York deli-style sandwiches and Nathan's hot dogs for the Giants, and New England clam chowder, brought by a friend, for the Patriots, Kristine Leonard said.

Last year, the family made fondue in honor of the Green Bay Packers, while cheesesteaks were featured for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That particular choice was more appropriate for the Philadelphia Eagles, but Jim Leonard said they figured it was close enough.

For Super Bowl XLIV, the menu was jambalaya and gumbo for the New Orleans Saints, and Wiener schnitzel for the Indianapolis Colts, after the Leonards heard it is favored by that team's fans.

As at many Super Bowl parties, rivalries will add to the buzz.

From the look of his Eli Manning jersey, Jim Leonard was pulling out all the stops for the Giants. He will root for the New York team, Leonard said. But pulling up his jersey, he revealed his true allegiance: Underneath, he wore a Washington Redskins shirt.

Son Brian, 16, Saturday wore a Patriots jersey, though he said he really likes the Minnesota Vikings. He was wearing the jersey because his father was rooting for the Giants. "I like being the opposite," Brian Leonard said.

His brother Nicholas, 14, said he's a Carolina Panthers fan. But he wore a Giants jersey. Why? His brother is rooting for the Patriots.