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Super Bowl Party
Written by: TheCelebrityCafe.com Staff
It's that time of year again, when we have to decide whether to celebrate the Bowl Game or the Party while making them both SUPER!
By now you know our hearts are with the Super Party and the Bowl just gets in the way of the easy food, one handed eating and endless drinks. The clue here is easy prep, presentation and cleanup. Design the meals around game quarters, so don't put everything out at once. Planning is essential so that each quarter food is based on a theme with the accessories all tied in. Such as the 1st quarter is chicken and snack based, 2nd quarter needs ham, 3rd quarter is beef and the 4th quarter is dessert, pudding, pies, cakes etc. But remember the coffee and other hot drinks are always served after the game ends. The reasoning is that with all the jumping and cheering (or moans and groans) hot drinks are too dangerous.
Have plenty of large leaf collection style garbage bags doubled up in the un-chaired corners of the room and duct tape them to the walls or the back of the furniture, to get them to stand up. Who cares about paint peeling?
Next look at the end tables and shelves and you will find several napkin-pit stops. Don't be afraid of how it looks. Convenient napkins and garbage bags avoid a LOT of mess. When getting the good paper goods, get extra of everything so you can use it during recovery week. The dishes have to be better quality to stand up to the layers of food and sauce. In fact, while you're at the store see if they have something with a high lip to hold the food on the plate. Borrow several slow cookers from the guests early in the week or ask them to bring food in a slow cooker so that all you are putting out is a place for it on the table and a surge protector. Now you're ready for the food and fuel!
Party City has a variety of items including string party lights in the shape of little footballs. A set of 12 is enough to hang along a midsized wall but not enough to be overwhelming. Perhaps the cutest idea is the Bottle Jersey - a thin foam that slips over a bottle to keep it cool. It's in the shape of a little shirt with Superbowl XLI written on it. Of course no table is complete without a flannel table cloth that looks like a football field except that the grass is greener. The Official AllStar Chip Bowl meets any professional standard with enough room for a variety of chips and two separate dips.
El Pinto - All natural Salsa and Green Chile Sauce
1st quarter, welcome to the house and to the game party. Start out with El Pinto mild or medium Green Chile Sauce and Salsa, then put out the hot of each. That way the folks open up their taste buds and then get the full flavor of the hot! Remember the 1st dish of the quarter sets the tone for the evening. Top quality ingredients plus top quality food equals top quality fun. Don't skimp on cheapie salsa - El Pinto is top shelf salsa. Get the chips with the deep dip pockets, put out the plates and let the crew dig in.
Fiber Wise Macaroni
These are high fiber products to make our pasta salad with 0 trans fat and low sodium. Good and healthy, that's what we like and need. The spaghetti and fettuccine can be saved for another days' meal. The elbows, penne and spirals can still serve their country by total sacrifice in a cold pasta salad or a light sauce. Use the small paper bowls so that everyone gets a taste. Put out the pasta hot with the sauce in a small pot with a ladle. Everything today is self serve and this will start them out right.
D'Oni Enterprises All-natural gourmet condiments
Chicken wings can be bought in bulk and marinated, covered in sauce and even used in a dipping fashion. "What's Goin'On" is a Soy-Pear-Ginger Korean Teriyaki marinade glaze that will start our party off and recognize that Buffalo is not the only city that wing worshippers can love. Happy Together is an Orange-Chili-Garlic Grill Glaze Dip that will draw compliments as our second batch of wings is grilled to perfection. For those who need a New Year's hot spot, D'Oni's "Burning Desire" and "Bold as Love" will hit the heart fan. For each of these, I would suggest that the wings and drums be cooked until crispy and then a dipping bowl be made with each sauce. Place a clean pastry brush in each bowl to allow a light breezing on of the sauce.
Jose Cuervo - Golden Margarita and Oranjo and Citrico Tequila
This year we received a note reminding us that the ladies have a more refined taste than the beer and wings crowd. They suggested trying the Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita. Now, mixed drinks in a bottle is a little more planned than we are used to but it is a party and according to the rules the guests come first. If we wanted to enjoy ourselves, then the guests will have to be easily served. And the Golden Margarita is easily served. Refrigerate the bottle or drop it in the ice bucket. You're done! The good reputation of Grand Marnier and Cuervo's Gold Tequila are used as the basis for this easy party mixed drink, so how can you go wrong. Of course you could just hide the bottle behind the bar and claim you mixed it yourself. In either case, early set up is the key.
Orange and Lime as well as other citrus fruits are combined with premium Jose Cuervo to make Oranjo and Citrico Tequila. Tequila made by the people, for the people. It's almost patriotic to drink these over ice. The orange taste lingers after the punch of tequila hits while the lime brings it all home. Take it as a one-two hit. Do it now before the feasting begins.
Smirnoff Vodka
Here is where the party continues on a smoother, lighter pace. This bowl party is going to take a different turn. No more breaking the furniture or the rent. Just sipping and dipping! Chips and dips! I wonder how the chicken would taste marinated in Smirnoff. We know how the pasta tastes in vodka sauce with the best vodka.
Peppadew - Potato Chips
Very often we will be introduced to something new and wonderful, but its idea or concept is not necessarily new. The sweet and spicy potato chips from Peppadew are made with a pepper plant from South Africa. This is finally a potato chip that can stand on its own and not get lost in the dip. The taste defines the word spicy and will wake up the mouth in ways that mom never told you. In fact, if your girlfriend does not like hot food, just eat a couple of these chips, give her a kiss and take a step back. She will swing for the stars. Go spicy!
Reynolds SlowCooker Liners
Look, I don't have time to do a lot of preparation for the party and the slow cooker is a perfect way to cook and serve the "mandatory" chili. Since the food will be standing out for a time the sides of the pot will get hard crusted with food and be difficult to clean. The liner helps avoid a messy clean up. Next weekend, I've rented a cabin, but since I really don't trust the pots and pans they supply, I'm going to do all the cooking in my slow cooker and eat off paper dishes. The clean up involves just a garbage bag. The liners will make the slow cooker faster to clean and be ready for the next meal.
Sara Lee - 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Whole grain nutrition in a tasty bread package. Your guests will never know what hit them, except that it tastes good. You on the other hand will have the satisfaction of knowing that they are eating well. While enriched white breads "seem" to be better, the enriched part is a marketing term for added ingredients. Stay with the basics, if you want whole grain, buy whole grain, and don't pay for what you don't want. Bread is essential to stuff down the meat and since this is often a Super Bowl main meal - make it healthy to offset all those wings.
Thomas' Mini Squares Bagel Bread
This is the newest thing for a sandwich since the Earl invented it. The Bagel Bread is available in Plain, Everything and 100% Whole Wheat varieties with the Thomas' quality built in. The bread is firm enough to hold a hearty sandwich together yet small enough to prepare in advance, place a bunch on a tray and serve later. It's also small enough to hold in one hand so you don't have to put down your drink. One of the favorite varieties around the office is the Everything. It is good enough to toast and stand alone.
Mama Lucia - Fully Cooked Meatballs
Meatball heaven! These are as good as homemade, without the work. Make the sauce first, keep it hot, just bubbling, take one meatball on a long BBQ fork, dip it into the sauce and let it sit a while. We are now testing how long to let the meatballs sit in the sauce. Do it twice or three times to get it right. Then add several at a time being careful not to splash up the sauce, increasing the heat slightly and let them stay in a little longer then taste test. In about 12 minutes or so serve them. With massive amounts of hard crusted Italian bread. When ready to serve, call me.
Vienna Beef
The original "hot dog in a jar" people have come up with miniatures that they call Vienna Beef Pups. This is a product born for bowl parties because they come with their own sized buns. The perfect game food is now in an exact miniature state. You can set up a bunch of condiments and have your own hot dog while still leaving room to eat other things. We had some great ideas for these little Pups. They are a perfect size for the pork and beans bowl and eliminate the cutting of the larger hot dogs into a smaller size. For adventure, they can be placed on wood skewers and heated in boiling water then used as dipping food. For major adventure, try heating them up by placing them in the chili before serving, or add them to the chili for presentation.
Cook's Ham Inc.
While thought of as a special occasion meal, a spiral ham is a good idea for a bowl party. Easy to heat up, present on the table, and with a few added knives it is easy to serve. The spiral ham is pre-sliced with a special knife cut that make continuous line spiraling around the ham for almost its full length. After heating for presentation, a knife cut is made along the bone to make the spiral slices smaller and more manageable and bite sized. You can also make great sandwiches. What's leftover can be slipped into a large plastic bag and used for pea soup later in the week. It is never wasted.
Kernel Season's Popcorn Seasoning
As the name implies, this product is designed for popcorn but try it as a special taste for the deviled eggs or give a light soup a punch. For regular microwave popcorn it is just sprinkled on but the hot air popcorn needs a little fat-free vegetable oil sprayed on to help the seasoning stick. The Nacho Cheddar and the Caramel are in particular a hit. White Cheddar and Parmesan & Garlic go on a steak or pasta. It just adds something special. For fussy eaters there is enough of a variety so that it is just a matter of finding what they like and using that seasoning on everything! Use this power wisely.
Senseo - Supreme Coffee Maker
The pre-made coffee pods have the right amount for always a fresh brewed cup of coffee in minutes, and the variety is to die for. Just do it after tasting the coffee: Decaffeinated, Dark Roast, Cappuccino and even Irish Creamery. The pod system makes it easy. Just add water to the reservoir for several cups of coffee, put in the pre-made pod into the little drawer, place your cup on the holder, and push the start button. The Senseo can be set up early and far away from the main food table like in the recreation room and even in the TV room on a small card table. This will keep the crowd thin and avoid a coffee crush…until the second cup.
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