Summertime is all about entertaining. With a successful Memorial Day Bash already under your belt, why wait until the Fourth of July to continue your summer of celebrations? The World Cup is just around the corner, and it only happens every four years, so why not gather around the boys, (and possibly some girls too), to watch this monumental event!
Because there are so many teams, and an entire month of soccer (excuse me, “football”) to watch, there are many ideas that you can come up with for your World Cup viewing party. Everyone has their favorite team, but popular team matchups include England vs. The United States, Portugal vs. Brazil, and Mexico vs. South Africa (and that’s just in round one!) If you decide to have all of the guys over for England vs. The United States, decorations and food won’t be too difficult since you can reuse some of the red, white, and blue party ideas from Memorial Day, or take your Fourth of July party ideas out for a test run. But, since that’s old news, why don’t we plan your World Cup party for Mexico vs. South Africa.
Mexico takes on South Africa in just four days, so if you aren’t ready to entertain by then, don’t worry, you can still use all of these ideas for when Mexico takes on France on June 17th. My tips for World Cup entertaining are simple and relatively quick to organize, so it would be great to get everything ready to launch this year’s big opening game. I hear it’s supposed to be a real kicker.
For parties where the crowd will mostly be centered on the television, I recommend serving fun finger foods that your guests can easily grab with one hand, while still holding onto a beer in the other. But be creative! Wings, thighs, and drumsticks are SO Super Bowl. Since you are watching Mexico take on South Africa, why not prepare some mini beef tacos, corn on the cob, and a seven-layer dip served with your favorite tortilla chips. I have a great recipe for a seven-layer dip that takes only about 15 minutes to make, so just follow these instructions below!
Ingredients you will need:
· ½ cup chopped green onions
· ½ cup chopped tomatoes
· 1 can of black olives
· 1 can of refried beans
· Picante sauce
· 1 cup of your favorite salsa (mild, medium, or spicy!) or pico de gallo
· 1 cup of guacamole (home made or store bought)
· 1 container of sour cream
· 1.5 pounds of lean ground beef
· 2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese
· 2 cups of Jack cheese
Three Easy Steps to follow:
· In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until it is brown. Add in some Mexican taco seasoning if you would like a little extra flavor!
· Spread the refried beans and Picante sauce on the bottom of your serving dish and sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar and 1 cup of jack cheese on top of the beans. Sprinkle the beef on top of the cheese. Then add a layer of sour cream, a layer of guacamole, a layer of salsa, and the remaining cheddar and jack cheese. Finally, sprinkle your olives, tomatoes, and green onions on top!
· Your seven layer dip is ready to serve! It’s easy enough huh? Or, if you like to prepare things ahead of time, which I do, place the dip in the refrigerator over night and serve cold or at room temperature when your guests arrive!
Instead of serving in one large dish that everyone has to fight over, use this recipe and serve in individual jars like show below! If your guests don’t finish their dip, they can take it home to enjoy later!
All of these items can be prepared in advance, which is important so you won’t be cooped up in the kitchen and miss all of the action. There are endless ideas for Mexican “tapas” that you can serve, so have fun with it and ask your guests beforehand what some of their favorite Mexican dishes are so you can serve them!
Speaking of beer, instead of serving traditional Budweiser or Coors Light, try serving some unique microbrews or beers from the country you are rooting for. To take the pressure off of you, the host, ask your guests to bring their favorite microbrew. You will be surprised how many different beers from around the world you will be trying! For this party in particular, Mexico has some great beers such as Pacifico, Dos XX Amber, Dos XX Lager, Tecate, and Corona….so I am sure you will have a wide variety of beers for your guests to enjoy! In addition to beer, make sure to have plenty of waters and sodas on hand for those guests who prefer not to drink.
It wouldn’t be a sports viewing party without a little bit of harmless gambling. Set up a friendly bet, and whoever wins, gets to sport a pair of these great limited edition Havaiana’s World Cup Sandals. Nothing says bragging rights better then some stylish footwear. But hurry! These sandals are going fast and only available at Barney’s NY. Stop in a store or grab them here at this link http://www.barneys.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BNY-Site/default/Search-Show?q=Havaianas.
Overall don’t forget to have fun with this! Watching the World Cup with your buddies should be fun, casual, and relaxed. No matter what your budget is or how many people you plan on having over, don’t miss out on all of the excitement by slaving away in the kitchen all day! After all, you are part of the party as well!
The first round of games starts June 10th! So get to planning!
For more information on game times and team matchups, visit the Official World Cup Website at http://www.fifa.com/
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