Thursday, January 27, 2011

Super Bowl Entertaining Ideas


Thinking about throwing a Super Bowl Party this year? Even if you aren't the biggest football fan, Super Bowl Sunday is a good excuse to get family and friends together and have a good time! Here are some tips for your next Super Bowl Party that will surely be a touchdown! (sorry I had to!)

Most important is the bar!

As hosts of the best Super Bowl party in town, make it easy for yourself. Do beer, a few specialty cocktails and maybe some wine. You know your guests best…but no need to stock a full bar! This saves both time and money.

           

Beer
Why not provide beer that has a special meaning? In honor of Green Bay Packers provide Miller Beer, Point Beer and in honor of Pittsburgh Steelers provide Iron City Beer and countless micro brews.
Also, mix things up a bit and ask your guests to bring different beers from around the country! This keeps things interesting, provides a variety, and is a source of conversation for those who may not be glued to the big screen. Also, this takes a little pressure off of you as the host to buy all of the refreshments. 

Specialty cocktails
If you know me, you know I can never have a party without a specialty cocktail. In honor of the Green Bay Packers do a Key Lime Pie Martini that is rimmed in yellow sanding sugar.

3 parts vanilla Vodka
1.5 parts Key Lime Juice
1.5 parts simple syrup

Pour liquid ingredients into a shaker filled with ice.  Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass that has been rimmed with yellow sanding sugar. To make the drink "Green Bay Green" add a touch of Midori!

Photo Courtesy of Bulldog Photography

In honor of the Pittsburgh Steelers do a Blavod and Tonic.  It's black vodka (any will do) and mix it with tonic…for fun rim the glass with yellow sanding sugar and garnish with a football shaped lemon.
           
Take other cocktails your guests like and give them new names such as "Rush", "Touchdown", "Quick Pass", "Long Pass", "Hail Mary" or "Fumble" if you've had too much to drink.

Food

This is an area where you can have some fun!  Both teams come from areas that are steeped in Eastern European traditions so get your inspiration from that! Also, think of items that are easy and self served.  This way you can enjoy the party yourself!


Wisconsin produces sausages in many forms - summer sausage, brats, franks, wurst and kielbasa. And let's not forget cheese based dishes, spreads, melts, and fondues.  Why not make cheddar beer bread? It is super easy and it goes great with a crock pot of chili! (trust me, I just made it last weekend) Also, "kick" things up a notch serve beer based fondues guests can dip sausage or bread in.  Both are filling and again easy to make and walk away from.
           
Perogies - Can be homemade but time consuming although not hard (I've made them myself) or you can find them in your freezer section! Serve with sautéed onions, sour cream, applesauce or any garnish.  They are filling and always a hit!
Primanti Brothers Restaurant serves a steak sandwich where the slaw and the fries come ON the sandwich, not on the side. So why not take this tradition and serve at home at your party? Sounds simple enough right?! And absolutely delicious!
For dessert, why not serve Klondike bars - they originated in Pittsburg! You never know what your guests will do for a Klondike bar!

Some other ideas for food and munchies, check out ThePopcornFactory.com! They have fun and festive NFL tins for all of your favorite teams! Also, Cheryl's Cookies has fabulous tasting cookies in the shapes of footballs! They are to die for! And lastly, 1800 Baskets has plenty of fun game day inspired baskets to round out your menu and make entertaining easy!

Décor

For this type of party, you don't need to stress too much about decor. After all, as long as you have a comfy couch and a big screen I am sure your guests will be your biggest fans! But, if you want to get creative, cover your dining table in green turf purchased from your hardware store.  Paint white lines like a football field and then download the playing teams logos and place them on the turf. This is your table covering and décor! It's as easy as hut-hut-hike! Place the food and now you have something that can be used year after year!


Games

Buy a few fun gifts and create a trivia game with football, regional, and team questions.  Time your guests and the one with the highest score wins the game!  This could be played at half time before your guests start to "fumble". Not the biggest football expert? Go to NFL.com to find plenty of trivia questions!


General Entertaining Tips

1. If guests ask to bring something, assign them a specific dish or beverage.  Nothing worse than getting four pots of chili, and 10 bags of chips that don't get eaten.  Your guests will love you for this…they don’t have think what to bring!


2. Place any valuables that you fear may get broken in a safe place so then you can relax. 


3. Worried about your rugs and floors in the snow? Place out mats for the shoes and boots and provide your guests with inexpensive slippers (manly at that) they can slip on…they can take them and will love you for it!


4. Have pets?  Put them away in a quiet safe place for the day.  You don’t have to worry about someone feeding Fido chili or someone stepping on your kitty's tail.


5. Have kids? Create an area that is safe and fun for them.  Put out football inspired crafts they can make.  If they get too wound up - send them outside for a game of touch football.


And most of all, have fun! 

Cheers!
Shawn

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