More Highlights from Super Bowl Party

Anyone who follows this blog knows we do a lot of entertaining and quite often host events of 20 to 30 people but sometimes more on a regular basis. Sometimes we will host more than one of these larger events in a month. Usually the Monday before the event I sit down to do a bit of planning which seriously is one of the few times I menu plan. I'll tweak the menu to try new dishes as well as tried and true. By the Wednesday I have the grocery list ready and have already started some of the prep work.

I estimate the length of the event them break it down into 2 hour periods. So for an event like the Super Bowl Party with people arriving just before lunch the first hot appetizer or snack was scheduled to be served about 2 pm, dinner at 5 pm, evening snack at 7:30 pm, hot late dinner 10:00 - 10:30 pm. At the same time a wide variety of snack type foods were served on a continuous basis. I have to keep in mind that some guests arrive with snacks and food so that has to get out as well.


Snack Mix

One of our friend's wife more often than not sends a homemade banana cake that is simply to die for. It is one of the best I've ever tasted and no I do not have the recipe (sorry). For this event she not only made her famous banana cake but also a snack mix similar to Scrabble except to my understanding was this snack mix was not baked. I have an email out to our friend so hopefully she shares her recipe.

In the meantime I have found several recipes for a similar mix online so will be doing a bit of experimenting. What I like about this type of mixture is you can really customize it not only with the individual snack ingredients but also with the seasonings used. It's a popular type of snack mix for those who like to pick and choose as well as for those who want just a little of this and a little of that.

Refillable Squeeze Bottle

Entertaining on any scale often requires extras you might not use on a daily basis. Sam's Club sells a package of 6 clear (really translucent), red or yellow 6 oz squeeze bottles for $4.34. They are food grade plastic perfect for all your homemade sauces and are perfect for casual type entertaining on the table or behind the scenes for more formal entertaining. The only fault I have with these squeeze bottles is there is no lid so I just use as small piece of tin foil to cover the nozzle.

Sam's Club is a great place to pick up commercial grade items like this and so much more. While some of the serving extras they carry are disposable a lot of them are not. Their restaurant grade cutlery and serving items are well worth checking out.

Nachos

Nachos and cheese are served at many of our events so I wanted something that was a little special and not necessarily disposable. I bought a package of 125 nacho clear plastic trays for $5 at Sam's Club. What is nice about these trays is they can be washed and re-used. At the same time if you are hosting a larger event and don't want to wash them they can be rinsed then popped into the recycle bin.

My husband won the football themed Crock-Pot at a golf tournament so it was perfect for the Super Bowl party. I used that to keep the cheese sauce warm. Not shown are the really cute football shaped serving dishes from Planters® that I used for extra nacho chips and late homemade popcorn. Using these types of themed servingware really adds to the event.

Taco Dip

One of our friends' wife sent a taco dip with Tostitos® Scoops®. This appetizer became popular well over 10 years ago and remains one of the most popular appetizers to appear at any gathering. It is popular because it is an easy, inexpensive dish to put together in very little time with no cooking. It travels well and everyone likes it. It is also a very versatile dish that can use a variety of toppings and toppings can be omitted if desired. There are many, many variations of this dip including my specialty Mexican Layered Dip.

Essentially the base is made using taco seasoning, cream cheese and Miracle Whip® or mayonnaise. The base is spread on the bottom of the serving dish. The selection of vegetables and/or sauce are then placed on top along with grated cheese of your choice. As you can see there is a lot of lea way as far as toppings and choice of cheese. At any rate this is a must make appetizer that is sure to please.