Time to make those Super Bowl party plans

Yes, so, it's only Tuesday but I couldn't wait to post this one any longer! It’s a good thing everyone enjoyed the delicious food during the Eagles’ last playoff game, since no one was having a good time watching our team lose to the Cardinals (who they defeated 48-24 in the regular season)! Despite the Eagles loss, my friends and I are still planning to throw a Super Bowl party. Even if our team isn’t playing, we can’t pass up an excuse for a fun get-together!

I don’t have a TV large enough, or fancy enough, to host the ever-important (commercial) viewing party. So, one of my good friends is hosting all of us at her house, and I offered to bring some food to help her out.
I had to think about recipes that would travel well, since I’ll be making them at home and bringing them to the party. I decided I’d bring my Buffalo Chicken Dip and make pulled pork sandwiches. Then all I have to do is bring some rolls for the sandwiches and some crackers for the dip and we’re all set! I’m going to make both dishes before the party, and then we will use slow cookers to keep them warm. Once I arrive, I can just plug it in, heat it up, and enjoy!

Here's the recipe for my Pulled Pork Sandwiches:



Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 1/2- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast, netted or tied
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
12 round sandwich rolls or hamburger rolls, split

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until it’s well browned on all sides.
2. Stir the soup, ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add the pork and turn to coat.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours* or until the pork is fork-tender.
4. Remove the pork from the cooker to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred the pork. Return the pork to the cooker.
5. Divide the pork and sauce mixture among the rolls.
*Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

I just recently found a blog that I love to help me plan all of my themed parties and seasonal events: theme-party-queen.com! Check it out!

For more great party ideas, notmadeofmoney.com and celebrations.com have some great tips on throwing a budget-friendly Super Bowl party.

Tailgating Tips from Good Morning San Diego!

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, so check out these cool tailgating tips from Good Morning San Diego!

Inauguration Party: Tonight!

So I shared with you my plans for the party set up and theme, but here are my “dining and entertainment” selections for the evening. I plan to portion the food dishes into “finger foods” and share on small plates in order to add a formal touch to the party.

Food

The most important part of any party! I’m creating an All-American menu, with a special emphasis on Chicago, in honor of Mr. Obama’s hometown. Here are two recipes I’ll be making:

Deep Dish Barbecued Chicken Pizza



Ingredients:
3 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 medium red onion peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced mushroom
1/2 tsp. salt divided
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts thinly sliced or shredded
1/2 cup hickory-flavored barbecue sauce
1 12-inch pre-baked pizza crust
2 cups grated smoked gouda cheese or shredded mozzarella

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 450ºF. Cover baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
2. Rinse chicken. Pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
3. Heat vegetable oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken. Sauté 2 minutes, or until exterior is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan with slotted spoon.
4. Add onion and mushrooms to pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Remove pan from heat.
5. Return chicken to pan. Stir barbecue sauce into chicken and vegetables. Place pizza crust on baking sheet. Arrange half of cheese on pizza crust. Top with chicken mixture. Top chicken with remaining cheese.
6. Bake at 450ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is crisp and cheese melts. Let stand 3 minutes before cutting. Serve immediately.

Tips:
• For true “Chicago” flair, I’m making my pizza with a “deep dish” crust.
• To save time, I’m using Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken. I’ll be able to skip right over steps 2 and 3, plus I won’t have to worry about defrosting and shredding boneless chicken breasts.


Franks Under Wraps (a spin on the Chicago-style hot dog)


Prep : 15 minutes
Bake : 15 minutes

Ingredients:
½ package (17.3 oz.) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
10 frankfurters (about 1 lb.) , cut crosswise into halves
Prepared mustard

Directions:
1. Thaw pastry sheet at room temperature 40 min. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix egg and
water.
2. Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface. Cut into 20 (1/2") strips. Wrap pastry strips
around frankfurters, pressing gently to seal. Place on baking sheet. Brush with egg
mixture.
3. Bake 15 min. or until golden. Serve with mustard for dipping. Makes 20 appetizers.

*Tip:
• If you’re going with the Chicago-theme, serve with yellow mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickles, peppers, and celery salt, but NEVER ketchup!

Games & Entertainment
Of course we’ll be watching live coverage of the Inauguration on television, but we’ll also have plenty of games to entertain us:

1. Predictions
Give each of your guests a form where they can each make predictions about the night’s events. For example
• What color dress will Mrs. Obama/Mrs. Biden/the Obama girls wear?_____________________
• How many times will Obama say “change” during his speech? _________
• Who, if anyone, will cry? (Can be someone at your party or shown on TV)____________________________
At the end of the party, tally up the results. The guest with the most correct predictions, wins!

2. Name Game
• Before the party, create a list of words that are “off-limits” for the party. (For example, “Obama,” “America,” “Democrat,” “Republican,” “Bush,” “President,” etc.)
• As each guest arrives, give them a necklace with quarter tied to it. (I use ribbon and tape the quarters to the ribbon, but you can really be creative about what you use here. You could, for example, hand out mini-American flags instead of necklaces).
• Each time a guest is caught saying one of the “off-limits” words, they must forfeit all of the necklaces they have accumulated to the guest who catches their slip-up.
• The person who has the most necklaces at the end of the night wins!

3. Quiz
• Distribute a trivia quiz to all of your guests, which they can take in teams, or individually.
• After everyone is finished, go over the correct answers out loud and have each person or team grade themselves. Have a prize ready for the winner!
• If you search online for “Inauguration Quiz” you’ll find several you can use. Here’s my favorite.