Sopapilla Cheesecake is my go-to, super-fast-and-easy dessert after any Mexican dishes that I serve for supper (like “Taco Tuesday,” Taco Salad, Tamales, Chicken/Cheese/Beef Enchiladas, Chili Rellenos, Asada Street Tacos, Carnitas, Loaded Nachos, Quesadillas, etc.). This year I decided it would be a perfect Red, White, and Blue sweet ending to our Independence Day meal, because of the colors, and because I had all the ingredients in my fridge!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2 (8-oz) pkgs Cream Cheese, softened (room temp)
1 cup sugar
½ tsp Mexican Vanilla (or, if you want to be fancy, you can scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean pod)
Mix together all three ingredients until smooth and thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
2 (8-oz) tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (or, you can make your own croissant dough)
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ cup butter, softened (room temp)
¼ cup honey (warm in microwave for about 20 seconds, after baking cheesecake)
Lightly grease a large baking pan (or small high-sided cookie sheet) with a tablespoon of the softened butter. Unroll one tube of crescent rolls and roll out to fit in the bottom of the greased baking pan/sheet, pinching the perforations together. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a small edge of the dough all the way around uncovered (like a pizza). Unroll the second tube of dough and roll out to fit over the cream cheese layer. Press down slightly around the edges. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and remaining softened butter together into a paste. Spread over the top layer of dough.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for about 30 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and drizzle the entire top of the cheesecake with warmed honey.
Strawberry Blueberry Compote
(This is what gives the dessert the RED and BLUE on WHITE treatment)
¼ cup of cold water
Juice and zest of one lemon
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 pkg frozen strawberries
½ pkg frozen blueberries
Place water, lemon juice and zest, sugar, and cornstarch in a sauce pot on the stove. Stir to mix the ingredients and then turn heat on medium high. Add strawberries and bring to a boil, stirring until mixture is thick. Remove from heat and add blueberries. Set aside until ready to serve.
Cheesecake may be served warm or cold. My son-in-law loves it warm and gooey. I think it is delish the next morning after being refrigerated overnight, with a hot, creamy cup of coffee – like a cheese danish. Mmmmmmm…don’t you?
“The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.“
Proverbs 11:25 NKJV
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery”
The title is kind of a guffaw, actually, and the reason I grin-and-bare that is that when hubby and I first moved to south Texas, and specifically the little town that we’re in, there wasn’t a chili relleno to be had on a single menu; not in a single restaurant in our town. And when I asked for “green chili” on an omelet for the first time I was met with a puzzled look and a question, “Do you mean Tomatillo sauce?” Um, no.
Needless to say, we were terribly disappointed, and bewildered. How could this be? Is it that green chilies only migrated north and west from New Mexico and not east? Maybe they aren’t a Mexican food at all? Perhaps it was my ignorance that green chilies and Tex-Mex were synonymous? 😞
I’m happy to report that just a couple of years later Hatch green chilies started making an appearance in these parts, and when they did, they made a big appearance. There are still no Chili Rellenos on the menus in our town, but at least this girl can get the ingredients in our local grocery to make them now, and that’s really all that matters.
And in all fairness, not all of South Texas is a dry Rellenos area; we’ve had them in a few San Antonio restaurants, even though they only barely resemble the authentic Rellenos that first stole my heart.
And, please pardon if I don’t make mine like you do. This is the way I personally like them. I’m sure I would love yours, unless you make them with ground beef filling, and then I’ll have to reserve my judgement until I’ve tasted them. Husband likes the beef filled rellenos, but I dream about cheese filled rellenos and am content to eat those for the rest of my days.
I got my Ranchera Sauce recipe from a gal I stopped in the middle of HEB not long back. She works in a local restaurant, so I knew she would steer me straight, at least as much of it as I could remember as she rattled her recipe off to me in the midst of my gathering ingredients. Ha! I hope I’m making it right. It’s sure tasty, so I’m sticking with it. 😆
First we start with the Ranchera Sauce
Place a stick of butter into a heavy pan and on medium high heat begin melting. As soon as it is melted add one whole large chopped onion (white or yellow). Saute the onion until it is translucent, turn heat down to medium and continue sautéing until the onions are caramelized. This will take quite a while.
Chop 2 jalapenos (stems discarded), and about 6 large plum tomatoes into chunks. Add them to the caramelized onions and let them cook until softened. Add a 14-oz can of tomato sauce to the mixture, stir, place a lid, reduce heat to simmer, and let cook until you are ready to batter and fry the rellenos. I have had the Ranchera sauce served to me chunky several times, so I presume that is the authentic way, but I use a Braun Wand blender tool to whirl the Ranchera into a smooth sauce with no large chunks.
Now, the preparation of the green chilies…
Pick the largest, firmest ones you can find at your grocery. Bring them home and wash them, and then dry them. I like the spicy ones. You might prefer the milder ones.
I have a propane flame torch which works pretty darn slick for roasting chilies. I lay my chilies out on the rack of my outdoor patio firepit, light my torch, and run the flame up and down each chile until they are blistered and black, then I flip the chilies over with tongs and roast the other sides. Once they are all well blistered on all sides I gather them into a plastic zip bag, seal it, and let the chilies steam inside for about half an hour or so.
If you don’t have one of these nifty little propane gadgets, the oven will work just fine. Move an oven rack up to the highest level of your oven. Preheat your oven broiler. Place your washed chilies on a cookie sheet and slide them onto that top rack in the oven.
Close the oven door (I prop my door open slightly with a wooden spoon – I like to hear my chilies popping and crackling).
Let the chilies broil on one side long enough for them to become charred and blistered.
Use tongs to roll them a quarter turn and return to broiler. Check them often for doneness. Continue turning and broiling until the chilies skins are blistered and charred all the way around.
Quickly remove them from the cookie sheet and place them into a large Ziploc freezer bag, and seal it.
Allow chilies to steam inside the bag for about half an hour, while you prepare the rest of the meal.
NOTE: I like to serve my Rellenos with homemade refried beans and a cheesy green chili rice. See those recipes below. Hint: this would be a great time to start making them now. This is also a good time to blend your Ranchera sauce and make is smooth. Keep it simmering on a back burner until ready to serve.
Start about 2 inches of oil getting hot in a deep sided frying pan (…just hot enough that a droplet of water makes it pop and fizzle. Not hot enough to be smoking. If you are seeing streaks/waves in your oil, it may be too hot. Either drop your heat, or add a little more oil to cool it down a bit before adding your chilies). The pan you use should be large enough that two chilies will fit without touching the sides or each other.
As soon as the green chilies have cooled enough to handle take them to the sink and begin removing the skins. They should slide right off easily. If not, be careful not to tear the chili, as it will be hard to keep the filling inside while you are battering it.
Once the chilies are skinned, make a slight slit along the side near the top stem of each.
Only make it big enough to slide the pieces of cheese inside. If you wish to remove some of the seeds you may do that also. I push the seeds out through the slit. I don’t mind a few seeds in my rellenos though. I use Pepper-Jack Cheese. For 8 to 10 chilies you will need about 1 1/2 8-oz blocks, which I cut into quarter-inch slices and then into quarter inch strips.
Begin stuffing your chilies with strips of cheese, about 5 or so strips per chili. Dust the outsides with flour and lay them on a paper towel as you prepare them. Once all the chilies have been stuffed and floured, you are ready to make your batter.
I beat two eggs and add about a cup of water to them…
…and then I whisk in some seasoned beer batter mix (part of one bag) until the consistency is about that of thin pancake batter. The batter should stick to your chilies, but just leave a fairly thin film. Hold the chili by the stem and dip it into the batter. Use a fork to sweep batter over the top of the chili and then gently lift the chili out of the batter, with the fork. Slide it into the hot oil and let it begin frying. Add another chili and let the two fry together.
Allow the chilies to fry for a few minutes and then use tongs to turn. The batter should turn a golden color. Scoop the chilies out of the oil and place on paper towels for a moment to absorb the oil. Quickly plate them and cover them with simmering Ranchera Sauce.
Oh my how I love them!!!!! Now if I could figure out how to feed a crowd all at the same time I’d be in business. I only know how to make Rellenos for one person at a time. Hot and fresh.
Mama’s Refried Beans
If you’ve made a pot of pinto beans and have leftovers, by all means use them for this. If not, look for these varieties at your local grocery store. I used 2 cans of Charro and 1 can of Barracho (which means drunken – notice that they use Shiner beer for this).
First I drained my beans of all the liquid (don’t rinse them). I melted about 2 Tablespoons of rendered pork fat (you can use lard, or if you have leftover bacon grease that’s actually preferred) in a sauce pan on the stove, and then I added my beans. I let them just bubble and cook on medium low heat until I was almost ready to serve my meal. Moments before I was ready to serve I took a potato masher and mashed the beans until they were the desired consistence. They may be served with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and some chopped green onion if you like.
NOTE: This also makes a wonderful bean dip, served with tortilla chips for a snack.
Cheesy Green Chili Rice
First I sautéed my rice (1 cup) in about 1/2 a stick of butter in a small sauce pot, on high heat. After about a minute of continuous stirring, I added 2 cups of hot chicken broth (water and boullion cubes work fine), 1 can of diced green chilies, and a grind of sea salt (you might hold off on this if using boullion). When the liquid boils, place a lid on the pot and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Lift the lid and lay several thin slices of pepper jack cheese (about 1/3 cup shredded) or cream cheese on top of the rice. Replace the lid and leave covered about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Lift lid and fluff rice with a fork, incorporating the cheese throughout. If you like it just a little creamier, you may add a splash of Crema, heavy cream, or sour cream, and a sprinkle of cayenne.
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” Acts 2:46
My husband and I discovered a little burger joint soon after moving to south Texas. It’s not a fancy place. In fact it’s kind of grimey looking on the outside. A regular person might even drive right past it and not think twice about it. It’s just a little dive of a place really, along the side of the road in Hondo, TX, but one day the old man and I cowboyed up and gave it a try … and I tell you … we absolutely fell in love with the Santa Fe burger that we ordered that first day. We love it so much it’s all we can ever think about when we drive by. We stop in regularly, on our way through town, just to indulge in its deliciousness. We love it so much we haven’t even ever tried anything else on the menu. You ever find a restaurant like that? They are real sweet about adding a few extra things to our burgers, which is what puts the Santa Fe right over the top. The next thing we know we’ve got it dripping down our arms, not saying a word, chewing as fast as we can to make our nagging tongues happy.
So, because of the couple of little extras I always ask for, I feel like its okay to give you my take on Billy Bobs lovely little sandwich of deliciousness. My version by no means replaces theirs, but it’s a nice little appetizer between trips. I’ll warn you up front that It’s a little bit of work to make, but baby it’s worth it!!!! At least in my book.
Prepare the Green Chilies
For this recipe you’ll need about two green chilies per person, so about eight should do. I pick out the biggest and most firm Anaheim (Hatch, Fresno, New Mexico) green chilies available at the market (I also grow them in my garden).
Wash them and dry them off, and then lay them out on a cookie sheet.
Raise one of the oven racks to its highest position in the oven and turn the oven on to BROIL. Allow the oven to warm up, and then put the cookie sheet of chilies in, just under the top heating element.
I usually prop a wooden spoon in the door to hold it open a tad, so I can hear the chilies popping and crackling.
I keep an eye on them, as it doesn’t take long. When I see that they are pretty popped and blistered, and burned on that top side, I open the oven, slide the rack out, and use tongs to turn the chilies a quarter of a turn, and then put them back under the heat. I continue broiling and turning until the chilies are popped and blistered, and charred on all sides.
Quickly remove the chilies from the oven with tongs and immediately place them into a plastic Ziploc freezer back. As soon as all the chilies are inside the bag, zip it up, and then let them sit and steam for several minutes, while you work on the rest of your meal.
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Back in Wyoming there was a certain time in the summer when the green chile trucks would show up in parking lots around town with heaping baskets full of green chilies and a barrel-type roaster that rotated over an open fire. We could buy the amount of chilies we wanted and they would roast them, and then package them up for us to take home. I often bought large amounts of those chilies, took them home and repackaged them (about six chilies to a bag) into plastic zip bags, with their blistered skins left on, but all the air squeezed out, and put them straight into my freezer. Whenever I wanted to make something with green chilies I’d grab a bag and let it thaw for a little bit on the kitchen counter, peel the skins off in the sink, and sometimes remove the seeds and stems (depending upon what I was making), and either use them whole or chop them into pieces for whatever recipe I was doing. SOooooo many ways to use green chilies!!!!
Its unfortunate, but we don’t get those trucks in the little Texas town where I live now, and perhaps not where you live either. The BBQ grill works, but I’m not a fan of standing over a hot grill to babysit chilies on a hot south Texas day. But, in this instance, you’ll be grilling burgers out there anyways, so you may prefer just to do it all on the grill. And maybe you have a hubby who is all about the grill and happy to do them for you! Knuckle bump!!!!
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UPDATE: Since first posting this blog I got myself a neat little propane weed burner torch for burning those dadgum, infernal sticker burr weeds that grow up in the lawn down here in south Texas around labor day and Valentine’s Day, and I tell you what, it works pretty darn good for that, but it works slicker than snot for roasting chilies outside on the patio firepit on a gorgeous fall afternoon.
The Beef Patties
1 (1-pound) pkg of high quality ground beef plus 1 (1-pound) pkg of ground bison
1 jalapeno, stem removed, seeds and flesh chopped finely
1/2 of a small red onion, chopped finely
1 tsp Salt Lick dry rub seasoning (this is mostly just cayenne and ground black pepper)
Sliced Pepper Jack cheese – to be placed on burgers at the end of grilling
Hamburger buns of choice (Sometimes all I can find are the regular, sesame seed buns, but when I can find a good, soft, ciabatta-type bun, I use that).
Mix together gently and form into four or five good-sized patties. Set aside while you prepare the following ingredients, and then grill the burgers over hot coals on the BBQ. Add the cheese during the last minute or so of grilling.
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Toppings
Bacon (2 slices per burger), the best is the thicker sliced applewood bacon, fried crispy…
(but if I’m in a hurry and don’t have leftover bacon from breakfast, I’ll use the precooked bacon available at the grocery store and go with 3 or 4 slices per burger)
Peel the skins off the green chilies, and remove seeds and stems, but leave whole
Sliced jalapeno
Sliced red onion
Sliced heirloom tomatoes
Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Dill pickle slices
Garlic Mayonaise (mash 1 clove of garlic and mix into 2/3 cup of mayo, I often add a sprinkle of chili powder and a squeeze of lime, and sometimes some minced cilantro)
Dijon mustard
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To Assemble the Burger
Some like their buns toasted
Spread some mayo over the bun halves
Squirt on some mustard
Lay a whole slice of red onion down
Place a few slices of jalapeno on top of the onion
Then a freshly cooked beef pattie with melted cheese
Layer on two Green Chilies, two slices of cooked bacon, a slice of tomato, a folded leaf of lettuce, (and a couple slices of dill pickle if desired)
Place the top of bun in place
Mash down so you can fit it in your mouth and ENJOY!!!!!
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For this Memorial Day,
… I made these burgers and served them with my Jalapeno Potato Salad (from Cowboy Backyard BBQ), plus my latest favorite food: Mexican Street Corn, and sliced watermelon for dessert.
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Mama’s POTATO SALAD
Ingredients
6 large red potatoes cooked until tender and cubed, skins on or off as preferred
4 hard boiled eggs, cooled and chopped
1/2 large red onion diced
3 stalks of celery chopped
2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 small sprig of dill weed, chopped
1 bunch of green onions chopped
1 or 2 large jalapenos, seeds and stems removed, diced
Sauce Ingredients:
1 cups Mayonnaise (plus more or less, as you like it)
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Sea Salt (plus more as desired)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground pepper
Directions:
Put first eight ingredients in a very large bowl. Mix up sauce ingredients and pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Optional additions:
Add a half-cup of blue cheese crumbles and a quarter cup of crispy crumbled bacon as a garnish on top of potato salad.
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Colleen’s Mexican Street Corn
8 ears fresh sweet corn (leave the husks and stems on)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Mexican crema (my grocer carries two types, a sweet cream type,which tastes like heavy whipping cream, and a sour cream kind. Both have a slightly thicker consistency than whipping cream)
1/2 cup finely crumbled cotija or Queso Fresco cheese
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I make my own blend, see recipe below)
1 medium clove garlic, mashed and finely minced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 or 5 limes, cut into wedges
I grilled my corn in the husks on the grill, turning about every 5 minutes until charred on all sides, and then I pulled the husks down over the stems (using oven mitt to protect my hands from burning) and returned the corn to the grill for a short time (about 3 minutes) to give the kernels that charred effect. What works even better though is that nifty little propane torch I told you about above. I left the husks attached for a decorative effect, but now as I look at these photos I’m thinking they might have been even cuter if I had tied something around each husk, like a piece of raffia or something, to bundle them together and anchor them to the stems, turning them into decorative “handles.” NOTE: The corn can also be shucked and “grilled” in the oven at 425 degrees F, turning about every 7 minutes or so until cooked all the way around. Once it is cooked on all sides and has some charred spots it’s time to dress it up.
While the corn is grilling, mix together the mayo (please don’t use the fat-free stuff. I know it may be healthier for you, but really, you must live a little!!! At this just this one meal in your lifetime!), crema, garlic, and add about 1/4 tsp of the chili powder. Juice and zest a couple of the limes and then add the juice and zest to the mayo mixture. Toss in about half of the crumbled cotija (Queso Fresco). Mix well and keep in fridge until ready to use. Cut the remaining limes into wedges and save for serving.
As soon as the corn is grilled, spread each cob with a generous amount of the mayo mix on all sides. Don’t be chincy. Follow with a sprinkling all around of chili powder, and then cheese crumbles. Sprinkle some cilantro on top, and a few extra sprinkles of the cheese. Serve immediately with a wedge of lime for each cob!
You’ve died and gone to heaven, right? I’m there with ya!!!!!!
Colleen’s Homemade Chili Powder
3 Ancho Chiles (dried), stemmed, seeded, and sliced
3 Cascabel/Guajillo chiles (dried), stemmed, seeded, and sliced
4 Arbol/Cayenne chiles (dried), stemmed, seeded, and sliced
2 Pasilla chiles (dried), stemmed, seeded, and sliced
2 New Mexico Red chiles (dried), stemmed, seeded, and sliced
1 Tablespoon Cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon dried Mexican Oregano
1 Tablespoon hot Paprika
Chili Pequin to taste (I sometimes crush these little guys separately and only add it to single portions, as it really brings the heat)
Place the chiles and cumin seeds in a saute pan or cast iron skillet and toast over medium heat about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place in a glass bowl to cool completely. Once cool, place in a blender, along with the other ingredients and process until a fine powder. Allow the powder to settle for several minutes before lifting the lid. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Use for making chili, to season corn, or in BBQ sauces and dry rubs.
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“Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, [and] anoint the shield…” Isaiah 21:5
Are you looking for a clever way to close out the school year for your little group of elementary students? Are you on a tight budget, or have very few amusement options available in your town. NO WORRIES. Us too!!! Hopefully your town at least has a city park that’s kept nice, mowed and watered, or a nice, large, grassy area with lots of shade trees? That’s all that’s needed for this shindig.
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There goes the school year!!!!
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My sweet little grands attend a Classical Academy and I was thinking it would be great fun for them to get to close out the school year with some Olympic type games. Ones that sort of gave a nod to things the kids could “toss out” of their lives for the next few months… like pitching their alarm clocks, tossing their lunchboxes (we aren’t gonna need those for a while), and flinging their crayons at a new target – enjoying grass, lazy days, and warm sunshine, because they’ve “leaped over” their studies, and run their water bottle relays with rewarded success!
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I sketched out my party plan in a notebook…
…and then went to work making the signs for the games:
….and TORCHES for each of the kids to wear (as medals)…
I printed out sheets of the torches, wrote the kids’ names on them, had them laminated, and then punched a hole at the top to string a ribbon through. On the back I printed the list of events so I could mark winners with a red sharpie, or completed with a blue sharpie.
The kids began their afternoon of fun by first having lunch delivered to them at the school (from Wendy’s, courtesy of one of the awesome parents), and after each of them had used the bathroom, they “began carrying their torches” on their little journey from the school to the park (about a 3 block walk with their teacher). When they arrived at the entrance to the park, this is the first thing they saw:
They presented their TORCHES, and then positioned behind the sign to pose for pictures. We were blessed that a very talented member of the school staff, also teacher, also photographer, and also composer of the school’s yearbook, was there to take some wonderful pictures, which she made into a full two pages of the yearbook. And one day I will scan and post them here, if she gives me permission.
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BANG! Let the games begin!
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The first game in our line up was the…
Lunchbox “Hammer” Throw
(The kids aren’t gonna need a lunchbox for a few months. Hip hip hooray, let’s toss it away!)
First I demonstrated to the kids what they would be doing in this game. I grabbed the lunchbox by the handles, put my left arm straight out, twirled in a counter-clockwise circle a couple of times, and then when I was facing the field, let go of the lunchbox and let it fly as far away as it would go. After the demo I handed the first kid the lunchbox and let them try. The kids lined up behind the starting line and took turns twirling and tossing the soft-sided lunchbox out into the field. (P.S. I had placed a small bag of pinto beans inside to give it some weight). The child with the farthest distance after three tosses was declared the winner!
Supplies needed: Sign, lunchbox, a couple of orange cones, a jump rope, and something to mark the farthest distance.
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The next game was…
Crayola Archery
After I attempted to demonstrate this game, we decided to turn it into a Crayola Javelin Throw, since our cheapo “dollar store” bow kept breaking. The darn string kept popping out of its slot (Update: wind a rubber band tightly around the tip ends of the bow to keep the string in place. This works like a charm). Anyway, after a bit of frustration from the darn bow popping apart every time we used it, we just decided to throw the crayon like a javelin. The kids each got a turn to stand behind the line (I used a downed limb from one of the trees as the marker for this) and then take a turn hurling their javelins at the three hula hoop targets laid out in the distance. (You can barely see them in the photo below, but look close.)
This is what the arrows/javelins looked like up close. I used fat crayons and inserted them into big straws (the ones used for smoothies). They were a perfect fit, and stayed snuggly attached to each other for the whole event. At least something stayed to together!
(This is the dumb bow we used. Um, scratch that. Didn’t use!!!!)
The student with the most targets bullseyed after three tries was declared the winner!
Supplies needed: One dollar-store bow and arrow set, 1 pkg big crayons, the sign to identify the event, and three hula hoops. Oh, and something to mark the starting line.
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The next game was…
Homework Fencing
You are looking at the fencing arena. Ours was marked by 4 trees as boundaries. After demonstrating to the students what they would be doing, the students lined up behind the sign and two pairs at a time faced off using the pool noodles as their fencing swords. (I got the fatest noodles I could find, to make it harder for little hands to hold onto). With one arm behind their backs they each swung their noodles at their opponent’s noodle, trying to knock it out of their hands, because homework is now out of their hands. Any body contact or face contact, or stepping outside the boundaries was considered a scratch and the offender was disqualified. Winners of each duo were collected to the side to compete in round two. Eventually a final winner was declared.
Supplies needed: The sign, four pool noodles
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The next game was…
Alarm Clock Shot Put Throw
(Hey kids, say goodbye to the alarm clock for a few months!!!! In fact, let’s pitch that obnoxious contraption as far as we can throw it!)
First I demonstrated to the students how this game was played, similar to the hammer throw, and then the students were lined up behind the starting line, and took turns holding the alarm clock under their chins, twirling, and then heaving it as far as they could out into the field. (Note: I used a cheapy plastic clock from the dollar store. It broke on the first throw and left kind of a sharp edge that I cautioned the kids to be careful with. Then the glass also broke. Fail! The better choice would have been something made 100% out of non shatterable plastic and no glass).
The child who launched it the farthest distance after all of them had been given three tries was declared the winner.
Supplies needed: Sign, cones and jump rope to mark the starting line, an alarm clock, and something to mark distance.
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The next game was…
Three R’s Shooting Competition
The three R’s stood for Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic, which were featured on the three targets placed at a distance from the starting line. (Way to target your subjects this year kids)! The students lined up behind the starting line. They were instructed that one kid at a time would approach the starting line, grab a squirty bottle, aim at the first target, and begin squirting at it, moving in closer until the stream of water touched the first target, then they could move to the next target, and then the last target and do the same. Their time started when the teacher said, “GO” and they began squirting and stopped when they hit the last target. Each child took their turn. The kid with the fastest time (after three rounds) was declared the winner.
Supplies needed: A sign, three targets, and a squirty bottle filled with water.
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The next game was…
Water Bottle Relay with Hurdles
(Hey kids, you’re not gonna need those water bottles for a while, AND we can celebrate that you all got over your hurdles of – Language, Art/Music/P.E., and Science this year. Way to go kids! You are all champions!!!!)
The kids lined up in two groups behind the starting line. After demonstrating to the kids how to run the course, I handed each first person in line a water bottle. At the sound of my whistle the two kids with water bottles ran down the course, leaping over the hurdles and down around the cone at the far end of the course, and returning to hand off their water bottle to their next teammate. The first team to complete the course was declared the winner.
Supplies needed: A sign, three hurdles with words attached that represent school subjects, two water bottles, a start line, an orange cone, and a whistle.
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This concluded the structured games. At this point the kids were given a break to get a drink and snack and rest for a bit. Several of the parents brought coolers full of drinks (bottled water, juice, Gatorade, etc.) and snacks (Cuties oranges, goGurts, popsicles, cookies, carrots, etc.) for the kids to munch on and stay hydrated with, and they served their treats “Tailgate style” out of the back of their vehicles, parked alongside the park.
For the remainder of the afternoon the kids participated in free play. I had set up a Badminton net and blew up a giant beach ball for them to either toss over the net to each other volleyball style, or just kick around the park in a giant game of “keep away.”
In addition I brought a giant soft-sided Frisbee, bottles of bubbles for everyone, a soccer ball, the hula hoops, and gave each child a squirty bottle full of water to also play with. In addition, one of our awesome parents brought a huge cooler full of water balloons for a hot potato game.
The parents and I chilled out on blankets spread-out under the shade of a grand old oak tree, and visited with each other while the kids tear-butted around having the time of their lives. I think the kids all had as much fun, if not more, with free play as they did with the games, hey, but a theme is a theme, right? What a great afternoon and terrific group of kiddos!!!! I hardly noticed that it was 95 degrees and 50% humidity. HA!
After a couple of hours of playtime, the parents went around and gathered up the signs and parts of each game and helped pack everything up. The kids picked up all the trash and bits of broken balloons and then gathered with their teacher to walk back to school. Before they dismissed to go home each was presented a gift bag, which contained a movie theater pass (that they could use to go see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, which just released in theaters the week before), a pass to the local indoor inflatables park, and a gift certificate to Dairy Queen, plus a Nerf ball (which gave me the inspiration for the theme of the bags), so they could all… “Have a BALL this Summer!” 🙂
Yay kids…you finished your race well! Happy summer to you all!!!!!
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“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV
This party was originally featured in my book, “Come for Supper? the memoirs of a reluctant hostess“ (now out of print).
It is one of my kids’ very favorite parties I ever threw while they were still living at home. It is also one of the favorites of my cooking club group, who helped me test some of the recipes in the book.
It’s like an “Asian fondue” party! Everyone cooks their own food — which is a reluctant hostess’s dream party, right? All you have to do is collect some equipment, do some grocery shopping, do a little slicing, dicing, and chopping, mix up some sauces, set up tables, toss a CD in the player, and decorate. Voila! (– or however they say it in Chinese).
So now, imagine yourself invited to my house for Chinese…
You come knocking on my door and can hear music from the Orient playing faintly, and you can also smell what smells like dinner cooking (in reality it’s just chicken broth and hot peanut oil). You’re dressed in your best Asian get-up (complete with a coolie douli hat, because that’s what I asked you to in the invitation) and as you ring my doorbell, are excited for me to turn that knob and invite you inside. When I do, you find me decked out in a green t-shirt with Chinese scribbles across it, my hair tied up with chopsticks, and wearing flip-flop house slippers on my feet. Inside the house there are paper umbrellas hanging upside down from the ceiling over the lights, and little paper lanterns strung about. Some little Chinese fans scattered on the tables and around. Vases of bamboo set around as gifts for guests to take home after the party.
Some of my other guests have already arrived and are wearing red silk dresses, tank tops with black leggings, and one is wearing a white Gi, tied with a yellow (beginner’s) belt. There is laughing and mingling as everyone crowds into the kitchen to pour themselves a drink. Your options are hot Green, Oolong, or Jasmine tea, Bubble Tea, a shot of sake, or a cold imported Chinese Tsingtao beer.
The music that is playing sounds a little bit like a Chinese version of Manheim Steamroller, so you ask, “What is this playing?” and I answer, “It’s Twelve Girls Band!” Hmmm…nice choice, right? My daughter turned me on to them.
And finally, when everyone has arrived, we take our places around the tables. There are two. Each has been set up with a “hot pot” in the center. The wok at one table is filled with a steaming hot liquid bubbling inside. On either side are platters of raw ingredients, meats on one side and veggies on the other. At each place setting around the table is a bamboo mat, with a small platter centered on it. A set of chopsticks lays across it, and each is flanked by several small cups of sauces of various colors.
At the other table is a wok of hot peanut oil. The platter to one side is egg roll wrappers, little cups of water, and a bowl of filling , and on the platter on the other side are various raw meats and veggies and a bowl of tempura batter. The guests sitting at this table get to fry their supper. Their place settings are the same.
I gather my guests to the tables and ask if we may join hands, as I play an audio version of the Lord’s Prayer being spoken in Chinese (from YouTube) and then we pray the same prayer together in English.
And with that, I explain to everyone how we’ll select a meat or veggie from the platters using the fondue forks, and then plunge our selections into the hot broth to cook. After a minute or so we can bring the morsels to our personal platters and spoon on whichever sauce we’d like to try. After half an hour or so those seated at the broth wok will take their personal platters and trade places with those seated around the hot oil wok to make egg rolls and tempura things. And then, when everyone has had a chance to try everything, I’ll toss a bunch of noodles into the broth wok and in a few moments serve a small cup of noodle soup to each of my guests.
Of course we all sit around the woks and cook and eat until we are so full we can’t breathe, and that’s when I suggest we leave those tables and gather in the living room for games. I have several set up to choose from: Go, Mahjongg, and Chinese Checkers (even though I’ve been told Chinese Checkers aren’t really Chinese – although if you turn my game tin over to the underside it says, “Made in China” which is good enough for me. Of course everyone is welcome to refill their drinks, and those who are up for learning a new game can sit down to it. Those who know already how to play are encouraged to teach others, and those who are not into new and complicated games can play Chinese Checkers. We all had a set of those at home when we were kids, right? Easy. Only trouble is Chinese Checkers is over in a short time and boring after a while, so for a backup activity I have a Chinese movie all ready to go.
Although the Chinese do not eat dessert (or take beverages) as part of their meal, they do snack on sweets between meals. Their sweets traditionally consist of fruit or almond cookies. So I have a big fruit platter set up in the kitchen with cut up melon, bananas, oranges, apples, strawberries, grapes, berries, and whatever else is in season at the grocery store, along with a platter of crisp Almond cookies, and those yummy rice krispy type treats made with sesame seeds that they serve at my favorite Chinese place on main street, plus a big pile of Fortune Cookies (which also are an American invention, but at least from China Town in San Francisco).
My sister has this fun little tradition of adding “…in the bathroom” to the end of all Chinese fortune cookie fortunes, which makes them kind of funny, so I of course suggest we do that. And everyone reads theirs, and we all laugh, because we’re supposed to. And it’s a little awkward, so we refill our drinks and grab some dessert, and head out to the family room to play our games or watch the movie.
What is the movie, you ask? Well, you have your choice: I have China Cry for the Christian crowd, who possibly wants to be inspired by a flick about faith, or I have the Karate Kid for all of us who remember that from what, the 80’s? I have a Bruce Lee flick, and a Jackie Chan. Or, I also have the Season One episodes of Better Late Than Never, with Henry Winkler, George Foreman, Terry Bradshaw, and William Shatner saved on my DVR for anyone that missed that and wants a good laugh. (They are probably available on Hulu or Netflix too, and the NBC website).
(In mybook I also suggested that a host of this particular supper may want to invite some missionaries from their church who have returned from China and would have interesting stories to share, pictures, and treasures that we could touch and pass around. I also suggested that we could talk as a group about going in on a donation to support a missionary we know, or give a donation to an organization that gives out Bibles in China, or give a money gift to a couple adopting a child from China).
When we’re ready to call it a night, I hand out fireworks (just sparklers and party poppers and the safe backyard varieties) and we all wander out to the front yard to end our night with a BANG! But not too big of a bang because all the neighbors are sleeping. Shhhhh! I have little red goodie bags also hanging in the trees and ask everyone to go look for one by flashlight and take with them before they head to their cars. They have little trinkets from the dollar store in them, a chinese jump rope, some small candies, and a few shiny new quarters – because that’s what I’m told they do in China. As each guest gathers their things to leave there are kisses and hugs all around. Engines begin starting and lights start flipping on, and one by one the cars drive away. I stand there and wave, then turn and contentedly wonder back inside my house with a heart full of great memories and a sink full of dishes to wash. I can’t think of a better way to wreck my kitchen.
MONGOLIAN HOT POT You’ll need a platter of meats and a platter of veggies, cut up and ready to cook fondue style.
Meats: Scallops, Shrimp, Chicken breasts (cut into strips), Beef (flatiron steak cut into small strips), Pork (loin, cut in small strips or pieces). Place meats on a platter with partitioned wells (like a serving set for tacos) would be ideal. This way the meats won’t mingle and contaminate each other in their raw state. I cut my meats and wrapped my platter in plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator the morning of my dinner. Be sure to clean cutting surfaces with warm, soapy water and Clorox wipes between meats and when finished.
Veggies: Carrot coins, cut on the diagonal and then in half, Celery slices, cut on the diagonal and then in half, Snow peas, Cabbage leaves, Broccoli florets, Green pepper slices, Zucchini-cut on the diagonal and then in half, Mushrooms (straw or shitake), Green onions, cut on the diagonal.
Additional ingredients for the soup: bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn, and noodles (I don’t really care for the traditional cellophane noodles, so I substitute Ramen or thin spaghetti), garlic cloves, and a smidgen of honey. I also like spicy Thai peppers and cilantro but not everyone does so ask your guests before you add these to the pot, as they can easily be added to individual bowls of soup instead.
Add chicken broth to a shabu yaki, (or electric wok, or an electric skillet or large fondue pot). Fill to about an inch or two below the rim. Place in the center of the supper table. Be sure to wrap the cord securely down a table leg so no one accidentally trips on it and pulls the hot pot over. Plug into a power source and set the temperature dial at the boiling point (about 215 degrees F).
Hot Pot is like fondue. Guests are seated at the table with plates and samplings of sauces. Each uses chopsticks (or fondue forks), takes meat and veggies from the platters, and cooks in the boiling broth. They bring their cooked morsels to their individual plates and dip in their choice of sauce (recipes below) before eating. Once everyone has tried everything and is near being full, noodles are added to the pot, along with the additional ingredients (mentioned above), and then everyone is served a bowl of soup.
NOTE: After my supper I wrapped up all my leftovers and the next day made the best stir-fry ever with all the meats and all the veggies, and what was left of the sauces. If you prefer, this would also be a great idea for your Chinese Supper. Instead of making ‘hot pot’ as above, place all of your ingredients out on the table in the same manner, but replace the broth pot with a hot wok and a little peanut oil instead of broth, and let your guests make their own little “stir-fry” concoctions that they cook themselves. Kind of like a self-serve Mongolian Grill at home.
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch or tapioca starch
1 cup water
2/3 cup rice vinegar
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
½ teaspoon of red food coloring
In a saucepan dissolve the cornstarch in the water, add the remaining ingredients. Heat over medium high heat until sauce boils and thickens.
PLUM SAUCE 2 cups plum jam, jelly, or preserves
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons wine vinegar
Mix jam and applesauce in saucepan. Bring to boil. Combine ginger, cornstarch, and soy sauce, vinegar. Stir into jam mixture. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Cool. Refrigerate until serving time. Bring to room temp before serving.
HOT MUSTARD ½ cup dry mustard
4 Tablespoons peanut oil
4 Tablespoons water
½ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
½ cup white vinegar
Mix mustard and oil in small bowl. Gradually add the 4 Tbsp. of water, stirring constantly to form a smooth paste. Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Gradually add the cup of water and vinegar. Blend thoroughly. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Gradually add to mustard mixture, stirring constantly until blended. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve at room temp.
TERIYAKI SAUCE 1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup packed light brown sugar
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons peanut oil
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, simmer to blend flavors.
GARLIC GINGER SAUCE 2 Tablespoons ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
½ cup water
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup soy sauce
Mix all ingredients. Use as a dipping sauce.
DUCK SAUCE 1 small can cling peaches in heavy syrup
¼ teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon water
Drain pieces and reserve juice for something else. Mash peaches with a fork or potato masher until well crushed. Add mustard, ginger root, vinegar, and Chinese Five Spice. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to sauce, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, continuing to stir, until thickened. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Bottled Soy Sauce (try Kikkoman, which is slightly sweet, and La Choy which is more salty)
EGG ROLLS (this recipe was given to me by my Japanese/American friend, Cyndi)
1 (16-oz) pkg Jimmy Dean regular sausage
Shredded or chopped Napa cabbage (a green cabbage will also work)
½ pkg of bean sprouts (approx. 2 cups)
¾ cup grated carrot
Grate about 2” of ginger root on top
Mix together by hand. Lay one egg roll wrapper on work surface and place a heaping spoon of the meat & veggie mixture in the middle. Fold the wrapper as shown on the packaging. Get a little water on your fingers and moisten the final corner of the wrapper so that it will stick and seal the roll. They must be cooked fairly quickly after they are made as the wrappers will become soggy if wrapped up and stored in the fridge for very long. And they can’t be fried and kept for very long either, as they lose their crunch. They should be the last thing you put together for your meal, moments before your guests arrive. Or, let your guests make these themselves, just as with hot pot above. Have the meat mixture and egg roll wrappers (and small cups of water) ready for each guest to assemble on his or her own.
Set up an electric wok with enough peanut oil for deep frying (again fastening the cord down a table leg so it isn’t accidentally tripped over). Oil temperature should be about 360 degrees F. Consult your owner’s manual. Drop a few egg rolls at a time (not more than 4 or it will cool the oil too much) into hot oil and turn once in a while during frying so they cook evenly, until golden brown. Lay on the rack or drain on paper towels. Serve with soy sauce, hot mustard, or sweet and sour sauce.
TEMPURA: You can also mix up a batch of tempura batter and let guests batter their Hot Pot meats and veggies instead and fry them. When I had my Hot Pot party I set up a soup table and a fry table. I sat the girls down around the soup (Hot Pot) and the men around the wok. I intended to have my crowd eat for a while at each table and then switch, but the men liked frying and didn’t want the hot pot, so they ended up frying egg rolls and tempura things and passing to us, and then just had a small bowl of our noodle soup at the end.
TEMPURA SAUCE
½ cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons cream sherry
2 Tablespoons grated daikon (Japanese radish)
2 Tablespoons peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
Combine first three ingredients. Just before serving, stir in daikon and ginger.
((( Or just use a boxed mix. That’s easiest! )))
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So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
This is the number one requested supper of my son-in-law. I make it every year for his birthday. I kind of almost reinvent it every time I make it – making it mostly from memory, and really don’t measure anything – but he says it is always good, even it if is just a little different each time. I make mine with bacon and BBQ sauce and am pretty sure that’s what makes it better than your average meatloaf. Sometimes I add diced celery or grated carrot to the meat, not a lot, just a little. Maybe a half a cup or so? Sometimes I can’t find ground buffalo and so I have to make it all beef – And I prefer using a good quality ground sirloin, organic if I can find it. Often times I add a jalapeno or Serrano from my garden, minced, sometimes I give it a couple squirts of Worcestershire sauce. I rarely repeat a BBQ sauce, and that is really what makes it different every time, but the boy insists that no matter how it turns out it is always his favorite. He makes me want to spoil him rotten – or fatten him up, one!!!!
If you can’t find the Salt Lick dry rub, basically all it is is about 1/2 tsp of cayenne powder, 1 tsp of ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp of salt. It might have a sprinkle of garlic powder in it too.
I wrap my meatloaf with bacon, and I’ve discovered that a bacon lattice is the best way to go. I didn’t always do this, as you’ll see in some of the photos here, but trust me, it is the best way, because the bacon stays in place when it cooks and when you slice it to serve. I like a thin sliced applewood smoked bacon the best!!!
First, I lay out a sheet of aluminum foil and then lay slices of bacon across it, about the length of my baking dish. Then I weave another set of bacon strips into the first strips like a lattice pie crust.
Next I take my mixed up meatloaf and pat it into an oblong tube shape and lay it down the center of the bacon weave. Finally, I pull the sides of the foil tightly up and around the meatloaf and press the bacon against the meatloaf. I then unwrap the foil and pull the bacon until the ends meet and the meatloaf is fully covered, and then I roll the meatloaf over and place it seam side down in the baking dish.
I use an oblong glass baking pan. I then like to season the bacon with steak seasoning and coarse ground black pepper. I put it into a 325*F oven and let it bake for about an hour and 20 minutes before I put the BBQ sauce on. This way the bacon gets crispy. Check the internal temp of the meatloaf. It should be 160*F when it is done. When it is nearing this, that’s when I start the BBQ sauce process. I don’t have a favorite brand of BBQ sauce. I use all kinds. But I prefer the sweet and spicy types (Sweet Baby Rays Honey Hot, Famous Dave’s Devil’s Spit, etc.) that are thick, not runny! Part of the fun for me is experimenting with new BBQ sauces.
After I put the BBQ sauce on, I put the meatloaf back in the oven and turn up the heat to broil. I let the sauce cook until it almost burns, and then I add another layer of it and return it to the broiler, making sure the sauce gets good and carmelized on top.
And then I take it out and let it sit for a few minutes on the stove top before I slice it. While it is cooling I use a turkey baster to syphon off all the grease out of the pan.
That’s it! That’s my most special meatloaf. But wait…
The last time I made it for my son-in-law I added a treat to it. As soon as we finished dinner my husband’s exact words were, “Wow! Just when I thought your meatloaf couldn’t get any better, you go and kick it up a notch! That was freaking fantastic, wife!” Wow, he makes me blush. So, what did I do?
Well, I had some herb, garlic, blue cheese butter wrapped in plastic in my fridge that I’d whipped up for our grilled steaks a little while back. I thought it might be good on meatloaf, and would be a great way to use up those leftovers. I gotta tell you, it was not only great, it was freaking incredible. The BBQ sauce, bacon, beef, jalapeno, herb, garlic, blue cheese thing just WORKS!!!!! Oh my goodness!!!!!
INSTRUCTIONS: mince the herbs and garlic and add to room temp butter in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Crumble the blue cheese and mix in with the herb butter. Spoon onto plastic wrap and roll into a tube shape, covering it completely with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator and allow to harden. Slice into half-inch thick slices and lay a slice onto a hot-off-the-grill steak, or a slice of fresh-out-ot-the-oven meatloaf. YUM!
And (drum-roll please) my latest tweak… smoked meatloaf! Instead of baking it in the oven I asked my son to grill it on his Pit Boss. It turned out freaking amazing!
No, this is not health food. This is that one cheat meal that you get to have once every 364 days! I served my latest meatloaf with Mexican Street Corn-in-a-cup and a baked potato, but it is good with any sides really. I love loaded up green beans! I love loaded up brussels sprouts! I love cream corn (cream cheese and butter) with a can of green chiles added. I love mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and potato casserole.
Maybe you like sweet potatoes? My son-in-law loves his mashed with brown sugar (or maple syrup) and butter, crushed up pecans, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a few mini-marshmallows – basically like a sweet potato casserole.
I also found a yummy recipe for Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes that’s a nice change of pace from the usual marshmallow or pecan varieties. It has fresh crushed pineapple, a firm (green) banana chopped fine, melted butter, fresh lime juice and coconut syrup for sweetness, and then garnished with shredded coconut and crushed salted macadamia nuts. Delish!
Instead of baked potatoes, you can make a loaded mashed potato casserole, with butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese mixed in, and garnished with green onions and crispy bacon.
Any-hoooo… ENJOY!!!!
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Wrap up your leftovers (if you can manage to keep some back), and make yourself a jim-dandy meatloaf sandwich the next day!!!!! .
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Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm, here’s how I like ’em: .
Whole Wheat bread
Mayo
Course Ground Mustard
About 1/4 inch thick slices of cold meatloaf
a nice thick slice of sweet, white onion
Lots of Romaine Lettuce
and sometimes a slice of dill pickle .
Come for Supper?
“She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table” – Proverbs 9:2
My bestie and I live three states apart, but out in the west, and when one of those states is Texas, this adds up to a pretty dang far distance. Too far to get to spend as much time together as we’d like. But we stay close by texting every few days and calling often, we read out of the same Bible devotional every day, we send each other pins on Pinterest, and at least once a year we travel to meet somewhere and spend a few days hanging out.
She came to both my girls’ weddings, my girls both call her Aunt Treva. And I in turn got to go to her son’s wedding, and even take pictures. We are as close as sisters, and I feel so blessed to have her in my life. She’s my people. My home team. My rock. My laughter. And my comfort zone. We go together like peas and carrots.
Her family moved to my little town when we were just four years old, and she and I went through school together, from Kindergarten to graduation, although she got to graduate a year early.
Her mom was the best cook in town. You can string me up if I am lying. Ask anyone who lived there. I cherished every invitation to come to supper. And, I have several of her recipes that I still make to this day. I even found a set of dishes at a yard sale once that are the same ones she had, pattern, color, and everything, and I bought them. Whenever I serve food on them I hope that it is somehow blessed by sweet mama-Agnes as she looks down from heaven. Her own dishes of course passed down to Treva, and so we both have the same dishes in our kitchens. Isn’t that fun?
Treva and I were visiting on the phone the other day, asking each other what we were going to make for supper, and when I told her I was thinking of making tuna salad she told me about a tuna salad her mom used to make sometimes when she was going to have girlfriends over. I’m not usually a fan of tuna on a tomato, and what’s funny is neither is my friend, but I will admit, it is much better on a nice fresh ripe garden tomato, one of those magnificent heirloom black tomatoes especially, which I just happen to have today. Treva also suggested trying a halved bell pepper next time. A red one, for looks. She’s a genius … it is a perfect substitute!
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MRS H’s SHOESTRING POTATO TUNA SALAD
1 cup julienned Carrots
1 cup julienned Celery
1/4 cup finely chopped Green Onion
1 can (12 oz) Tuna (I prefer the kind packed in water), drained
Mayo (maybe half to 3/4 cup – I just eyeball it)
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 heaping tsp. fresh or dried Dill Weed
1 serrano chili, seeds, stems, and membranes removed, minced
season to taste with: (start with a little shake of each)
lemon pepper
ground pepper
Montreal steak seaonsing
1 (1.5 oz.) can Shoestring Potatoes
Romaine lettuce
2 Fresh, ripe, garden Heirloom Tomatoes (or substitute red bell peppers)
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Instructions
In a large bowl, combine carrots, celery, onion, tuna, mayo, lemon juice, dill weed, serrano chili (I am hopelessly addicted to heat, so I add the whole thing, but you can add as much or as little as you want, or none if you are sensitive to spicy foods), and seasonings. Add a little kosher salt to taste if desired. Cover and chill for an hour or so in the fridge.
When ready to serve, cut tomatoes in half (be fancy), wash the lettuce and lay a leaf or two down on each plate. Set half of a tomato in the center of the lettuce. Now, at this point I like to drizzle both with dressing, and I happened to have Green Goddess when I took this photo, but my favorite, favorite, favorite is Serrano Ranch!
Stir half of the shoestring potatoes into the tuna… (I like the spicy ones)
…and then pile tuna salad onto each tomato, dividing equally between four servings. Garnish with the remaining shoestrings and serve.
If using bell pepper in place of tomatoes, you can slice it into strips (to make it a little easier to eat) and just tuck a few on the side of your tuna salad. Or, you can cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise and fill it with the salad, just like you would the tomato.
Tuna on a red bell pepper, using the regular shoestring potatoes. Delish!!!
This is how my friend Treva’s mom used to serve hers, with bread-and-butter pickles and a boiled egg. I also like to tuck in a couple cucumber spears, when I have them. YUM!!!!!!!.
Thank you Ms. Treva for sharing another winner with me!!!! Sending hugs to you and to your precious mother, God rest her sweet soul. I’m blowing kisses your way. ❤
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“We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.” Numbers 11:5
Planning a luncheon? Here are twelve personally tested plans, complete with posters, menus, decorating and music suggestions, and recipes for a complete meal, along with desserts and beverages, paired with matching activities, for small, medium, or large groups.
The posters featured for each party can be printed and posted in a break-room or mailroom of your workplace, or if your gathering is non-work related, they can be printed and used as paper invitations and individually mailed out. Or they can be posted in a closed-group on Facebook, texted to your guests, or emailed.
SEPTEMBER
Theme 1: Back to School Picnic
If the weather still permits in your neck of the woods, consider making this an outdoor event. Either dress up some picnic tables outside, or lay down large blankets on an area of lawn, under a big shade tree. If the weather does not permit, dress up the indoors to look like a picnic. Place a few fans for cool breezes, and set up a CD player with a sounds of nature CD – I personally love anything featuring the Rocky Mountains.
Sounds of Yellowstone (and check out all the “National Park Series” Nature Sounds CDs)
Decorations: Red checkered tablecloths, with centerpieces of baskets of apples, hand bells, cups full of sharpened pencils, and slates with sticks of chalk laid across each.
Table Games and Diversions: Pose trivia questions from the game, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, available as an APP (google play or apple store) for your phone.
Luncheon:
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OCTOBER
Theme 1:Peanuts, It’s the Great Pumpkin
Decorations: Cover the tables with earthtone tableclothes (plain brown, plain orange, plain hunter green, plain yellow, etc.). Create centerpieces with Hobby Lobby scarecrows, small pumpkins, Indian corn, corn stalk bundles, small decorative garden rakes, and colorful fall leaves (paper).
Table Games and Diversions: Get a fall scene puzzle started for people to work on as they eat, and drink, and chit-chat. OR, print several puzzles (secret codes, sudukus, riddles, Hangman, mazes, etc.) and place on the tables for guests to solve.
Luncheon:
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NOVEMBER
Theme 1: Pilgrims and Thanksgiving harvest theme
Decorations: Pilgrims, Indians, and Mayflower ships, Cornucopias filled with corn, gourds, pumpkins, etc. and turkeys.
Table Games and Diversions: Cover the tables in light colored paper and leave colored Crayola markers around for people to randomly jot down things they are thankful for. Or, look for disposable Thanksgiving tablecloths at the party stores with puzzles and coloring images all over them.
Luncheon:
Theme 2: Elections
Decorations: Patriotic with Democrat and Republican symbols
Table Games and Diversions: Election trivia and candidate profiles, absentee & voter regristration cards.
Luncheon: Lasagnas (meat, chicken, veggie), garlic toast, green salads, Italian Sodas, red and white grape juices served in wine glasses, Italian Cream Cake
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DECEMBER
Theme 1:Christmas Tea
Decorations: Find or make little stockings for each guest and fill with a candy cane or other small gift and use to decorate the tree. Bring in a CD player and a variety of Christmas music that will appeal to everyone’s taste and play it continuously. Stew some good smelling potpourri in a crock-pot.
Table Games and Diversions: Scatter Christmas Trivia cards around on the tables.
Table Games and Diversions: Fold little paper “footballs” for each table and show your guests how to play table football, using their fingers for goal posts. See how to play at wiki-how or better still…watch this You Tube video.
Luncheon: Three varieties of Chili (red, green, and white chicken), plus a buffet of toppings (green onions, cheese, sour cream, chopped jalapenos, etc.). Serve non-alcoholic beers, sodas, and Mug Cakes for dessert. (click here for chili recipes) or (click here for mug cake recipe)
Flier shown below was from a luncheon where the Super Bowl was being played in San Francisco so I went with the foods from that area. It was Peyton Manning’s last game, and Michael Ohr (whose story is told in the movie Blind Side) played for the Carolina Panthers in this match-up.
*Ask everyone to wear his or her sports team shirts or colors.
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FEBRUARY
Theme 1: Academy Awards & Hollywood Walk of Fame
This is a great theme to do to honor your guests. Make them the stars of the party!
Decorations: Cover the table in Black, Silver, and Gold table cloths. Put centerpieces of film reels, film strip, movie trivia cards, clapboards and balloon bouquets. Hang gold stars and spot light and camera decorations from the ceiling. Roll out a red carpet from the entrance of the room to the center. Make a Hollywood Walk-of-Fame star tile for each guest with their name on it.
Games and Diversions: Lay out several packets of sticky notes and pens. Ask guests to write compliments for the other guests on the sticky notes and place them on each person’s star. Let each guest take their Walk-of-Fame stars home.
Luncheon: Decorate the buffet with a sign that says, “Studio Commissary.” Recipes for this luncheon can be found here.
Theme 2: Valentine’s Day
Decorations: Cover the tables in pink paper with sheer lace over the top. Toss around rich red paper hearts, heart shaped boxes of chocolate, rose peddles, and cupid and heart shaped balloons. Set up the boom box with CD’s of romantic love songs.
Games and Diversions: Set out the makings for valentines, red construction paper, white lace, little stickers and stick-on jewels, Cupids, small dowel rods and arrow heads and fletching that can be attached to the ends after it is woven through the heart, black sharpie markers. Ask everyone to participate in a Valentine exchange, just like the kids do at school. Everybody makes a special box for their place at the table, and everyone deposits special “Valentine” notes into each person’s box (compliments, jokes, poems, thank-you notes, etc.). Also, put everyone’s name in a hat and have each person draw out one name to be a secret pal to for the next six months.
Luncheon: Gazpacho soup or Borscht (hot or cold), heart-shaped shrimp sandwiches, Strawberry smoothies or white sparkling cider, Red Velvet Cake for dessert.
BORSCHT
8 cups beef broth
1 pound cooked tender beef stew meat or sliced Kielbasa
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
4 large beets, peeled, chopped
1 leek chopped
3 stalks celery sliced
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 14 oz. can stewed tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or parsley)
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Bring 4 cups of the beef broth, the beef stew meat, and onion to boil in large pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes.
2 Add remaining 4 cups broth, beets, leek, celery, carrots, and potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
3 Stir in meat, cabbage and 1/2 cup dill; cook until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup dill.
Serves 6
GAZPACHO
3 cups tomatoes, red ripe, seeded and diced
2 cups red bell pepper, diced medium
2 cups red onions, diced medium
1/2 cup celery, diced medium
2 cups cucumber, diced medium
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups organic vegetable juice
pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin
1 Mix diced tomato, peppers, red onions, celery and cucumber together in a medium bowl.
2 Divide the mixture in half and separate in two bowls. 3 Add garlic to one of the bowls and empty into blender. Add vinegar to the blender and puree until smooth. 4 Add the vegetable juice, cayenne and cumin to the blender. Blend. 5 Add the puree to the bowl of diced vegetables. 6 Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with lemon and cilantro.
Serves 8
SHRIMP LUNCHEON SANDWICHES
1 small package (3 ounces) cream cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
dash garlic powder
1 cup chopped cooked cleaned shrimp
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon grated onion
20 to 40 slices white sandwich bread, lightly buttered
Blend cream cheese with mayonnaise; blend in the ketchup, mustard, and garlic powder. Stir in shrimp, celery, and grated onion. Use as a filling spread only in the center of two slices of sandwich bread. Or if you can squeeze two cookie cutter cuttings out of a slice of bread, spread the filling in each of the opposing corners of the bread. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut the sandwiches out. Toss the scraps. Makes about 1 cup of shrimp sandwich filling, for about 20 sandwiches.
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MARCH
Theme 1: Saint Patrick’s Day (Lucky Leprechaun Theme)
Decorations: Cover the tables in light green table cloths or paper. Cut out dozens of various sized dark green shamrocks from construction paper. On each shamrock write an Irish blessing. Scatter these blessings around on the tables. Set out small black kettles filled with gold foil covered chocolate coins. Set up a CD player with Irish pub music, or Celtic music, or Riverdance music playing.
Table Games and Diversions: Ask your guests to choose one Irish Blessing from the table. Have each guest stand and recite their blessing to the other luncheon guests in their best Irish accents.
Decorations: nests with colored eggs in them, and pans of real green grass with eggs nestled in them.
Table Games and Diversions: Print out several famous lines from various Bible movies and let guest guess the movie and actor who said it.
Host an Easter Egg Hunt. Pick the day, maybe the Thursday before Good Friday. The night before, go and hide plastic eggs all over the building. Hide some in each person’s desk and more in the break room. Tuck little jellybeans, Hershey kisses, and/or cute notes (fortunes or blessings) inside the eggs. Place a small paper basket on each person’s desk with a note inviting him or her to the Easter egg hunt at a specific time. The instructions should tell them that eggs have been hidden in their personal space and in the break room and that all they find are theirs. Also inform them that the person who finds the most eggs will win a special prize so that they need to put their number found next to their name on the poster in the break room. This is a lot less work if you can find an accomplice to share the labor and expense with you. The prize can be anything you want: car wash tokens, movie passes, pizza gift certificate, post-it notes and colored pens, a pedicure/manicure, etc.
Luncheon:
APRIL
Theme 1: April Showers Garden Party
Decorations: Cover the tables with light blue paper and set rubber duckies and rubber boots as centerpieces, filled with Tulips, Daffodils, and Hyacinth. Play a CD of The Sound of Summer Rain, and Thundering Rainstorm.
Table Games and Diversions: Purchase a small clay pot for each employee and let each guest fill a pot with small fish aquarium pebbles. Let them then attach an imitation flower to a pen with floral tape, and then poke the pens down into the pebbles. Each guest now has their own little pen pot.
Luncheon:
Theme 2: April Fools
Decorations: Cover the tables with Newspaper. Toss several gag type props around on the tables (silly eye goggles, mustaches, big wax lips, silly hats, etc.)
Table Games and Diversions: Monkey See, Monkey Do! Discretely tape a monkey to the bottom of one person’s chair. The person who finds the monkey under their chair during the luncheon must do something nice for someone AND and then cleverly hide the monkey in someone else’s desk or chair somewhere else in the building. Keep the game going all month. The person who receives the monkey pays the nice deed forward and discretely passes the monkey on.
Luncheon: (See recipes here) and (here) (pictured below in clockwise order: Bundt Pan Stuffed Pepperoni Pizza with Mozzerella “Icing,” Shepherd’s Pie Meatloaf cupcakes with beet juice colored mashed potatoes for frosting, Yellow cake with “speghetti” piped frosting/Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut chocolate meatballs/Red Berry Jam drizzled as “speghetti” sauce, Chex Puppy Chow in a pet bowl, Fish crackers in a fish bowl.
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MAY
Theme 1: Cinco de Mayo – Fiesta
Decorations: Cover the tables with Mexican blankets, Use sombreros, piñatas, maracas, ponchos, and pottery for centerpieces. Also have a nice mariachi band playing on the CD player for ambience.
Table Games and Diversions: Learn Spanish words by scattering Lotería cards around on the tables. Play Lotería after or during luncheon.
Luncheon:
Theme 2: Mother’s Day
Decorations: cover the tables in pretty floral tablecloths with lace tablecloths layered over. Use teapots and teacups and little wrapped tea bags for centerpieces.
Table Games and Diversions: Honor the MOMS. Ask each of the staff to bring a picture of their mom that we can post on the Guess Who? Board. Each photo will have a number on the front of it so staff members can guess what mother goes with which staff member.
Luncheon: Make your own sandwich bar with assorted breads, cold cuts, cheeses, condiments, lettuce, sprouts, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., a large veggie tray, potato chips, assorted beverages, and Indoor Smores for dessert.
Make Smores INDOORS… Place sterno cans into metal candle holders, set on coasters, remove lids and light with a BBQ lighter. Place graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars in serving dishes set between the sterno cans. Let your guests skewer a marshmallow with a kabob skewer and then roast over sterno flame until toasted. Use a canning jar magnet to replace lids on sterno cans to extinguish the fire. Let sterno cans sit until completely cooled before packing up.
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JUNE
Theme 1: Beach Party
Decorations: Cover the tables with large colorful beach towels. Use beach balls, flip flops, Frisbees, sand box toys as centerpieces. Play a CD of Beach Boys music on continuous play, or a Sounds of Nature Ocean Waves CD.
Table Games and Diversions: Guessing Jars. Set a large jar filled with items (jelly beans, peanut M&Ms, paperclips, teabags, etc.) on each table and let guests turn in one guess each for the jar on their table. The one closest to the right number wins the jar.
Luncheon:
Theme 2: Father’s Day
Decorations: Cover the tables in brown paper. Use tackle boxes, fishing lures, and nets for centerpieces. Hang a sign on the door that says, “Gone Fishing.”
Have several tall-tale fishing stories printed out on paper that you can lay around. Have the guys bring pictures of their big catches that you can post on a board.
Table Games and Diversions: Set out a half dozen of those electronic fishing games, that look like the handle of a fishing pole with a rod and reel, that you cast and then watch the video screen to see if you caught anything. Ask around… you probably have a few people on staff that have one and will donate it to the lounge for a month.
Luncheon: Fish and Chips. Bake up several batches of battered fish and fat French fries. Offer lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and malt vinegar as condiments. Brew up some fresh sun tea and lemonade. And indoor smores for dessert.
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JULY
Theme 1: Red/White/Blue
Decorations: Anything flag-like or military, or founding fathers. Play a patriotic music CD.
Table Games and Diversions: Have a frog-jumping contest using plastic frogs. Have a picnic with various yard games set up (sack races, three-legged races, hula hoop contest, croquet, Frisbee, volleyball).
Luncheon: Do a Salad Bar, canned soda pop (in coolers), and serve popsicles for dessert.
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AUGUST
Theme 1: Dog days of Summer
Decorations: anything dog related, stuffed animal dogs, collars, dog food bowls, leashes, obedience school ads, rolled up newspapers, fire hydrants, etc.
Table Games and Diversions: Dog trivia : funny dog names, famous dogs and dogs of movies stars, dog tricks. How many words can you make from the word Dashhund, or German Shepherd, or Wiemeriner, or Catahoula, etc.
Luncheon: Hot Dog Bar (with all the trimmings/toppings)
So I know you’re asking – how did a reluctant hostess get herself into this one? It’s pretty simple, really. I’m a mom! One who enjoyed soooo much being part of my daughters’ lives. It was my super social and outgoing oldest one who actually had faith in me, included me in the activities of her high school life, and allowed me to live vicariously through her that helped to bring me out of my shell. She wasn’t embarrassed of me and because of her trust it was such an honor to support her activities. So when she said the drama teacher was having a meeting for any parents that wanted to help with the upcoming play and backstage stuff, I jumped on the bandwagon with Tigger (that’s T … I … double guh … er) SpRiNgS. If she thought I could do it, well, I’d suck up my insecurities and give it a whirl, because I sure didn’t want to let her down.
It was the worst winter night outside, blustery cold with arctic winds, roads covered in ice, and the sky aglow with snow-filled clouds. I think all us parents had places we’d rather been that night, then the parent meeting. Instead, we left behind crock pot dinners, sinks full of dirty dinner dishes, our favorite TV programs, and our cozy, toasty homes, and drove, cautiously, on ice-covered roads to the school for that can’t-miss meeting.
The very punctual drama teacher started right on the dot at 7PM. He passed out papers and then took his place front and center. Clearing his throat and grasping the mic, he began. <screech…tap, tap, tap> “Hello! I’m Mr. Stedillie. Thank you for coming out tonight. I’ll get right to it. I need… (he went down the list, but I’ll skip to) …someone who would like to be in charge of the cast party following the final performance? Anyone? Anyone? And dast it happened that I raised my hand. Oh thank you Mrs. Hoffman, I’ll write you down.”
Like a natural idiot my hand went up and up and up. I volunteered for everything that came down the pike — backstage parent –check; costumes –check; props –check; cast party –check. I don’t know, as I said before, I guess I just wanted to impress my daughter, but there must have also been something in the quaint mustiness of that room. Perhaps the props, or the scripts piled willy-nilly on the book shelf, or possibly something in the eclectic assortment of costumes hanging on racks emitted an intoxicating stimulant? Perchance it was the nostalgic posters hanging on the walls, or the personalized wall bricks autographed by student actors from all the plays gone by that wooed me?
Maybe it was the theatrical passion with which Mr. Stedillie’s delivered his speech that moved me? Awe shucks, I’m really not sure; all I know is I got all caught up in the song and dance of the situation. One thing is for sure, that guy is persuasive. He really knows how to get parents involved. He probably has some swamp land in Arizona I’d be interested in too.
I went home, got a good night’s sleep, woke the next morning, and was nibbling my corn flakes when it hit me…a full-fledged PANIC ATTACK!!! What the <colorful expliative> have I done? I swallowed hard, took a few deep breaths and began hyperventilating. I think my legs gave out first. My head started spinning. My fingers tingled. “OMGosh,” I muttered, in a fading and puny voice, as everything went black and my body smashed to the floor with a THUD!
An imaginary Police-Line-Do-Not-Cross ribbon fluttered in the breeze as my fainting corpse whizzed past it. The dust from the chalk outline around my lifeless carcass flew up and settled back down by the concussion.
Okay, arrest the silliness. Suffice it to say, I was outside of my comfort zone on this one for sure, but that’s par for the course for me. I’m pretty much always outside my comfort zone. It was time to pull on my big girl panties and git’r done. Stop with this mamby-pamby cry baby stuff and get busy.
Cast Party #1
Bye Bye Birdie
Food:
Hollywood Cake (a sheet cake with the Hollywood Hills letters on it)
Sparkling Cider (or 7-Up or Ginger Ale) in champagne flutes
Forks, napkins, and plates (star plates would be extra neat)
Decorations:
Walk of Fame stars for each of the cast members, placed in a large square around the perimeter of the room, & later used as the spaces for the trivia game
Red carpet (for entrance) (use red paper that is used for bulletin boards)
Silver, Gold, and Black Balloon Bouquets
White balloons (with slips of paper with” forfeits” written on them hidden inside)
Black construction paper Oscar, Tony, and Emmy cut-outs
Movie posters (check with video rental stores and the movie theaters for freebies)
Disposable flash cameras (for a Paparazzi feel as the cast arrives)
CD of Hollywood Blockbuster theme music (for atmosphere)
Celebrity Magazines (Us, People, etc.) to put on each table
Games:
Elvis game is done Gong Show style: Contestants with the best “routines” get to pick from the prize box, and those with the worst win a balloon with a forfeit inside that the loser must perform)
Slips of paper inside a balloon will tell them what they win (prize), or what they have to do next as a loser (forfeit). Winning & loosing cast members must help each other break a balloon by pressing the balloon between their bodies until it breaks – no hands allowed).
Prizes:
Plastic metallic star sunglasses
Autograph book
Tickets to a movie
Coupons for local fast food selections
Forfeits:
Finish your drink in five seconds
Kiss someone on the cheek
Do an impersonation
Make an Academy Award’s speech
Tell 5 best features about yourself, or a friend
Tell 5 worst features about yourself, or a friend
Run the next game
Dance a ballet
Act out a charade until someone guesses it
Hum a tune until someone guesses it
Help clean-up after the party
Elvis Impersonation Contest
The impersonator has to put on the outfit and step up to the karaoke microphone. They can pick whatever “Elvis routine” they want. They need to do their best to sound like him, move like him, and say something Elvis would say (Thank you, thankyouverymuch), move like Elvis would move, or sing an Elvis song. Audience votes on the best and worst routines with clapping and shouting or boo’s. A majority of boo’s gets a GONG!
Can-I-Have-Your-Autograph Game
Each kid is fitted with a large, rectangular piece of stiff cardboard, attached to his or her writing hand with duct tape, like a shield. They each get a sharpie marker to be used with their other (non-writing hand). When the leader says, “go,” they scurry around collecting autographs from as many people as they can, also giving their autographs, before time is up. Everyone has to try to write his or her name legibly. These cards are souvenirs of the party. Whoever collected the most legible signatures wins.
Name That Musical and Trivia Game
This game is done exactly like Trivial Pursuit, except in giant size. The Cafeteria floor becomes the game board, the Walk of Fame Stars will be the spaces on the game board, and the kids themselves are the pawns that move on the game board.
Make a large die out of a square box. (Fill the box completely full with wadded newspaper to give it strength. Tape it securely shut all the way around. Paint it white, and when that has dried, paint on the black spots.) Put a pylon every 10 stars or so all around the Walk of Fame, nine pylons all together. Mark each pylon with the name of a musical; there’ll be three of each. Group the pylons with the same musical together, in other words, three pylons in a row will be for one musical, then the next three going around the circle will be another musical, and the next three will be the last musical. This way the kids have to navigate the entire circle to try to earn tokens.
Have everyone take their place on the stars, with socky feet only, so the stars don’t get damaged. The leader of the game rolls the big dice and all the cast members move that many spaces (stars) going clockwise. Whoever is standing next to a pylon is asked a trivia question (a different question for each person with the same musical). If they get the answer right they earn a token. There are three tokens: Blue, Red, and White (poker chips), one for each musical category. The leader rolls the dice again. Players move. Anyone standing next to a pylon gets asked a trivia question. Once again, if they get it right they get a token, BUT, they only earn a token if it is a category they haven’t earned a token for already. Continue until someone has one of each token. Winner gets a prize and the game starts all over again from there.
Use a CD with top musical songs and find lists of trivia questions for Bye Bye Birdie, Kiss Me Kate, and Grease – the last three musicals that the school has done.
Karaoke
(rent a machine and music library)
Telephone
Make a list of “gossip stories” ahead of time. Try to dig up a little bit of “dirt” ahead of time on several of the kids in the play if you can, but nothing venomous. If you have a lot of parents helping they will be able to come up with something on their own kid and his friends. Or leave it impromptu by allowing someone to tell a “yarn” about someone in the group. If you are concerned about appropriateness, have the story teller first tell to one of the adults who will make sure it is suitable, and then the adult will pass it on to the next kid. Have the kids sit in a large circle wherever there is space in the room. They in turn whisper the story into the next person’s ear beside them. This continues around the circle for 60 seconds. When TIME is called, whomever the gossip reached has to say out loud the story that they heard. Then the original story is retold to compare accuracy.
We, the parents, left the evening fairly open to spontaneity as the kids were completely content to snack on the foods, sign each other’s programs from the play for souvenirs, and ham it up behind the Karaoke microphone for most of evening — very much self entertaining. But we were armed to the teeth with activities if at any time it got slow and boring. The party lasted until about 3 o’clock in the morning, at which time the parents and school staff began picking up and clearing the cafeteria.
Cast members got to take home their STARS and an Oscar look-a-like (small inexpensive trophies ordered from Oriental Trading Co.).
This was the cast party that broke me in.
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AND THEN CAME…
Cast Party #2
Oklahoma!
I’m telling you….. I had so much fun last year – don’t ya know – that I turned right around and signed up again the next year. This time, my daughter had a lead role so I felt a sort of obligation to step up to a lead role also. If she somehow found the courage, I felt I needed to as well. This time I volunteered to be the head-chick-in charge of the party. Yes, that’s right, the CHAIRPERSON! Aren’t you proud of me?
Well, reserve your applause. If not for some serious transforming work on the part of the Almighty I would not have had the gumption to speak up and volunteer or have the outrageous joy in my heart to motivate me through the long days and nights. It was also the realization that this was the last opportunity I may ever have for such a thing, with my “drama queen” girl graduating and all. Plus, I was a step ahead of the game on this one… I already had some experience under my belt with the last one, and a great awakening that these high school kids aren’t as intimidating as one would first imagine. They’re a hoot, a lot of hoots in fact, and if you don’t show fear they won’t notice any, ’cause they are sort of self-absorbed themselves. 🙂
My plan (Schedule) for Oklahoma Cast Party:
After last curtain: Kids enter Cafeteria on a Paparazzi lined red carpet (Hollywood music playing large on a boom box or sound system), cameras flashing, and a guest book waiting to be signed by each cast member.
Walk of Fame stars leading the way from the Red Carpet to the food tables and around the room.
Food tables (heaped with delivery Pizza and all the backstage leftover’s, along with cake, and champagne flutes filled with sparkling cider)
Mock Academy Awards show – with trophies awarded
Autographs (everybody mingling and signing each other’s programs)
Karaoke
Party games set at various tables
Square Dancing Lesson and Contest (optional)
Trivia Game (just like I created for Bye, Bye, Birdie) (optional)
To do list:
Get a list of the Cast families from the drama teacher (need for party supplies purchases, etc.)
*Call for volunteers for party needs
Order the cake
Get a list of the Cast members from the director (need for the Walk-of-Fame Stars)
Get red paper (for the red carpet) from school office
Get 100 sheets of pink construction paper from school office (for the Walk-of-Fame Stars)
Get 100 sheets of black construction paper from school office (for Stars)
Check at school district office A/V Department to see if they have Oscar cut-outs – black construction paper – need 75, and if they will laminate the stars
Make Stars for the Walk of Fame – need stone spray paint, metallic markers
Get trivia questions for Bye Bye Birdie, Grease, Kiss Me Kate, and Oklahoma! (These are available on the Internet website: Funtrivia.com. Questions are only available online. No printout. So you’ll have to write down the questions as you take the quizzes yourself, and then write down the answers when you click to see how you did.
Follow up with volunteers on their purchases and promises to help
The morning before the final performance, count ballots and stuff Awards envelopes, and get gold, silver & black balloons and movies posters from video stores
The afternoon before the final performance pick up the cake; decorate the cafeteria, set up food tables, set up karaoke, bring a boom box, etc.
The night after the final performance help chaperone the CAST PARTY
*Call for volunteers for the following party needs:
_________ Make/buy the cake (75 servings) “Hollywood” sheet cake
_________ Bring four 2-litre bottles of 7-Up, or 5 bottles sparkling cider
_________ Bring four 2-litre bottles of 7-Up, or 5 bottles sparkling cider
_________ Bring four 2-litre bottles of 7-Up, or 5 bottles sparkling cider
_________ Bring four 2-litre bottles of 7-Up, or 5 bottles sparkling cider
_________ Buy 20 disposable champagne glasses
_________ Buy 20 disposable champagne glasses
_________ Buy 20 disposable champagne glasses
_________ Buy 20 disposable champagne glasses, plus a pkg. of 100 napkins
_________ Buy Latex balloons (1 dz. ea gold/silver/& black)
_________ Help set up and decorate the cafeteria Saturday afternoon
_________ Help tape down stars for the Walk of Fame Saturday morning
_________ Find and be in charge of the Karaoke machine
_________ Help manage the party, take pictures, serve cake, etc.
_________ Help manage the party, take pictures, serve champagne
_________ Buy 6 disposable cameras and come take pictures at party
_________ Help clean-up after the party
_________ Check with Wal-Mart, Party America, Dollar store, Party Animals, and other local businesses to see if they would be willing to donate supplies for our party
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GETTING IT DONE
Okay, so in the days and weeks while the kids rehearsed for the performance I tended to all the little jobs that needed to be done.
I picked up the construction paper and got to work on making ninety-five Walk-of-Fame stars. These were going to look just like the real ones which decorate the sidewalks of Hollywood. Black squares, pink stars, flecks of white and gray and black spattered on each. The stars outlined with metallic gold marker and the squares outlined with metallic silver – the names in block letters centered in the stars. A logo below each name so that people could tell by a glance if that person was an actor, an orchestra member, a stage hand, or a teacher. When they were all put together I laminated them, and cut them apart.
I asked at every grocery store if they would be willing to donate sparkling cider. I asked at the party store if they would donate champagne glasses, plates, and forks.
I asked at the bakery if they would donate a cake.
I went online and found some inexpensive star trophies and the drama teacher cut a check for them out of the ticket sales funds.
I contacted the parents that signed up to help me, and delegated jobs to all who were willing. I put an agenda in the mail to each of them.
I sat in on dozens of rehearsals.
I made big dice cubes for one of the games. I made the ballot box. I picked up a Fact or Crap game. I got the red paper for the red carpet.
Little by little I whittled away at the chores until opening night. That was my night to work backstage. And OMGosh, how much fun was that for me? The luckiest ol’ gal on the block I was, for sure!!!
At the final curtain of opening night I passed out ballots to all the performers for the Awards show that would take place at the cast party.
The next night I collected them. My husband and I came to watch the musical on Friday night where we sat beaming, pure enchantment chiseled across our faces. It was the cast’s best performance of the weekend. Encore, encore!
The day of the party I met with my committee to decorate the cafeteria. I met with the kids in the cast to discuss the Mock Award Show and how that would go. I tallied the votes. I made a separate sheet for each category that showed who the presenters would be and attached the winner envelopes to them. I showed up a few hours early to set up my background music in the cafeteria, be on site for the pizza delivery, and set up the food on the tables. I brought out the chilled cider and starting pouring it into glasses. As parents arrived I put cameras in their hands and sent them to play the part of the paparazzi as the kids entered the cafeteria from the auditorium.
The cast and crew entered the cafeteria to a Hollywood Blockbusters soundtrack playing larger than life on the boom box, down a red carpet lined with black, silver, and gold balloons, and signed their names in the guest book.
They wandered around and looked for their Walk of Fame stars, then headed over to the food tables to see what was offered there. Most of them grabbed a glass of champagne and some cake and found somewhere to sit. Once all the cast was crowded in, my “Academy Awards” actors took the stage and began acting out their routine. Mr. Hill acted out his best Billy Crystal impersonation as the host and mostly insulted the audience with his sarcasm. They all enjoyed it. Two by two the stars came to the podium and announced each category and then asked for the envelope, please. And Trophies were handed out.
The rest of the party played out just like it was supposed to, except I never was able to find a dance instructor so we ditched the square dancing idea. We also ran out of time for the trivia game, well at least for it to be played like I had planned. I did sit on the stage with the microphone and cards and posed questions to the last group of stragglers who were in it to the end. And we giggled until the janitor booted us all out.
Those kids were an absolute blast. I had the best time hanging out with them. Mr. Stedillie, Gino – the janitor, and I were there until about 3:00 A.M. cleaning up. Amazingly I wasn’t even tired. All I could think about was how much fun I’d had, and all the compliments that I’d gotten from the kids and parents. It was a very rewarding experience.
NOTE: If you are contemplating volunteering to help with a High School Musical Cast Party and you are thinking my plan is way too much work. Don’t worry. You don’t have to go to a ton of effort making a theme out of it as I have done. The kids are actually happy to just hang out, eat, sing karaoke, and play some party games. Give it a try!
BTW…some fun choices for party games (at that time) were:
Apples to Apples by Out-of-the-Box Publishing, Inc.
Curses by Play All Day Games, designer Brian Tinsman
Smarty Party by R& R Games, Inc.
Settlers of Catan by Mayfair Games, designer Klaus Teuber
Quelf by Wiggity Bang Games
Pit Deluxe by Winning Moves US
Time’s Up by R & R Games, Inc.
Ultimate Outburst Hersch & Company
Snorta! by Out-of-the-Box Publishing, Inc.
“…the morning STARS sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy!” Job 38:7
Can you hear the birds chirping? And smell the wildflowers in bloom? The pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof? Ahhhh…SPRING!!!! Everything old is new again.
How about having all your gal-pals over for a quick, impromptu lunch, easily prepared on a Sunday afternoon, and served on a manic Monday!!! Do you work outside the home? Text your closest circle of co-workers on Sunday night and tell them not to bring in lunch for themselves, because you’ve got a little surprise for them. Then carry in this little luncheon for your super spoiled little crowd.
QUICHE
I used Pioneer Woman’s Cowboy Quiche recipe, from her cookbook, Food From My Frontier (one of my absolute FAVS), I cheated though and used a store-bought deep-dish pie crust, two in fact. And, I did it myyyyy waaay, with a couple of special touches (to make it a little more girly without being PW’s “Cowgirl Quiche,” because I didn’t have those ingredients on hand). Here’s how I did mine:
Ingredients
2 whole Unbaked Pie Crusts (from the freezer section, thawed and poked)
1 lb. Bacon, fried until crispy
2 Tablespoons Bacon fat (left over from frying the bacon)
1 whole red Onion, Sliced
8 spears of fresh, raw asparagus (I have it growing in my garden, lucky me)
1 cup of diced smoked sausage (I like the spicy jalapeno variety)
8 whole Large Eggs
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream Or Half-and-Half
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 cups Grated Colby-Jack Cheese
Let’s Make it…
Fry the bacon until crisp. Chop into little bite-sized pieces and set aside to cool.
Fry the onions in the bacon fat in a large skillet over medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes (until translucent), stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Fix the edges of your pie crusts, if you want them to look a little less store-bought, and then poke them with a fork around the bottom in a few places. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon, chopped smoked sausage, onion, and raw asparagus around in your pie crusts, of course dividing evenly between the two pies. Cover both with cheese.
Whip the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and then pour the mixture into the pie crusts. Use a fork to pull the contents around a little and make sure the egg mixture seeps down into it all really good.
Place the pies on a rimmed baking sheet, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the quiche doesn’t jiggle easily when moved and the crust is golden brown. (The quiche will still seem slightly loose, but will continue to set once remove from the oven.)
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into slices with a sharp knife, and serve!
You might like to top yours with a little dallop of sour cream, maybe a spoonful of pico de gallo, or torn cilantro leaves. Maybe a drizzle of Shiracha? Or just naked!
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FLATBREAD PIZZAS
< < < I got the idea for these when I saw this photo on Pinterest, and then made it a reality when I found these flatbreads at my local HEB > > >
I purchased several packages of the flatbreads (and have them in the freezer, because the lady at the deli counter said our store is discontinuing them. Bummer!!!! Why do they do that just when I find something that I like??? Husband even liked. Ugh!!!)
Anyway, I took the thawed flatbread and drizzled it with olive oil on both sides, then grilled it for a few minutes on each side on a hot, preheated grill, which gave the bread the nice grill marks and made it really soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. I cut each flatbread into thirds and placed on a platter for my guests.
I purchased a tub of Veggie Cream Cheese and a tub of Chive Cream cheese to spread on the warm bread.
And then I had several veggies chopped up for toppings:
Sliced Radishes
Sliced Cherry Tomatoes
Sliced Red Bell Pepper
Sliced Cucumber
Sliced Red Onion
Baby Arugula, Kale, and Spinach mix
Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Olive Salad
Black Olives
And an eater’s choice of seasonings:
Fresh ground Salt & Pepper
Pizza Seasoning
Pesto
Olive Oil
Basalmic Vinegar
I got’ta tell you, these are just darn good pizzas. Even hubbie liked them, like a LOT!!!! Even said I knocked dinner out’ta the park, and that I was back on my game. Which made me blush a little. And now I really want to impress him more!!! Fresh, crunchy, delish!!!!
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FRUITY LEMONADE
2 or 3 cans of frozen concentrate Lemonade (I like the kind with pulp, pink or regular)
Assorted Fruits:
Lemons
Oranges
Cherries
Watermelon
Strawberries
Blackberries
Limes
Pineapple
Melon
Kiwi
Prepare a large pitcher with lemonade, following package instructions. Fill large glasses with ice and set out a platter of cut-up fruits. Let your guests pile whatever fruits they want on top of their ice, and then fill the glasses with lemonade. When they are done sipping, they’ll have a nice fruit salad to eat!
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And for dessert…..
FLOWERPOT CUPCAKES
I found these adorable, tough, reusable, silicone flower pots online, and once they arrived (and I washed and dried them), I used a boxed muffin mix to fill them, and then a canned frosting to frost them. Who says cheaters never prosper? Lol!
I should have purchased the chocolate rocks when I saw them at Amazon too, because there were none to be found in my little town (I’d insert a little sad face here except I don’t have the cute little emoticon stickers on my computer. I guess I can always paste something from Google…….like this……which actually, surprisingly gives me a tiny bit of satisfaction).
At least we have a Wal-mart, and at least our Wal-mart has a cake isle in the hobbies section with a few choices.
And I found Chocolate mushrooms at FIVE BELOW:
And I had an abundance of MINT growing in my garden!!!! So, I did the Martha Stewart thing! Which was to poke a sprig of mint into each little cupcake after they were all decorated with the other stuff.
After frosting each cupcake, I sprinkled them with crushed Oreos (I whirled a handful of the cookies in my food processor until they turned into dirt), and tinted coconut flakes. I really could have done a better job with the tinting! Made it more green. I’m a dork!
Just look at these chocolate rocks! Gosh, they would have just been sooooo cute to put on top of the oreo dirt! (I’m still sore about it!)
Oh well, “Be content with such things as you have!” Nobody likes a whiner.
(((UPDATE: I found chocolate rocks at Cracker Barrel!!! $2.99 for a 3 oz. tube!!!! And I also found these cute cute cute Gummy Lightning Bugs!!!! Gosh, now I want to toally remake my cupcakes!!!)))
This is what mine looked like….before I poked in my mint leaves!
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After my little luncheon that I hosted I thought of another way to make flowerpot cupcakes that you may like better…
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You can use real terra cotta pots for the trifles, which come in larger-than-cupcake sizes. And since the cake is not being baked in the terra cotta you won’t have to worry about dyes or other toxic elements leaching into your batter in the oven. I soaked my pots in the sink to get the price stickers off, then I put my pots in the dishwasher and ran them through a full sterilizing wash cycle. When they were done I put them in the oven on warm (170*F) to dry them out completely before using.
You can also decorate your pots all pretty before filling them with the trifle ingredients – just something simple that wouldn’t compete with the cuteness of the cakes themselves. Something like this, I was thinking..
Aaaaand…. if you’re feeling especially ambitious, as I was, you can make some cute little flower pot pens to give as gifts for your gal-pals desks, or home offices. Or, even better, let your gal-pals make their own… after lunch. OOOO fun…cRaFt PaRtY!!!!!! 🙂
I found all the stuff for mine at Wal-mart (because seriously, that’s all we have), and when I got my little pots home I soaked them in hot sudsy water to help get the price stickers off. I filled them with aquarium rocks. Then I took a spring assortment of flower bouquets that I found in the floral section, cut them apart, and used floral tape to attach them to my pens. I even found colored ink pens (Bic Cristal).
If you’d like, you can even have a nice little devotion while your eating your lunch!!! Check out this one that I thought was really sweet:
(NOTE: Bible Seeds devotional is now out-of-print, but you can find used copies online.)
“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusts in Him.”
I’m a grandma! <I say, with a huge grin on my face> Can I just say that so far in life being a grandma is just about as good as I could have ever imagined. I am completely smitten with these little granddaughters of ours! Completely and utterly smitten! And I’ve decided that getting to be a grandma must be God’s way of saying, I forgive you for all the mistakes you made with your own kids, and I’m giving you a second chance with grandchildren. Don’t screw it up!
I don’t know that I have any more patience with them than I had with my own kids. And I can’t say that I let them get away with murder at my house, because I honestly couldn’t live with them expecting to get things all the time. But after grandpa and I have loved on them, and spoiled them just a little, and are pretty much give-out chasing after them for a day or a night, we can send them back to their parents and then go take a nap. And that’s the beauty of grandparenting. 🙂
As far as throwing a baby shower, I take my ques from my oldest daughter Dani. She threw the first baby shower for her sister, and had so much energy and charisma through the whole process. She is just gosh darn good at everything she puts her hand to. She tossed an amazing, fun party together in about an hour (including the decorating), and even between gadding about with her friends, whom she hadn’t seen since high school, and her party turned out so magnificently I can’t even tell you. I’m such a poser!
But, in the shadow of her genius, I tossed a Texas version together – in a bigger house, and a bigger yard, and a slightly plumper guest list!
Decorations
The party I threw was half indoors and half outdoors on what turned out to be a beautiful south Texas spring evening! Indoors was the food (to keep it cool and away from the bugs), and outdoors were the games. I used old baby food jars, placed tea-lite candles in each, lit them, and scattered them around on the buffet table inside, and the tables outside. The tables outside sat under an Easy-up portable gazebo which was decorated with balloons and streamers and pretty pink ribbon. I covered the outdoor tables with little baby blankets (from when my babies were little – quilted ones, knit ones, crocheted ones, tied ones, store bought and homemade) and used rolled up baby diapers tied with ribbon and Baby Bottle vases for centerpieces, along with some of the little baby food jar tea-lites. Indoors I layered a black and white tablecloth over a solid pink tablecloth for the serving table, and placed a few potted plants and a bouquet of roses around with the baby food jar tea-lites.
I hung up a small “clothesline” across the yard here and there and hung some cloth diapers, onesies, baby blankets, and little bibs on it, with old fashioned clothespins tied with pink ribbon and bows?
I set up a CD player outside that had *lullaby music playing softly and continuously in the background during the party. (*I used the Rock-a-bye Baby and Hush-a-bye Baby CDs. If you’ve not heard of them, they are the songs of country and rock musicians remade into lovely little xylophone lullaby melodies. So sweet for a Baby Shower party, and after the party they make a great parting gift for the mother!)
Refreshments
GOURMET CUPCAKES: I cheated and used a cake mix and baked up 24 cupcakes. Then I swirled store-bought frosting on them in two colors, white and pink, using a zip-lock bag with the corner snipped off. I sprinkled them with pink sprinkles and decorated them with mini York peppermint patties and fresh mint leaves from my garden. Then displayed them in cute little swirly cupcake stands that made a perfect presentation and centerpiece for the buffet.
FINGER SANDWICHES: my neighbor and friend Sharon made some finger sandwiches with cream cheese and green olives, and I don’t know what else, but they were delish.
FRUIT SALAD: I cut a baby carriage shape out of a watermelon, decorated it with pink ribbon, then filled it with chunks of fresh seasonal fruits (melon, grapes, pineapple, berries, kiwi, etc.). I made a fresh yogurt, honey, and lime dressing to drizzle on top.
VEGGIES: I did little individual crudités using little see-thru plastic tumblers, placing a small amount of dip in the bottom, and then arranging cut vegetables (carrot, celery, snow peas, asparagus, bell pepper, etc.) vertically in each.
PUNCH: tea, lemonade, and lots of ice.
Games
These first four games below began right away as guests arrived, but did not have a winner until the end of the party. Each game was set up at a seperate station in my house, and a little pink footprint trail led the guests from first station near the front door (diaper name tags), to the next (Mommy Measure Game), and the next (Pacifier Necklaces), through my house, and ended at the food table near the back door, where a little sign welcomed them to help themselves to the refreshments, and asked them to place one frozen baby ice cube in their drink.
This was the best way I could come up with to be in all places at the same time – greeting guests as they arrived, hugging and welcoming them, pinning a name tag on each one, and then sending them on to some entertainment while we waited for everyone to arrive. By the time the last guests arrived, everyone would have had things to do, food and beverages to nibble and sip, time to mingle with each other, and would be ready for the games to begin.
Dirty Diaper Name Tags: I made little diapers out of white felt or flannel and pinned them closed with a diaper safety pin. Before I pinned the last one shut I smeared a little streak of brown marker in it Then I mixed the marked one in with the others so I wouldn’t know which one it was. As the guests arrived, I pinned the little diapers on each (you can jot their names on them if your guests don’t know each other). At the end of the party I asked my guests to look inside their name tags. The one with the dirty diaper won a prize.
Mommy Measure Game: Using ribbon, string, or a store-bought game, each guest sections off however much length of the material as they think will take to wrap around the mommy’s belly. They’ll cut their piece and then label it with their name, and leave it in the designated place. At the end of the evening, whoever’s piece comes closest to the actual measurement is the winner.
Pacifier necklace Game: This game is played by giving each guest a necklace and announcing that the forbidden word is “baby.” Anyone caught by another player using the forbidden word loses their necklace to the player who caught them. No one is ever out, because even if you lose your necklace, you can gain a necklace back by catching someone saying the forbidden word. The person with the most necklaces at the end of the party wins.
My Water Broke: The day before the party place little plastic babies in ice cube trays, and then fill the trays with water and freeze. Once everyone has helped themselves to cold beverages, have them drop one of the frozen baby ice cubes into their drink, but don’t tell them why yet. (The first person whose baby melts free is the winner).
Once all of my guests had gotten name tags, measured off a length of ribbon for the mommy measure game, gotten themselves a necklace and a plate of food, and dropped a baby ice cube into each of their drinks, I came and explained the rules for the necklaces and the baby ice cubes. These games played in the background of all the other games for the duration of the evening.
These next several games will have winners right away. Try to keep things moving along so no one gets bored, but be somewhat flexible for those players that are a little slower.
What is it?: You will need 10 brown paper lunch bags (numbered 1-10) and 10 random baby items (diaper pins, pacifier, diaper ointment, baby bottle, teething ring, rattle, mittens, nail clipper, thermometer, disposable diaper, baby powder, baby lotion, receiving blanket, onesie, etc. all removed from their packaging), and a sheet of paper for each guest with 1-10 numbered along the left side, and a pens for each. Make sure each bag has only one item in it and is sealed (taped, stapled, and fastened with a pretty ribbon). Pass the bags around and allow the guests to try to figure out what is in the bag. After 30 seconds shake a baby rattle for the guests to pass the bags. When everyone has written their guesses down, Set a nice basket beside the mom-to-be and have her open each bag to reveal what’s in it, placing the items in the basket. Give a gift to the person with the most correct guesses, and mom gets to keep the basket contents.
Nursery Rhyme Fill-in: Make up a sheet of lines from nursery rhymes (get a book from Wal-mart if you need one) leaving out a word or line for your guests to complete. You can either hand out game sheets to each guest and give them time to complete them, then read the nursery rhymes out loud and ask if anyone had something different…OR…you can play this game like a game show where players are seated and the first to stand must give an answer. You can either read the title of a rhyme and let your guests see if they can recite the rhyme, or read part of the rhyme and have them fill in the missing word or line. The first guest to stand up must give an answer. If they are right, you tally them a point. If they are wrong they sit down and the others race to stand up and answer. When you are out of rhymes, the person who answered the most correctly wins a prize.
Baby Food Tasting: With as much class and sophistication as a wine tasting, you will offer this game. Take the labels off a variety of baby foods (12 is good – 3 of each food-group: veggie, fruit, cereal, dessert) and replace with a number. (Make yourself a master sheet as you are doing this, so you remember which is which and can show it to the guests at the end). Give each guest a sheet of paper with 1-12 listed along the left side, and pen, and 12 plastic tasting spoons per person (ask them to not reuse spoons). Pass the baby food jars and give everyone time to make their guesses. They may taste, smell, look at, jiggle, stir, or use whatever way they want to distinguish what food it is. You can provide a list of multiple choices if you want to help them out a little, just make sure some of the choices on the list are different from the foods so it’s not too easy. The person who gets the most right wins.
The Hen Party Game: Perhaps you’ve seen it on YouTube? It is the plunger and toilet paper game. Need two rolls of toilet paper and two brand new toilet plungers. Split guests into two teams. Each team sends a player to the other side of the yard with a roll of toilet paper. She then places the toilet paper between her thighs/knees. The remaining members of the teams line up behind a leader and the person at the front of the line places the toilet plunger between their thighs with the handle sticking out in front of them. At the sound of the baby rattle the two plunger people must run down to their teammate without losing the plunger and attempt to poke the plunger handle into the hole of the toilet paper roll. Once they are successful, the plunger person takes the toilet paper and the toilet paper person runs the plunger back to the team for the next person to relay down the track. The first team to finish wins.
Baby Bottle Game: Fill baby bottles (one for each guest) with cranberry juice or tea. If you want, you could use the previous game’s winning team as contestants for this game to compete in this chugging contest in front of everyone. Just to be ornery, plug up the tip on one of the baby bottles with super glue prior to the party. At the sound of baby rattle players begin chugging from the baby bottles. The one who finishes first is the winner. See also how creative the person is who got stuck with the plugged bottle, and give them an award for being a good sport.
Sniff-a- Poo game: You’ll need 6 clean disposable diapers labeled 1-6 and 6 different snack size candy bars (Mounds, Baby Ruth, Snickers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Milky Way, York Peppermint Patty, Three Musketeers, etc.). Place one candy bar in each diaper and microwave each diaper for 20 seconds. Stir the candy around and microwave another 10 seconds. Give each player a slip of paper numbered 1 to 6 down the left side, a pen, and 6 plastic tasting spoons per person (ask them to not reuse spoons).. Set the six diapers in front of the guests and allow them to look, smell, taste, and touch each “poopy” diaper in an attempt to identify the contents. Take lots of pictures! The person with the most correct answers wins a prize.
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After the outdoor games, I invited everyone back inside and asked them to please refill their drinks and plates at the buffet, and then asked them to take a chair (bean bags, rocker, couch, ottoman, kitchen chairs, etc.) in a big circle around my living room to watch the mom-to-be open her gifts. One of the guests graciously offered to make a list of each gift and who gave it, so I gratefully provided the notebook paper and pen. Once all the gifts were opened, and the food and drinks were devoured, I awarded the prizes for the name tags, measuring game, and necklace game, and also gave out the little parting gifts (babyfood jars with jellybeans in them). Then I asked if we could all stand and hold hands and close by saying a prayer for the mom-to-be. I led the prayer but also left it open for anyone else who felt led to pray. One by one each guest hugged the mom-to-be, and started making their departures. It really was a fun party, and I was so blessed by all the compliments… which is why I decided to share it with you.
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Prizes (need at least eight)
Little Bathroom soaps in a basket
Chap sticks and Lotions
Small Cookbook
A Gift Certificate for a specialty coffee (Starbucks or another local place)
A Women’s Magazine
A pretty necklace
Small bouquet of flowers
Scented Candle
Assortment of tea bags
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Party Favors (as many as you have guests)
Send each guest home with a baby food jar filled with jelly beans and ask them to say a prayer for the momma and baby every time they eat a bean.
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Be Prepared
Purchase everything you will need for the games. Read through each game carefully and make a list. Purchase all the prizes and party favors – or make the party favors. Purchase all your groceries and try to make everything the day before, if possible. Purchase everything you will need to decorate or make decorations, and make the decorations. Give yourself time to groom the yard (the day before), clean the house (the day before), and do all the decorating (early in the day). Purchase paper plates, napkins, cups, plastic utensils, ice, serving pieces, flowers, balloons, etc. Set up all the games the night before. Set up the food table right before guests arrive, keeping things covered and cold, and in the shade, or keep the food inside (which is what I did to avoid flies). Set out all the table service and place a paper weight on the napkins and plates – or tie them up in pretty bundles.
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PARTY SCHEDULE (plan for the party to last about 2 hours)
Guests arrive: pin a diaper name tag on each and encourage them to mingle pointing them to the little pink footprint trail (like a yellow brick road – follow the yellow brick road!).
Make sure each guest gets something to drink and helps themselves to the sandwiches and snacks that have been set out.
Ice Breaker: Introduce everyone if your guests don’t know each other, and maybe tell how they each know the mother-to-be.
Play the games in the order listed on the previous pages. Keep a fairly quick pace with the games and activities, so there is no time for boredom. I tried to alternate sitting games with active games and quiet games with loud and fun games to keep it interesting. And also tried to find games that would be amusing.
Invite guests to help themselves to more food if desired, and make sure everyone’s beverage is full as often as possible.
Award prizes at the end, if they weren’t awarded at the end of each game, and give each guest a small party favor.
Let Mom-to-be open gifts.
Gather around the Mom-to-be to pray for her and the little one, for a safe delivery and a healthy, perfect baby. Allow guests to hang and visit as long as they wish. Hug everyone goodbye and thank them so much for coming. Put away the foods that need refrigeration. Pass out from exhaustion!
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Alternative Games for your party
Baby items scavenger hunt: Hide several Baby items in and around the house. Create a scavenger hunt for guests to find these items. Guests may compete against everyone individually, or you can pair people off in 2-person or 3-person teams. First person/team to find all of the items wins.
Memory game: First guest says a word or phrase, second guest says the first word/phrase and then their word/phrase, the third guest says both previous words/phrases and then adds theirs. Play continues around the table until someone forgets a word/phrase, then they are out. Play continues until one person is left having memorized the whole thing.
Itty Bitty Baby Parts Baby Shower Game: Baby shower games step into the 21st century with this high tech, offbeat Ultrasound picture challenge. You will find that people say the darndest things when they try to identify the itty bitty baby parts in this contemporary baby shower game. Identifying these parts isn’t as easy as it may seem and your friends will be chuckling for days afterwards at some of the oddball responses! People say the darndest things! Itty Bitty Baby Parts baby shower game brings those sometimes hilarious answers out into the open. Your friends and family will enjoy hearing the responses of the other players while they try to identify the images.
Entertaining and affordable. Itty Bitty Baby Parts baby shower game can be purchased from http://www.bigdotofhappiness.com and comes complete with 12 ultrasound picture cards, word lists(25 player sheets for 25 guests), directions and answer page. Itty Bitty Baby Parts (Ultrasound Picture Game) $13.99
Baby Bingo Baby Shower Game: Yea! Finally! A bingo baby shower game with Pizazz! With Pep! With, with… spunkatudinality! In this 20 card version, guests are handed colorful cards with baby themed pictures: a crib, a birth certificate, stroller, baby blocks, etc. The first person to get five in a row and yell “Baby Bingo” wins. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this baby shower game has got to be worth Millions!
There are 2 squares on each card which allow each guest to write in the name of the mom-to-be and her (expectant) due date. The mom will beam with pride and joy every time she hears her name and baby’s due date called during each game.
20 Card Baby Bingo comes complete with:
20 unique bingo cards
80 perforated caller chips
390 heart markers
Master call sheet
Instructions
Cards measure 5-1/4″ x 6-1/2″ h each.
Diaper raffles are the hot new baby shower activity! Use our baby raffle tickets – baby shower game to ensure your diaper raffle goes off without a hitch! Hand out raffle tickets to each guest who brings a pack of diapers. You could give one ticket per every 5, 10, or 20 diapers they bring. Have them write their name on the tickets and collect them. At some point during the celebration, draw tickets to give away special prizes. Guests will love their odds when they arrive with the all-important diapers! You could pass out tickets for other items as well – bibs, onesies, blankets, and much more!
Baby Raffle Tickets – Baby Shower Game ~ $8.99 each game
(150 tickets per package in six designs) available from http://www.bigdotofhappiness.com.
Raffle Methods
There are a few different ways to set up a raffle at a baby shower. Tickets for the event can be “sold” based on the basic baby-care items that guests bring, or can be given to everyone who arrives in a manner similar to door prize drawings. One commonly used option is the holding of a “diaper raffle,” where an extra ticket is given for every five, 10 or 20 diapers given. The same could be done with single bottles, onesies, pacifiers or even common goods such as soaps, shampoos and lotions. A winning ticket will be drawn toward the end of the baby shower, though some planners may decide to have multiple drawings and give away smaller prizes leading up to the “Grand Prize.”
Tummy Measure Gameby Factory Card and Party Outlet
An immeasurably fun shower game! Our Tummy Measure Game features 150ft – 2 1/2” W plastic yellow measuring tape (number are not printed on tape) with the words “What Size is the New Mommy’s Tummy?” Simply have guests cut a length of the tape by guessing the mommy-to-be’s tummy and the closest fitting tape wins.
Wilton Baby Shower Spin Gameby Wilton
Play this fun game at the baby shower. It’s a great way to break the ice and get the party started. Guests spin the bottle and do as the spot on the card asks. Some of the spaces say: Suggest 10 Baby Names; Give Mom-to-be Baby Advice; Relax and do Nothing; Sing a Lullaby; Whistle a Baby Song; Say the ABC’s Backwards; Recite a Nursery Rhyme; Repeat 5 Times: (a tongue twister).
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“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Psalm 127:3
When I lived in the Rockies I used to spend pretty much every weekend in April and May (and even some years in June) sipping my morning coffee by my front windows and gazing outside at the dead, gray landscape, wishing (oh so desperately wishing) for spring, as winter relentlessly lingered. All I could think about was busting outside to push the lawnmower around in my yard, dig out the rotting leaves that had blown in around my porch, plant and fertilize my spring bulbs, and tidy up my dormant yard. I could almost hear thunder and lightning in my mind, and with feverish delirium I built castles in the clouds for the return of the robins and squirrels games, and the mommy & daddy birds fluffing their feathers, gathering twigs, and chirping their springtime songs. I swooned over what to grow in my gardens, my mouth still salivating at the evaporating memory of last year’s harvest.
Being in south Texas, I now whence at how overwrought I was for the scent of fresh washed anything to be hanging on my clotheslines. I haven’t forgotten though how badly I wanted to crank those frozen windowsills open, throw back the curtains, air out the dust and cobwebs, and let a little sunshine in. If only by my shear will I could have held back winter and coaxed those leaves to bud out on the trees, or tantalized my daffodils to bloom, or tempted the grass to creep up out of the earth, lush and green.
Almost anything was better than shoveling snow AGAIN, or sloshing in slush, or looking out at barren trees, or being cooped up inside torturing myself with the fallen mercury on the outdoor thermometer. “Oh hurry up spring,” was my daily mantra.
And then finally it was here.
Well, my dear, north-country friends, I know you are suffering now, but come sit on my south Texas porch swing (I wish this was my porch and my porch swing) for a bit, kick your sandals off, and have a slushy lemonade with me? I’m just reminiscing over my garden parties of yesterday and would love your company!
It’s a funny thing, but as soon as the words “garden party” roll off my tongue I am humming the song by Ricky Nelson…“Come to a Garden Party; reminisce with my old friends….” Hee hee, I can see you do too! Shall we hold hands and sway and sing it together?
I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends A chance to share old memories and play our songs again When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name No one recognized me, I didn’t look the same
CHORUS: But it’s all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please yourself
People came from miles around, everyone was there Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air ‘n’ over in the corner, much to my surprise Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes wearing his disguise
CHORUS
lot-in-dah-dah-dah, lot-in-dah-dah-dah
Played them all the old songs, thought that’s why they came No one heard the music, we didn’t look the same I said hello to “Mary Lou”, she belongs to me When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave
Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode Playing guitar like a-ringin’ a bell and lookin’ like he should If you got’ta play at garden parties, I wish you a lot’ta luck But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck
‘n’ it’s all right now, learned my lesson well You see, ya can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself
Wow…I didn’t mean to sing the whole dang song…. Sorry. The lyrics are kind of odd, aren’t they? Hee hee! 🙂
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I recently finished a Bible study of the book of Esther, written by Beth Moore and since it is so fresh in my mind I thought to share with you a garden party on steroids:
KING AHASHURAS’ GARDEN PARTY
“…The king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan…in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.” — Esther 1:5
A seven-day feast. Holy cow! (…Possible pun intended). My, oh my, he sure knows how to arrange things! This is how King Ahashuras decorated for his party: “There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king.” (Esther 1:6-7). The drinking was not compulsory, but according to each man’s pleasure…soooooo, I’m guessing, since the booze was free, that it was each man’s pleasure TO DRINK!
After the king’s “garden party” came another feast. It was for his officials and servants – the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the 127 provinces over which he now ruled. This feast lasted 180 days, (holy smokes – did you catch that? 180 DAYS!!!). I can’t even imagine how much food and wine he dished out for a 180-day party! My goodness, that’s almost six months. How does one entertain guests for that long? What do you suppose they talked about? How many bedrooms do you imagine he must have had in his house to make the princes and nobles of 127 provinces comfortable, not to mention the sheer volume of bath towels they must have gone through!
Being a hot-shot, he entertained by giving his guests the grand tour of his sprawling estate, showing off his riches, splendor, and majesty, as if the food, booze, and decorations weren’t enough of a brag.
It all reminds me a little of Oprah’s Garden Party, which you perhaps caught on television some years back? The Queen of daytime talk TV wanted to pay homage to some special ladies in her life whom she admired, but in the process couldn’t help showing off a little of her great wealth, lavishing them with an exquisite menu, costly gifts, and luxuriant preparations. You can read all about it at Oprah.com.
The term “garden party” does tend to stir up in my head notions of big Queen Mumm hats, lush flower gardens, and dainty little porcelain teacups brimming with exotic teas, accompanied with a myriad of condiments to add to them, like pure white, sparkling sugar cubes, dew covered mint leaves, juicy lemon slices, and fresh, succulent raspberries.
In my dreams my tables are covered with layers of lace and floral patterned tablecloths. Bouquets of flowers, topiaries and ivy centerpieces. The chairs all around are covered in cloth and ribbon. And there are twinkling lights and lanterns hanging from the trees.
Marlene Allan – Garden Party Online has some fun ideas too. I really liked the idea of spreading picnic blankets on the lawn and resting a large umbrella at each. The edges of the umbrellas are also decked out with flowers.
I found these garden party themes and ideas at Evite.com:
Garden of Eden—It doesn’t have to be clothing optional to evoke the spirit of Adam and Eve’s home. Serve a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and decorate with snakes and apples.
Plant Swap—Celebrate your garden by asking guests to bring a flower arrangement or potted plant to swap with another guest. Guests can either fight over the foliage or pick names out of a hat to see who gets what.
Flower Arranging—Ask guests to bring blooms and vases, and invite a floral expert or a friend with very green thumbs to show you different ways of putting them together.
“Seeds of Kindness” Garden Party – was another terrific discovery. Visit this website for all the details: http://www.juliabettencourt.com/themes/kindnesstheme.html.
This is a garden theme that revolves around our planting seeds of kindness. Her emphasis is on being kinder and more caring Christian women. I won’t spill the beans, but hope you will check out all her swell ideas.
Unlike the garden parties of the rich and famous, mine have all been either merriments of Mother’s Day, or low-budget baby/wedding showers, so don’t be intimidated. You can afford this!
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Garden Party 2007
Decorations: I hung plastic/silk flower strands that I found at the dollar store in swags along the patio eves. I did the same along the edges of the patio umbrella and table. I set out a few flower arrangements in baskets. I spent a decent block of time mowing and trimming and grooming my back yard so it would resemble the ritzy landscapes in the rich parts of town. There is no way it could possibly compare, but it looked its personal best anyway. I pulled all the weeds and watered until the grass was green green green. I planted the flower boxes with colorful blooms and foliage and piled them up with mulch just like the gardeners on TV. I wished I’d had a pretty gazebo that I could have lavished with tulle and silk flowers, or a lovely little pond and waterfall that would have drawn our eyes and trickled in our ears. Even a heavy cast bird bath would have been great. But I had to be content with such things as I had.
GRILLED PORTOBELLO SANDWICHES
Ingredients
Ciabata bread, drizzled with olive oil and lightly toasted
Portobello Mushroom caps, grilled and placed on top of the bread
Red onion slices, grilled and placed on top of the portobello
Fontina cheese, melted on top of the onion in the broiler
Fresh Basil leaves, arranged on top of the cheese
Tomato slices, drizzled with a balsamic/garlic/olive oil/black pepper dressing
VEGGIE PLATTER
Red, Yellow, and Green Bell Peppers sliced into wedges
Radish halves
Ranch dip
FRUIT KABOBS
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Pineapple
Banana
Grapes
Cut fruit into wedges and skewer on wooden spears. Arrange kabobs on a pretty platter
SUN CHIPS
BEVERAGES
Iced Tea
Sodas
Lemonade
SUGAR COOKIES cut and frosted to look like pansies, arranged on a pretty doily covered platter. OR…those flowerpot cakes that are made with Oreo crumbs and the gummy worms on top would also have made a clever dessert for this soirée. (Click here for a how-to video for Pansy Sugar Cookies)
MUSIC: I ended up being a little too pinched for time to give the music selection a proper scavenge. So we started with a peaceful classical guitar CD and ended up with golden oldies music on satellite radio. I’ve since had a little more time to look and here’s the thoughtful lineup I found:
At a Garden Party, Ed Bickert
Garden Party, Rick Nelson
The Last Dance, Music for a Vanishing Era
Radiance, Music for a Garden Party (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Dvorak, etc.)
And Dan Gibson’s Solitudes Classical Garden, featuring the sounds of nature with music
Or… we could make a homemade CD or create an i-tunes playlist to play at the party. If the garden party is to celebrate Mother’s Day, you could give the music mix to Mom afterward. Buy MP3 singles from Amazon.com and burn them onto one CD. Here are a few suggestions:
Anita Renfroe, The Mom Song (Momisms)
Boyz II Men, a Song for Mama
Chris Young , Voices
Carry Underwood, Mama’s Song
Brad Paisley, She’s Everything
Carry Underwood, Don’t Forget to Remember Me
Dolly Pardon, Coat of Many Colors
Jamie O’Neal, Somebody’s Hero
LeAnn Womack, I Hope You Dance
Rascal Flats, My Wish
Martina McBride, In My Daughter’s Eyes
Merle Haggard, Mama Tried
Taylor Swift, The Best Day
Trace Adkins, One Hot Mama
Trace Adkins, You’re Gonna Miss This
Trace Adkins, She Thinks We’re Just Fishin’
Beyonce, Halo
Celine Dion, A New Day Has Come
Loudon Wainwright III, Daughter
Lonestar, Mr. Mom
Martina McBride, Blessed
Edwin McCain, I Could Not Ask for More Sara Evans, Always Be My Baby LeAnn Rimes, How Do I Live Carrie Underwood (feat. Randy Travis), I Told You So Guns n Roses, Sweet Child of Mine
Alicia Keys, Superwoman
Aerosmith, Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
CRAFT: After our luncheon I gathered the girls up and moved our party to the far side of the yard where I had a craft project set up – making garden stepping-stones. I laid out all the decorations (small stones, marbles, jewels, beads, mosaic tiles, sea shells, tools, etc.) and the cement forms, one for each person. I mixed up cement in a wheelbarrow with water and mixed in a little cement dye to give our stones a kind of adobe look.
After I poured the cement into each form (pizza boxes) we got busy decorating. We started with pressing our handprints (footprints) into the center, and then we started arranging little decorations around it and carving designs into the wet concrete.
We all pitched in to make a stone for my sister who died the April before. We also made one for my other sister who lives far far away. With hers I asked if she could send a paper tracing of her hand that we could use to press into the cement, and also if she could send some decorations for us to use in her stone, and if possible draw us a pattern of how she would like us to decorate it. The finished products needed to set-up and then dry without being moved for at least 24 hours, so my guests left their creations with me for delivery on another day. I later delivered all of them to my mom’s yard and we set them along a lazy path in her beautiful gardens.
GIFTS: I paired a devotional book with a little watering can and filled it with garden tools, gloves, and seeds, for a hip little gift set. I found my small inexpensive watering cans at Big Lots, along with the low-cost garden utensils, gloves, and packets of seeds. I put the tools down into the watering cans, squeezed in the pair of gloves, and tucked two seed packets in the top. I tied a THANK YOU card to the handles with macramé twine. Then I gave them to my mom and sister. I also placed one on my neighbor’s door step, and made another for a girlfriend. And while I was at it, I thought they would make nice end-of-the-year gifts for each of the teachers I worked with in an elementary school, so I made three more.
The devotional books I purchased several years ago were from Crossings and are unfortunately no longer in print, but they can be found used sometimes on eBay or Amazon.com, or other out-of-print, or used book stores. They paired really well with the watering cans to make a thoughtful gift.
Bible Seeds, A Simple Study-Devotional for Growing in God’s Word
From the Creators of the God’s Word for the Biblically-Inept ™ Series
Starburst Publishers, ISBN 0-7394-2142-5
Bible Seeds for Enriching Your Character,
A Simple Study-Devotional for Growing in God’s Word
From the Creators of the God’s Word for the Biblically-Inept ™ Series
Starburst Publishers, ISBN 0-7394-3048-3
Isn’t this a neat idea? A Fruit Pizza Bar!!!! Love it!
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Garden Party 2008
This Mother’s Day I invited my mom, sister, her daughter, my other three nieces, my grand-niece, my sister’s mother-in-law, and my nephew’s wife. It was a full house.
And for this year’s garden party I planned a “kiddie pool pedicure party” where all my guests would sit in lawn chairs in a circle outside around our kiddie pool filled with hot sudsy water and perfumed bath salts and floating flower pedals. The sun would be shining and the birds would be chirping. We’d be wearing our capris and peddle-pushers. We would take off our shoes and soak our footies in the warm water while we nibbled on a modest buffet of brunch items. I thought it would bring back memories of when my sisters and I were young. In the summers our Grandma Gen’s would fill tubs with water and we’d all sit around in her yard and dangle our feet in the tubs. It is one of my fondest childhood memories.
Once our feet had soaked we would give ourselves PEDICURES and paint our toenails with our choice of nail polish, all the while chit-chatting about this and that. Afterwards, since our feet would be so pretty we would need some way to show them off, so I planned a CRAFT of decorating flip-flops. Our local Hobby Lobby store had everything I needed from the glue to the flip-flops and all the cutsie adornments to decorate them.
Well, you know how plans go sometimes – right out the window! That Saturday morning we had cold drizzle, and I mean blue-lips, can’t-feel-my-fingers, it’s-raining-it’s-pouring-the-old-man-is-snoring, COLD drizzle. Ugh. So we had to move our little soirée indoors to my cramped man-cave.
I phoned last-minute and begged everyone to bring a foot tub. I had also asked in the invitations for everyone to bring their own pedicure kits, and a few bottles of nail polish to share.
We didn’t let the inclement weather, or all the other little mishaps dampen our spirits. My guests seemed to have a blast and thankfully found humor in my severe lack of hostess skills that day.
Karen was my first guest to arrive and helped me put together the mimosas. While she poured orange juice I finished assembling the breakfast pizzas and that’s when the smoke alarm went off. Oh dear, someone – I’m not mentioning any names, but her initials are Lindee (sorry Sis) – placed a stack of paper plates out-of-the-way and over on the stove… on a lit burner that she didn’t realize was lit (whoops)! Thanks to Karen’s keen sniffer and quick reflexes, she grabbed and tossed the stack in the sink and ran water to put the flames out. Woo hoo… disaster averted! It all just added to our zany fun that day.
I don’t know whether the weather put me off or what, but I just didn’t have my feet under me with this get-together. Have you ever had a party like that? I felt scattered and rushed, and just helter-skelter, all over the place with my mood and my time management – just everything. In spite of that though we spent a sweet morning together listening to silly music, eating, being crafty and otherwise enjoying each other’s company. I ended up with enough stuff for everyone to make two pairs of flip-flops each, and I had gathered enough decorations and idea sheets to give us all plenty of inspiration.
BREAKFAST PIZZA
1 tube Pillsbury Pizza dough (refrigerated) (or you could use a Boboli ready-made crust)
2 Ripe Avacados, mashed (or a ready-made spicy guacamole)
6 strips of crispy fried bacon, crumbled
Grape tomatoes sliced in half
Handful of Arugula (or spinach) leaves
Dash of Tabasco
Pop the dough out of the tube and press out onto a large greased pizza pan. Bake until just turning golden, or use a Boboli crust. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Mix a few drops of Tabasco in with the mashed avocados and spread onto pizza crust. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, arugula leaves, and grape tomato halves. Cut into wedges and serve. I tripled this recipe because of our number of guests and we had left-overs.
PEACH COBBLER
2 (1-lb) bags frozen peaches
1 tsp. lemon juice
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 tsp. Mace (or nutmeg)
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 stick of butter, melted
Cinnamon and sugar
Toss 1 bag of peaches with next 5 ingredients and then layer in bottom of a buttered casserole dish. If you want to be fancy you can split it among ramekins (one for each guest).
Place sugar, flour, and milk in a bowl and whisk until blended. Whisk in the melted butter. Pour the batter over the peaches. Sprinkle with Cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 1 hour, or until the peaches are bubbling and the crust is golden. Check a little earlier if doing ramekins.
PEACHY MIMOSAS
½ gallon organic orange juice with pulp
2 small cans of peach nectar
1 small bottle of champagne (or sparkling cider, or ginger ale)
Mix all together in a large pitcher and pour into wine or champagne flutes. Decorate with orange slices dropped into the glass and a sprig of mint on top.
Flip-Flops Craft
For this craft you need at least one pair of flip-flops per guest. Hobby Lobby had a whole section dedicated to this craft. I picked up all the supplies there. At home I had material scraps that could be torn into strips and tied onto the straps of the flip-flops. I also had double-sided tape to adhere bead strips and fur strips and other decorations to the top of the sandals. If you can’t find craft flip-flops, just have each of your guests bring a pair from home to bling out.
Other Craft Ideas from Parties Past (pictured below):
Broken dish mosaic picture frames. Mosaic pieces can be glued to picture frames or clay pots and finished with grout to make a very nice looking product. Look at yard sales and second-hand stores for pretty dishes that are inexpensive; or use one of the dishes from your own cupboard. If you have a child who has gotten engaged, this would make a neat “break the dish” (Jewish engagement custom) activity for a mother to do with the fiancé’s mother, and would make a neat wedding gift for the couple to place their wedding photo in. Wrap the dishes in several sheets of newspaper and whack them several times with a hammer until there are just quarter-sized pieces. Use a fast drying mosaic glue (available at hobby stores) to adhere the pieces to the picture frame or clay pot. Keep the pieces fairly close together. Let the glue dry.
Follow package directions and mix up a batch of grout. Purchase any color sanded grout powder (available from Home Depot) that will compliment your china. Smooth it in between the tiles being sure to fill all the gaps and air spaces. Let it dry for as long as is recommended on the package, and then use a damp sponge to gently wipe the grout off the tiles. Keep rinsing the sponge and squeezing the water out of it in between wipes.
Once all the tiles are clean, let the project sit and dry for a day or two.
Paint Clay pots with acrylic paint. My family and I have done this at Christmas time and then planted narcissus bulbs in the pots after they were decorated. We’ve also done them for Mother’s day with summertime themes. Dani did hers with sunflowers. I did mine with dragonflies and other bugs. Gracee painted hers with stripes, and our other guests did designs that unfortunately escape my memory. Buy whatever size terra-cotta pots suit your fancy and some containers of water-based acrylic paint. You’ll also need an assortment of different sized and shaped paintbrushes. Remember to get the little plates that go underneath the pots and paint them too.
Paint and decorate birdhouses. A few years back I found some little wooden birdhouses at the craft store. I drug them out on Mother’s Day and we painted and decorated them. I glued rocks and sticks to mine after painting the little roof. My mom and daughters just painted theirs with pretty designs.
Rock Bugs: Hunt for rocks that are all different shapes and sizes. Glue small round ones together to make caterpillars or ants. Use small round ones and paint to look like ladybugs, bees, spiders, or beetles. Use long skinny ones and paint them to look like grasshoppers or hornets, or lizards. Use your imagination and have fun. These look especially cute when placed in the soil of a potted plant or scattered around on a window ledge with potted plants.
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Craft Party 2011
My first year in Texas I decided to celebrate mother’s day with all my girlfriends and their daughters/grand-daughters. They all came over for a craft party. I served food and had music playing, of course. JoAnn’s Fabrics and Crafts had little wooden birdhouses on sale for $1 each so I picked up about $30 worth. I also picked up some cheap wind chimes to attach to the bottoms of the birdhouses, and hardware to put some heavy string through to hang them on our porches. I asked my friends to bring paints, brushes, glue guns, and whatever other things they might want to use to decorate a bird house with. They all did and we had hours of fun with each other.
COWBOY CAVIAR (and tortilla chips)
Ingredients
1 can Black Eyed Peas, drained
1 can White Shoe peg Corn, drained
4 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 ripe Avocados. Diced
2 fresh Jalapeños, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
¼ cup Olive Oil
¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. Cumin
¾ tsp each Salt & Pepper
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Family Size Package of Tortilla Chips, Scoops
Directions
Mix all ingredients, except for chips, in a bowl. Toss well to distribute flavors. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until party time. Serve with tortilla chips, like you would salsa and chips or guacamole and chips.
EGG SALAD SANDWICHES
Ingredients
1 dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 small white onion minced
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
½ cup Mayo
1 Tablespoon Spicy Brown Mustard
Dash Cayenne powder
¼ tsp Salt & Pepper
5 leaves of Romaine Lettuce, shredded
2 Loaves of White Bread from the Bakery, sliced thin, crusts removed
Directions
Mix first 7 ingredients in a bowl, cover and chill overnight. The day of the party, lay out the bottom slices of white bread on a flat surface and spread egg salad over them in a thin layer. Layer several shreds of lettuce over, and then cover with the other slices of white bread. Cut each in half from corner to corner and then in quarters from the other corners. Arrange on a platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until party time.
SOUTH TEXAS SHRIMP COCKTAILS
Ingredients
2 lb frozen cooked shrimp, tail off, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
3 Large Ripe Avocados, cut into small chunks
6 Large Jalapeños, stems removed, chopped with seeds
1 Small White Onion, chopped
Half a bunch of Cilantro torn apart and chopped
2 12-oz bottles Louisiana brand Seafood Sauce, Spicy
3 Lemons cut into wedges
Clear plastic tumblers
Directions
In a large bowl combine shrimp, avocado, jalapenos, onion, cilantro, and sauce. Toss to combine. Spoon into clear plastic tumblers, top with a lemon wedge and sprig of parsley if desired, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
HOMEMADE LEMONADE
Ingredients
2 gallons drinking water, reserve 3 cups
10 Lemons, sliced
1 can frozen concentrate lemonade
4 cups sugar
2 gallon container with lid
Directions
Place 2 gallons of fresh cold drinking water in a 2 gallon glass container, reserving 3 cups to be used in a moment. Add lemons and frozen concentrate. Stir well. Place the 3 cups of reserved water in a bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes until boiling. Add the 4 cups of sugar to the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool, and then add to the lemonade. Stir well, chill until ready to serve.
Variation: Add a variety of chopped up chilled fruits (e.g. thin watermelon wedges with rind on, strawberries halved, green melon chunks, raspberries, blueberries, red grapes, orange slices, lime slices, and maraschino cherries) to the lemonade just before serving, or place fruits in large beverage glasses and fill each with lemonade. Serve with a straw.
RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE DELIGHT
Graham Cracker Crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees *F for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before filling.
Filling
1 pkg of cream cheese, warmed to room temp
1 small container of marshmallow cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small container cool whip
1 package fresh or frozen raspberries
Mint leaves and lemon slices for garnish
Directions
Mix cream cheese, marshmallow cream, lemon juice, and cool whip in a bowl. Carefully fold in half the raspberries. Spread over cooled graham cracker crust. Place the other half of the raspberries on top and garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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And here’s a menu I put together for a Baby Shower garden party for my daughter:
“And when these days were completed, the king made a feast…for all the people…great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.”
“Now it happened as [Jesus] went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.” Luke 10:38 …And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10: 39-42)
I recently put together a fairly elaborate luncheon for a group of ladies. I’d put a lot of thought and effort into it, wanting it to be sort-of-like a seventh inning stretch for them — a sort of coach’s halftime speech that would give them a sense of accomplishment for their work so far, refresh them, and then inoculate them with the energy and enthusiasm to crank out the last ounces of their strength and finish the game.
As they nibbled on their morsels, I remarked to them that this was going to probably be my finest hour, the penacle of parties, and it was going to all be downhill from here. One of the ladies piped up saying that I didn’t really need to go to so much fuss and bother, that she was just as tickled with a loaf of bread and simple assortment of lunch meats. As long as she didn’t have to cook it, or clean up from it, she was totally happy. The other guests agreed.
That’s when the scripture about “Martha, Martha” and Jesus popped into my head. And I have to also say, I love how the scriptures are so honest with Martha’s wording of her question to Jesus, “Do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” By her words I’m almost certain Martha was probably a firstborn. I’d even venture a guess that she and her siblings may have lost their parents at a young age and Martha assumed the role of mother to her brother and sister. I only wonder this because the three of them are always together, but there is never any mention of parents or spouses. Mary fits the model of a second born – an opposite of the firstborn. The oldest always feels like they have more responsibilities than the other kids, and that younger siblings get away with slacking off much more than they do.
Martha had obviously been brought up with manners and knew how to entertain guests. I bet she kept her house spotless clean, dishes done, beds made with fresh linens, and smelling great with scented candles and such. When Jesus stayed I’m sure she tried hard to make sure everything was perfect for Him. Maybe she laid a mint on His pillow and bottle of water on his nightstand. Perhaps she washed his clothes for Him. And what a sweet surprise it would have been to have them pressed and hanging in the bathroom for Him when He got up to shower in the morning. With a name like Martha you have to think she probably did crafts, gardened, was an amazing decorator, and most assuredly a fantastic cook too! Or maybe it is Martha Stewart I’m thinking of? Ha!
Scripture says the Mary/Martha/Lazarus family lived in Bethany. Luke says Jesus came to their village and that’s where He met Martha. I often wonder what Martha was doing when Jesus came through? Was she planting flowers in front of her home, or sweeping off the sidewalks when Jesus passed by? Was she at the market or on her way home and they met in the street? I wish I knew how their paths had crossed? What had He said to her that prompted her to invite Him to her house? And what did she make for supper? Even more intriguing…what did Jesus like to eat?
Like Martha I am a firstborn, with a lot of things on my mind. Always a million plans on my heart. I admire Martha wanting to make her guest comfortable and happy. If she is anything like me she probably spent all week deciding on what to make for supper after extending that invitation, and then shopped all over town for the freshest and finest ingredients. I wonder if she scrubbed and dusted and made sure everything was perfect, like I certainly would have. From the cleaning of the bathrooms to the chopping of vegetables, I imagine she stayed busy. And I’m pretty sure Jesus not only cared, but that He noticed, and was grateful.
In fact the more I look at it from my recent experience with the ladies, the more the tone of His response seems to sweetly suggest that she didn’t need to go to so much trouble and fuss for Him; that she had made way too much food and preparations; and that a simple dinner would have done fine. I think Jesus appreciated Martha’s efforts greatly, but what I see that He desired rather than an extravagant meal was the pleasure of her company, which is where Mary comes in.
Jesus often broke the social molds of the age and this is one more example. Mary was allowed to sit at Jesus’ feet and be taught. That was a luxury reserved for the men in those days, but Jesus let Mary be seated in the congregation around Him instead of sending her away to do women’s work. In fact, Jesus wanted Martha to put down the spatula and oven mitt and partake as well.
Jesus loved Martha (John 11:5) and her sister, and their love for Him was mutual, but I see each was different in return. John 11:2 and 12:3 says it was this Mary who anointed Jesus with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair (Matt.26:7). That makes me think Mary (as the Greeks would say) “eros” loved Jesus – with a deep, familial, affectionate love. Martha “philos” loved Jesus, with a brotherly, giving, serving love. And Jesus “agape” loved Mary and Martha, with unconditional, sacrificial love.
God had gifted Martha to serve, and her gift is important. If she hadn’t been there, Jesus would have maybe starved. He’d have had to probably sleep on the cold hard floor or worse, on the street. As special as Martha’s gift was, though, it’s only part of the total package of hospitality. I believe John 12:2-3 lists the total package: Martha served, Lazarus sat, and Mary anointed. As a guest in their home Jesus was provided for, kept company, and well-regarded.
Those two girls, whether they realized it or not, were a pair. Together these two women demonstrate what I think are the two sides of hospitality, giving and receiving (and Lazarus was there to talk sports, right?).
I don’t think it is a coincidence that Luke 10 begins with Jesus sending out His disciples two-by-two and ends with Mary and Martha?
“After these things the Lord appointed seventy other [disciples] also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” (Luke 10: 1-9)
I feel like the kingdom of God has come near me today. As much as I love to serve, I have to remember that it isn’t fair to impose my ways on anyone (we are all gifted differently), or expect someone is being lazy who doesn’t share my vision. I need to put away distractions sometimes and just sit at Jesus’ feet, probably a lot more often than I actually do.
And when I do serve, I’m going to try to KEEP IT SIMPLER so that I can receive from the Lord what He wishes to teach me, rather than trying so hard to impress my guests.
It is so true what Jesus says in Matthew 13:17, “For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” I sooooo wish I could see how very different Martha’s first supper for Jesus was from that last one with Him after her brother came back to life?
“There they made Him a supper; and Martha served…” John 12:2
Soooooo, my daughter and I host a monthly staff appreciation luncheon for the teachers and staff of one of our local schools, and this was our creation for February! I share it with you because it might give you some ideas for what to do for your own Oscar Party at work or at home, for the teachers at your children’s school, for the residents or staff of an Assisted Living Center or Senior Center, for your local fire station, police station, or military group, for a bowling league party, for a Bunco party, or for a High School Musical Final Curtain After-Party (Ha! yes I did that one too — very memorable and the kids made it sooooo much fun!!!!). This party can be adapted for whatever group you are trying to honor.
What’s really rather awesome for us is that our teachers work in a place with “Academy” in the name of the school, so…how perfect is that?
Party Preparations – One Month Before…
I sent a note home with each child in each classroom, asking their parents to write a note of appreciation or compliment for their child’s teacher(s) on an index card size notecard, and return those to me. (BTW: This is a great place to direct parents who are unsure what or how to write in such a note: Teacher Appreciation Letter, Simple Thank You Notes for Awesome Teachers). I am using these notes to create Walk-of-Fame star booklets for each staff member.
How I made my booklets:
Purchase pocket size photo albums from Walmart and remove the covers that come in them.
Spray paint the card stock covers with chalk board paint (to cover any design they may have and prime the surface) and then spray on some stone paint. I made half of mine gold (for variety) with a light coating of gold metallic paint over the stone paint.
When dry, attach a Walk-of-Fame star (I created mine on my computer “Paint” program) to each front cover with a scrapbooking glue dot.
Replace all the covers in the photo books with the new ones. I gave all the ones with gold front covers plain stone back covers, and all the ones with stone front covers got gold back covers.
Insert notes into the inside pages where the photos go.
.I’m really excited for our teachers to see these!
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I’ve also given each of the staff members a SECRET BALLOT, asking them to nominate their peers for various awards (see the list and sample ballot several paragraphs down on this page). And I posted this Ballot Box in the lounge where they could deposit their ballots until I was ready to pick them up, about a week or so before the party. I used that info to make up award certificates (see below)placed inspecial (black) envelopes, to go with their Oscars (cookies) and their Walk-of-Fame stars.
INVITATIONS
This is the luncheon flier I made and posted on the school’s Facebook page (which I hoped would alert the staff to our menu and theme this month, and hopefully also remind the parents to get their notes to me). My daughter has also printed it and posted it in the staff lunchroom for all the staff to see, so they will be reminded to “save the date.” The design for the flier was something I found online and adapted. But here is a spectacular idea I found for more personal invitations.
OSCARS
Aren’t these the cutest? Some people are so clever!!! I’m making these adorable edible Oscar cookies for dessert from an idea I stumbled upon at Bakerella.com. Well, let’s be real real about it….mine are nowhere half as adorable as these. I’ve never been a great baker! But, if they never see this photo they’ll be none the wiser and think mine are cute. Note: She also includes a recipe for the perfect cookie dough that will hold the shape of the cookies as they bake, and I can attest that it works beautifully. I didn’t have any meringue powder for the royal icing though (I’d never even heard of it in fact), but, so I substituted knox gelatin disolved in the liquid that was called for in the recipe. It worked, but I can’t say it worked as well as the right stuff. I found a plastic, 4½” tall cookie cutter at amazon.com (sold by cookiecutter.com) that I used to shape my Oscars, and then Walmart (or any local grocery store with a baking isle) had a good assortment of cake and cookie decorating sprays, glitters, icings, etc. that I used to decorate them with. The detailed instructions for making these lovely cookies is found at Bakerella.com.
Here is my much lower level attempt:
THE ENVELOPE PLEASE…
Now, in my web travels I also found some funny awards certificates for teachers that I thought would lend a lighthearted, sort of soupçon, to our OSCARS party. The author of these awards does share some freebie images (featured on my ballot), but otherwise his certificate sets sell for $35. I also added a few of my own.
Once the ballots were turned in, I made little awards certificates and sealed them into envelopes. See a photo of them later on down this page.
Awards Categories (the freebies):
P’s & Q’s Award – for Best Manners
Burmuda Triangle Award – for the desk where things go in but never come back out
Raisin Award – for Most Deserving of a Raise in Pay
Dewey Decimal Award – for Most Organized
Smart Cookie Awards – for the Staff Member with the Biggest Sweet Tooth
Single File Award – for the Staff member most capable of keeping everyone in line
Locksmith Award – for the Staff member who is the Key to our Success
Bunsen Burner Award – for the one who has the Hottest Ideas
Baby’s Bottom Award – for the One who is Smoothest in Times of Crisis
Duct Tape Award – for the one able to fix just about anything
Carpe Diem Award – for the one who makes the most of every moment
High School Musical Award – to the one most likely to break into song
And these are the extras I came up with….
Adam Award – for the one who has been here from the beginning (most ancient human)
Noah Award – for the one who is always ready and prepared to save us all from disaster
Mary & Martha Award – for the one who brings treats often and makes everybody feel welcome
Secretariat Award – for the one who runs the race with the biggest heart
Red Carpet Award – for the one who stuns us daily with the cutest hair, nails, shoes, and outfits
Anne Sullivan Award – for the teacher who is amazingly gifted to seemingly be able to teach anyone
Maria Montessori Award – for the teacher with the most amazing motivational skills (gets her kids to do anything)
William McGuffey Award – for the teacher who is (him or herself) the most ferocious reader
Emma Hart Willard Award – for the teacher with the biggest dreams for her students, gift of encouragement
Jaime Escalante Award – for the teacher whose students often outscore everyone else
GOOGLE Award – for the one most likely to know the answer to anything
Thomas Edison Award – for the one with the most inventive ways to accomplish things
Albert Einstein Award – for best hair (what were you thinking?)
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award – for the one who tells the best stories
Baby Huey Award – for the youngest staff member
Wilma Rudolph Award – for the marathon runner in the group
Peter O’Toole Award – for the one with the most skill, talent, longevity, but who never wins an award
I typed up my ballots, printed them out, and made sure every staff member got one. Another option would be to give out simple awards for “outstanding effort in” whatever categories (i.e. Out-the-door Fire Drill Skills, Genius Mathmatics Game Inventor, Huff-n-Puff P.E. Fun Stuff, Hilarious Staff Meeting Antics, Top Teacher’s Lounge Comedian, Genius Science Guy/Gal Shinanigans, Oscar Worthy History Lesson Dramatics, Most Imbarrassing Library Faux Pas, High Brow Hallway Decorum, Best Dressed, Best Supporting Staff Member, Most Captivating Story Teller, Most Pleasant Intercom Voice, Most Punctual, Most Artistic, Most Likely to End Up as Teacher-of-the-year, etc.)
Once the staff members filled out their ballots, they deposited them in the Ballot Box in the middle of the teacher’s lounge table, and then a few days before the party I picked up the box, went through the ballots, tallied the winners for each AWARD, and then made up my little black envelopes. On the outside of each envelope I wrote the AWARD: “And the Dear Abby Award” goes to…. Inside I had a little card with the Award written on the outside and the staff member’s name who got the most votes written on the inside. I intended them to be keepsakes for everyone.
DECORATIONS
This is the tablecloth I found at Amazon.com to decorate the table.
I placed the Oscar cookies in the center, and flanked the plate with the Walk-of-fame star booklets and the black envelopes with the awards inside. I also found some nice compliments for teachers online that I printed and scattered around on the table.
For your party it would be fun to scatter some Movie Trivia Cards around on the table, and decorate with some helium filled star-shaped balloons; maybe some old film reels, and clapboards. The party stores have cut-outs too that your guests can stick their faces in and you can take photos of them.
Silver serving trays, plates, and utensils, and stemware for the non-alcoholic bubbly beverages.
FOOD “Studio Commissary”
“Straight Outta (insert your town name here)” Cheese Fondue, served with torn crusty bread, cooked and cooled fingerling potatoes, and mushrooms.
Before broiler
Baked Fontina Fondue
CHEESE FONDUE
“Straight Outta (my town)” baked Fontina fondue (Ina Garten’s recipe from Food Network), and omg you cannot begin to imagine how magnificent this dish smells as it is broiling in the oven its short little six minutes. Super quick and easy to toss together and absolutely the best thing you will put in your mouth this whole week. Make sure though that you find a good Italian Fontina. The other stuff doesn’t melt very well and will soon turn to a rubbery mass as it cools. It will still taste awesome, but not have that gooey, dripping, oooo la la lushiousness that you want in a fondue.
Another option is to slice your crusty bread into thin slices, toast them lightly, and lay them out on a cookie sheet, top them with a couple few small cubes of cheese, a sprinkle of the seasonings, and a drizzle of olive oil. Place the sheet in the broiler until the cheese is melted, and there you go. This way if all you can find in your grocery store is the rubbery Fontina, you’ll still end up with a nice grilled cheese snack that your guests will enjoy.
Torn, freshly baked Baguette
Mushrooms & Cooked, cooled fingerling potatoes
Chicken meat balls & various smoked sausages, cut up
MEAT FONDUE
“The Revenant” Meat Fondue dip can be just a warmed cream or brown gravy, an Asian style Sauce, or a sweet & spicy Jezebel/Henry Bain BBQ sauce (which is what I did), served with various chunks of little smokie sausages, chicken and or beef chunks, or meatballs to dip in it.
FRUIT FONDUE
“Spotlight” Fruit Fondue – you can go with a melted sweet cream vanilla sauce (or I made a Toblerone Fondue: 1 cup heavy cream, 5 (3.5 oz) bars of Toblerone, broken, 1 1/2 Tablespoon Hazelnut-flavored coffee syrup. Heat cream to a simmer. Remove from heat. Toss in Toblerone. Let sit a few moments. Add Hazelnut syrup. Whisk until blended and smooth. Keep warm in fondue pot).
I did cream cheese filled strawberries (1 8-oz block cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp. Vanilla. I placed these three ingredients in a gallon size ziploc bag, sealed it, and then kneaded the bag until the contents were completely blended. Then smooshed the contents to to bottom of the bag, cut a small hole in the corner, and piped the cream cheese into my strawberries. Oh, after you core your strawberries, nip the bottoms off so they will sit nice and upright on your plate).
You could have all sorts of dipping fruits for your fondue (strawberries, grapes, banana slices, pineapple chunks, apple slices, etc.
AND ROUNDING OUT THE FOOD PYRAMID WITH…
“Inside Out” Lettuce Bundles – I used a recipe from Betty Crocker.comonly I used Blood Oranges to squeeze my OJ, because I love them, and the store had them, and they make such a pretty colored red-carpet-like dressing.
BEVERAGE
“Star Wars” Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Cider, served in Champagne flutes
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ANOTHER CUTE IDEA…
You could go with a HOT DOG BAR instead of the more intimate fondues I served, and wrap your little “Oscar”Mayers in cute little tuxedos (click on the blue link for the Better Homes and Gardens tuxedo instructions), and then flank them with a huge spread of topping choices. You could even print and post this poster to give your guests ideas for how to dress their dogs, once they’ve undressed them out of their fancy duds. You could even give each topping combination a special celebrity name from this year’s A-list.
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AND finally, for dessert, or snacks later in the afternoon…
A “Shaun the Sheep” Popcorn Bar (there are tons and tons of great serving table ideas on Pinterest), like the one pictured above. Mine was not so fancy, with tied cloth and labeled shakers and pretty signs, but I did figure out how to tilt the popcorn bucket like the ones above. Just roll up a towel and tuck it up under the back of the bucket.
I ordered Popcorn Bags, from Oriental Trading Co. but also found them at the dollar store.
I popped a bucketful of plain popcorn, no butter or salt or anything. (I found the coolest popcorn popper at World Market. It’s a glass pitcher with a resin lid. You measure your kernals into the lid, pour them into the pitcher, pop in the microwave for about 3 minutes, and voila…POPCORN!)
I found my popcorn buckets at Dollar General, probably intended for plants, since they were in the garden section, but they worked perfectly, and I lined them with clear plastic bags.
Toppings:
M&Ms
Milk Duds
Reeses Pieces
Toffee coated Peanuts
Malted Milk Balls
Butterscotch chips
Candy Corn
Raisinettes
Juji Fruits or Dots
Flavorings:
*Olive Oil (served in a condiment dispenser, like this one —>
Italian Seasonings (I mixed some garlic powder in with mine)
Parmesan Cheese, grated
*Melted Butter (served in a condiment dispenser, like this one —>
Plain Sea Salt
“The Hateful Eight” Kernel Seasonings assortment
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MUSIC
I played a Hollywood’s Greatest Hits CD on the BoomBox to set the stage as the staff members arrived in the lounge. (BTW, if you have time, a great game to play with this Hollywood music CD: Name-that-movie. Once your guests are fed, awarded, and honored, you can see how good they are at music trivia. Play just the first few seconds of a song on the CD and see if they can guess what movie it is from. The first person to guess the movie for that score could win a prize).
I also found a wonderful blog with lots of other game ideas for an Oscar Party that you might like to do at your party if you have the time!!!!!
LET’S GET MY PARTY STARTED…
First the teachers walked on the red carpet that I had laid down outside of the teachers lounge. I had the Hollywood music playing to greet them as they stepped inside, and our amazing school secretary played the part of Paparazzi with camera flashing as the teachers entered the room. They were directed to the food buffet “Studio Commisary,” and then to the table where where they discovered their “Walk-of-Fame Star” booklets set out like place-markers all around the table. Scattered in the center of the table were the black envelopes with an AWARD written on the outside and the winner’s names secretly sealed inside.
As the staff ate their lunch, each person took a turn grabbing a black envelope, reading out loud the AWARD written on the outside of it, and then tearing it open to reveal the winner of the award inside. Winners were awarded with an Oscar cookie (the plate of cookies was passed to them)!
They each continued eating their lunch and quietly browsed through their little Hollywood Star booklets reading to themselves some of the kind comments written inside.
At the end of the luncheon they each gathered up their booklets, and tucked their black envelope AWARDS inside, grabbed their Oscar cookies, and made themselves a bag of popcorn to go, then headed back to their day, hopefully feeling loved and appreciated.
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May the LORD now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. — 2 Samuel 2:6
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Thank you teachers, here and everywhere, for all you do for our little people!!!!! May God bless your gifted hands, as you bless all our hearts with your sweet service! We love you!!!!!
Ahhh… it’s that time of year again. The weather outside, well, basically sucks for an estimated 75% of us, and is getting colder and nastier with each passing weekend. Every Sunday, however, from September to February, those of us not sitting in stadiums will make huddles in warm houses all across this great motherland from sea to shining sea.
Houses jolting off their foundations as men and recliners collide to the play-by-play action of the NFL. It’s football season! Mmmm… smell the popcorn popping in the microwave. Hear the crackle of potato chips under foot. Tweet! Who fumbled the chip bowl? Or was it pass interference? Maybe illegal use of hands?
Feel the tension in the air as the excitement mounts. Will our favorite team make it all the way to the big game, or be eliminated in the playoffs? A hundred thousand nerves are on pins and needles with anticipation.
If we wives have not retreated to the mall in desperation, we’ve probably rolled up our sleeves, put on our gear, and tackled the season like a girl – from the kitchen…counting down the days to the big game with the workhorse determination of a defensive lineman; tackling the holidays one by one on first downs as football season charges through. We hit Halloween low, take Thanksgiving off sides, sack Christmas in the end zone, and before we know it, we’ve got the playoff season at the goal line. Will we run in for a touchdown or kick a field goal with our party?
Believe it or not, I actually enjoy football season. I like the sounds of it from the other room as I’m folding laundry or baking. I get a kick out of my husband’s antics and wild displays of emotion. No matter how far to the outer recesses of our dwelling I may go to escape it, the yelling rings in my ears as “moron” refs make bad calls, and “idiot” players fail to do their best. “C’mon ref! Oh… WHAT WAS THAT?YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME [insert player’s name here]! Jeeminy Krismas (only it’s not ‘jeeminy Krismas,’), not another interception!!!”
From the kitchen to the laundry room and even the garage I can pick up on the tone of the game by the shouting in the next room. Add to that the sounds of muscle bound, sweaty men in heavy armor crashing into each other like a pile up on the freeway. Whistles blowing. Huddle chat. Hollering from the coach. And, of course the play-by-play from the guys in the booth.
Time out!
Whether I am having a houseful or its just hubby, kids, and me, we have a Super Bowl party every year — complete with food, decorations, and beverages. It doesn’t matter whose playing.
COLLEEN’S PARTY PLAYBOOK
Invitations
Official NFL Super Bowl invitations are available from party stores, or you can be creative and make your own.
Ask your guests to bring a 12-pak of beer (non-alcoholic if you prefer) or other beverage, and a snack item. Be sure to mention that there will be a pre-game Super Bowl pool starting an hour before the game that they’ll need to bring wager money to participate in. Send invitations out two to three weeks in advance.
What to wear
Encourage your guests to wear their favorite team colors, official team jerseys, or other crazy party duds. If your guests come with painted bodies – the maniacs – make sure it doesn’t rub off on your furniture. Have a sheet handy to drape over just in case, or park them in a chair that doesn’t matter – like lawn furniture.
Decorations
OUTSIDE: Stake down a lawn sign that says the party is here! Hang a team flag on the flagpole. Toss some toy footballs around in the snow or yard. (Last year the footballs I tossed around were all flat – because I am ornery and my son-in-law is a die hard Patriots fan. (Remember “deflate-gate?”)
Tie balloons or hang pennants along the fence railing or stake pennants on individual sticks all along the walkway to your front door. Set a boom box outside with an Official Music of the NFLCD playing continuously. This should have your guests frothing by the time they reach the front door.
INSIDE: cover the serving tables with green football field tablecloths – the kind with the yardage lines marked on them, available at online party stores. Steel a handful of the green Easter basket grass out of the kids’ baskets (that are hanging on a nail in the garage from last Easter), and put little tufts of it in the center of your serving table and on various tables around the room, and around the house. Place on each clump of grass a mini football, mini jersey koozie, and a gumball machine mini football helmet. I found jersey beverage koozies at Oriental Trading Company. I found gumball machine helmets on eBay.
Decorate the walls and windows with football player cutouts. Thread some NFL mini pennants (found mine on eBay or you can make them really easy on the computer) onto a long black cord, like clothes on a clothesline, and hang from the ceiling. I found pennant banners at Oriental Trading Company. Also at Oriental Trading were inflatable goal posts and also an inflatable football player catch game. Put the goal posts on each end of the serving table and set the player over in a corner of the room. Do you have a life-size football player cutout? You can get one at cardboardcutouts.com. You can also find the cool, high definition, life-size wall stickers at fathead.com, but they are kind of pricey. Pick up some balloons and streamers of both the teams colors and string those up too. Scatter around #1 fingers, pom-poms, bam-bams, and other such fan paraphernalia from your local party store.
I found a football crock-pot at Wal-mart. I also found a large, brown, 3-section football bowl and a stadium pictographic serving tray at the grocery store, and a football helmet chip and dip snack bowl on eBay (they also have these at the NFL website – official NFL helmets, your team choice). I also saw the cutest idea in a Taste of Home magazine recently (Laces Out Bottle Coozie, p. 26, February/March 2012)…homemade football koozies. You take your old beverage koozies and spray paint them “football brown.” Then you cut fat little lace shapes out of craft foam sheets and attach so it looks like a little football. So cute!
Put an NFL music CD on continuous play on a CD player in the entry room of your house. Purchase plates, cups, napkins, etc. from a party store or Wal-Mart. You can go with the official NFL Super Bowl stuff or anything with footballs on it. Or do the team colors.
I found some super soft Nerf footballs and piled them in a basket for the boys to throw at the TV when the players do something bad or the ref makes a bad call. I called them “bad-call-bricks.” I’ve heard it isn’t good to throw them directly at an LCD screen when it is on, so my boys were instructed to chunck them on the floor to relieve their aggression.
Buy a piece of Astro-turf (do you know why they call it “Astro” turf?) at your local hardware store to cover a coffee table or serving table. Some hardware stores (Home Depot) sell it for less than a dollar per square foot. It’s an inexpensive way to add a great touch of the game. You can spray paint some lines on it and let it dry before placing on your table.
Food
If I want to really plan ahead I’ll go with whatever foods are indigenous to the host city of the Super Bowl, since that information is available much ahead of who the actual teams are that will be playing there. For instance, this year, Super Bowl 50 will be played at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California (which is really part of the greater San Francisco Area). Having visited San Francisco many times, and eaten myself into a food coma on almost all of those occasions, I can vouch that the food choices are wide open. One could easily go with Chinese from Chinatown, which, in its own rite is a vast menu (thinking of Dim Sum — little nibbles of many things, or Chop Suey and fortune cookies — which were both invented in San Francisco). Or Italian foods, straight out of North Beach! Or, perhaps my most favorite, the street foods from down on Fisherman’s Wharf. My personal favorites are the dungenous crabs that they sell (or at least used to sell) from little stands down by the water — bought by the pound, then cooked to order, and beaten with a mallet on the chopping block, scooped onto paper and served with drawn butter and lemons. Oh my!!! Lord have mercy!!! If you grab a fresh, hot loaf of sour dough bread first to go with it, and find yourself a bench to sit on, that is eating like a king, baby…truly eating like a KING!!!! Or, my other fav is sitting outside in the salty air eating Boudin’s clam chowder in a Bread Boule, with the seaguls (and street people) scavenging about.
So, with that in mind, this year (2016), I went with Sour Dough Bread Bowls of Boudin’s Clam Chowder, Crab Louie salads, with homemade Thousand Island Dressing, and Ghirardelli Mug Cakes for a luncheon that I hosted…
Clam Chowder in a Sour Dough Bread Boule (I used a recipe found on Taste of Home, that truly is “Contest-Winning” New England Clam Chowder). I tripled the recipe and it was perfect for serving the 20 people in my crowd. I got the bread boules at Wal-mart. I had Super Bowl plates that I served the luncheon food on, but of course failed to grab a photo of those. This photo is of the left-overs I fed to hubbie for supper that night. His is missing the crumbled bacon on top though. 🙂
Crab Louie (which is said to have been invented in San Francisco), with homemade Thousand Island Dressing. I actually put the crab meat on top of the salad that I made for the luncheon, but failed to get a photo of that dish as well. So this is a recreation of the salad (which I am feeding to hubbie tonight). It is missing the avacado and black olives, and I’m saving that can of crab meat for tonight’s supper: Grilled Red Fish smothered with a lump crabmeat cream sauce on top, and Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco Treat!!!
Ghirardelli Mug Cakes (because a trip to Fisherman’s Wharf is not complete until you’ve stopped in for your chocolate fix at this famous San Francisco fixture)! I whipped up the mixes and baked them in ceramic mugs in the oven (325* for approx. 28 minutes). The white cups were a Chocolate cake batter made with a big bar of Ghirardelli chocolate, and then a Ghirardelli gnache (made with Ghirardelli chocolate chips and heavy cream) spread on top, with some chocolate sprinkles for garnish. The black mugs were a box mix Ghirardelli Caramel Turtle Brownies (2 boxes for 8 mugs) mixed as directed on the package, and with a spoonful of the wonderful gnache on top of each. ***Take these to the next level by serving warm out-of-the-oven with a scoop of vanilla (or caramel, butter pecan, or even coffee flavored) ice cream and a drizzle of the warm gnache on top, and a sprinkle of chopped pecans.
And… now that we know my Denver Broncos (wooot, wooot, wooot) will be playing in Super Bowl 50 (Squeal, whistle, doing my touchdown dance, uh huh, uh huh — I’m really trying to contain my excitement), I’m going to do the Denver thing for my personal Super Bowl party at home this Sunday. And what is the Denver thing you ask? Well, I’m going with anything that can be stacked up or piled high – “Mile-High Nachos” (like the ones they serve at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville), or “Mile-High BLT’s” (which will take the triple or Dagwood sandwich to a whole new level), and a monster pile of “Mile-High Garlic Fries,” and/or a heaping platter of “Mile-High” Hot wings (yeah, you get the idea)!!!! And of course anything made with “Orange Crush” soda — like an orange Creamsicle cake with cream cheese frosting, or orange and cream jello parfaits (or jello shots).
Here’s what my “Stadium Concessions” looked like: (and, how ’bout them Broncos? 🙂 Wow…I can barely contain myself!!! They said it was gonna be a blow-out. It was the Sheriff’s best rodeo!!! I guess if a black cat crosses your path you just squish’it with your defense!!!! Congrats to Von Miller for MVP!!! Way to go Payton! All the way Elway! Kube..Kube..Kubiak! Way to stomp ’em Orange Crush!!! Yeehaw!!!
“Orange Crush” Jello cups
“Mile High” BLTs
“#18” Hot Wings, with homemade Blue Cheese dressing
Stadium Snack Bar
“Mile High” Garlic Fries, served with green onion Ranch dip
Ghirardelli Brownies
Stadium Concessions
“Mile High” BLTs
But if, for instance, the Eagles were playing this year, then I would definitely be serving Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Chicago = Chicago Dogs or Deep Dish Pizza. New Orleans = Jambalaya, shrimp Po’Boys, Muffalettas, or Gumbo! Texas = BBQ Ribs, Texas Chili, or Tex-Mex Enchiladas!!! New England = Clam Chowder or Boston Baked Beans. New York = Coney Dogs, New York style (pizza) pie, Buffalo Hot Wings, or Manhattan Style Clam Chowder. Kansas City = Ribeyes. Seattle = Smoked Salmon served wrapped in newspaper, or a Crab boil (crab legs, mussels, clams, shrimp, baby red potatoes, corn on cobbetts, and kielbasa, poured out on a paper covered table, served with drawn butter.
This was my personal last year’s menu:
And this is what it really looked like in reality (just before I ate mine):
Or…you can do tailgate foods:
Chili cook-off (red chili, white chicken chili, green chili, and chili with and without beans), and serve with corn bread or Mexican corn bread, or over Fritos, and have various chili toppings
Hot Dogs done all different ways (mustard, relish, sauerkraut, chili, cheese, Chicago style, etc.) and served with pasta or potato salads and chips
Nachos Grande (chips, ground beef, crumbled bacon, cheese, pico de gallo, jalapenos, etc.)
Hamburgers cooked on the grill with all sorts of toppings, and served with salads and chips
Sloppy Joes
Baked Potato Bar featuring large baked potatoes and a sundry of toppings
Smoked Brisket, beans, coleslaw, hot rolls, potato salad, pickles and onions
Or, you can just go for some awesome snacks: homemade soft pretzels and a melted Monterey Jack with poblano peppers fondue dipping sauce, or a sandwich tray, cold cuts, cheeses, and spreads. Maybe your guests would enjoy a platter of little cheeseburger sliders. You can also add a veggie tray from the grocery store, or a shrimp tray from Red Lobster. Try take-and-bake pizza like from Papa Murphy’s. The freezer section of the grocery store also offers a sundry of appetizer items that can be baked in the oven and added to your table in a hurry, like TGI Friday’s spinach artichoke dip, or twice baked potato skins, and such.
Have a LARGE ice chest in the TV room filled with ice where your guests can chill the beverages they brought. Put all the beer and pop in it. Keep it in the same room as the TV so people don’t miss anything when they need another brewski. And be sure to set out bowls of popcorn, pretzels, chips and dip, salsa and tortilla chips, mixed nuts, M&M’s, and snack size candy bars. Or set up a popcorn bar (there are tons of ideas on Pinterest), with a huge barrel of plain popcorn and sundry toppings (chocolate covered peanuts, M&M’s, Jr. Mints, candied pecans, Malted Milk Balls, Reeses Pieces, mini peanut butter cups, etc.), or melted butter in a squeeze bottle and various seasonings (check out Kernal Seasonings) and flavored salts.
Check out these cookbooks for more recipe ideas:
NBC Sunday Night Football Cookbook (ISBN 160320797X)
The NFL Gameday Cookbook (ISBN 0811863956)
ESPN Gameday Gourmet: More Than 80 All American Tailgate Recipes (ISBN 1933606158)
FOX Sports Tailgating Handbook: The Gear, The Food, The Stadiums (ISBN 076274622X)
Games and Activities for the kids
Set up a craft table for the kids and give them blank pennants to decorate (available at Oriental Trading Company).
Purchase several tabletop football games (with suction cup goal posts and a cardboard football), one game for every two kids. Set them up on a long table and have the kids play off against each other. Winners continue playing against each other while losers watch. Have some prizes for the final winner of each match.
Have some small soft Nerf balls for the kids to play catch with.
Set up a goal post kicking game in a far corner of the room (or down a long hallway) where the kids can take turns kicking a mini nerf football through the uprights from several distances marked as yard lines on the floor. The kid with the most goals wins!
Set up a tossing game by cutting a hole out of a large piece of cardboard and leaning it up against a corner of the room. The kids can take turns tossing a mini nerf football into the hole. The kid who tosses the most in the hole after several rounds wins.
Make sure to have special snacks and beverages for the kids that they can help themselves to throughout the party.
Games for grown-ups
You can collect money from your guests for the hundred squares pool (explained later in this post) and also scratch off tickets. The hundred squares pool will get cash prizes, and then if you want, you can give great non-cash prizes for the scratch off tickets. Here are some ideas for prizes that I found at Wal-Mart:
Official NFL football jersey or hat
Official NFL football, signed by all your guests
This month’s issue of Sports Illustrated
A poster of an NFL Quarterback or favorite player
Sports Illustrated poster of a swimsuit model
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar
A best-of CD by whomever is performing the half-time show
The Football Pool
An hour before the game, have your guests start filling out the hundred squares board (I’ll explain how this game works in just a little bit). Each participants pays a quarter, 50 cents, or a dollar for the opportunity to put their name in a block on a hundred squares board. You can also, or alternatively, make them answer a trivia question for the right to a square, if you want to keep money out of it. If they answer it correctly they get a square, if not, they have to wait their turn to try and answer another one. Guests can continue answering trivia questions until the board is full.
You could also make them do something to earn a square, like tossing a football through a hoop, naming five NFL teams, naming five quarterbacks, or naming five NFL stadiums, or guess the colors of a particular team.
The Hundred Squares Board
Get a large sheet of poster board; I like the stiff foam type (available at Wal-Mart in the craft or school supplies area). Draw a grid on it that is 10 squares wide by 10 squares long. Write one team’s name across the top of the board and the other team up the left side of the board. ***Do not fill in the numbers yet.*** Players will fill in their names in the squares (first) either by purchasing a square, or by answering a trivia question correctly.
Once the grid is completely filled up with names (one name in each square) then you can fill in the numbers. This is done by first writing the numbers on slips of paper ( 0 thru 9) and then drawing the slips out of a hat to fill in the numbers going across the top. Put all the slips of paper back in the hat and repeat the process to fill the numbers going down the left side of the hundred squares board.
Divide the money into four portions. The first three portions should be less than the last portion. If you charged $1 per square you’ll have $100, so your portions should be $20, $20, $20 and $40. At each quarter of the game the person whose block matches the last number of each team’s score is the winner, and wins that quarter’s prize. For example, using the grid above, if the score at the first quarter was Green Bay 7 and Denver 10, Ann would win $20.00. Whoever has the correct block for the final score wins the final and largest cash prize.
Scratch off tickets
These are party favors that look like lotto scratch off tickets. They usually come in a set of 10 or 12 with one of them being a winner. I found sets of them on eBay advertised as “Football Party Favors Scratch-off Game” a few weeks before the Super Bowl. I have also seen them at party stores. This website has a set specifically for Super Bowl that costs just over $5 for a set of 12 cards, personalized.
Guests can buy a ticket from you, or you can just give them out at any point during the game, or before or after. They are like lottery tickets that you scratch off with a coin to reveal what’s underneath. If you made your guests purchase a ticket, the winner wins the cash you collected. If you just gave them out, winner gets a prize that you have purchased.
If you can’t find scratch-off tickets, or you waited until the last minute to play this game and don’t have time for the shipping (that would be me), here’s a great alternative. Hide prize coupons in random places in the house – an index card with the words, “CONGRATULATIONS, YOU FOUND IT!” printed on the front, and instructions for redeeming it on the back. If a ticket is spotted the finder can redeem it with you for a prize! Some good hiding places I used were
laying on the bottom of the inside of the chip bowl
hidden in the roll of toilet paper in the guest bathroom
taped to the bottom of a plate in the paper plates stack
taped to the hidden side of a bottle of beer in the refrigerator
Don’t tell your guests anything about the “treasure hunt.” Let them discover it all on their own. Of course, after a couple have been found your guests will be asking if there are others and where they are – especially the kids.
On the backsides of my cards I told them to bring the card to me for a prize. I had 4 cards hidden and 4 prizes: an NFL football, a CD of the featured halftime entertainment, a Sports Illustrated magazine, and a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit poster. Those were the choices I happened to find at Wal-Mart. I wrapped each prize and labeled it with an alphabet letter, and then hid the prizes in a back bedroom closet of the house. I marked each index card with the corresponding letters of the prizes so that when someone came to redeem a prize, it would already be predetermined which prize they had won. Only the winner could accompany me to the prize closet.
It’s all about the game… focus, focus, focus!
Make a list of several things that could happen during the game:
Who wins the toss?
2. Who scores first?
3. First field goal,
4. First Touchdown,
5. First Penalty (offensive/defensive),
6. First Punt,
7. First Blocked kick,
8. First QB sack,
9. First Fumble,
10. First Interception, etc.
Use a symbol, or sticker, or just number the items as I have done above to identify each of these things on a wager sheet, shown below.
Take a sheet of notebook paper and write all of your guest’s names descending down the left side. Divide the right side of the sheet of paper into two columns, one for each team, and write the team names at the top (see example shown).
Each guest antes up a quarter for each thing they wish to wager against. Set the limit low to encourage everyone to participate.
Each guest selects the team that will be the first to commit. This makes it simple for folks that are not football fans, but are attending the party. All they have to do is select one of the two teams.
Now make a game board using a sheet of poster board, and draw a grid on it, like the hundred squares board. Place little football game pieces for each player (marked with their initials) along the bottom of the board, and draw a goal post at the top of the board. Each time a guest gets an item right they can move their game piece up one square on the game board, towards the uprights. In the end, the player closest to the goal wins the pot.
Since anything can happen at any time, this creates interest in the game.
Other activities
3-D glasses: sometimes there are advertisements or half time events that are broadcast in 3-D. In 2009 3-D glasses were available at various grocery stores and fueling stations for use during the Super Bowl. Shrek 2/Shrek 3-D: Party in the Swamp, the DVD, came with 4 pairs of 3-D glasses. Perhaps you bought the movie and saved the glasses? Otherwise look for them online. Have several pair of 3-D glasses on hand so your guests don’t miss anything cool.
How daring is your crowd? Make “Jell-O-shooters” (non-alcoholic for the nondrinkers and kids) ahead of time to have on hand. Make two different color shots and celebrate whatever you wish. You could ask your guests to designate a Team upon arrival and give them a name tag. Whenever the “Giants” score a touchdown all those fans can make the other fans take a shot. That way everybody is having a good time. Or you could do it like this, when the “Falcons” score EVERYBODY has to take a peach shot, and when the Packers score EVERYBODY has to do the green apple shots. Jell-O shooters are made my replacing half the cold water in the recipe with liquor (vodka or peach schnapps usually).
At the risk of stating the obvious… please, please, please be a responsible host and don’t allow underage drinking, nor let your guests drink and drive.
Pre Game Games
Maybe you’d like to make your party all day rather than just an evening affair? Have your pals over for some pre-game Games, such as ESPN Sports Trivia version of Scene-It, or NFLopoly, just to name a couple.
Prearrange for a party referee (especially if you have ill mannered guests at your party or one especially bossy person that you want to give something to do). Ask one of your guests ahead of time if they would be willing to serve as party referee. This person will wear a referee shirt and throw a yellow flag for the following offenses:
Holding – Such as holding on to the popcorn too long
Party Foul – guest caught double dipping anything
Illegal Use of Hands – self explanatory.
Most important element to a successful Super Bowl party, don’t run out of drinks or things to snack on.
Party favors and parting gifts: Send all your pom-poms, bam-bams, pennants, mini-footballs, football koozies, etc, home with your guests.
NOTE: this party transfers well as an office party, or what I like to call a”Break Room Bash.” Do you and your coworkers get together each month and have luncheons? I worked at a school once where the staff took turns by grade level decorating the lounge and hosting a monthly luncheon. Usually they were things like “A Salad Bar” or “Soup & Sandwiches” or “Loaded Potato Bar” or “Hot Dog Bar” or that sort of thing. The staff that were assigned to each month would be in charge of decorating the lounge (if they wished) and also taking care of it (wiping tables, washing dishes, keeping the refrigerator cleaned out, etc.), and providing the end-of-the-month carry-in lunch. The Parent-Teacher council also brought in a cake for dessert and we celebrated all the birthdays for the month as well! It was a really nice thing! Click here for more about “Break Room Bashes.”
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
Cheesy Green Chili Rice
My bestie and I live three states apart, but out in the west, and when one of those states is Texas, this adds up to a pretty dang far distance. Too far to get to spend as much time together as we’d like. But we stay close by texting every few days and calling often, we read out of the same Bible devotional every day, we send each other pins on Pinterest, and at least once a year we travel to meet somewhere and spend a few days hanging out.
Pinterest, and then made it a reality when I found these flatbreads at my local HEB > > >
You can use real terra cotta pots for the trifles, which come in larger-than-cupcake sizes. And since the cake is not being baked in the terra cotta you won’t have to worry about dyes or other toxic elements leaching into your batter in the oven. I soaked my pots in the sink to get the price stickers off, then I put my pots in the dishwasher and ran them through a full sterilizing wash cycle. When they were done I put them in the oven on warm (170*F) to dry them out completely before using.
I set up a CD player outside that had *lullaby music playing softly and continuously in the background during the party. (*I used the 
And for this year’s garden party I planned a “kiddie pool pedicure party” where all my guests would sit in lawn chairs in a circle outside around our kiddie pool filled with hot sudsy water and perfumed bath salts and floating flower pedals. The sun would be shining and the birds would be chirping. We’d be wearing our capris and peddle-pushers. We would take off our shoes and soak our footies in the warm water while we nibbled on a modest buffet of brunch items. I thought it would bring back memories of when my sisters and I were young. In the summers our Grandma Gen’s would fill tubs with water and we’d all sit around in her yard and dangle our feet in the tubs. It is one of my fondest childhood memories.
feet would be so pretty we would need some way to show them off, so I planned a CRAFT of decorating flip-flops. Our local Hobby Lobby store had everything I needed from the glue to the flip-flops and all the cutsie adornments to decorate them.
I phoned last-minute and begged everyone to bring a foot tub. I had also asked in the invitations for everyone to bring their own pedicure kits, and a few bottles of nail polish to share.
EGG SALAD SANDWICHES
smelling great with scented candles and such. When Jesus stayed I’m sure she tried hard to make sure everything was perfect for Him. Maybe she laid a mint on His pillow and bottle of water on his nightstand. Perhaps she washed his clothes for Him. And what a sweet surprise it would have been to have them pressed and hanging in the bathroom for Him when He got up to shower in the morning. With a name like Martha you have to think she probably did crafts, gardened, was an amazing decorator, and most assuredly a fantastic cook too! Or maybe it is Martha Stewart I’m thinking of? Ha!
anything like me she probably spent all week deciding on what to make for supper after extending that invitation, and then shopped all over town for the freshest and finest ingredients. I wonder if she scrubbed and dusted and made sure everything was perfect, like I certainly would have. From the cleaning of the bathrooms to the chopping of vegetables, I imagine she stayed busy. And I’m pretty sure Jesus not only 
paint. I made half of mine gold (for variety) with a light coating of gold metallic paint over the stone paint.
Now, in my web travels I also found some funny awards certificates for teachers that I thought would lend a lighthearted, sort of soupçon, to our OSCARS party. The author of these awards does share some freebie images (featured on my ballot), but otherwise his certificate sets sell for $35. I also added a few of my own.
This is the tablecloth I found at Amazon.com to decorate the table.
Clam Chowder in a Sour Dough Bread Boule (I used a recipe found on Taste of Home, that truly is “Contest-Winning” New England Clam Chowder). I tripled the recipe and it was perfect for serving the 20 people in my crowd. I got the bread boules at Wal-mart. I had Super Bowl plates that I served the luncheon food on, but of course failed to grab a photo of those. This photo is of the left-overs I fed to hubbie for supper that night. His is missing the crumbled bacon on top though. 
Have a LARGE ice chest in the TV room filled with ice where your guests can chill the beverages they brought. Put all the beer and pop in it. Keep it in the same room as the TV so people don’t miss anything when they need another brewski. And be sure to set out bowls of popcorn, pretzels, chips and dip, salsa and tortilla chips, mixed nuts, M&M’s, and snack size candy bars. Or set up a popcorn bar (there are tons of ideas on Pinterest), with a huge barrel of plain popcorn and sundry toppings (chocolate covered peanuts, M&M’s, Jr. Mints, candied pecans, Malted Milk Balls, Reeses Pieces, mini peanut butter cups, etc.), or melted butter in a squeeze bottle and various seasonings (check out Kernal Seasonings) and flavored salts.
mrshlovesjesus 
