If the Super Bowl party is at your house this year, don’t fret. I’ve got some suggestions that will help you make Game Day feasting a pleasure rather than a pain. And I’m certain you’ll be surprised that some of them are coming from me – Ms. Make-it-from-scratch-or die-trying!
And don’t forget Cheese and Charcouterie! That’s ‘Cold Cuts’ in English.
Add a big side basket of Slider Rolls and let folks do their thing!
There’s no reason you should be stuck in the kitchen cooking while everybody else is out in the TV Zone watching the big game. Over the years, I’ve developed a relaxed attitude to living room tailgating which I can heartily recommend to you.
Unless you’re having a major pot-luck affair, here are my basic rules fort Game Day Feasting:
- Go Frozen. Yes, I said it. Go Frozen for Wings and things. You can simply throw them in the oven and let time and heat take their noble and majestic course. Buy in any treats – Meatballs, Asian Dumplings, Spring or Egg Rolls, Mini Quiche – that are too time-consuming or finicky to make from scratch… With a few exceptions:
- Upgrade your wings to to boneless Chicken Tenders. That alone will put your game day spread in a class by itself!
- Say goodbye to plain old Pigs in Blankets. Make your own Sausage Rolls! I like to take a whole sheet of Puff Pastry and roll up raw (skinless) Sausages in them making long super-rolls. Just cut the rolls in half, then cut the halves in half and so on until you have the size of Roll you want. I like to roll up some cheese in them, too, to add flavour. These are fast and easy to make and everybody loves them.
- Make your own Loaded Nachos. Nothing is easier and nothing is better on Game Day made from scratch! And you can put what you want on ’em. You can get Nacho Kits from the supermarket, but that’s just silly.
- Mix up your own favourite Dips and Sauces the day before, storing them in the fridge in tightly covered plastic tubs. You’ll save a lot of cash, over buying prepared dips, making them yourself and you’ll get them tasting exactly the way you want them. No more leftover, hardly-touched tubs of store-bought dip that nobody liked.
- Stock in extra Sour Cream, Mayo, Sriracha Sauce and Thai Red Chili Sauce. You might have to Mix up some extra ’emergency’ Dip at some point in the proceedings.
- Be sure to consult my New Year’s Eve Part Treats post for suggestions on what to serve!
Now…
Go forth and entertain. And be sure to have a good time yourself!
~ Maggie J.