No Fuss Football Party

In my family, Sundays mean food and football. My father has been a Tampa Bay Bucs season ticket holder for over 20 years and my mom has hosted tons of football parties for nearly every away game. Most people think that hosting a party means tons of stress and no fun for the host, BUT my mother has nailed the technique for stress free entertaining and I have followed suit!

Together as a team, my mom and I put together a beautiful menu in under 2 hours and excluding alcohol cost just under 30 bucks. Here is the menu:

Smoked Salmon & Chive Cream Cheese Crescents

White Bean Artichoke Dip with Homemade Pita Chips, Celery, & Carrots

Creamy Corn Chowder

Devils Food Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Butter Cream

Bowls of mixed nuts

Cold Beer

Wine

The key to having a great party is making things ahead so you are ready for your guests when they arrive. First, I made the dip and the pita chips. You can find my dip recipe in the archives.

For the pita chips, stack the store bought pita rounds and cut them like a pizza into eighths. Arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and place in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. When they are your favorite shade of brown take them out of the oven to cool COMPLETELY before storing them in a ziploc. If you do not let them cool before storing them, they will not get crunchy.

Next, I made the smoked salmon roll ups.

1 pkg smoked salmon

1 8 oz container chive flavored cream cheese

1 roll Pillsbury crescent rolls

Take the crescent rolls out of the fridge when you are ready to use them. Do not let them sit out. It is important that the dough is COLD making it easier to roll out. Pop the container and remove the dough. Roll it out flat making sure not to tear the dough. You will end up with one large rectangle. Spread the dough with the cream cheese, leaving a half inch on each side. Sprinkle the cream cheese with the diced smoked salmon and roll her up! Before cutting into rounds, stick the roll-up in the freezer for about 20 minutes. When dough is chilled it is very easy to cut with a serrated knife. Stick in the oven just before guests arrive at 350 for 12 minutes or until golden!

With the appetizers preped and ready in the fridge you can go ahead and get started on Mama Lu's chowder.

1 Spanish onion (sweet onion)

1 red bell pepper

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

2 cans sliced potatoes

2 cans kernel corn

2 cans cream corn

1 48 oz box chicken stock

1/2 pound bacon

1 pkg diced ham

2 bay leaves

1 sprig thyme

Salt

Pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat!

Start by dicing the bacon and browning it in a dutch oven over medium heat. Remove the bacon to drain on a paper towel. Saute the diced onion, carrots, celery, and half the red pepper in the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper and throw in the two bay leaves and the thyme. Cook until soft. Pour in chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add 1 can of sliced potatoes, 1 can of the creamed corn, and 1 can of the kernel corn (remember to drain!!!) into the pot. Stir to combine and cook about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme. With an immersion blender blend the soup until creamy. Then add the remainder of the diced red pepper, the remaining cans of corn, and the last can of potatoes. Why? Because it makes the soup beautiful when you can see all the colors in it! Finish the soup with the diced ham. Stir to combine and simmer on the stove until you and your guests are ready to eat. Serve in bowls with crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese!

I am personally a fan of desserts from scratch, but when you're in a crunch boxed cake mix is delicious. I will show you how to jazz it up.

Follow the cake mix instructions as directed. In a separate bowl, dissolve a tablespoon of instant espresso powder in a little warm water. Then add that mixture to the batter. Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor in the batter. You won't taste coffee, you will just taste a richer chocolate flavor. With a melon baller or mini ice cream scoop, scoop the batter in a mini cupcake tin. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. The recipe makes about 70 mini cupcakes!

For the icing, I used a store bought chocolate butter cream. Spoon the icing into a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for about 15 seconds. Dissolve another tablespoon of espresso powder in a little water and add to the icing. Again, this just gives the icing a chocolate edge. Ice the cupcakes when they are completely cool!

Prepare the bar, put the nuts in some pretty bowls or glasses, and you are all set!

These recipes are really flexible and, trust me, you can mess them up. If you don't have thyme or the chowder, don't! If you hate smoked salmon and cream cheese use a cheddar spread and bacon crumbles! Use your creativity and have fun.... No one cares if everything is homemade!