Friday, February 5, 2010

"Super Hostess" Idea Share and GIVEAWAY!

Hey party people! I don't know about you, but I love an excuse for a get-together! "You got a job?? Let's get together and celebrate!" "You lost your job? Let's get together and have a glass of wine!" "You got new carpet?? We'll be over Friday night to see it and we'll bring the pizza!"

It doesn't matter what the justification is, the idea is always the same...food, friends, fun!

This weekend is no exception. Super Bowl weekend is....well, the Super Bowl for pizza companies, beer distributors, tortilla chip makers and Velveeta stockholders. This one Sunday provides as much as 60% more sales than any other given Sunday. Not too shabby!

This Sunday I will be a guest instead of the hostess and I am SO excited! I am going to Bradley's and she has already said she has made Saint's T-Shirts and is working on the King Cake. Lynch and Ryan are bringing the gumbo and I am in charge of appetizers. I have a few ideas up my sleeve! Before I get into my recipe sharing I have to tell you that I could live off of appetizers. They are my favorite part of any meal! I'm more of a snacker rather than sitting down for a full meal, so give me chips and salsa or give me death!

Here are some great recipes (pulled pork sandwiches, guacamole and mint brownies) I shared last year, and below are a few of my favorite quick dips because they are SO easy and very few ingredients...(I don't have pictures for all of them, but I promise they are simple!)

Corn and Black Bean Salsa- Crowd favorite!

  • Can of corn- drained
  • Can of black beans- drained and rinsed
  • 2 avocados sliced (I love avocado so I always put a lot. Use 2-3 depending on the size)
  • 1 jar of salsa
  • Mix together in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips!

The next dip...I don't even know what to call it. Maybe Yummy Goodness?? - Another crowd pleaser!

  • 1 package cream cheese softened
  • 1 package of sausage- browned and drained
  • 1 can of rotel- drained
  • Mix together in a bowl and serve warm with tortilla chips

Corn Dip- This is my old faithful. Super easy and I usually have the ingredients on hand in a pinch

  • 3 cans of corn- drained
  • 2 cups of Mexican blend cheese (You can use Cheddar if you prefer...or in a pinch!)
  • 1/3 cup diced jalapenos (If you like a little more spice you can add a tbs of the juice, but watch out!)
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1-1.5 cups of mayo
  • Mix all ingredients together, place in a baking dish and bake on 350 uncovered for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

And don't forget the Taco Salads! (Click for the full recipe) You could do the corn and black bean salsa, queso, whatever floats your boat for apps and then serve the taco salads in a buffet line. You'll make new friends and keep the old with this one!

Now that we've conquered the food fun, let's talk about the actual party. It's always nice when you can throw a great party but not totally break the bank! Here are some great table/centerpiece ideas (some could be used for super bowl Sunday and some for any other Sunday!) and I just LOVE the idea of using leaves as coasters. I always trim greenery off my trees and bushes and fill the vases around my house.

I hope you are looking forward to your next get together! I'd love to hear your ideas! Food, decorations, great serving ideas, etc. Just link to your blog below and you'll be automatically entered in my "SUPER HOSTESS" giveaway! The winner will get some adorable PJs and my current favorite OPI nail polish. The winner will be announced Monday, so check back!

Party on party people!

16 comments:

Sarah Mina said...

your salsa looks amazing! ok, so i am planning a valentine's lunch party for my girlfriends on the saturday before valentine's day. i decided i am going to do an italian theme because i always think of italian food/restaurants when i think of valentine's day and i am really obsessed w/ giada de laurentiis right now haha. i am going to do chicken parmesan, fettucine alfredo, caprese salad and bruchetta as appetizers, and i am going to attempt a tiramisu for dessert! i hope it comes out ok! i'm not sure about decorations yet but i am definitely going to do some red and pink stuff, possibly flowers and tissue paper pom poms that are really easy. oh, and of course there will be lots of sangria for us to drink!

Unknown said...

Can I come??? Sounds fabulous and SO fun! Great menu. You'll have to tell us all how it turns out!

-Emily- said...

Wow these recipes sound great! We are having mexican night next Tuesday...going to try a couple!

Stephanie Hartman said...

I'm in LOVE with the avacados,bean corn and salsa dip I'm seriously going to make some tonight it looks so yummy! I love get togathers with friends there the best!

-Stephanie

Anonymous said...

I love an excuse to celebrate! Thanks for sharing. This looks yummy! I know my hubby would love it. Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

That salsa looks amazing!! I love it! I might need to make a variation of that to go on top of a salad with some grilled chicken. Can I get an Amen? :)

Dezzy Lou Where Are You said...

Oooooh I love pjs and opi =)
My grandmother taught me the easiest appetizer recipe ever over Thanksgiving while she was visiting and I assure you its a HIT!
- one block cream cheese, softened- spread into small baking dish
- top with one can chili (with or wthout beans)
- sprinkle mexican cheese mix on top and heat up for a few minutes.
ENJOY and DONT count the calories =)

Kathryn said...

I love apps too! There are some weekends where we live off of "tailgate" food all weekend! YUM!

KatiePerk said...

Great blog!! All of these recipes look AMAZING...

Annie said...

ok...that corn salsa stuff looks AWESOME! I may have to try that. I will put up one of my fav recipies and add my link!!

In This Wonderful Life said...

great idea! that salsa looks yum! I'll try to get some things posted!

The Whitfields said...

Hi! Thank you for your sweet message. Yes, we are doing everything we can to find her a good home. It's just hard with this breed unfortunately.

I love the layout of your blog! So pretty! Did you create it yourself?

Sarah

The Undomestic Mom said...

That all looks so great! If I had some recipes I would defiantly link up!

jackie fo said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love yours - the design is really cute :)

California Wife said...

Thanks so much for commenting over at CAwife! Love your blog, and the recipes look great!

Mrs. Cup said...

We are having a low key party because the husband is under the weater! But I may still make that black bean salsa...yum!!