Friday, February 1, 2013

Hosting the Big Game



Super Bowl Sunday is upon us and many football fans have plans to entertain their family and friends by getting together and partying.  Whether you’re a San Francisco 49ers or a Baltimore Ravens fan, we can all agree on one thing:  a proper host must have great food and drink for this event.  More specifically, lots of mouth pleasing appetizers and drinks to quench your thirst.  There is a high probability that most Americans are going to indulged themselves into one or more of the following Super Bowl favorites that we all love to eat: wings, pizza, soda, beer (lots of it), chips, dip and some sort of dessert.  As a side note, this is the same day that all New Year’s diets go out the window. Sorry, it’s just reality!  But for an event such as this, it is important to have a variety of food and an appropriate quantity for each dish that you plan to serve.  There is nothing worse than running out of something in the middle of the game and you still have hungry guests asking you if there is more of something.  A simple way to figure out how many pieces of food you need from each appetizer is by using this simple formula (sorry for those who hate math):


(12 pieces per person x # of guests) ÷ # of different appetizers you choose to have


For example, if you are having 10 guests and serving 5 different appetizers for your Super Bowl party, it will be 12x10 = 120 pieces, divided by 5, equaling 24 pieces for each type of appetizer. 

This formula is standard across all caterers, so I cannot take credit for this one.  I wanted to pass this useful information onto those that need it.  You can use this as a tool to measure how much you want to serve; however, please remember that you can always use a little extra.  The more is merrier, especially when the food it good!  


Since the Super bowl has approximately 4 hours of broadcasting time (this includes the half time show), I like to ration the food so that it will last and you keep your guests satisfied throughout the night.  If you make an abundance of something, set the extra aside and serve the remainder after the half time show.  Or, if you make an equal amount of appetizers (lets use 6), you can serve 3 the first half and 3 the second half. For those items that are not as quantitative, like chips and dip, use your judgment.  Typically, the dip is what usually goes first; which is always disappointing. 


Lastly, always remember “Fire and Ice.”  What does this mean, you say?  It means, try to keep your hot food warm and your cold food/drink cool.  No one likes lukewarm soda and beer, or cold chicken, at least I don’t.  If you have chafing dishes, that’s perfect!  If you don’t want to get fancy, you can always arrange your stove and set it to the warm setting or put it on 150 to 200 degrees.  Also, remember the ice!  But to be honest, if you’re a few brews in, you might not care about the temperature of what you’re consuming. 


So, am I having a Super Bowl party? And if so, what am I serving, you ask?


This answer to the first question is yes, my wife and I will be hosting several friends for the big game. 
  
Here is what we are serving our guests:


Feel free to share to your tips for having a great party.  Enjoy the game!


Your Community Food Chef Follow me on Twitter: @yourcfchef 


2 comments:

  1. dude, next year we have to do an ode to the ROC, with garbage plates maybe with a Chicago twist i have an idea actually. we'll talk Sunday. good read i am liking the way its going its not your typical snobby food blog. doing good sir, doing good!

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  2. Thanks! Trying to do a little something different every time I post. See ya Sunday!

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