Host a Fabulous Super Bowl Party

Invitations

  • Tricky - Create small football pennants on card stock, featuring the competing teams on one side and the invite information on the other.
  • Easier - Check out party411.com for customized invitations. There are lots to choose from!
  • Easiest - Call your friends on the phone!

For more ideas on clever invitations, see Top Notch Tailgating.

Decorations

  • Tricky - Cut squares of sod in shapes to fit trays that you already own. Embellish the sod with little plastic football players. You can buy two teams and goal posts from kaskeykids.com, $18 - $25,  pictured at right.
  • Easier - Cut a table runner out of astro turf and decorate with your own footballs in all shapes and sizes.
  • Easiest - Helium balloons in the colors of the team players. Mix in football balloons from plumparty.com (pictured above).

Dinner

  • Tricky - Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches on a panini grill. Try Chorizo sausage with Monterey Jack cheese or Fontina cheese with artichokes and mushrooms, or Cheddar cheese, bacon and mango chutney.
  • Easier - My recipe for Party Style Ham Sandwiches, Barbeque Chili, Kahlua Pork, or Teriyaki Drummettes.  If you make a big pot of chili, don’t forget the toppings.  A great selection will make your dinner terrific! Try chopped red onion, diced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn muffins.  For more recipe ideas, see Try Tailgating.
  • Easiest - A six foot hoagie from your corner sandwich shop.  Don’t forget, you will need to call a few days ahead for this one!

Dessert

  • Tricky - Iced football cookies from Eleni’s in NYC, elenis.com.
  • Easier - Bake a cake in Willliams-Sonoma’s “Stadium” shaped mold and decorate it in the team colors, williams-sonoma.com, item#35-8239071 for $32.00.
  • Easiest - Hot fudge sundae bar with ice creams and lots of toppings.

Favors

  • Tricky - Fill cellophane bags with chocolates like foil wrapped footballs. Tie off the bags with ribbons in the royal blue and orange. Try blaircandy.com item #31691a for $6.90/2 lbs., about 160 candy footballs.
  • Easier - Toy footballs from the Dollar Store.  Have these on hand early to toss around during the game!
  • Easiest - Skip the favors all together.

Hostess Gifts

  • Tricky - A football themed gift from Mariposa, a company which makes the most beautiful polished aluminum entertaining accessories.  Silver Impressions offers several pieces including a football sauce dish, football sectional serving dish, and a square cocktail napkin box with beaded trim and a three dimensional football weight.  See Silverimpressions.com.
  • Easiest - Bring your host a couple of six packs of gourmet beers!  There are so many fun mircobrewerys which can provide a unique and festive gift!  

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