I had planned to write a bunch of party tips, but realized that I already did that… Add the fact that I’ve worked late a bunch lately and haven’t had time for writing and pictures, I thought I’d just repost it in case you missed it the first time around.

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My favorite football team will likely not make it to the Super Bowl in my lifetime. Does that stop me from wanting a good party? No way, Jose Canseco. Whoops, wrong sport. Last year was my first time hosting such an event, and I thought I would pass along some tips.

Get in the spirit

Your team isn’t in the game? Who cares. Pick a favorite, dress in the team color and get ready to cheer, jeer, boo and hiss with your friends. Also, feel free to channel your favorite late female rapper like me.

Get your grub on

People don’t want to move away from the tube, so make sure the food is readily accessible. Set out chips, pretzels and candy on a coffee table or a side table. If it’s a big gathering, consider making mini food stations on TV tray stands so people don’t have to block the view to grab a bite.

Don’t feel pressured to buy all the food, either, many people will be glad to help out. To prepare, make sure you have extra bowls and trays on hand to add to the spread.

Go high tech

Set your DVR/TiVo to record the game and start watching a little after real time. This way, any late game-day goers won’t miss out on the fun. Best of all, when you’re wanting an instant replay of a sweet play (or want to laugh two, three, heck, even four times at a funny commercial), you can rewind to your heart’s content.

Care to make a friendly wager?

Not a football fan? Not a problem. You can make it a game that doesn’t have to do with knowing stats or rules. One classic is the score pool (http://www.ehow.com/how_13677_set-super-bowl.html), where you guess the score on a grid. You can select winners for each quarter, at particular times or just at the end of the game.

Another game can be catered to those in-the-know or who just came along to have fun. Come up with a list of things that will (or are likely to) happen during the game and have everyone give a guess for the answer. For example: who will catch the first touchdown, what company will be featured in the first commercial, etc. Whoever has the most correct guesses wins.

While I’m not a huge fan of gambling, I’ll gladly wager a Cold Stone ice cream. That way, at least the loser will still get a fun time with a friend. Another option is to have prizes like small gift cards, fun food, beer or wine.

Our biggest hit

Let’s face it, often times, the actual football game can be pretty boring. Putting the extra touch on some of the party details can make it feel like an event, rather than just any old Sunday football game. These team-logo cupcakes — made by my friend Christine (above) and her friend Maxine — were by far the biggest hit of the day.

What’s your favorite part of a Super Bowl party?

• Encourage people to dress their best. It’s not very often that people get dressed up these days, which makes it more fun when you do. It also helps sets the tone of what kind of party you’re wanting. Perhaps your friends can get a little rambunctious sometimes. I find that being nicely dressed tends to keep people on their best behavior, or close to it.
• Be festive. Decorations are great, especially when you can find them all around the house. Some affordable options are non-breakable ornaments in a vase or on a charger plate. Tinsel is cute, too, and you can find plenty at the dollar store.

• Prepare ahead of time. Cleaning, moving furniture, food prep — all things I wish I had done the night before or two nights before.
• Make a cooking schedule. Figure out in advance the times and temperatures for what you’re making. Write it down and calculate backwards from just before the party starts.

Cupcakes by Jillian

• Go for a semi-homemade menu. As much as I like to cook and bake, slaving away in the kitchen all day and night isn’t very fun. You’re worn out before the party has even started or you miss the party trying to finish cooking. I loved the Santa brownies I posted about and ended up doing those with the little brownie bites from Costco. I made some buttercream and cut some strawberries and boom — done.

• Don’t stress. This is the first year I’ve taken more of a laid-back approach to party planning. It all got done and while we missed a couple of things, everyone had a great time. Stressing out only makes it worse for everyone.
• Use disposable plates and cups. One year we used our regular glasses. Not only did we keep running out and having to wash them all night, we had to wash a ton of stuff the day after.
• Be thankful. We often get too caught up in worrying about everything going on at the party. It’s a time to be fun and carefree with your favorite people all at the same place, which probably only happens once a year.

I can picture this dinner now, probably about two years in the future, with family and friends around the table in our fabulous new house…

Beef Bourguignon

Image via bobbimccormick.com 

Julia Child knows what’s what. Ever since Bobbi made this, I have been dying to try it myself. It seems more cozy and fancy than turkey, which can be dry and boring. (Although, Matt’s parents fry their turkey, which makes it nice and juicy.)

Salad with Mustard Pomegranate Dressing

Last year, my Mom and I took full advantage of my brother’s pomegranate tree. It’s a unique fruit in that it’s so tart and fun — you’d be surprised by how versatile it is. Last year we made a pork tenderloin and ended up using the sauce as a salad dressing too. Yum!

Giada’s Couscous

I’m making it this year, as I shared before, so obviously I think the light and crunchy dish would be the perfect complement to the other rich flavors of fall.

Gran Evan’s Corn Bread Dressing

This is actually for Matt. Even though there’s no turkey in my dream menu and I don’t particularly care for stuffing/dressing, I want my man to be full and happy, and this is his favorite dish at Thanksgiving. Recipe to come!

Crispy Potato Roast

This is slightly cheating, but Ashley posted this crispy potato roast by Martha in her original post and now I’m making it this year. I can’t wait!

Chocolate Truffles and French Vanilla Ice Cream

I’m not one to forget dessert, so I would choose chocolate truffles (also by Martha) with French vanilla ice cream. Newsflash: pumpkin and pecan pie are gross, so I think something small and bite sized would be just enough to top off your crazy big stuff-fest. Also, dessert should always have a chocolate option. ALWAYS! When I used to make these, I would do orange, mocha and peppermint flavors. So good!

That about wraps it up for this dream. What would you serve?

Our Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner, 2011

1. Don’t get turkey grease on you. According to my dad, it stains forever. He has lost his favorite pair of sweatpants and one T-shirt (two different Thanksgivings) to this phenomenon. Wear an apron. It’s that simple.
2. Cook your turkey in a bag, if you are using the oven, that is. We cooked our turkey this weekend (a pre-Thanksgiving, if you may) in a Reynolds Wrap bag and it was browned and delicious!
3. Make your centerpiece easy. Use vegetables, jars, and a cute tray, like Bobbi did, for a pretty centerpiece!

Turkey -- in a Bag!!

This week’s NewlyWife Likes will start off with some interesting advice, from experts and from someone who isn’t even married yet. Then, of course, we’ll throw in some fun stuff like always.

• Ask the Experts: Glo has compiled advice from marriage experts asking them to share with couples The One Thing You Should Know About Marriage. Advice ranges from “make it a choice” to “don’t cohabitate.” It all begs the question though, is there really an “expert” at marriage to be giving advice?
• Consider the Non-Expert: You may have heard of Donald Miller, the author of “Blue Like Jazz.” He recently wrote marriage posts on his blog — one directed at men, the other at women — on how to improve your marriage. People took issue over one tiny detail … he isn’t even married yet, just engaged. Jo Hilder at Burnside Writers was one person took issue with this, and Miller’s posts have since been removed. She had some interesting things to say, including this snippet:

“The point is, you can speculate all you like about what you think your challenges in a marriage are likely to be, and prepare diligently for that. But not all the terrible things we went through were caused by things we could have foreseen. … The good parts of our marriage were not always a direct result of something we did that was right. The bad parts of our marriage were not always a direct result of something we did that was wrong.”

• Hanging With Ms. Coop-er: Okay, that was really a bad little lead-in. Basically, the awesome Karen (whose last name I don’t think is Cooper) of The Art of Doing Stuff has finally finished her chicken coop. To be honest, I know she had worked a long time on it and didn’t really expect much. These chickens got the hook up! Check out her amazing coop! Almost makes me want chickens. Almost.

•  Party On, Wayne: At our Christmas Party, we had a fun photobooth with fun masks. Here are some more FREE ones, that can spice up any get together. Or, just bring them for the office. Thanks to Oh Happy Day for these and more freebies!

Remember, if you have something to share that you think our readers would like, let us know!

Sippin on some butterbeer at Hogwarts. No bigs.

Had I thought about it in advance, I would have put together a party before the big showing. Instead, here’s a little inspiration for those of you wanting to throw a Harry Potter Movie Night Party for your pre-HP 7.2 marathon.

(Gryffindor pennant, glasses, butterbeer cupcakes, Bertie Bott’s Beans, cauldron)

Is anyone else joining me tonight or has anyone already seen it at the midnight showing? No spoilers! Oh wait, I’ve already read the book…

Caitlin showing off the clothes that she brought to swap!

I have heard about these parties for a while, but this was the first time that I actually got to attend one. It was a lot of fun. We did not really have any rules, but I remember hearing about other parties that did.

Another table loaded up with items to swap...

Tips for a Successful Clothing Swap:

• Bring clothes that you actually like (somewhat).  Something that you do not like from Aunt Suzie might be the best fit for your friend Jenna.  However, you want your clothes to be relatively free of stains and holes.  Remember that you want others to take your clothes, not pass by them in disgust!
• Plan your guest list — we had around 12 and it seemed like a great number.  There was a large quantity of clothing, but we quickly ran out of space to display the items on.  If we had one or two more guests, it would have been okay, but many more would have just been too busy.
• Set out an assorted array of appetizers and drinks. Finger foods are great for a party like this, because it keeps you free of a plate that you have to keep from dropping on clothes!
• Make up your own rules. Like I said, we did not really have any rules and it worked out fine.  Some people have tickets, so you get a “ticket” for each item that you bring.  That way someone cannot show up with one item and take home twenty.  We had a nice group of women who were generous and not trying to sneakily steal a bunch of things.
• Decide what to do with the leftovers.  We ended up with a few bags worth of extra items after everyone picked things out.  I happened to be having a garage sale, so the girls just let me take all the extras.  The other plan was to donate them to the Goodwill.

Caitlin and Bobbi showing off some sweet selections with me!

There you have it.  A fun way to get a whole new wardrobe — or at least a few cute new pieces!  Have you ever participated in one of these?  I highly recommend it!  If you want to see a few items that I brought — and left with, come back later today.

Realistic or not, the finale of “The Bachelor” was the perfect reason for a little party. Love was in the air and I felt that I had to make up for my lack of a lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day. So we invited a few friends over for snacks, drinks and a little bit of heckling, ya know, for good measure.

It was important that we worked with what we had, so I busted out the heart-shaped dishes that were a gift from my mom, the red You Are Special Today plate, champagne glasses, put my almost wilting amaryllis in some stemless wine glasses, and pulled out some wine and bubbly.

Sparkling rosé for the final rose!

It actually wasn’t just any bubbly, but sparkling rosé. I couldn’t resist popping the bottle open since it was just so on theme for the final rose ceremony. To really set the scene, we decided to put candles all over the living room, as in “The Bachelor” way. This is really a must if you want to throw a Bachelor finale party.

Are you fans of the show? What did you think of this season?

Today’s recipes comes from a family friend of both Emily and I.  We went to a Christmas party at her house in 2008 and could not stop eating this dip.  We both asked for the recipe and she laughed, explaining that it was on an old school recipe card and we could copy it, if we would like.  This started a love of hand-written recipes, for me.  I still have the card, but the words are a little blurry (water has spilled on it).  This recipe is both easy and fantastic.  Pair this dip with some sliced sourdough and your friends will be in heaven!

Artichoke Dip
from Julie Nicholas (who found it in a magazine many years ago)

• 1 can (14 ounces) Artichoke Hearts, drained
• 1 cup Parmesean Cheese
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon minced Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Dill
• 8 ounces (1 package) Cream Cheese, softened

Chop hearts coursely in food processor.  Add rest of ingredients and process until smooth.  Place in a 10″ pie plate and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Can be served cold, room temperature or warm.

It disappears just like that!

If you do not have a food processor, don’t worry — I do not either!  I use my mini-prep food processer (or a blender) to chop the hearts, then I just blend everything in my Stand Mixer until smooth. What are some of your go-to appetizer recipes?

Brie en Croute

1 can crescent rolls
1 wheel of brie cheese, about 6 inches in diameter
3 T apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll cresent rolls and don’t separate the dough into two squares. Place the brie on top of the dough square, spread apricot preserves on top of the brie. Top that with another square of dough and wrap the cheese like a tasty present. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown. Serve with crackers and enjoy!