Can you guys believe it. January is already all but gone. Crazy. Anyways, here I am at work after a relatively nice weekend. Its nice having Vinnie home because now when I need rest I can without having to worry about Jojo so much.
I don't think that Vinnie understands the whole pregnant thing. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks I am just being lazy. Am tempted to give him my What to Expect When Expecting book. He wasn't there at all when I was pregnant with Jo so he didn't see how easy it was for me to get tired. And now with 2 little ones in there its even worse.
So I have a Super Bowl party this Sunday and want to bring something to Wow people with...Any suggestions? I thought of bringing dip but then I figure that everyone will be bringing dip...
I know how happy you must be to have Vinnie back home. YAY!!
Shelly -- you should make Vinnie wear one of those sympathetic pregnancy contraptions that expectant fathers sometimes wear, or that actors use when their characters are pregnant, so he can relate to your backaches, and what the extra weight, all carried in front, feel like. I'll bet that would be a real eye-opener for him! I always wondered where one could find those things... I think they ought to be available to every teenaged girl to wear while she carrier around the bag of flour or hard boiled egg in those pregnancy awareness classes. LOL!
We had some little snow flurries this morning, but the flakes stayed pretty much in the air, so we have nothing on the ground.
Shelly, I think you're right about the dip. Probably a lot of people will bring that, and Buffalo chicken tenders.
You could make a pot of chili, or maybe a big pan of ribs. Do you want food that's substantial, or more nibble stuff. There's always the stuffed jalapenos that people love, but others may have thought of that too. I'm sure that whatever you make, you want to keep it simple, and make sure that it's easily transportable. Maybe something crockpot...
Let me think.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
I just remembered that NC-daughter gave me a recipe that she made in a crockpot, and took to some office thingy, that she said was easy and very popular. I don't know how much of a "wow" factor there is to it, but she said it was good.
I'll look for the recipe that she sent me, but it was kielbasa, mustard ... I think maybe some brown sugar ... I'll look.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
I thought of doing meatballs and buying some of those small rolls. The big thing that keeps floating in my mind is mini-sandwiches of some kind. I thought of doing some chicken salad type sandwiches and then quartering them. I know people will be eating essentially on their laps sitting on the couch so that is the only thing holding me back from the meatball sammies. It can be messy.
Shelly, I think you could combine your idea of sandwiches, chicken salad, and a little wow factor if you make a basic, nonsweet cream puff recipe. I've made these many times for different events, and they're usually a hit.
Have you ever made cream puffs? If not, they're REALLY easy.
What you want to do is to leave the sugar out of the recipe, and make the cream puffs small so that they'll be bite sized. Let them cool completely (and a basic cream puff recipe will make a lot of bite sized ones), and then fill them with chicken salad. When I make these, I usually add some curry powder to the chicken salad, but you could make plain.
It's just a little different twist on making a sandwich, they're little, they look cute, and much fancier than they are to make. It's also inexpensive because you're just using milk, flour, and eggs!
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Then I saw Rachael Ray made these little deep dish pizzas (in honor of Obama) and put them in cupcake pans. I thought that would be a hit too...Argh, just not sure what to do.
Shelly, you could always make some roll-ups instead of traditional sandwiches, and cut them in half (on a slant), and stick toothpicks in them, to keep them together. That would be easy, and you could make a lot of them.
I'm still thinking...
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Here's another idea. Jim and I love Reubens, although I realize not everyone does. There are a gazillion different versions of this recipe for a Reuben casserole, but here's one:
1 lb. sauerkraut 1/4 c. parsley 1/4 c. onion 1 tbsp. celery or caraway seed 2 c. shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 c. Thousand Island dressing 4 tbsp. mayonnaise 3 slices rye bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/2 lb. thinly sliced cooked, corned beef 1/4 c. melted butter
Combine first 4 ingredients; toss to mix well in 8x8 inch baking dish. Top with 1 cup cheese and 1/4 cup dressing and 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; spread evenly. Add corned beef, rest of cheese and the rest of dressing and mayonnaise. Toss bread cubes with melted butter and sprinkle all over. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Yeah, I can't handle the sauerkraut, makes me a little nauseous thinking about it, thank you so much for the ideas..I may end up doing a mini-crock full of mini-meatballs and then making the chicken salad. I think I will actually do turkey salad instead. Wanted to do tuna but you know us pregnant people really can't eat tuna
I love the cream puff idea! They really are a snap to make, too. I put capers in chicken salad for a little oomph, but curry powder is great too.
Good luck, Shelly, and let us know what you decide to make. Just bear in mind that anything you serve could end up on furniture, so think colour scheme, lol. When people watch something exciting, they tend not to pay great attention to dribbles falling off of their food. So if the sofa is the colour of meatballs and chilli, fantastic!
KaeEll, I've made these little cream puffs so many times, and you can fill them with just about anything. The other nice thing is that the puffs can be made ahead of time.
I've filled them with ham salad too, and also chive cream cheese with smoked salmon (chopped).
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Hey, have any of you seen Burn After Reading? I watched it early Saturday night waiting for Ted. I was really disappointed. It had a fantastic cast, and a Coen brothers movie, but sheesh, quell dumb story. I loved Fargo and O Brother Where Art Thou, so I had expectations it would be good too, but nope. Must hand it to John Malcovich, though. He was awfully good but couldn't make up for the intensely stupid plot.
Bran, I'm still waiting for my cable company On Demand movie channel to stock those intrigue movies you recommended, but so far, they haven't.
Kae, never seen that movie. I didn't even have the desire to see it. I'll be staying away from it for sure!
Shelly, I think something super easy would be those little mini burgers...sliders I think they're called? You can make up some turkey and beef patties, get some buns, and get a ton of extras together--cheeses, lettuce, and all kinds of other stuff--and let everyone design their own slider.
Or, go to the Philly cream cheese site, and they have TONS of appetizer ideas. I made these rollups with cream cheese and salsa mixed together, topped with cheddar and chili powder and wrapped in spinach or jalapeno wraps, and people loved them.
OH you guys all this talk of food .. I'm trying to lose weight lmao. I am quite proud of myself actually. I haven't cheated at all and I've even done well while going out to eat. Monday and Tuesday are my days off so yay I am relaxing. Today though if it doesn't snow too much, will be a bit hectic. Tumbling in Taylorville and after that I am getting treated to dinner by one of my friends from work .. well I won it in a little bet but it's all in good fun :)
Shelly I'm so glad that Vinnie is home! I may joke that my husband having a job that would keep him away from home might actually be a welcomed thought (I'd sure clean less) but man it would suck!
I am glad I didn't get Burn after Reading on demand now. Even though we only pay half price for the vod, i still don't feel like wasting my 2.50 lol.
OH I love making appetizers. I usually stick with the tried and true buffalo chicken dip, but lil crab puffs are fun and easy too.. very yummy as well :)
