Alexandra Hedin
Alexandra Hedin is a lifestyle and entertaining expert in the Pacific Northwest. She shares her love of food, design and good living in every issue of 425 magazine. Online, you can be inspired at alexandrahedin.com.
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It’s bowl season and everyone loves to gather and watch a football game. Host your friends at home for a fun celebration together and keep it simple so you can enjoy the game, too. For my friends I made an assortment of appetizers, easy soups and ended with an ice cream sundae bar that has something for everyone.
a simple menu
chips and salsa
pizza and nacho rolls
white chicken chili
tortilla soup
sundae bar
caramel brownies
beer-garitas
create s-p-i-r-i-t!
To make my decorations just a little more fun, I created a banner to read “Wilson” (the last name of the homeowners where I hosted this party) and hung it across the mantle. Making your own banner is easy. I cut red canvas into large triangles and finished the edges with seam binder. To paint on the letters, I made stencils using 8.5-inch by 11-inch labels from the office supply store. You can use standard stencils or paint it freehand. Make them as personal as you’d like. To hang, I used grommets and ric-rac. Hang it across your front entry, above the kitchen sink or on the mantle like I did.
early kick off
Set up your party so you don’t have to work during the game (or the ads, more importantly). I like to make the food ahead of time and set up my decorations the night before. Since we gather around the coffee table most of the afternoon, I center my decorations there. Creating a fun little display is easy. I use small pieces of Astroturf, football figurines and a pitcher full of bright yellow flowers.
be creative
Astroturf is readily available at the hardware store and can be purchased in any size. Cut to fit and top with football figurines. I cut some Astroturf to fit into clear acrylic trays and used them to serve on. The Astroturf is a fun accent, but also a great way to protect your table from beverage rings.
pizza and nacho rolls
These started as a super simple appetizer, and the more my family liked them, the more ingredients I began to experiment with. Their fancy — almost elegant — appearance is a great disguise for the very familiar flavors.
Ingredients:
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted but not warm
1 cup pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ounces pepperoni slices
¼ cup diced black olives
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup diced green chilies
1 egg beaten
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unfold the puff pastry on a cutting board and roll out slightly to “erase” the fold lines of the pastry. On one sheet of pastry brush on a layer of sauce and top with cheese, pepperoni and olives (or your favorite pizza toppings). Layer cheese and chilies on the second pastry sheet. With each roll, start on one short end of the pastry and carefully roll the pastry keeping the roll tight and the toppings evenly distributed. To seal, brush the last inch of pastry with the egg and press pastry onto itself. Slice rolls into ½-inch sections and lay flat on a Silpat lined baking sheet (or use parchment paper). Bake 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.
cheers!
Set up a station where guests can help themselves to pitchers of beer-garitas (have them made ahead of time) and bottles of beer. A bowl of limes, wedges of lime and clean glasses are all you need to have on hand.
Beer-garitas
These go by many names, the least offensive is Beer-garitas. The inexpensive bulk way of making these cocktails is perfect for a party.
Ingredients:
1 container frozen lemonade concentrate
1 container frozen limeade concentrate
1 dozen 12-ounce beers
One fifth of Triple Sec
Directions: Mix it all together. Don’t dilute the concentrate — the beer will do that. Serve over ice with lime garnish.
sweet celebration
The best part? Dessert. Oh, and your favorite team winning. In the spirit of serving yourself, I created a sundae bar filled with toppings. I like to make my own strawberry sauce in the summer and keep it canned until it’s needed. A quick trip through the candy store will fill the rest of your bar. To set up the bar I filled small square vases with toppings. Chocolate and vanilla ice cream is all you need when you have so many topping options. I pre-scooped the ice cream to make it easier (and faster) to serve.
easy is the goal
In the kitchen, pick a spot to set up a “self-service” bar. At someone else’s house, it’s nice to not have to try to find spoons, napkins and beer bottle openers. For serving soup, your bar should also have big soup-spoons and extra bowls. Encourage your guests to help themselves throughout the day.
game plan at a glance
• Make the soup early in the day. Soup gets better the longer it cooks so keep it on low and stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks.
• Soup or chili is a great option for days when friends will be over all day. Both stay warm on the stove and make seconds (and thirds) inviting.
• Pick a color scheme and run with it. Scour through your house and find everything you own in that color. You’ll be surprised how fast it comes together.
• A banner announcing your house is a helpful way for guests to find your it. You can have your kids make one out of craft paper or paint letters on canvas — like I did.
• Use fabric paint and stamps to create your own napkins. Add your team’s logo or a specific cheer to make it more spirited.
For the full story pick up the latest copy of 425 magazine. Subscriptions are available by phone at 425.646.1380 or you may order your subscription online.
