ENTERTAINING ON THE EASY

ILANA ECK, AKA THE HIP HOSTESS,
GIVES YOU SIMPLE TIPS FOR A STYLISH AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

TOUCHDOWN! YOUR SUPER BOWL PARTY HOW-TO

Score some major points with your friends by hosting a Super Bowl
party. It’s a great event to host since the center of attention is a game
(with great commercials) and casual food is expected. Don’t let the
ease of the party ruin your imagination. Here’s a game plan to get your party started.

SETTING THE SCENE

Turf Centerpieces
Feature your own football field by using a flat of wheatgrass or an Astroturf doormat (unused, of course) as a centerpiece. Place the turf in the middle of your buffet and decorate it with mini plastic footballs or toy football players. Wheatgrass can be ordered through a florist or purchased from a health food store with a juice bar or at some local farmers markets.

Cheering Props
Fulfill your fantasy of being a cheerleader and get fans into a cheering mood by providing props, such as pom-poms and mini megaphones. You can purchase pom-poms by the dozen from a party supply store, such as the Oriental Trading Company.

Betting Squares Pool
Give fans the opportunity to get invested in the game (literally) by providing a betting squares pool. Print a pool grid from a template online or make your own on a piece of poster board. Draw a 10-by-10 grid and write the name of one team on the top of the grid and the other team on the left-hand side. Invite contestants to buy squares for $1 to $5 per square ($1 per square puts $100 in the pool; $5 per square makes it $500), filling in their chosen squares with their initials. After all the squares are filled, draw numbers (0 to 9) out of a hat and assign each number one at a time, moving from the left to right along the top of the grid, and top to bottom down the side of the grid. The object of this pool is to have the combination of numbers that match the last numbers in the score of the game (i.e., if the score was 21-17, then the person whose square is located at the intersection of 1 and 7 would win). Give payouts at the end of the first quarter (10 percent of the pool amount), at half time (15 percent), at the end of the third quarter (10 percent), and at the end of the game (65 percent).

HIP TIPS

Decorate with your team’s colors, or use grass green for an impartial theme.
Provide team-colored face paint, especially if kids are joining the party. Set up a face-painting station on the bathroom counter to keep the painting contained to a stain-resistant area.
Create your own Astroturf coasters by cutting Astroturf into square pieces, then place them in a stack on the coffee table.

THE MENU

Set out a few make-ahead appetizers and munchies at kickoff, and serve the main event during half time. A buffet is the best way to serve food at a party centered around the tube. Set up a chili or taco bar so each person can add their own toppings to their liking. Desserts should be bite-size so they can be eaten without looking away from the game.

Kickoff
	Spiced nuts*
	Kickin’ black bean hummus*
	Sweet potato fries with chipotle ketchup

Half Time
	Chili (beef, turkey and/or vegetarian) Chili topping bar -shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese -sour cream or Greek yogurt -diced tomatoes -diced avocado -hot sauce -pickled jalapeños -crushed tortilla chips
	Pepper jack cornbread muffins
	Romaine salad with cilantro-lime vinaigrette*

Touchdown
	Espresso chocolate chunk cookies*
	Bite-size brownies
	Football cocoa krispy treats*

Thirst Quenchers
	Non-alcoholic sports drinks
	Microbrew beer from the teams’ regions
	Romaine salad with cilantro-lime vinaigrette*

*Recipes available at www.hiphostessblog.com

HIP TIPS

Serve game-day classics with a hip twist. Add a slice of Havarti with dill before wrapping pigs in their blankets, serve braised short ribs with a chili glaze, or make a buffalo chicken and black bean pizza, using BBQ sauce or salsa as the sauce and topping it with jack cheese.
Make your own flavored popcorn by adding Parmesan, cumin or cinnamon sugar to freshly popped kernels.

Ilana Eck is an attorney by day and the Hip Hostess by night. She writes a food and entertaining blog, www.hiphostessblog.com, offering recipes, tips and ideas for hosting with style. Ilana lives in New York City with her husband, Etienne, and doesn’t let her small space stop her from entertaining at home.

ENTERTAINING ON THE EASY

ILANA ECK, AKA THE HIP HOSTESS, GIVES YOU SIMPLE TIPS FOR A STYLISH AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

ILANA ECK, AKA THE HIP HOSTESS,
GIVES YOU SIMPLE TIPS FOR A STYLISH AFFAIR TO REMEMBER