Blog Party #3---Big Game Night Round-up

Hey, come on in! Good to see you, so happy you could make it to this month's Blog Party.

We're expecting a good crowd, and that means lots of good food. Hope you wore pants with an elastic waist...no calorie counting tonight!

You'll see I have a nice array of television sets throughout the house (that's what happens when you merge your belongings with someone else's, as well as upgrade), and I think I've got just about every sport available! Baseball play-offs, college football, racing, golf...you name it. Sound off, closed-captioning on, of course, because I refuse to host a party without music!

And tonight, we're listing to ESPN's Stadium Anthems


a perfect mix of your favorite 'get up and cheer for your team' tunes. Excellent stuff.

And I gotta tell you about Plum Party, this great company I've been known about for a few years. Let me tell you: if you're planning a party, these guys have all your decorating and favor goods!

I mean, just look what I found: Sports Trivia Coasters, a Baseball Mitt Chip'n Dip Set, and these great Football Candles! Doesn't the place look awesome!

Ok...time to meet the guests, and try the food!


One of the first arrivals, Nupur brought some crunchy-looking Wild Mushroom Quesadillas , with house-made Salsa Verde...I have that book, too!...and some of the most gorgeous Jalapeno Poppers I've ever seen! Nupur is just one of many good sports who joined in just for the food, not because they're big into high-paid athletes...thanks for coming, Nupur!




The next guest through the door is Alanna, with a serious case of post-play-off reds! Sorry to hear about your Cardinals, Alanna, but I gotta say...your Squash Pizza is absolutely inspired! And you've even mixed two of my favorite cheeses for this...yum. And I know we're all more than a little curious about that Russian Birch Juice ...hope there's enough to pass around!
I'm so glad you could make it to the party...and here's to spring training!




New to our virtual cocktail party, but someone I've gotten to know over the past year, is Steph. She's not a food blogger, per se (although we did belong to the now-defunct cooking club, Getting Fat Together), but she loves food and cooking as much as the rest of us. So I was thrilled when she RSVP'd in the affirmative for Big Game Night! Steph's brought along her Soft Buttery Pretzels (she's included a recipe, if anyone's interested), as well as all the fixings for Black & Tan's. Now how did she know I have a weakness for soft pretzels? Welcome to the party, Steph!




Another guest racking up frequent-flyer miles just to attend Blog Party, here comes Niki! Oooh, and look what's she's brought: Rosemary-Scented Chorizo Scallop Skewers...Matt's pretty happy about that! And for the 'drink' part of the part-y, Niki's also smuggled shipped in a case of Australia’s favourite full strength beer , Victoria Bitter. Niki, as always, thanks for coming!




Kai just showed up, and boy, does she have some gorgeous dishes with her! I just had to spotlight Flynn's Mojito , both for it's presentation as well as it's creativity; I think we've all learned something here!
But that's not all...even though she's not really a sports fanatic, Kai knows we can't party by drinks alone (no we can't, you cheeky monkeys). So take a look at her Crispy Shrimps and Baked Tahong . Kai, I know this is going to go over well...thanks for being here!




Oh, I'm really happy now...another fan of the Black & Gold is here! Indira, you have no idea how hard it is to be a Pittsburgh fan inTennesseee...lucky for me, Indira'sbrought not only her Terrible Towel, but she's made a Steelers Pizza, too! Go Pittsburgh!
Thanks for coming, Indira!





Yay... Alice is here! And what a perfect Game Night treat she has with her...Nacho Popcorn. Fantastic! And so easy to make. In case we run out (and it looks so good it could happen), we could probably whip up another batch in my kitchen! And Alice knows that few things go better with nachos and testosterone than beer, so she's brought along some Miller Lite (although I must confess I was hand-picked by the good folks at Coors to represent them at their sponsored Halloween party a few years ago...). It's great, Alice...we're all glad you're here!




Another fresh face at the party, let's all give Heather a big welcome! Just don't tell her I'm a Penn State fan...shh.
See, Heather's a fan of all things red, as long as it's Husker red! So for tonight's party, Heather's prepared Go Big Red Pepperoni Pinwheels ,
Chorizo Taquitos (keep an eye on Matt...he's likely to gobble them all up!), and Big Red Drink . It all sounds so good!
Glad you could make it, Heather...and remember that great tune from War, "Why Can't We Be Friends"...




Wow...showing up with one of the more gourmet treats so far is Cath! Even though she's rarely rooting and ranting at the TV screen, she both fondly and bitterly remembers the good times as an NHL fan. And she's provided us with some pretty incredible eats, to boot. Check out her Vanilla Port Poached Pear Pizzetas with Gorgonzola Cheese (mine, mine, mine!), Wild Mushroom Pomponnettes , and those picture-perfect "One bite" Pumpkin Cheesecakes . D-I-V-I-N-E. Thanks for coming, Cath!




Becky's here!
Another gal who's 'eh' on sports, she got the spirit of the event...to make good food! And look at those adorable (is it ok to call food adorable, when connected to sports?) Onion Pom-Poms ! Just brilliant. Becky's also brought Potato Pigskins (yum), and one of the best-named drinks I've heard in a while: Bloodied, Battered and Bruised . Great job, Becky!




One of the last ones in the door, but always welcome, is boo. Turns out Boo's a big racing fan (oh, you really ought to visit; we're so close to so many speedway!), so she had no problem coming up with goodies for tonight's party.
Let's see...taking a slightly Spanish route, there's Slow-Cooked Tomato Squid (good thing I got extra napkins!), Tortilla Tapas , and a Pomegranate Drink ...I'll take another one, thanks!
Glad you could make it, boo...even if it was last minute!



Hey, look! It's another new guest to Blog Party! Glutton Rabbit, you are most welcome. And wow...she's really done us proud with party food...Rabbit's brought a trio of pizzas! Which will be your favorite, BBQ Chicken , Hawaiian Tuna , or Fruity ? They all look so good! And she's made sure there's plenty to drink with her Citrus Cocktail . Rabbit, we're all so happy you could come!


And of course, in my usual 'there won't be enough food' panic mode, I've made some goodies, too.

Starting off with a Sugared Nut Mix and Mexicali Crunch ; two perfect, sports-watching, snacks. The Mexicali Crunch has quickly become a favorite...just a bit sweet, a bit spicy, and very crunchy!


Managing to look appropriately appetizer-y, yet still 'manly', Cheese-Filled Meatballs ...seasoned pork sausage wrapped around chunks of cheese, and baked.

Next, Spiral Reuben Dijon Bites; puff pastry wheels filled with Swiss cheese, deli meat (we used a pepper-coated pastrami), and a bit of Dijon mustard, then baked. Very tasty...I hope you like them!

I'm particularly fond of these tiny Blue Cheese Cups ...Gorgonzola and cottage cheese, sour cream and Bisquick (!), topped with walnuts. Very nice.

Also, Bite-SizedBurritoss...a seasoned beef (no, didn't make any for me this time...figured there would be enough to eat!), mixed with refried beans and cheese, rolled in small flour tortillas, and baked. Cute, aren't they?


And to drink? Why, a nice Spiced Apple Cider, of course! Apple cider simmered with a clove-studded orange, many cinnamon sticks, allspice, and brown sugar. Help yourself...I made plenty!

Ok, everyone...grab a plate and dig in. And I'm sure someone's scoring a goal/run/point/etc some where...



Just a little something to put out there: November's Blog Party may cause a bit of trouble. Our regular 'due date' is the third Thursday of the month, but in the United States, the third Thursday of the month just happens to be Thanksgiving!

And while the majority of the party guests aren't based in the US, I was considering (if only for my own sanity, as I'm cooking T-day dinner) moving November's Blog Party to the following Thursday. Any comments/suggestions?