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ELLEN'S KITCHEN
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SuperBowl Sunday Surprise Birthday Party
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Jonathan
01/25/12
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Planning a surprise birthday party on SuperBowl Sunday evening. Looking at 13-15 people, around 7 PM, though nobody is a big football fan.
Cake & fruit for dessert is already taken care of by others. I'm trying to plan out the rest of the evening with no party-planning experience.
For a few reasons, not the least of logistics required to keep it a surprise, the main dishes will have to be prepared by noon and then reheated, and any appetizers warmed/cooked, after 6 PM.
Do you have any suggestions for appetizers, perhaps from Costco or Trader Joe's? I'm thinking of a variety of chips & a vegetable platter and dips, mini quiches, and mozzarella & zucchini sticks.
For the main dishes, I'm thinking of a half (or full?) tray of chicken parm, a half tray of cavatelli and broccoli and a half tray of roasted potatoes, along with fresh garlic bread. (Do I need more than three half trays for 13-15 people? The local Italian restaurant says they are 8-12 servings each.)
Thanks in advance!
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ellen
01/26/12
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Jonathan, are these fairly adventurous eaters? For example, would they enjoy a Mediterranean platter with stuffed grape leaves, olives, feta and pepperoncini? Write back.
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Jonathan
01/26/12
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Some might but probably not all. (Some are semi-Kosher too so no pepperoni or any pork products.)
And to add to my questions... Any advice on reheating the food? To keep the surprise, I only get from 6-7 to do any last minute prep, appetizer setup, etc. I can use some of the guests to do some final stuff -- its not formal -- and the surprise is a few minutes after 7. Of course, dinner wouldn't be right at 7 so I think there is enough time if its planned right.
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Jonathan
01/26/12
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Misread pepperoncini as pepperoni so the pork part doesn't apply though it is still a little too adventurous for some of the guests.
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