Jessica's Guide to Food and Entertaining

How to Plan an NFL Party

Congratulations! You were asked to plan your first NFL themed party! It might have been because your favorite team has lost the championship to secure them in the Super Bowl (and you want to celebrate your favorite team just because or you want to celebrate football in general--and let's face it, no one wants to watch possible teams they don't like...2012 Super Bowl for example) or because you have a loved one who is into football and requests a party based on it. Regardless of the situation this book will help you plan your party from start to finish, easy and painlessly.

Getting Started

Before sending out the invitations, decide if you want to have a party based on a specific team or you want a general party focused on the NFL in general. For example, in 2011 I had a Packers themed party complete with Packers decorated cupcakes and balloons. In 2012 I had a general themed party celebrating the whole NFL--my friends came dressed up in their favorite jerseys; cupcakes were decorated with the favorite teams of the guests and the plates were simply just footballs. For both, we had competitive games planned. Once you have planned how broad or general you want your party to be, you can work on invitations. For this how to, we'll be planning a generalized NFL theme.

Guest Lists, Shopping Lists and Organization

This section might seem like a no brainer, but organization is the backbone to a party and without organization, well...it wouldn't be good.

Guest lists:

Putting together a guest list is pretty easy. There are two ways in which you can set up a guest list.

In Microsoft Word:

1. Open Word.

2. Go to (2010) or Open (2003).

3. You will see an area that reads "New." Click it.

4. You will be given a list of templates you can use.

Getting Ready for the Party

Food
Food is the most important piece to a party. Listed below are great food ideas of perfect finger foods that guests will love. I have proved the best of great food ideas and how to obtain or make them. I will include recipes in the appendix.

1. Bratwurst

2. Chicken wings

   1. Local supermarkets or restaurants have chicken wings for cheap. Restaurants also provide a low-cost order with the opportunity of different flavors that you might not get with frozen wings from the store.

   2. Handmade is fun and not time consuming at all. Whether breaded or not, spicy or mild, you can control what your personal preferences are.

3. Potato skins

   1. Wegmans or local grocery store

   2. Handmade, again fun and not time consuming at all. You can make the consistency and thickness to your liking (e.g. jam packed with potato or not very filled, but lots of bacon and cheese).

4. NFL Themed Cupcakes (pictured on the cover)

   1. I would suggest going to the local grocery store for this one--it could be time consuming.

   2. If you have a lot of time, check out the recipe I will provide in the appendix.

5. Chips, pretzels, popcorn, etc.

6. Fruit and vegetable trays.

Of course you can add as many items as you like, you're not limited. However, it should be like a tailgate party. At tailgate parties you don't get very sophisticated food, but finger foods that are easy to pick at and easily to eat on the go.

Decorations

Decorations are the backbone to the aesthetics of a party. Below are some decorating ideas.

• Place team jerseys on the back of the chairs. This will give the feeling that you're a part of the team.

• If allowed, hang posters or pictures of your favorite players. To the right: display of my Packers stock.

Games

Like music, games are essential to a party. They are fun and guests love fun things. Fun things = good; boring things = bad, remember that. For a NFL party, anything that isn't competitive equals bad. However, it doesn't have to be over competitive because that would be equally bad with fights and whatnot. Below I have listed some fun activities.

Wing Bowl

Each year before the Super Bowl, places hold a Wing Bowl that garner national attention. For a party, why not create your own wing bowl? When I mentioned this to the people coming to my party, the enthusiasm was out of this world. Planning a NFL Party, a wing bowl would be a nice little touch to it. Hot or mild sauce, your guests will enjoy this. I had mine set for three minutes, but you can make the duration any length you want.

Relay Race

I played this game while I was out in Green Bay for the tailgate party before the Packers game. It's a great game for competitiveness and bizarre antics on the part of everyone--daring the loser to chug a shot of something or winning prizes--this game will definitely put a smile on everyone's face, even the most competitive of the group.

1.) Break into two or three groups. Name each group for a quarterback (for example: Team Rivers, Team Rodgers and Team Tebow). There should be two people to a group.
2.) As they walk, they must alternate the plastic cups. They should circle the cone until they get to the point where they started. No dropping.
3.) Once person #1 finishes, pass the stack of cups to person #2. They will have to repeat.
4.) Whoever gets back first wins!

Shirt Signing

This is another idea I stole from the tailgate party in Green Bay, but it's so ridiculous that it makes everyone laugh.

1.) Get a group of four people.
2.) Make them put on a pair of men's underwear and undershirt.
3.)They must obtain the most signatures from everyone in the crowd to win.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

Closing

I hope this manual has been of some help to you while you prepare for your NFL themed party. I hope you have a great time and that whatever you have planned creates wonderful, cherished memories.