Last year I hosted my very first Super Bowl Party – Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburg Steelers. Living in the Seattle area, it was only fair I rooted for the Green Bay Packers and lucky for me, they won! Overall party went amazingly well that this year, I want to do the same ….but I want it to be better!
One problem – I am on a tight budget! Yup its the dreaded ‘B’ word.
How to get around it? Potluck?
Last year’s Super Bowl Party, I single handily made (with of course careful planning 2 weeks in advance) the following:
- Rack of Lamb – SouthAfrican Style
- Rack of Lamb – Maple Syrup/Honey Mustard (I guess you could call it French?)
- Chili (from scratch though Sheldon from BBT wouldn’t call it Chili since it had beans)
- Pulled Beef (from scratch)
- 9 Layer Tex Mex Dip
- Coleslaw (to go with the pulled beef)
- Crack Pie (from scratch – that was my unique item to the party)
- Pink Lemonade but color dyed in green to go with the Green Bay Packers
- Chicken Wings – Tandoori style since I was sick of bar style bbq or hot wings
- Home made Guacamole
<pictures below>
Pulled Beef
Chili
Rack of Lamb
Fridge with the food ready for my guests
What I didn’t make but was also included in the menu:
- Cupcakes (since I would take forever doing it on my own) from my neighborhood Safeway in the shape of the end zone
- Salsa – Picante and Verde
- Drinks (Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic – supplied by friends)
- Chips (Tostitos since they are the most favored)
Cupcakes (Chocolate and Vanilla)
Overall Cost : Under $350
My Comment : Not Bad! Too much food that thankfully my guests were warned, the night before when I was prepping, not to eat breakfast and lunch before they got over.
Overall Status: They loved it and want to do it again!
Dilemma: My Budget is now $150 (don’t ask why)
I have this innate desire to learn from my mistakes from a previous project (and there is always something to learn – no such thing as it was perfect) and better myself. One thing I learned was I overcooked because well, I wanted to please my guests. It wasn’t bad since they all had a great time, enjoyed the food, and were very eager to take some of the leftovers home (I love my friends!).
This year I set a challenge to try and produce better results but with a budget of $150. One way I can do this is by Potluck.
What does this mean for me?
- Access the culinary skills of my guests/friends
- Make a guess on what they can handle and what they cannot
- Identify those that require assistance to make certain item PLUS set some time for them to help make it!
- Pray Post-Chinese New Year celebrations does not intervene like last year!
- Most important – Identify who can make it and who cannot
I personally love going to the bar and watching a game but to be honest after hosting my first one at home…its nice to just chill with friends and explain the game/logic/reason behind some of the moves and history. Plus we can have our own games when it comes to watching the Super Bowl Commercial and none of my guests have to worry about vacating the place in a timely fashion.
Oh another great part! No lineup to get into my place and quickly run to get a seat at an awesome location to have an unobstructed view of the TV.
What else do you think I should consider when planning my party?
Any items I should include in my menu?
Graduate with B.A.Sc with a formal academic background in Electrical Engineering. Previous occupations include Product Marketing, Software Testing/Developer and Hardware Engineer. I have a great passion for technology and am always searching for what new things we can expect in the next wave. 
