Menu Help -- game day meal?

[VillainV]

We have friends coming over on Labor Day to watch a football game (eta:  6pm kick off).  It'll be us and two other couples.  We're going to be at a baseball game until about 2 hours before kick-off, so make-ahead or prep-ahead stuff is awesome.   

For snacks stuff, I can make hummus, and get some cut up veggies and pita chips.   Should we also do chips and guac/salsa?

I figure since it's labor day, we should grill something?  My H likes this honey mustard ginger glazed chicken that I do (I can marinate ahead, then he can throw on the grill about 30 minutes before kick-off).

Sides?
Dessert?

We will have beer/wine/soda.

[whitemerlot]

Guacamole is always the right answer.

I would make a grain salad of some type for the side. You can make it ahead and include some veggies in it. The chicken sounds good.

Dessert could be brownies or bars. Easy to eat

[VillainV]

Aug 30, 2015 15:33:14 GMT -5 whitemerlot said:

Guacamole is always the right answer.

I would make a grain salad of some type for the side. You can make it ahead and include some veggies in it. The chicken sounds good.

Dessert could be brownies or bars. Easy to eat

You're my kind of person :-)   

Do you have any examples or recipes for a grain salad?  That sounds yummy and refreshing.

[darnkatz]

Aug 30, 2015 15:33:59 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Aug 30, 2015 15:33:14 GMT -5 whitemerlot said:

Guacamole is always the right answer.

I would make a grain salad of some type for the side. You can make it ahead and include some veggies in it. The chicken sounds good.

Dessert could be brownies or bars. Easy to eat

You're my kind of person :-)   

Do you have any examples or recipes for a grain salad?  That sounds yummy and refreshing.

This one-pan farro with tomatoes is always a hit when I bring it along to a party or whatever. I also love this mediterranean quinoa salad - I omit the cilantro and add in more bell pepper along with some pepperoncini. Sometimes I use roasted red pepper instead of the bell pepper or add in marinated artichoke.

[VillainV]

Aug 30, 2015 15:38:42 GMT -5 darnkatz said:

Aug 30, 2015 15:33:59 GMT -5 VillainV said:

You're my kind of person :-)   

Do you have any examples or recipes for a grain salad?  That sounds yummy and refreshing.

This one-pan farro with tomatoes is always a hit when I bring it along to a party or whatever. I also love this mediterranean quinoa salad - I omit the cilantro and add in more bell pepper along with some pepperoncini. Sometimes I use roasted red pepper instead of the bell pepper or add in marinated artichoke.

Those look really yummy.  I'm just not sure if I can pull off quinoa salad for THE BIG GAME.  My husband would laugh in my face.   I mean, he'd like it, but probably not while watching THE GAME, you know?

[dcn]

You could do a pasta salad (easy to make ahead) or a bean salad as a side.

[whitemerlot]

If you don't want to do a grain, this pasta salad is delicious.

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tomato-feta-pasta-salad-recipe.html


I love this, but it's probably too "out there" for the game. I bought the pre-cubed butternut squash from Trader Joe's for this, and use precooked farro from target.

smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/10/butternut-squash-salad-with-farro-and-pepitas/

[darnkatz]

Aug 30, 2015 15:41:07 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Aug 30, 2015 15:38:42 GMT -5 darnkatz said:

This one-pan farro with tomatoes is always a hit when I bring it along to a party or whatever. I also love this mediterranean quinoa salad - I omit the cilantro and add in more bell pepper along with some pepperoncini. Sometimes I use roasted red pepper instead of the bell pepper or add in marinated artichoke.

Those look really yummy.  I'm just not sure if I can pull off quinoa salad for THE BIG GAME.  My husband would laugh in my face.   I mean, he'd like it, but probably not while watching THE GAME, you know?

Ha, fair enough.   French onion farro casserole is freaking delicious (thanks, @mrswindycity!). Might be more football friendly? Not full of vegetables, though. Just onion. And gooey cheese.

[t]

I love this salad as a prep-ahead side:
www.kimshealthyeats.com/black-bean-mango-quinoa-salad/

My trick - I buy frozen mango cubes instead of man-handling one myself. By the time I'm home from the store, it's thawed enough to cut into smaller pieces, but still frozen enough that it's easy to tackle.

Make extra dressing since it absorbs completely - toss the extra on right before serving. I add extra lime juice and red wine vinegar to give it a bit more flavor.

[holly116]

I hosted a baby shower today and made a bunch of finger foods. These buffalo chicken roll ups were so good and could be made the day before: homecookingmemories.com/buffalo-chicken-tortilla-pinwheels/#_a5y_p=3231322

[boiler717]

I prefer snacky appetizers vs chicken breasts (although your idea with a grain salad sounds healthy and delish!). I'd do wings and nachos probably.

[luckyno7]

What about Buffalo chicken dip? You can find the recipe on franks red hot sauce website. You can even use canned chicken.

[luckyno7]

This is really good too!
www.food.com/recipe/pickle-roll-up-dip-510637

Serve with wheat thins.

[pooh8402]

If we're hosting game watching at our house, we usually have BBQ or fajitas, a potato or bean side, a pasta side, salad, fruit, lots of easy to eat apps, and brownies or cookies for dessert.

App suggestions:
The aforementioned buffalo wing dip is popular in my circle. Jalapeño poppers. Texas caviar with fritos. Guacamole, seven later dip. Block of cream cheese with raspberry chipotle sauce poured on top, serve with wheat thins.

[ktw]

I love Pioneer Woman's Orzo Salad for a different type of pasta salad:

thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/mediterranean-orzo-salad/

Do you have a recipe for the honey mustard ginger marinade? Sounds delicious!!

[6fsn]

My go to stupid simple app is soft pretzel nuggets with cheese dip and a couple of mustards

Will you be sitting down to eat? If not I'd think about small kabobs. Have them skewered and marinated and ready to go. You could also consider beef or veggies.

I like this Caesar pasta salad. I leave out the chicken for a side. To make ahead I leave out the lettuce and use only half the dressing. When you get home toss it all together
spicysouthernkitchen.com/caesar-pasta-salad/

I'm also a big fan of this potato salad with oodles of veggies and no mayo
m.allrecipes.com/recipe/109980/veggie-potato-salad-for-a-crowd/?mxt=t06rda