Super Bowl Bingo

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As promised, here is my Super Bowl BINGO. Click here to download the PDF file. You could also use a football themed paper or plain cardstock.

I give each guest 1 sheet, which has 2 printed BINGO cards—double the cards, double the fun. You could also cut each sheet into half and give each player 1 card.

To play, participants watch the game and look for the items on their BINGO card. If there is a dispute about whether something “counts”, you may resolve the issue with either a majority-rules vote or designate someone as the BINGO referee before the game starts.

We offer multiple winning options. We play 4 types of BINGO simultaneously: traditional BINGO, all 4 corners on one card, two diagonals on the same card to form a big X, and covering every square on one card. The first person to accomplish any of the 4 types of BINGO wins that prize. Play continues until all 4 BINGO types have been won. We keep a large dry erase board next to the screen and circle each game as it is won.

My daughter serves as the BINGO master.  She keeps up with marking-off finished games and handing out prizes.  This gives her something fun to do, as she is not really interested in the game.  I give her a whistle to blow when a successful BINGO is called and an official BINGO Master hat to wear.  She is not responsible for settling disputes, as grown adults get very passionate about this game and she is still a little girl. 

Winter Appetizers

Looking for some good party appetizer recipes? Click here to download the Better Homes and Garden’s Winter Appetizer booklet.  The crab dip would make a great Super Bowl Party choice.  Happy eating!

Crab Dip

Makes: 10 servings
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Yield: 1-1/3 cups
Prep: 20 mins Chill: 2 hrs to 24 hrs

Ingredients

1 cup cooked crabmeat or one 6-ounce can crabmeat, drained, flaked, and cartilage removed
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion or green onion
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dillweed or 1 teaspoon dried dillweed
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel or lime peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice or lime juice
Several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
Dash cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and black pepper
Finely chopped red or green onion (optional)
Assorted crackers and/or vegetable dippers

Directions

1. In a small bowl stir together crab, mayonnaise, sour cream, the 2 tablespoons onion, the 1 tablespoon dill, the 1 teaspoon lemon peel, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, and, if desired, cayenne pepper. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

2. Transfer dip to a serving dish. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. If desired, garnish wtih finely chopped red or green onion. Serve with crackers or vegetable dippers. Makes about 1-1/3 cups (10 servings).

Super Bowl Pool

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As promised . . . the Super Bowl Pool.

Print out the Super Bowl Pool grid. Determine roughly how many guests will be playing. The grid has 100 squares. Divide 100 by the number of players. This will determine how many squares each player may have on each grid (remember there are 4 grids). For example if you have 32 players, each player may have 3 squares. Ask each player to put their initials in the square(s) they choose.

Some squares will go unclaimed. You may choose to leave them blank or come up with a way to let players win additional squares (like drawing their name from that hat or having Fear Factor/Minute to Win It style competitions).

At the end of each quarter, match the last digit of each team's final score with the grid to decide the winner. For example, a score of Patriots 13, Giants 26, would mean finding the square where 3 on the vertical scale meets 6 on the horizontal. If Bill chose the space where these two numbers meet, he's the winner.

There is also a sheet for guessing the time the game will end and the combined final score.

Football Field Table Cover

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With 9 days to go, I am starting to gather my party decorations and supplies together in the dining room. If I break it up into pieces, I can get it all done over the next week during my kids’ naptime. The downside is playing the “Don’t Touch That” game with the two-year-old all week.

I got THE table cover down from the attic today. The one that makes all the kids start their, “How many more days until the football party?” concert. It is a pretty good performance. It lasts for days and is sometimes performed in harmony—although always out of tune. Trying to explain the concept of 9 more days to the two and three year olds is pointless— ten more naps (if you start now it will be only 9 when you wake up), 9 more sleeps, 5 more trips to the playground, 2 more church days . . .

I made this many years ago-- And when I say many years, I am not (for once, not even a little bit) exaggerating. OK it was eight years ago (exactly eight). I don’t know why I always feel the need to be so vague. The important thing is that it still looks great! And, it cost less than $30, which averages $3.75 per year—a total bargain.

To make it I went to Home Depot and had the carpet department cut a piece of artificial turf four feet longer than my table. I brought it home and used a box cutter to cut the width the exact width of my table. I used the remnants to make coasters and placemats for the TV trays. I then used white masking tape to mark-off the yard lines. I found the numbers in the scrapbook department of the craft store. They are glittery cardboard stickers. They did fall off over the years and have since been glued back on.

This is a great cover to protect my table. At the end of the party, I use the dust buster to vacuum up the spills. Then, I roll it up and store it away for the next year (and another concert).

 

Will You do me a Super Bowl Favor?

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I put together these fun favor buckets for this year’s party. I am sending them home with the kids, but I am sure that adults will like them too. They are plastic buckets from the dollar store. I wrapped a football necklace around the handle and filled the inside with candy and tissue paper grass. You could also use left over Easter grass. I finished it off with a sticker that says, “We hope you had a SUPER, good time!” Click here to download the stickers. They can be printed onto Avery 22807 labels.

 

Football Guacamole

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Use Shelley's guacamole recipe to make this adorable football dip. It would also make a great 10-layer mexican dip.

Football Snacks

I found these at the store today:



Be a Super Fan

I like to set up a face painting and temporary tattoo station for guests to use.  The kids (and kids at heart) love it.  There are always a few people who are too cool to dress up.  Once they arrive and see everyone, they join in.  I do leave it as a do-it-yourself station, which can have its consequences (see photo):

Super Fan Tool Kit:

Super Bowl 46

New England Patriots                                         Vs.                                                 New York Giants

February 5th, 2012

Kickoff time: 6:30EST / 5:30 CST

on NBC

This is a party decorator’s dream. Both teams are the same color! Before you run out to buy decorations, check around the house for:

• 4th of July decorations that can be repurposed
• You kid’s/husband’s sporting equipment (helmets, balls, pads, cheerleading uniforms, whistles, t-shirts, pom poms, etc)
• Anything red or blue from your party decoration leftovers (streamers, balloons, paper plates, napkins, etc.)
• Red or Blue household items (blankets, pillows, tablecloths, etc.)
• Red or Blue craft supplies (construction paper, poster board, ribbon, fabric, etc.)

Remember to think outside the box. It is a rainy day in the southeast today. It is perfect weather for staying indoors, gathering supplies, and coming up with a plan and shopping list. Happy hunting!

Let's Eat

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Super Bowl Menu

The Super Bowl is all about snacking. This menu provides a variety of options. Make sure to keep all your hot items hot and your cold items cold. You don’t want your guest leaving with an unwanted parting gift.

Main Dish:

Party Sub/ Deli Tray/Homemade Sandwich Platter

Homemade Chili and Cornbread Muffins

Appetizers:

Variety of Chips and Crackers

Cheese Ball or Cheese Tray

Buffalo and Lemon Pepper Wings

Veggie Tray

Relish Tray

Cold Dips:

Salsa

Onion

Creamy Dill

Curry

10-Layer Mexican

Hot Dips

Artichoke

Buffalo Chicken

Nacho Cheese

Side Dishes:

Fruit Salad

Potato Salad

Pasta Salad

Broccoli Salad

Kids:

Hot Dogs

Make Your Own Grilled Cheese Station

Drinks:

Hot Cocoa

Hot Cider

Hot Water and Teabag assortment

Coffee

Soda

Lemonade

Sweet Tea

Super Bowl Playlist

If you push the play button, a small clip from each song will play.

Star Spangled Banner, LeAnn Rime
Everybody Have Fun Tonight, Wang Chung
Eye of the Tiger, Survivor
You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, Bachman-Turner Overdrive
We Will Rock You, Queen
The Monday Night Football Song, Hank Williams Jr.
Tubthumping, Chumbawamba
Let’s Get it Started, The Black Eyed Peas
Get Ready for This, The Hit Crew
(Simply) The Best, Tina Turner
A Little Less Conversation, Elvis Presley
Holler Back (Football Mix), The Lost Trailers
We Are the Champions, Queen
The Winner Takes it All, Abba

Super Treat!

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This yummy football treat recipe is from ricekrispies.com:


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups Cocoa Rice Krispies®
Canned frosting or decorating gel

Directions:
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted.
2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Cool slightly. Using buttered hands shape mixture into sixteen 3-inch footballs. Decorate with frosting. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add peanut butter, stirring until melted. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Note:  For best results, use fresh marshmallows.  1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme can be substituted for marshmallows.  Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended. 

Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in single layer on wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Get Your Game On

Games make for a great Super Bowl party. They keep the big game fun and engaging for football novices. If someone doesn’t understand the rules, they are not going to enjoy the game. I like to give them something else to do. I also give away fun prizes—always a crowd pleaser, especially for the kids.

The first time I had a Super Bowl party, I hired a babysitter and set up a “kid zone” with video games, movies, toys, crafts, etc. I was surprised that they all ended up watching the game with the adults and my babysitter money was wasted. They desperately wanted to go home with a prize and were hyper-focused on winning.

Tongue Fumble:
This is the kids’ favorite game. They hide and lurk waiting for someone to fumble. Anyone who wants to play is given 10 poker chips as they arrive. We use small plastic cups to hold them—they were bought on clearance and say “Super Bowl XXXVII” Since no one ever takes the time to make the Roman numeral conversion, it has gone unnoticed for 8 years. (OK Dr. Thomson, the college professor noticed, but I don’t think he counts, he notices everything.).

A list of words is posted for everyone to see. These are words players are not allowed to say. If someone catches a player saying one of those words, they have to hand over one chip. At the end of the evening, the winner is the person with the most chips. House Rule: No combining chips. The words I use are: team, ball touchdown, quarterback, Super Bowl, and pass.

The large sign I made in 2003 did not survive the year in my attic. This year I printed out labels to put on the cups. I also made small signs. I am going to laminate them to use as placemats on the TV trays.

Instead of chips you could also use football player cards or pennies. This year I found these adorable silver football helmets in the craft aisle.


Stay tuned for future posts on Bingo, football trivia, and the game pool.

Look the Part

If you are a football super fan, you already have a closet full of jerseys and t-shirts to wear on Super Bowl Sunday. If football is new to you, don’t forget to pick out your party outfit long before the big day. I once found myself looking for anything orange to wear 20 minutes before my guests started arriving. Sadly, the only orange item in my closet was my son’s pumpkin costume. I am not sure what it was doing in there, but I found myself wondering if I could use it to whip up a quick scarf in time. I decided to go with a neutral, all black outfit.  As everyone started arriving in their cute costumes (excuse me, team colors), I felt a little sad.

The following year, I ordered referee shirts (excuse me, jerseys) for both my husband and myself. Now, I don’t have to pick one side over the other. It's a very good way to welcome fans from both teams into my home without offending anyone. I wear it with a pair of black yoga pants, which makes it unbelievably comfortable—like going to a party in my PJs.

Over the years I have also added some fun costume jewelry. One year I ordered football beads and the pre-teen girls made bracelets for everyone.  I also have a new whistle.  I can call a foul when I see my kids (or husband) breaking the house rules.

Are you ready for some football?!

Gooooooo team! If you are a football fan, you are watching faithfully as teams vie for a champion slot in the Super Bowl. If you are like me, all you want to know is what color to decorate with for the party.



Waiting makes this uber organized planner hyper-ventilate as the calendar ticks closer to Super Sunday. Color is an important party detail. It affects everything from the decorations to the napkins, to the frosting on the cake. And there is nothing you can do, but wait. My super powers are organization and time-management, not patience. As super powers are often genetic, Shelley is missing that gene, too.



Super Bowl is, hands down, my favorite party of the year—and I don’t even care about football. Over the years I have developed games and activities that make it fun for everyone—the serious sports critic (I call him the recliner quarterback), the I-played-football-in-high-school-and-listen-to-sports-radio-for-the-highlight-so-everyone-thinks-I-watched-the-big-game-but-I-work-60-hours-a-week-and-have-4-kids-so-we-all-know-I-have-no-free-time fan (I call him Darling Husband), the woman who asked her brother-in-law if the Detroit Tigers made the football playoffs this year (If you don’t know what is wrong with that question, this is you. It is also me.), the five-year-old boy who asks 300 questions before the games starts and 3000 before half-time, and the teenager who wants to learn more about football, but thinks he is too cool to ask any questions, young, old, male, female, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker.



It is time to send out your invitations. According to CBSSports.com, the Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis will air on Sunday, February 5th at 6:00 p.m., ET and it will appear on the NBC network. The game time will begin at 3:00 p.m., PT on the west coast. This means that kickoff will probably be at 6:30 (they have to introduce everyone and do a coin toss first). If you set your party start time at 5:30pm ET, your guests will have enough time to say their hellos, fix a plate of food, and find their favorite viewing spot in time for the kickoff. Go team party planner!

One man’s junk is a party decorator’s treasure.

I hit the Mother’s of Multiples consignment sale this weekend. I picked up a Little Tyke football-shaped toy chest for $5—SCORE! I plan to use it at our annual Super Bowl party. I'm going to fill it with ice and cans of soda. Then, I’m going to use it as a storage bin for the other decorations.

It’s probably time to confess that I am budget savvy, thrifty, and down right cheap. If it costs too much, I just won’t buy it. I am a yard sale junkie and Maxxinista, but I prefer the term Frugalista. I order everything else online and never without free shipping and a coupon code. My favorite family vacation is our annual trip to the Longest Yard Sale. Yes ladies, we even take an RV to avoid paying for a hotel. If HGTV covers it every year, I can’t be too much of a dork for going. To my critics I say, thrifty is green—I am not cheap, just environmentally savvy.

SAVVY TIP: Keep your eyes open year-round for potential party decorations. Yard sales, the Junior League Attic Sale, church rummage sales, etc are great places to find over-the-top decorations for next to nothing. Go to our Savvy Tips and Ideas Page for more yard sale tips.