Chu This: ...Go!

While the rest of the sports fans world celebrates/tries to forget the upset on Sunday, I still have two sinks full of dishes (down from about five) remaining at home...perhaps a sign of a successful party? The second annual Super Sunday was a tremendous success. We had about 45 people pass through during the game, with a good 30 or so staying the whole time. While we expected a good handful of people to remain by the food and on the balcony the entire time, almost everyone had their eyes glued to the two tv's. Don't worry though, the food didn't completely take a back seat to the game. And so as ESPN, sports fans and bloggers analyze play by plays of the Giants' big win, here's my take on the more important aspect of Super Sunday.

Lessons Learned (because what else would a good consultant do?):

1. NEVER shop the Saturday before Super Sunday. The big grocery run took a total of FOUR hours (Costco, Trader Joes, Safeway) because the aisles were packed and people weren't moving. It reminded me of traffic on 101 that I encounter every day.
2. (Detailed) plans are essential, but be ready to deviate from them. I originally planned to do most of the prep work and baking during the week to avoid a last minute crunch. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned and the only thing I crossed off my list during the week was to make the chili (quite essential for the flavors to combine). Luckily, because I had listed out all the different tasks in order, it made the hectic Saturday night/Sunday morning much smoother because we always knew what needed to be done next. Of course, my list was nothing compared to this.
3. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Again, having the list really helps, especially when you have people that aren't familiar with the recipes or what needs to be done.
4. Take pictures of food at least an hour in advance of when guests are to arrive. This goes right along with planning. People showed up early this year (they must have taken the evite suggestion to show up early for a good seat seriously), so there was a good amount of hovering waiting for food to be done. I managed a few quick shots of the food before it was devoured, but it would have been nice to get some quality shots next time.
5. Chafing dishes are a godsend. During past parties, I was constantly at the oven, putting in new food to warm up. The chafing dishes gave me the freedom to heat all the food in the beginning and actually eat/drink/watch the game this go around. And of course, it just makes me look like that much better of a cook :)
6. Enjoy yourself. People have always enjoyed the parties, which always makes me happy. I think as a host though, it's easy to forget to enjoy yourself.

The Hot Table

This was taken before everything was completely out, so we're missing a couple things. Items from the top: Left crockpot - Chili, Baby crockpot - Hot artichoke spinach dip, Right crockpot - Meatballs and chipotle smokies in Bourbon BBQ sauce, Hidden induction pot - Mac n cheese, Left chafing dish - Crabcakes (paired with mango salsa in bowl), Chipotle chicken skewers, Right chafing dish - Sriracha buffalo wings, Pineapple sausage pigs in a blanket with garlic mustard dipping sauce. Not pictured: Cornbread with honey butter.

The Cold Table

Items from Left to Right: Shrimp spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce, Veggies, Chocolate chip cookies, Cheesesticks, Shrimp ceviche, Deviled eggs, Peppered salami/garlic/pepperocini rollups. Not pictured: ranch, onion and hummus dips.

The Side Table