Giants Party

Hi there! It's Monday! I'm happy for a number of reasons.

1. I do not have work today. I love having Mondays off, much more than Fridays, because then I start the week on a Tuesday and somehow it seems like its a less crazy start to the week. Fridays are usually quiet anyway, so I don't really mind being in the office!

2. I have a fun day in NYC planned! Shaun is taking me to get a new camera lens (my Christmas present), then we are having Restaurant Week lunch at Striphouse and then I'm going to my bff Lindsey's to do wedding stuff with her. It doesn't get much better on a day off!

3. Oh yeah...and the Giants crushed the Packers yesterday! Woooo-hoooo!

Shaun and I spent the afternoon and evening at my parents house to watch the game. His parents joined us as well. We dined on way to many snacks and I even created a quick Giants cupcake for the occasion!

We had mini cheeseballs - cheddar and feta

 

a trio of wings - barbeque, buffalo and sesame teriyaki

 

my mom made this amazing cobb salad. love the presentation on this.

 

cold spinach dip with veggies

there was also some Greek layer dip...

and pizza dip on hand

and for dessert? I whipped up these cute Giants-themed cupcakes with some leftover red cupcake liners from Christmas. I used a basic chocolate cake recipe and just whipped up a basic cream cheese frosting with a little blue food coloring mixed in! What can I come up with next week?! Gah!

So that's how we spent Sunday afternoon and evening...cheering on the Giants and stuffing our bellies.

Question of the Day:

How was YOUR weekend?!

Do you prefer to have Mondays or Fridays off from work?

Hosting a Football Party

I kind of stopped doing football recipes mainly because our weekends have gotten so busy and I just haven't had the time to get creative with game day eats. And I completely forgot to tell you about a little football gathering at our place a few weeks ago. My parents and Kimberly & Nick came over to watch the Giants and so Shaun and I got to work on delicious spread. I wanted to keep things light and easy but lunch appropriate since the game started at 1 pm.

If you're looking for an easy menu for any gathering, I highly recommend this one! It was fun making new-to-my-family dishes and everything turned out yummily.

First up, I made my Greek layer dip, which remains one of my favorite dips ever.

I also made my favorite chicken salad veronique. It's perfect on toast, on chips or simply eaten straight off of a fork. Halved green grapes and fresh tarragon really make this a special, sophisticated treat.

To keep things on the light side, I also wanted to include a whole lot of veggies for dipping and snacking. I made a little crudite with spinach dip and my favorite veggie dippers.

Shaun made a rich and creamy hummus, topped with kalamata olives. Absolutely delicious!

To add a little warmth to the table, I cooked up a little pepperjack & pimento dip, one of our favorites this football season.

And to make another, heartier dish, Shaun put together marinated beef skewers! My mom brought the most delicious peanut sauce, which was the perfect dipper for the skewers. We also paired them with hoisin sauce for an additional flavor twist.

My mom brought a big green salad with grilled chicken and homemade balsamic dressing which was the perfect green addition to the spread.

For dessert? We dined on Kimberly's pumpkin & raspberry turnovers and my chocolate caramel apple bars!

And that, my friends, is what I call a perfect football Sunday.

Question of the Day:

Do you have a go-to party food that you always make? Usually my go to is pizza dip, but I tried to branch out a bit for this party!

Halloween Party, Zombies + Brownie Cupcakes

Happy Halloween!

I can't believe that October is coming to a close. We had such a fun weekend and got all zombied up for a giant Halloween party in our apatment building. It was so nice to not have to leave the building (especially in the crazy snow) and the party was amazing! We had expected around 200 people to attend. The party room was packed with people, food, booze, music and creative costumes. As I've mentioned, Shaun and I were zombies for the party. Here's the big costume reveal:

make up close upWe homemade our costumes, which was extra fun. Shaun tattered a suit he picked up at Goodwill, and we used these zombie kits (plus some real make up for me) to get it done...

We had some amazing sponsors for this event. Local restaurants in Jersey City donated food and raffle prizes, which really made the whole thing. Boca Grande, our favorite JC Mexican spot for their amazing empanadas, fresh tortilla chips and fantastic margs, donated gift cards to be raffled, along with trays of flautas and empanadas. I'm pretty sure Shaun and I downed a tray of flautas ourselves :)

Michael Anthony's, an Italian restaurant on the Hudson in JC, which we frequent on many a Friday evening for their spectacular views, sports-showing televisions, and delicious Italian food, donated trays of pasta and 2 gift cards as raffle prizes.

 

Skinner's Loft, one of my personal favorite spots in Jersey City for its cozy bar vibe (I just want to curl up there with a glass of wine and look out onto a snowy street), delicious mac & cheese, and other tapas, donated a very generous gift card raffle prize to the event. And now I'm dreaming of going there once the holidays come around...

Lastly, the Loew's Landmark Jersey City donated a Movie Night for 2. I am mildly obsessed with this theater. It's absolutely stunning, has a world of history and shows fun old movies (one of my personal passions). I can't wait to get over there this fall for some movie showings!

So a GIANT thanks to all of the sponsors for the party this weekend. You have rekindled my love for all of these places and I cannot wait to get back to all of them soon!

Meanwhile, I wanted to leave you with some eye candy. Today we are having a little Halloween lunch at work, so I am bringing my carmelized potato & parsnip tart and some cute little brownie cupcakes. My mom found this Betty Crocker recipe and I knew it would be a perfect Halloween treat.

Yum!!

Questions of the Day:

Did you get a blast of cold or snowy weather this weekend?

What, if anything, did you do to celebrate the holiday?