Last night MM and I hosted a few friends to watch the big game. Space is limited in our NYC apartment and we like to keep our parties to warmer months to take advantage of our yard; hosting indoor parties makes for a tight squeeze. You know how things go though, you invite a couple of people and it somehow turns into 19 adults, 2 dogs and a baby.
We prepared a few dishes and everyone brought something to contribute, people did not disappoint. I made Paleo Chocolate Chili (adapted from this recipe and made in a crock pot, I changed up the spices and added sweet potato), it came out great; it’s one of my favorite chili recipes. I also made a football cake. I bought a football cake pan years ago and it’s pretty amazing how much use I’ve gotten out of it.
[party prep includes eating lots and lots of extra frosting]
Jill made a huge bowl of guac (recipe from Barefoot Contessa) but too much guac is the right amount of guac if you ask me.
Lauren made a vegetarian taco salad to compliment the extremely meat-heavy chili. I’m a fan, the recipe is at the bottom of this post. Along with all of that was cauliflower buffalo bites (didn’t get a chance to try them but have some leftovers with my lunch today), chips of every variety, dips, drinks, cookies, chocolates, etc etc…
With the big crowd I could barely pay attention to the first half (so many things going on, plus looking after Ollie to make sure he didn’t lose his mind with all these strangers in his house). I finally settled in around half time (which I thought was a solid show) and was able to focus for the second half. It was a crazy game and the crowd at our place was going wilddddd. A lot of our guests are from the Boston area or are dating/married to a Boston fan so it made for an intense group.
[I’m obsessed with this little face]
[Linder & Lauren enjoying puppy time]
[twinsies]
Aside from the game, I want to call out how much I loved the Always Like A Girl ad. I had seen some of that footage a few months back and loved it then and am happy it’s getting so much attention.
All in, it was a great night: excellent food, friends, cute doggies and a win for the Pats!
Vegetarian Taco Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
- lettuce
- tomato
- cucumber
- red onion
- 1 can of kidney or black beans
- 1 or 2 peppers (green, yellow, red…whatever!)
- 1-2 avocado
- Cashews
- Lime juice
- Chili powder
- Agave or honey
- 1 package of fake ground meat (can get from fridge section near tofu at trader joes)
- frozen corn bag (mexican , also from trader joes)
- trader joes taco seasoning
What to Do:
For the cashews, buy whole natural cashews and saute them in a pan with some fresh lime juice (1 lime), chili powder, and a little agave (or honey!) Add the agave last, cook for about 5 minutes until they are nice and toasty and let cool before you add to the salad
For the fake beef and corn – saute frozen corn in a pan and then add the fake beef, plus a little of the taco packet for seasoning. Cook for 5-10 minutes and let cool before adding to the salad (for the salad mix everything else together, duh you know how to make a salad).
For the dressing mix fresh lemon, olive oil, white vinegar, fresh squeezed garlic, and a good amount of the taco seasoning packet, mix it all together and enjoy.
