Big Entertaining Ideas for the ‘Big Game’

Having a party of any kind can be stressful. If you're having friends and family over to watch the game on Sunday, here are a few helpful hints to having a super, stress free party. 

Before the Party

Make sure your ice maker is on overdrive. Empty the ice bucket often and put it in bags. If you don't have an ice maker on your fridge, make sure you buy plenty of bagged ice. We always put beer in one cooler, water in another and pop in another and load them up with ice and keep at least another bag on hand in the freezer just in case. Putting beverages in coolers frees up space in the refrigerator, too. Put them on the deck or in the garage and don't forget to label each one. For food make sure you know which one is going to go in which serving piece, so you have them out of their storage spot, clean and ready to use. Grab a three section laundry hamper and put garbage bags in the slots. Leave it in the kitchen so when guests go to refresh their drinks, the recycling is visible, no sorting needed.

During the Party

Keep cold appetizers like fruit, vegetables and dips already chopped and prepped in the refrigerator, so when you notice they're getting low you can quickly swap them out. Another idea I've seen is putting dip in a clear plastic cup and placing celery, carrots and green peppers in the cup on top of the dip. If you're serving buffet style, the line moves really quick. Enlist a younger family member to help clear dishes, napkins, empty cans and cups to cut down on garbage lying around.

After the Party

If you have stuck on food; especially in pots and pans put some dish soap in them and fill with hot water. Put them on the stove to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. If you're too tired to do that, just squirt some dish soap in the pots and pans and fill them with hot water and leave them to soak overnight. Leave the leaves in your tables and use them as an extra space to keep clean dishes until you can put them all away.

When hosting a party for "The Big Game" make sure you have plenty of carpet cleaner on hand as well as sponges and paper towels to clean up spills. Also, grab pain reliever for those post game headaches, delivery menus just in case you run out of food, extra toilet paper and a plunger. Don't forget to grab extra chairs so there's plenty of room for everyone to sit.