Having a party? The whole gang coming over to watch the Super Bowl or perhaps some upcoming March Madness? Or perhaps a casual get together that requires more than just a couple bottles of wine, a pizza and a bowl of hummus? Here are our favorite recipes for crowds, as well as a few of our favorite items from the grocery to open and serve.
Recipes for Parties (the informal kind)
Buffet-style setups
For starters, let’s talk buffet-style lines featuring our favorite type of food to serve the masses: Mexican. Our two ideas for this same theme are a taco bar and a nacho bar.
Chili
Now, this leads to the best one-dish meal of all time for a crowd: chili. Yes, chili is the great uniter. You can even have some people bring their own personal version to ensure that vegetarians have their bean version and paleo people have their bean-less version and chicken people have their white meat version. If you are looking for chili ideas, we have so many, but these are our two most popular chili recipes of all time:
7-Layer Dip
You can’t have a gathering without some chips and dips, right?! From guacamole to 7-layer dips to hummus, the dip is America’s favorite appetizer. Or, at least here in the South that seems to be the case … and how about a healthier version than the original? Here’s one from our archives that even had an appearance on a cooking show … it’s that good!
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Grocery Store Dips
And then there are our favorite dips to get from Kroger. You know, the good-old standbys that make everyone happy. Pimento cheese, hummus and spinach and artichoke dip. Well, here are a few spins on those ideas to have you reaching just a bit outside the box. Here are the ones we like best:
Palmetto Cheese Spread
This needs to be banned from my house for the sake of my jeans, but unfortunately, it has not been. Coming in from a late night out? Palmetto pimento cheese with jalapeños. Baked potato night? Palmetto pimento cheese with jalapeños. Having a crowd over? You guessed it. Palmetto pimento cheese. It’s just the very best.
Spicy Sweet Potato Bean Dip
Hummus is delicious, and it’s really just a form of bean dip right? Garbanzo beans. If you want to vary it up a bit, Kroger’s Simple Truth brand has a few outside-the-box varieties including a Spicy Sweet Potato Bean Dip that we recently had at the SB offices, and it was a hit. We suggest serving it with blue corn tortilla chips.
La Terra Fina Greek Yogurt Dips
Both the Spinach & Kale and Spinach & Artichoke dips by La Terra Fina are delicious. The fact that they’re made with Greek yogurt only has us eating more, which kinda negates the fact that they are lower in calories … but, hey, probiotics!
When it comes to entertaining, you just need a plan. Even if it’s ordering pizza and serving lots of sides. Make the plan, follow the plan and most of all, enjoy your party!
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For some dinner party tips from a Southern etiquette expert, see our article here.