Okay.  It was a disaster.

People still had fun though and that’s the most important thing. That and the dessert.

Since then I’ve learned a few things about party planning.

5 Tips to Throw a Successful Party

Here are 5 tips that are sure to save you money, time, and stress:

1. Give yourself enough time to plan the party. I usually start planning about six weeks prior to the date of the party. That gives me enough time to make a guest list, pick a theme, and shop for items needed for the party. Time is definitely your friend when you are planning a party on a budget. It allows you to watch for sales on items needed for the party and to spread your purchases out.
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff. I have a tendency to freak out when things aren’t “perfect.” Rarely do things turn out exactly like I planned so I try to just go with the flow. That way, once the guests arrive, I’m not frazzled and can enjoy the party.  Perfect or not.
3. Use shortcuts such as the nugget sliders shown above. It’s a simple, stress free way to feed a lot of people without spending a ton of money. Serve it alongside some spiced mayo or bbq sauce and you’ve got a fabulous spread that took minutes.
4. Prep food the day before the party. Cut up veggies, mix dips, and bake treats one or two days ahead of time. I also like to lay out my platters, plates, and silverware the night before so I’m not scrambling at the last minute to find a dish.
5. Create a budget. I think the best way to throw a party on a budget is to use what you got. I always have a few brownie mixes on hand. Toss in a handful of nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, or candy and you’ve just taken your box of brownies to a whole new level. You can also always find celery, carrots, and bell peppers in our crisper drawer along with a can of beans in our pantry. Whip up a quick veggie platter with some hummus.

While these tips work for any party, I was thinking specifically of the Superbowl when I came up with the recipes. Here are a few recipes that are sure to be winners at your next tailgate!

8 Super Bowl Recipes

Buffalo Blue Cheese Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 – 15 oz can white beans
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup buffalo sauce or marinade (I used KC Masterpiece)
• 1/4 blue cheese crumbles

Directions:

In a food processor combine the first four ingredients and blend until creamy.  Add the blue cheese crumbles and pulse a few times.  Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Nugget Sliders

I would make at least two of these for each person you are expecting. Leftovers are always a good thing. Buy fully cooked, prepackaged chicken nuggets and as many dinner rolls as needed. Cook the nuggets per package instructions. Open the rolls and place one nugget inside each roll. Serve alongside condiments, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc.

The following are a few other recipes you might like:

• White Bean, Sun Dried Tomato, and Basil Hummus
• Pico de Gallo
• Spicy Chili Con Carne
• Crockpot Sloppy Joe’s
• Spicy Black Bean Burgers
• Baked Chicken Flautas

What are your favorite party planning tips and tricks?

Krista is a wife and a stay-at-home mom to four boys. When she’s not making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or cleaning up the mess from them she writes for her blog, Budget Gourmet Mom. She believes that eating on a budget doesn’t mean it can’t be gourmet food.  That shows in the family friendly recipes she shares and the easy to find ingredients she uses. Not only can you follow her on her blog but on Facebook and Twitter as well.

When I came across this idea on Pinterest, I knew I had to try a Snowman Pizza as well. It was super easy to make and I had enough dough leftover to make a few small pizzas as well.

We decided to do three different flavors: the bottom pizza was a Hawaiian flavored pizza, the middle was a cheese pizza with ranch dressing as the sauce, and the top layer was a regular cheese pizza with regular pizza sauce. I made the crust myself using the same crust as mentioned here but, you can use premade, frozen or a dough mix.  Really, whatever you like. For the eyes, mouth, and buttons, I used olives and the nose is a carrot.

Snowman Pizza Recipe

Directions:

1. Make dough of choice (following instructions for preheating oven).
2. Roll dough out into three circles varying in size.
3. Prepare your cookie sheet with either a piece of parchment paper or cooking spray and sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on top (you can skip the cornmeal if you don’t have it on hand).
4. Place the largest circle of dough at the bottom of your pan and top with your choice of toppings.
5. Place the medium size circle on your pan and top with toppings of your choice. Make sure to overlap your bottom piece just a bit. Place your smallest size cirlcle on pan at the top. Again, overlap the medium circle just a bit.
6. Apply the toppings after all of your layers are in place. Sprinkle one more layer of cheese over your entire pizza. Feel free to use olives as your buttons, eyes, and mouth. I used three olives for the buttons and five for the mouth. Also, you can wash a carrot and cut to size to use as the nose.
7. Bake according to your dough instructions.

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr.

 Brandi is the creator of The Creative Princess. She is a stay-at-home mom of two beautiful girls, avid couponer, crafter and a Pinterest addict.You will find awesome tutorials, creative couponing, cooking and crafting on her blog, she also takes you down her crazy journey of life around her small Oklahoma town.

One of my all-time favorite meals to enjoy the day after the massive feast is a Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. Piling shredded turkey on top of homemade cranberry sauce and topping it with stuffing and gravy all between slices of fresh Italian bread exudes all of the wonderful tastes of the holiday.

Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Sandwich

Ingredients (for one sandwich):

• ¼ cup shredded turkey
• 2 tablespoons stuffing
• 2 tablespoons gravy
• 2 slices fresh Italian bread
• 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Warm turkey, stuffing and gravy in microwave on high for 1 minute.
2. Top one slice of Italian bread with cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing, gravy, salt and pepper.
3. Top layers with second piece of bread and enjoy.

For another great sanwich using the extra turkey, toss the turkey between slices of ciabatta bread and then press between two hot plates of a panini press. The final result will be a great tasting Italian-style sandwich that will knock your socks off all while using up your delicious leftovers.

Turkey Balsamic Panini

Ingredients:

• Two slices of Ciabatta bread
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Rosemary
• Cooked and shredded turkey
• Two tomato slices
• Spring mix salad
• Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
• One slice Mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat a panini press to get the plates nice and hot.
2. Spread extra virgin olive oil on outsides of bread; sprinkle rosemary on top of extra virgin olive oil.
3. Place turkey, tomatoes, spring mix, dressing and mozzarella on one slice; top layers with second slice of bread.
4. Put sandwich on panini press and press down slightly; cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until bread is nice and crispy and cheese is melted.

Over the long holiday, it’s nice to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers in sandwiches, appetizers and even main dishes. If you’re left with container after container of turkey, there are countless ways to put this delicious leftover to use. Huge chunks of turkey can easily be shredded and tossed into casseroles, soups, sandwiches or even this warm and comforting Turkey Pot Pie dish:

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts (2 pie crusts total), softened as directed on the box
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion (watch your fingers!)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place one pie crust into a pie plate (as directed).
3. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until tender.
4. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended.
5. Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
6. Stir in turkey and mixed vegetables and then remove from heat.
7. Spoon turkey mixture into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top of crust.
8. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During the last 15-20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.
9. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

When it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers, the possibilities are endless. What do you love to create using Thanksgiving leftovers?

Jen Tilley has an insatiable appetite for all things related to baking and cooking. She is the author, photographer and recipe developer on How To: Simplify, a blog that shares tips, tricks and recipes to simplify life in the kitchen. She enjoys sharing recipes that require very few ingredients and only a small amount of prep and cook time, all of which make time spent in the kitchen simple and enjoyable. Find her online at How To: Simplify and @HowToSimplify.

• What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)
• When: Tuesday, July 14, 9-11 p.m. EDT
• Where: Party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtag #gno.)
  
• Topic: Simple Summer Meals
  
• Who: @bowlher @citymama @mombloggersclub @erikalehmann @plussizemommy @rachelferrucci @scrappinmichele @thinkmaya
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