any excuse for a party: clambake edition

you all know that i love essie's clambake nail polish, but there is nothing i love more than an edible clambake in the summer!

i would love to throw one this summer once our move is complete, but first i need a few essentials:

tiki torches / coasters / beverage tub / beach boys sounds of summer / apron / lobster crackers / lobster pot

throw some beers on ice, light the tiki torches, and put the beach boys on with the volume up! 

this kind of lobster pot is great because you can do steamers in the bottom and then the lobsters in the top - here's a great basic recipe for both. i like to serve my feast with drawn butter and clam broth for dipping, along with corn and tomato salad (recipe here) and plenty of napkins!

on a multi-tasking note, i am thinking that the galvanized beverage tub could double as a storage place for my magazines, making it a multi-purpose purchase!

any excuse for a party: super bowl edition

it's the middle of winter. the holidays are over, and spring is so far away. the only holiday on the calendar is valentine's day, and that isn't really a group party type of thing. enter the super bowl!

it goes without saying that i am beyond excited for this year's patriots/giants rematch, and it's so much fun to watch the game with a big group of people. super bowl parties are an incredible excuse for finger food, and a variety is key since there is no real main course. this year, the boyfriend and i are attending a friend's party, but i do love party planning, so here are some ideas and recipes i would try if we were hosting.

first, a brief tangent: i just got the epicurious app on my iphone, and i am obsessed. the recipe box? amazing. adding all ingredients from the recipes you want to make into a shopping list? GENIUS (i should probably mention that i love list-making.)


boston (sorry, foxboro - i'm subbing you out) and new york are both incredible food cities with seriously global representation, so instead of the usual buffalo wings and nachos, these suggested menus play up the international angle.

patriots starting line-up:

north end mini-meatball sliders (make these smaller and serve on buns!)

chinatown chicken wings

new england clam chowder (top this with bacon!)

southie fries      

                                                     

giants starting line-up:

little italy flatbread (use different toppings for variety!)

mini bagels with cream cheese and lox

flushing spring rolls

spaha chicken quesadillas 

      

what to pour:

patriots:

(beers) harpoon and sam adams

(cocktail) cape codder

giants:

(beers) brooklyn lager and sixpoint craft ale

(cocktail) manhattan

second half:

oreo truffle footballs (i made these last year - YUM)

red and blue velvet cupcakes

i am partial to the hummingbird bakery recipe for red velvet (it's the boyfriend's favorite, so i make them A LOT) and you just substitute blue food coloring for red to make a batch of blue velvets :)


what are you doing cooking for the super bowl? GO PATS!


<image credits: wall street journal, make mine vintage, family food, christy's kitchen creations, epicurious, lands of wisdom, amy blogs chow, tastebook, tammy's recipes, live love pasta, one particular kitchen>