It's Show Time

While watching the big game or a season finale isn't always a major social event--who's to say you can't do more than just watch the show? Actually watching a show or ball game together can be a great casual event that you can invite a large number of people to depending on the size of your place. But the number one rule when it comes to a show time celebration...play to your audience! If they are a "shh...get out of the way, the game is on" kind of crowd, don't try to make them do anything other than enjoy their game.

Invitations: Any type of invite or even word-of-mouth would work for this event

Food: Some type of snack or appetizer and drinks is recommended. Look to the game/show you will be watching for inspiration. Is the show associated with some type of food, color or shape? Try to utilize those in your food set-up.

Activities: Additional activities are not necessary considering the main event of the evening is watching the show. But if you want to do a little game or mixer it would be appropriate. Here are a few ideas:
- Take a poll as to what everyone will think the outcome of the show will be. If it is for a ballgame, have everyone guess what the final score will be. If it for a season finale have everyone guess how the episode will end. Provide a little prize at the end of the show for the person with the closest prediction.
- Put together a few trivia questions regarding what you are watching to quiz the audience during commercial breaks. The questions can be about what has happened in previous games or episodes or about individual players or characters.
- Create a little challenge for your audience to compete in that has to do with the show. Whether it is a paper football tournament for the Superbowl or a round of Operation for a medical drama season finale, it's always fun to get up & have a little challenge.

Interactive Treats

When inviting friends over for a game night or casual get-together you may find yourself wanting to provide a little treat. Why not turn the treat-making into part of the evening? Often making food together is a great conversational activity. Working side-by-side creates natural conversation and makes for a unique event.

Some easy ideas for interactive treats include:

Berry Cobbler

Cobbler is especially fun on a cool evening or when you have an excess of any type of fresh berries. All you need are a few simple ingredients and some large ramekins or individual sized dishes that are oven-safe. Pre-make the cobbler and pre-wash the berries before you guests arrive and make sure you have a dish for each individual. When cobbler making time arrives, bring out the dry cobbler mix and the berries and invite your guests to create their own dessert. When baked in such small dishes, cobbler doesn't take long to cook. When ready, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and all of your guests will be proud to dive into their tailor-made slice of heaven!

Mall Pretzels

Who can resist walking by a pretzel stand in the mall without taking a whiff of that delicious aroma! You'll find that homemade pretzels have more to offer than just a good smell. Creativity ensues with you provide each of your guests with a prepared ball of pretzel dough. Like cobbler, pretzels don't take long to bake so just as soon as your guests can't handle that wonderful smell any longer...you'll be handing them their homemade pretzel.

Spring Field Day

Spring Field Day is a great excuse to get outside and act like a kid again! With memories of the elementary school field days, why not have your own and see just how good your long jump skills still are?

Event Outline: Invite your guests to meet at a park. Have a scoreboard and event materials ready. Invite everyone to sign up on the scoreboard or put down their team names if you want to play by teams (or couples). Participate in 6-12 events; make sure you have designated an event judge. End the field day by celebrating the winners and/or enjoying something to eat.

Event Size: 6-26 people

Event Activities:

- Running long jump

- 3-legged race

- Softball throw

- Bubblegum challenge (see who can blow a bubble first)

- 50 yard dash

- Egg race (have everyone place an egg on a spoon and balance it as they race for 25-50 yards)

- Water balloon toss

- Saltine cracker eating contest (see who can fully eat and swallow 5 saltines first)

- Relay race

- Crab walk

- Potato sack race

- Soda-chugging challenge (see who can drink a full glass of soda the fastest)

- Strongman competition (make a box look like a car or train and fill it with something heavy, then ask competitors to either lift it or pull it within certain parameters)

Optional Event Details:

- Order different color headbands for each individual/team to wear. You can use these colors as much as you want, i.e. on the scoreboard or as place holders for the events.

- Create gold, silver, and bronze metals by making candy lays and then attaching a circle (medal) covered in gold wrapping paper, tin foil or bronze paper.

- Bake and decorate star or trophy-shaped sugar cookies to give to all the participants.

Event Food:

- Be sure to provide drinks for everyone

- Food is not necessary at this event, but you can offer snacks or have a potluck barbecue after the games.

Couple's Night

Here are a few great ideas of games to play with a lot of couples. Whether you want to make it a dinner party or just a date night; whether it's for Valentine's Day, an anniversary celebration or just for fun, these games are sure to provide some good times!

1. Love Stories: Give each couple a pen and paper and ask them to write the story of how they met or how the groom proposed. Collect all the stories and then read them aloud having the group guess which story matches up with which couple.

2. Love Songs: Compile a dozen or two love songs on to an itunes play list. Record where to cue up each song in order to play 10-20 seconds for the group before stopping the song and having them guess the next line.

3. Love Poems: Provide each individual with four pieces of paper. Have them write a different word on each piece of paper, with two being romantic words (i.e. love, candlelight, whisper) and two be non-romantic words (i.e. toenail, orange peel, eyebrow, etc.) Collect the two types of words separately and mix them up with the rest of the group's. Then have each person draw two words from the romantic pile and two words from the non-romantic pile and instruct them to write a poem using all four of their words. Provide everyone with 5-10 minutes to do so before they perform their poem for the group. (You can also play this in couples instead of individuals so that each couple will write a poem together using 8 words.)

4. Guys vs. Gals: Hand each person a pencil and piece of paper. Ask them all to privately write their answers to a series of random open-ended questions (choose 4-5 to start, you can always do another round of more questions), such as:

- If you were a Disney character which would you be?

- Where would your dream vacation be?

- What was the coolest thing you wore in the 7th grade?

- Describe your worse haircut.

- If you had to pursue a career other than your own, which industry would it be in?

- If you could have any magazine subscription which magazine would it be to?

- What is your favorite kind of chip?

- Describe your 4th grade teacher.

- What is your favorite smell?

- If you were an animal which would you be?

- Describe your perfect Saturday.

- If you could have any type of super-power what would you choose?

Have all the girls give their answers to a girl team lead, and the guys give theirs to a guy team lead. Invite the girl team lead to read off all the girls' answers to question #1 and have the boys guess which answer goes with which girl. After the guys have made their final guesses, have the girls raise their hands if the guys placed them with their correct response. Then switch and have the guys read their responses to question #1 for the girls to match up. Follow the same pattern through all the questions and see who does the best at matching up the answers!

The Cake Pop Craze

Cake pops seem to be all the rage these days. They are a fun twist on dessert, hors d'oeuvres, or party favors. You can find various recipes and designs online, bakerella.com is a great website for ideas. In fact, these would also be great for a cooking party. They are relatively quick, they are fun to make with others, and you don't have to wait for them to bake.

Step 1: Decide what base you would like to use for your balls:

Cake Base

1 baked cake (any flavor, bake as directed)

1 jar of frosting

- Wait for cake to cool and then mix with frosting to a smooth consistency

Cookie Base

1 package of Oreos

1 package of cream cheese

- Crush Oreos (cream included) and then mix with cream cheese to a smooth consistency

Step 2: Decide what you would like to dip the balls into. You can use chocolate chips, chocolate bark or candy melts. Candy melts are a great option as they are easy to work with and come in a variety of vibrant colors. You can usually find them at your local craft store

Step 3: Decide what exactly you would like to make: cake balls, cake hearts, triangles, kisses, or any other shape you are inspired to try. Then if you would like, you can put them on a stick to turn them into a pop.

Step 4: Shape your balls and set them on a cutting board covered in wax paper. At this time, if you are making cake pops dip each stick into the candy melt about 1/2 inch before sticking that end into the ball and securing it with your fingers. (The candy melt will help the ball adhere to the stick.)

Step 5: Transfer your balls into the fridge or the freezer depending on your timing. If you are doing this as part of an event put them in the freezer and they should be ready in 10 minutes or so. You want the balls to be secure, but not totally frozen.

Step 6: Prepare your candy melts by microwaving them in 30 second intervals until they are completely melted. If you are using chocolate chips or chocolate bark you may find it to be a little think. Feel free to add a drop or two of cooking oil to the mixture to thin it out.

Step 7: Dip your balls into the candy melt until completely covered. Tap the stick on the edge of the bowl to get rid of any excess candy melt. Then insert the bottom of the stick into styrofoam so your cake pop sets properly. If you are not making pops, dip the cake balls by using a spoon or fork and then tap to drip off any excess, then roll your cake ball onto wax paper

Step 8: Decorate as desired

- By placing your cake pops in the fridge or in a ziplock bag they will last for a few days, so feel free to make them ahead of time.

- If you want to use them as favors simply wrap one in plastic or a ziplock sandwich bag and tie a ribbon around the stick. Then cut the plastic or bag to create a skirt around the ball.

The Potluck

The idea of a potluck usually stirs up the image of a random church function with a hodgepodge of hot & cold cold dishes that don't necessarily go together...but doesn't have to be that way! A potluck is a great way to get a lot of people together without a lot of work on your part. As the host of the potluck it is a good idea to provide the main dish and all of the dishes, utensils, etc. By providing the main dish you set the tone for the meal. Invite your guests to report what they would like to bring when they RSVP. That way you can manage the meal and make sure it is well-rounded. You may discover that potlucks are a fun and no hassle way to have people over. Everyone bringing a separate dish is a conversation starter and there is less to clean up after the event!

Jalapeno Artichoke Dip

This dip serves as a great appetizer at any event. It's delicious with a little kick!

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 can green chilies, drained

1 jar artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

1 can chopped jalapeno peppers, drained

1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 .Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

2. Mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream until smooth. Stir in green chilies, artichokes, jalapeno peppers, spinach and parmesan cheese.

3. Spoon into baking dish and bake 30 minutes or until slightly browned

4. Serve with crackers or pita chips

Flowers made easy

You don't have to be a professional floral designer to use flowers at your event. Large and intricate floral arrangements are not necessary, in fact, small and simple can often be better. Simply start with a few beautiful flowers and a bowl, vase or dish that you already have at home. These small and unobtrusive floral arrangements work wonders as they set the tone but don't over take the table.

Box Favors

Nothing tops off an event like sending your guests home with a little something. Small boxes are a fun and easy way to add to the theme of your event. You can find a variety of box templets online and alter them to fit your theme. This particular template was found at marthasteweart.com, another great website for card and box templates is Mirkwood Designs. As far as what to put in your boxes...anything goes! Little candies or trinkets are fun; I also like to put a little tissue paper on the bottom of the inside of the box to complete the look.

Corn & Black Bean Salad

This salad is great because you can serve it as an appetizer or a side and you can make it hours before the event without having to worry about it! It's easy to make and tastes great.

2 cans of drained black beans

2 cans of drained corn

1 bunch of diced cilantro

1 bunch of chopped diced onions

6 roma tomatoes diced and seeded

1-2 diced jalapenos (depending on preference)

1 diced red or green pepper (depending on preference)

1 diced avocado (optional)

1/3 cup feta cheese

Mix all ingredients together and season with lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder according to taste. Feel free to serve alone, or with chips!

Enjoy!