Category: Party Ideas

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

Monkeybread

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
4 Tbsp butter
2 lbs pizza dough
6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (you’ll need ~48 pieces)
48 slices of Turkey pepperoni (from 1 package)
2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving
1. Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.

2. Lightly brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.

3. Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten (a kitchen scale makes this very easy). Top with a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella.
  
4. Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching well to seal.

5. Very lightly brush the pizza ball with garlic butter and place into the bundt pan (I dabbed the pizza balls on a butter-dipped silicon brush to keep butter use low – there will be 1+ Tbsp leftover – and my hands butter free. Buttery hands make it hard to get the pizza balls to seal).

6. Repeat until all of the dough is used.

7. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 400.

8. Bake for ~35 minutes, until the top is very brown.

9. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

10.Turn out onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.  via

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup peanut butter chips plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
 
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or grease 12 muffin cups. *Or you can opt to do mini-muffin bites and cook around 8 minutes or until center comes out clean with a toothpick test.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar, butter, and water. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir in 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted. Stir in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour and baking soda, stirring until blended. Allow to cool to room temperature. Then, stir in 1/2 cup each peanut butter chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into muffin cups.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out slightly wet. Place pan on wire rack. Centers of brownies will fall upon cooling. If not, tap centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole.
Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds, then stir. While brownies are still hot, spoon about a tablespoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan. via

Boil & Eat Lobsters

  • Live lobsters, 1 per person
  • A large pot of salted water
  • Butter
  • Bread for dipping into the lobster-infused butter (optional)

Method

How to Boil Lobster

how-to-cook-lobster-1.jpghow-to-cook-lobster-2.jpg

First consider the size of your pot for boiling the lobsters. An 8-quart pot will easily take one lobster, a 16-quart pot, 2 or 3 lobsters. If you are cooking a lot of lobsters you’ll either need to cook them in stages or have more than one pot of water boiling.

1 Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water. Add 2 Tbsp of salt for every quart of water. The water should be salty like sea water (in fact you can use clean sea water if you have it). Bring the water to a rapid boil.

2 Grasp the lobster by the body and lower it upside down and head first into the boiling water. Continue to add the live lobsters to the pot in this manner. Cover the pot.

3 Note the time at which the water comes to a boil again. From that point, boil the lobsters for 12-20 minutes or longer, depending on the size of the lobster. 12-15 minutes for 1 lb lobster, 15-20 minutes for a 1 1/2 pound lobster, 20-25 minutes for a 2-3 pound lobster. The lobsters should be a bright vivid red color when done.

Note that larger lobsters will turn bright red before they are completely finished cooking, so you do want to time your cooking, and not just go on color alone. Unlike with fresh scallops or fish that you can eat raw (think sashimi), you don’t want to eat raw or undercooked lobster. Translucent undercooked lobster meat really doesn’t taste good. It needs to be opaque through and through. If you cook it too long, the meat will get rubbery, so keep an eye on the time.

4 Remove the lobsters from the pot with tongs and place on a plate to drain and cool.

Click HERE for eating instructions

Watermelon Keg

From the ministryofalcohol: Essentially you slice off a thin layer from the bottom end, slice open the top, scoop out the meat (or liquefy with booze), and jam a spigot in the front. Presto! Your watermelon keg is born.

Intrusctions for Watermelon Keg

Watermelon Keg

Materials

  • 1 medium-large oval or oblong watermelon (seeded or seedless)
  • Kitchen knife
  • Cutting board
  • Green dry erase marker or ¾”-1” thick painter’s trim tape
  • Channel knife (can use top of a vegetable peeler as alternative)
  • Large bowl & spoon or scoop
  • Apple corer
  • Spigot (from beer making supply company)
  • Twine & straight pins
  • Watermelon juice or punch recipe

Instructions

  • Wash the watermelon under cool running water and pat dry.
  • On a cutting board, place the watermelon on its side and cut off 1/4”-1/2” from both ends, being careful not to cut too deep into the white part of the rind. One side will provide a sturdy base.
  • Use dry erase marker or painters tape to make a thick band on the upper 1/3 and lower third of the watermelon that will represent the metal bands around a barrel or keg and use the channel knife to trim away a thin line to represent those metal bands.
  • Hollow out the watermelon with a spoon or scoop, reserving the watermelon pieces to make your favorite punch or juice. Be sure to leave about 2” of watermelon flesh towards the bottom of the watermelon so the spigot can be placed.
  • Use an apple corer to cut a circle for your spigot to fit through the watermelon rind, placing it about 2-3 inches above the bottom of the watermelon. Screw your spigot into place.
  • For added detail, carefully pin twine in your lines you’ve made to represent the metal bands around the barrel/keg. Be careful that the pins do not poke through into the barrel/keg.
  • Place the barrel/keg on a saucer or plate and fill with your favorite chilled punch or juice recipe.