TV Night & Food
We have a bunch of friends come over every Sunday for TV night. We watch Mad Men, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Girls, etc. There are so many great shows on now (I think this must be a golden age of TV) and it is hard to keep up! A lot of nights we watch three hour long shows back to back — so it is important that we have great food (and drinks) to sustain us!
TV night is the highlight of the week! We argue about the characters, someone always has an iPad and is looking up the discussion on Reddit or Twitter, there is one person who has a really great memory and is always reminding us of things that happened 3 seasons ago, and someone else has read all the books and knows what is going to happen next. We catch up with what everyone has been doing all week. We watch rock videos while we wait for people to arrive. We enjoy the great food. It’s lively, let’s just say — and it makes the weekend seem longer!
How to Eat in Style in Front of the TV
There are a lot of challenges to feeding a large group in front of the TV. Here are a few tips:
- Pick foods that you can eat with your hands or a toothpick. Save the forks for dessert (if you need them).
- Make sure you have food for everyone: meat eaters – vegans. It is often as easy as keeping most things veggie but letting people optionally add more meat/dairy if they like.
- Use seasonal ingredients as much as possible – Example: brushetta in July, artichokes in May/June, potatoes in the fall.
- Avoid messy foods – you don’t want to accidentally stain couch or rugs.
- TV seasons last a long time & you don’t want to repeat the same meals too often. If you repeat a dish try to make it different each time – like thin crust pizza one night and a deep dish another night.
- If you want to be fancy you can theme food around a show — Pinterest is great for this: Mad Men food ideas, True Blood party ideas
- Invest in some little plates, tiny serving spoons, ramekins, and cloth cocktail napkins. Everything should be small, so it doesn’t take up much space on coffee and end tables.
- Keep a roll of paper towels nearby.
- Think about serving a different course with each show.
- Poll people on what they want to eat at future TV nights – their answers might surprise you.
Ideas for TV night:
- homemade pretzels (and mustard)
- sweet potato fries (try making them on the grill!) with creamy chipotle dipping sauce and kielbasa bits on toothpicks
- cheese, bread/crackers, nuts, sesame cracker smorgasbord
- hummus, tapenade & homemade flat bread
- tamales and salsa – pick up a couple dozen or make them!
- spring rolls and dipping sauce – some veggie and some with shrimp
- gourmet hot dogs and all the fixings – make ahead of time and keep warm in oven – this is a huge hit!
- samosas (homemade, frozen or pick up at local indian restaurant) and chutney
- homemade kale chips
- potato skins with fixings: cheese, bacon bits, chives, peppers, sour cream, etc.
- cheese quesadillas – make early and keep warm in oven
- flavored popcorn
- steamed artichokes and aioli
- lasagna cupcakes
- roasted brussel sprouts on toothpicks
- bruschetta and olives
- pizza, pizza, pizza
- fruit kabobs on tooth picks
- cheese fondue with bread cubes and crudités
- taco bar – this is a bit more work so you could have each person bring something for the taco bar
And don’t forget to leave room for dessert — more on that in PART II!
Do you watch TV with friends?
What are YOUR favorite foods to eat in front of the TV?
Tweet me @pattyhume