Let The Games Begin!

Why brave the chilly weather and the Saturday night crowds, when you can keep the party at home?  Whether you play Texas Hold ‘Em or Scrabble, here are some fun ideas and entertaining tips for hosting your very own Game Night.

The key to any casual get-together is making sure your guests feel relaxed and at home.   Make sure to serve comfort food that is easy to eat and simple to make. Grilled cheese is always a crowd pleaser, especially when you use artisan cheeses, freshly baked bread and unique toppings for a gourmet touch.  We like to make our sandwiches on a panini press like the Breville Ikon which leaves the most amazing grill marks on your bread.  Place the grilled sandwiches on a loosely covered cookie sheet at 275 to keep them warm before serving.

Besides the classic cheddar melt, try interesting flavor combinations such as Brie and Pear on Brioche or Green Olive and Mahon cheese on Sourdough.  One of our all time favorites, the French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese with Spiced Jus comes from Tillman’s Lounge in New York.  For the secret sandwich recipe, courtesy of owner Lesly Bernard, click here.

Check your local grocery store or farmer’s market for ingredients or order online from  Fresh Direct, which is a great resource for gourmet cheeses, fresh breads and prepared catering platters.  If you want to save time, order the Crudite Masterpiece, which is a beautifully presented tray of celery, red and yellow pepper strips, baby carrots, grape tomatoes and broccoli florets. Just make sure to transfer the blue cheese and ranch dips from the plastic tubs into glass or ceramic containers before serving.

And, no Game Night would be complete without a wide array of sweet and savory snacks that can be placed around the party.  Try one of the gourmet popcorn combos by Dale and Thomas, which has an assortment of amazing flavors including White Cheddar and Black Peppercorn, Frosted Gingerbread and Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Drizzle.

As for the actual games, the choices are endless.  We like to play “The Name Game” or “Celebrity” because you don’t need a board and your guests can participate in creating the “names.”   Here’s what you need to know:

The Set-Up:
Give each of your guests 20 strips of identical paper and a pen to secretly write down names of celebrities, personalities, well known public figures and fictional characters. Remind your guests to submit fun and recognizable names instead of foreign or obscure ones that no one will know. All strips are folded and placed in a bowl.  Split your guests into two or more teams of three or more players. 

How to Play:
The first team starts with one team member as the “clue-giver” who selects a name out of the bowl.  That person has one minute to give his/her teammates clues so that they can guess the name on the paper.  The goal is to guess as many names as possible within the allotted time.  Once the time is up, the next team goes and so on.  Make sure to give each team member the chance to be the clue-giver.

Once all the names are guessed, all the names go back into the bowl for Round 2 where the clue-giver can only say one word but allowed to use hand-gestures. In Round 3, the clue-giver is limited to hand-motions and gestures only like in Charades.

The Rules:
The clue-giver is not allowed to say any part of the name on the paper.  Points are won on correct answers and lost on illegal clues. The team with the most points after Round 3 is declared the winner.

Don’t forget to have prizes for everyone so that all your guests go home a winner!

A seasoned event planner, Celia Chen is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Notes on a Party, an online magazine about entertaining that celebrates Events from the Inside Out™.  For a behind-the-scenes look at VIP events and more tips on party planning, visit http://www.notesonaparty.com.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Courtesy of Tillman’s, Fresh Direct and Williams Sonoma