Sharks Playoff Game Party

Image taken from http://sharks.nhl.com/

I recently threw a Sharks themed party to support the San Jose Sharks' game against the L.A. Kings.  The Sharks were down two games out of seven, and we really needed to win this one to even up the score.  In an attempt to give the Sharks some much needed luck, I decided to host a game viewing party with Sharks themed food for my nearest and dearest Sharks fans.

The Menu:

1) It's "Chili" in the Shark Tank, so let's wrap those "Piggies in the Blanket." (it's a stretch, I know)

This dish was actually a creation of my hubby's.  We wrapped beef Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies in Pillsbury Crescent Rolls dough.  We baked them, then served them with Hormel Chili with Beans.  One can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls is enough to wrap one packet of Lit'l Smokies.  We opened the crescent rolls, unrolled the pastry, then divided each triangle into fourths before wrapping them around the Lit'l Smokies.  We placed them on an ungreased baking sheet and baked them at 375 degrees F.  I didn't pay attention to how long we baked it, but we checked on it every 5 minutes until it was a toasty brown.  We warmed the chili in the microwave, then added fresh, diced red onions and shredded cheese.  The guests then dipped the pigs in a blanket in the chili before consuming them.  Yum....

2) Niemi's Golden Saves (Pucks)-don't ask

These mini-quiches were inspired by this pin.  We made these with diced tomatoes, onions, basil, shredded mozzarella  and capers.  The pastry dough was two types:  the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and Pillsbury Golden Layers biscuits.  We used one Pillsbury Crescent Roll triangle per mini-quiche or one biscuit, rolled out, per mini-quiche.  Both types of pastry dough worked out beautifully.  We lined the ungreased cupcake tin with the pastry dough, added a few dices of tomato and onion, poured in the eggs about three quarters full, added a basil leaf, added mozzarella cheese, then topped with a few capers.  We baked the mini-quiches at 375 degrees F.  Again, I didn't track how long it took to bake, but I checked on it every five minutes until the pastries were a toasty brown and the eggs were puffy.  For the eggs, I whisked about 6 eggs with some whole milk (about 3/4 eggs to 1/4 milk) and about a teaspoon of salt.  These were a definite hit.  

3) "Juicy" Couture Designer Cucumber Sandwiches

We had some extra cream cheese, so we thought, "Hey!  Let's make some simple cucumber sandwiches."  I added garlic powder, salt, and dried dill to the cream cheese and used that as a spread.    The sandwich was constructed in this order:  bread, cream cheese spread, salami, cucumbers, cream cheese spread bread.  We poked the toothpicks through the sandwich before cutting them into 9 rectangular pieces.

4) Pavelski's Panko Crusted Green Beans

We dipped the green beans in the extra egg mixture from the mini-quiches before rolling them in all purpose flour mixed with red pepper flakes (to taste) and Creole seasoning.  The green beans were then tossed in panko bread crumbs.  The baking pans were brushed with extra virgin olive oil before the green beans were arranged in a single layer.  More extra virgin olive oil was brushed onto the top of the green beans.  They were baked at 375 degrees F until the panko crusting was a toasty brown.

And last but not least:

5) "Marleau"-ritas

These lightly teal and orange drinks were strong but delish!  We mixed 1 can of Minute Maid Limeade concentrate with 6 shots of tequila, 2 shots of triple sec, and 6 shots of MD 20/20 "Bling Bling" Blue Raspberry drink.  We filled up the blender pitcher with ice, and blended away.  The glasses were rubbed with an orange slice and rimmed with salt.  Pour the mixtures in, garnish with an orange slice, add a colorful paper straw, and you've got yourself a "Marleau"-rita!  The color was still too light for us, so for the second round, we added 4 shots of tequila, 2 shots of triple sec, and 10 shots of the blue raspberry drink per can of the limeade concentrate.  You can see the coloring of the second drink in the green beans photo above.

All in all, I think all that hard work paid off, because a) the Sharks WON! b) the food was greatly appreciated by all, and c) a great time was had by all.