How to Throw a Bake Off Party

We all love to eat and love being together, and there's the perfect way to do both without feeling like you have to splurge with the grocery budget to host your friends. Host a Bake Off Party inspired by the county fair competitions. Here are some ways to do it up and do it right!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bar and menu ingredients
• Craft supplies
• Buffet table
• Comment cards
• Camera
• Recipe and comment cards

1. Send an electronic invitation. Use the "design your own" option to use your own photo or cruise through the predesigned "potluck" versions.

2. Include the parameters on the invite so everyone can start to access their inner (friendly) competitor! Specify ingredients for everyone to focus on and "use only local produce and ingredients, nothing that has been imported more than 50 miles from here" or feature a specific favorite dish like spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, homemade pizza or go all desserts!

3. Since your guests will be bringing a ton of the menu make sure you head up the side dish efforts such as salad for spaghetti and meatballs, vegetables for mac and cheese and fresh fruit for the dessert party.

4. Coordinate the bar: red wine for the pizza/pasta dishes and sparkling wine for dessert. Dig through your liquor cabinet for anything you can morph into a shooter for the more adventurous guests (who aren't driving!). There are a billion shot recipes out there, but my favorite is super simple: vodka topped with a flavored schnapps, for instance 1 oz. vodka and 1 oz. blueberry schnapps--just pour into a shot glass and serve! See what you have on hand before you have to buy anything.

5. Feature something special for the kids too, like a lemonade bar where they decorate their cup with stickers, umbrellas, stir sticks, crazy straws and even hang monkeys on their cup from a Barrel of Monkeys game. Be inspired by what you already have.

6. Cruise through your kids' art supplies and ask them to help make hats (crowns are fun and easy) and blue ribbons for the guests/contestants.

7. Create a buffet space where all of the dishes can be displayed, such as your dining table, kitchen counter, a ping pong or pool table (with the felt protected, of course). Number the dishes and leave comment cards on the table for guests to gush about their favorites.

8. As the host you break all ties, but at this get-together everyone is a winner, so any fierce competitors in the group can count this is a trial run for the big one: The Pillsbury Bake Off!

9. No party favors required at this shindig; just share the photos and recipes and make it a tradition to "bake off" every once in a while!

Tips & Warnings

• Never drink and drive (buzzed driving is also drunk driving).

Resources

• Shooter
• Crowns

[lighthouse1958]

on 9/12/2009 good ideals. I love all kinds of parties. 5*

[MidniteWriter]

on 6/8/2009 Never thought of a bake off party, love this! 5*

[cherylphillips]

on 6/8/2009 love this idea! 5*

[christye]

on 6/8/2009 Awesome idea!