Monday, August 24, 2009

Smirnoff Summer Entertaining Extravaganza:Grown-Up Kids Party

We were lucky to have been selected to host a "Smirnoff Summer Entertaining Extravaganza" this past weekend. Much thanks to Foodbuzz and Smirnoff for sponsoring this event.

The theme of our party was a "Grown-Up Kids Party," which involved kids' food with an adult twist to them. These foods had a gourmet spin on them, but realistically, it meant that we included alcohol into these foods. A bunch of us Food Science graduate students had a great time chomping down on all the food and just hanging out.

The stars of our "Grown-Up Kids Party" Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade and Smirnoff Vodka Mojito. Prior to the event Aaron and I had a pre-party and sampled these drinks on the rocks for experimental purposes. After all, we needed to figure out how to best incorporate these beverages into our foods.
Extra Lime-y Mojito. See Recipe Below
Colorful Kiddie Fruit Punch (Melon Ball with Grenadine).
Slushy Mojito. Smirnoff Vodka Mojito Mix, Lime Juice, and Ice Blended. Our adult version of frozen slushes and icees.Outdoor Games and Grilling.
We began with the appetizers. As you can see, just like little kids, we all ignored the vegetable platter.
Warm Brie with Aaron's Homemade Sweet Cherry Jam in Puff Pastry. Any kid or adult cannot resist oozing melted cheese! This was soooo good.

Grown-Up Grilled Goat Cheese and Pesto Sandwiches (my personal favorite dish of the night) and our Mini-Hot Dog Bites which consisted of Little Smokies wrapped in Bacon and topped with Maple Syrup.Shrimp Cocktail Concoction (cream cheese covered with shrimp, and cajun cocktail sauce)
Smirnoff Mojito Marinated Shrimp Skewers with three kinds of Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade dipping sauces. We had a Black Peppercorn Parmigiano-Reggiano Dipping Sauce, a Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade Infused Sweet and Sour Sauce, and a Zesty Tuscan Lemonade Infused Sauce. Recipes are below.
I forgot to take a picture of the chicken skewers when they first came off the grill, so this is a picture of the remaining surviving chicken pieces. We also served the chicken with the dipping sauces.

Spiked Gummies. For the recipe, check out my previous post. Gummy colas soaked in rum (get it...Rum and Coke), and Gummy Bears soaked in Raspberry liquor and vodka.
Original Gummy Bear-->Drunken Gummy Bear

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting. Even though we were all stuffed with all the other yummy food, we all found room in our stomachs to enjoy this decadent cake!

The party was a success! We all were able to enjoy our favorite kids foods with a grown-up spin to them.

RECIPES
Smirnoff Mojito Marinated Shrimp Skewers
Mojito Marinade
1 & 1/4 c. Smirnoff Mojito
5 Cloves Garlic-crush in garlic press
1 Serrano Chili-finely chopped
Juice of Two limes
1/2 c. Canola Oil
1 t. Ground Cumin
1/4 c. Red Onion-finely chopped
1/2 t. Salt

Marinade shrimp for approximately 30 minutes. Then thread onto presoaked (with water) skewers. Grill Shrimp.

Black Peppercorn Parmigiano-Reggiano Dipping Sauce
1/3 c. Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade
1 c. Mayonnaise
1/4 c. Buttermilk
1 T. Freshly Ground Peppercorns
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Onion Powder
1/2 t. Garlic Salt
1 Egg Yolk
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1 T. Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for a few seconds.

Zesty Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade Dipping Sauce
1/4 c. Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade
1/2 c. Mayonnaise
1/4 c. Buttermilk
1/8 c. Red Onion-Roughly Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt to Taste (1/8 t.)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for a few seconds.

Extra Lime-y Mojito
1/2-1 c. Smirnoff Vodka Mojito
8 Mint Leaves-muddled
Juice of 1 Lime
2 T. Sugar
1/2 c. club soda
Handful of Ice Cubes


The aftermath of all the dishes we used!

5 comments:

Erika said...

man i missed out! although it seems Lisa and I were both honored at this event with some recipes that sound awfully familiar.... :) Sounds like a fabulous night!

Razzie said...

of course you were! I was even going to make Spinach Artichoke dip...but figured we had enough food!

Unknown said...

Awww.. it all looks soooo delicious, wish I was there!

genkitummy said...

yup, we had our ode to erika and lisa dishes at the event. it would have been a lot of fun if you both had been there!

Julian said...
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