There are enough decisions to make on Election Day. Do yourself a favor and keep the menu simple for the watch party. You can still have fun with the theme.
Try making regional foods with ties to your favorite candidates.
Cheer on President Obama with Chicago Dogs, one of the favorite foods in his hometown in Illinois.
These boiled hotdogs are served on poppy-seed buns with dill pickle and cucumber spears, sliced tomatoes, sweet pickle relish, pickled peppers, diced onion, yellow mustard and celery salt.
Hot dogs have also been somewhat controversial for the President. Some groups have come out criticizing Obama for eating hot dogs – which are clearly not a health food – during photos. So you can show your support of the President’s choice of foods on your watch party buffet.
Or, if the former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, is your favorite candidate, whip up some Lobster Rolls. The recipe for this Eastern seafood treat is below.
But if you would rather color code your election night buffet, there are plenty of red and blue foods to feature.
To represent Republicans, serve red foods such as red chili, red salsa, roasted tomato soup or red fruits – like apples and strawberries with dip. And below, there’s a recipe for Red Velvet Cake.
To represent Democrats, serve blue corn enchiladas, blue corn chips with dip, a blue cheese platter or blueberry pie. There’s a recipe for blueberry pie below.
To keep it even simpler, make sugar cookies with icing tinted either red or blue.
Lobster Roll 4 cups cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash hot sauce
4 hot dog buns
Combine first 7 ingredients.
Spoon 3/4 cup salad into each bun.
-from All Recipes
Red Velvet Cake 1 package fudge marble cake mix (regular size)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FROSTING:
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the contents of cake mix and baking soda. Add the buttermilk, eggs, food coloring and vanilla; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans.
2. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3. For frosting, whisk flour and milk in a small saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cover and cool to room temperature.
4. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add milk mixture; beat for 10 minutes or until fluffy. Spread frosting between layers and over the top and sides of cake. Yield: 12 servings.
- adapted from Taste of Home
BLUEBERRY PIE One double recipe for all butter pie crust dough
Filling ingredients:
6 cups (about 2 1/4 pounds) fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for thickening)
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces
Egg wash ingredients:
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1. Prepare the crust. Roll out half of the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured work surface, about 13 inches in diameter. Fit the dough over a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to a 1/2 inch over the edge all around the pan. Put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
2. Gently mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer them to the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot with butter pieces. Roll out remaining dough to the same size and thickness as the first. Place on top of the berry filling. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash.
3. Remove the unbaked pie from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with 4 cuts. Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven with a parchment paper- or Silpat-lined baking pan positioned on the lower rack to catch any filling that may bubble over. Bake for 20 minutes at 425. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving.
- adapted from Simple Recipes
