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It’s that time of the year again when brackets are made, fingers are crossed, and people are beginning to plan basketball-themed parties. This time of the year has a lot of special meaning for me since I actually had the opportunity to experience the tournament first-hand when my college hosted one of the tournament rounds.
My team wasn’t in the tournament that year, but just having the experience of working behind the scenes and feeling the excitement and magic was quite an experience. The memories of this experience are one of the reasons why I love hosting a basketball party during this time of year. It gives me the chance to recreate some of that magic that I felt years ago.
Chocolate Covered Basketball OREO Cookies
One of the things I was most excited about making were these cute basketball-themed chocolate covered OREO Cookies. I had a great time making them and they are something that both adults and kids will love. (E kept telling everyone that he made “orange cookies”!) Plus, the cookies are really easy to make. I promise that they will be a slam dunk!
Even though these cookies might look a little difficult, they are actually really easy. All you need is a package of OREO Cookies (we chose plain and birthday cake flavors), a package of orange melting chocolate wafers, and a tube of black decorating gel.
Spread the OREO Cookies out on a non-stick baking tray.
Then you will want to put a handful of the orange wafers into a microwave safe container to melt them. Follow the directions on the wafer package for melting instructions.
After the wafers have melted, you will want to pour the chocolate over the OREO Cookies. What I did was pour the chocolate onto the center of the cookie until it starts to run over the edges. This will give the cookie a cleaner look. You don’t have to be exact though. After the chocolate hardens, you can just break off the excess.
After the cookies have been coated and the chocolate has cooled, you will want to add on the basketball’s details. Use the tube of black decorating gel to draw on two curved lines on each side and then a straight line across the middle. That’s it! Now just let the gel cool and harden and you have some fabulous basketball-themed OREO Cookies!
Stay Refreshed With Coca-Cola Products
Coca-Cola is my go-to party drink. Therefore, I stocked up on plenty of the 0.5 liters (16.9 oz) and mini cans of Coke, Coke Zero, and Diet Coke for guests to drink. These small sizes are perfect so then people don’t have to worry about writing names on plastic cups, or worry about losing the cups.
I am a recycling nut though. I want to make sure that the planet my boys inherit is better than the one I inherited. Parties can generate a lot of trash which is why I came up with this creative way to remind people to recycle their cans and bottles. I made a designated recycling bin next to the regular garbage can and printed out this sign to put above it. That way people would know to throw their cans in the recycling can instead of the regular garbage. You can print out a copy for yourself HERE.
Table Basketball With Mini REESE’S Cups
Have you ever played paper football or any other game at the table either while you were waiting for food or even just while you were shooting the breeze with friends? So as you and your friends are sitting and watching the big game, you can also play some table basketball. I used some of the 0.5 liter bottles, which come in a plastic six pack ring. I removed three of the bottles, leaving the rings for that bootle in tact. I then separated the three bottles and trimmed off the extra plastic. It then made a perfect mini basketball hoop!
I placed the mini REESE’S in a bowl (along with some basketball chocolate lollipops) and as people were conversing, they were also having contests to see who could get the most REESE’s in the “basket”.
It’s not a Party Without the Cheeseball — A Basketball Cheeseball that is!
No party is complete without the snack foods! I really like foods that people can grab and go or can graze on. A perfect food for this is a cheeseball — or cheese basketball that is! This is another easy dish that only takes a few minutes to whip together. All you need is two (8 ounce) packages of softened cream cheese, one package of dry ranch dressing mix, and two cups of shredded cheese. You can also crumple some Ritz crackers and mix those into the cheese ball to give it some more texture and to help hold it together.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, crushed Ritz crackers, and one cup of the shredded cheese. Then form the mixture into a ball shape. Either roll the ball in the other cup of shredded cheese or sprinkle the cheese on the ball. Then, place the black olive slices on the outside of the ball in the shape of the basketball’s seams. Chill the ball in the refrigerator for approximately two hours before serving.
Spread some Ritz Crackers and Wheat Thins around the ball for your guests to spread the cheese on, and enjoy! Delicious!
Planning an amazing basketball party requires a lot of planning and preparation, but the best part is that I was able to get all of my party supplies in one stop — Giant Eagle! Shopping and prepping doesn’t have to be multi-day, multi-stop event. Everything that I needed food-wise was all there in one place and everything was super easy to find! Not to mention my Giant Eagle store has super-fun race car shopping carts that my sons love — which makes shopping with them so much easier!
For additional tournament fun you can also enter the National Coke Zero Final Four Selfie Contest or the National Mondelez Snack Bracket!
Are you planning a basket-ball themed party? I would love it if you would try out some of my recipes as well as share or pin them! In addition, what are some of your favorite basketball-themed party dishes?
That cheeseball sounds delicious, and perfect for a basketball party! #client