How to Keep a Surprise Birthday Party a Surprise

Photo via Thomas/Flickr

Who doesn’t love surprises? If you’ve been lucky enough to have one thrown in your honor, then you know that a surprise party is one of the most exciting gifts you can receive on your birthday! Not only do they make you feel special, but they let you really enjoy your birthday celebration because all the planning and coordinating is done for you! If you’re thinking about hosting a surprise birthday party for a friend or loved one, we have some tips and ideas to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

The Guest List

Photo via Alison Allen & Nicole Ripplinger/Flickr

This one is easiest when the guest of honor is a kid. Parents undoubtedly know their children’s closest friends. If your honoree is an adult or even a teen, putting together the guest list can be a little bit trickier. Remember, you have to coordinate all the guests’ arrival without the birthday boy or girl finding out! A great way to keep the number of invitations manageable is to decide early on if you want to host a family or friend-focused event. Most folks have a few close friends who also count as family, but otherwise try to stick to your decision and invite one or the other. Or, if you’re ambitious and have enough space, invite the whole gang!

Location, Location, Location

using a taxi to arrive at a surprise party

Photo via Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We can’t say it enough. A surprise party is all about… well… the surprise, and nothing will give you away quicker than a street full of parked cars. Once you have your guest list, pick a party location that will comfortably hold everyone and will also allow guests to arrive discretely. If you’re hosting the party in a home, consider asking neighbors a few streets down if they would allow guests to park along their curb. Or, if the party will be at a restaurant or public space, research large parking areas nearby that are within walking distance. If you live in a larger city, public transportation might also have you covered on this one.

The Cover Story

Photo via Teerapun/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

All your efforts will hinge on a convincing cover story. Obviously, the perfect idea will vary based on the personality of your guest of honor. Some advice that will be helpful in most situations though is to keep it as simple as possible. But, if you’re worried that your honoree will be wise to the tried-and-true method of “going out for a quiet dinner” you can try the more advanced double surprise – inviting relatives or close friends of the guest of honor that don’t live in town, and then hiding them in a separate room for the initial surprise. A few minutes later, bring those guests out for the second surprise! We don’t recommend this for first-time surprise party throwers!

Less is More

Trust us, even the most organized people will have their hands full the day of the actual surprise party. Between late guests and trying to keep everyone quiet, you don’t need to be worried about preparing food. Check out our gourmet gift baskets. They have something everyone will enjoy snacking on. Think about ordering an extra for guests to nibble on while you wait for the birthday boy or girl to show!

We hope these tips help make your surprise party planning a success. For those of you who’ve thrown or attended a surprise party before, share your best cover stories on our Facebook wall! We may just surprise the person with the best story with one of our favorite specialty food gifts for their next get-together.

Winning Super Bowl Party Foods

Make delicious recipes using ingredients found in our gift baskets including gourmet cheese and summer sausage.

The Super Bowl is arguably one of the biggest sporting events of year. Even if your favorite football team didn’t make it into the big game this year, you can still plan for an evening of food and fun by throwing a Super Bowl party!

Food is one of the most important elements of the evening, coming in second to football, of course. Your menu should have a variety of items that are easy to prepare ahead of time and choices that your guests can munch with ease while they watch the big game. The beer and cheese spread we shared earlier in the football season is a great appetizer that can be made with any of our gourmet cheese selections.

Gourmet cheese spread from Hickory Farms.

Photo via My Recipes

Setting up a baked potato bar is another idea that is sure to please all of your guests. In addition to butter, sour cream, chives, and cheese toppings, chop up some gourmet meat, like our beef summer sausage, as a zesty alternative to bacon bits.

Summer sausage as bacon bits from Hickory Farms.

Photo via Make Life Special

Chili is another staple among Super Bowl party foods and is always great when served with (or on top of) baked potatoes. Toss in some of our gourmet sausages for a new kick to a favorite recipe, or try a new one, such as this sausage chili recipe from Chef Emeril Lagasse. Make your party even more fun by having a chili cook-off with your guests!

Photo via Tutto Bella

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a simple spread of gourmet meats, cheeses, crackers, and condiments. Several of our meat and cheese baskets include all of these items, which make for an instant party.

Don’t forget football-themed desserts! Football-shaped brownies, whoopie pies, and cupcakes and chocolate-covered strawberries decorated to look like footballs are sure to be winners at your Super Bowl party.

Super bowl party foods from Hickory Farms.

Photo via Tutto Bella

What foods do you like to serve at your Super Bowl festivities? Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta featuring Summer Sausage from Hickory Farms

Follow this tasty recipe that incorporates gourmet meats and cheese from one of our holiday gift baskets.

We always love discovering a new recipe and giving it a try, especially when it’s a dish that is easy to prepare and sure to be a hit with family and friends. We love it even more when we find a recipe or when someone shares one with us that include Hickory Farms’ gourmet meats and cheeses on the ingredient list.

Recently, Carrie, the writer behind the blog Making Lemonade, shared a dinner recipe with us called Pepperoni Pizza Pasta that’s quick to prepare and includes our summer sausage.

Carrie shared how to prepare the dish on her blog, stating, “I simply chopped up a few ounces of the sausage, stirred it into tomato sauce, and warmed it in the microwave for a few minutes. Then stirred it in with some cooked pasta and topped it with Parmesan cheese… My kids and husband devoured it. Not too shabby – a family friendly recipe with about five minutes of work on my part…”

Doesn’t that sound delicious?! We think Carrie’s Pepperoni Pizza Pasta would be perfect for families on the go or even for a quick after-school snack.

Our gourmet meats and cheeses can be used in a variety of other recipes, not to mention how invaluable they can be as a hearty snack for parties or when an unexpected guest drops by. Here are a few of our favorite easy-to-make meat and cheese dishes that might surprise you and your guests when you realize the variety of ways to use the ingredients found in our gourmet gift baskets.

Gourmet meat and cheeses from Hickory Farms.

Photo via What We’re Eating

Jambalaya with Summer Sausage - Cubed summer sausage in combination with chicken, rice, vegetables, chile powder, and other ingredients make for a tasty jambalaya everyone will enjoy.

Recipes made from Hickory Farms gift baskets.

Photo via Martha Stewart

Breakfast Quiche – Leftover slices of any variety of gourmet cheese make for a yummy breakfast quiche when combined with eggs, spinach, and gourmet meat.

Enjoy turkey summer sausage from Hickory Farms.

Photo via Land O’Lakes

Hearty Stews and Salads – The next time you make a pot of stew, try adding beef summer sausage or turkey summer sausage for an extra burst of flavor. Or, add it to a simple salad for a more filling lunch or dinner.

Do you have a favorite recipe that includes some of Hickory Farms gourmet meats and cheeses? If so, we would love to hear from you! Share it in the comments below or on our Facebook page.