Mashed Potato Martini Bar: Mashtinis!

bunco night. girls night. game night. family night. book club night.
any night.


A mashed potato bar is a super fun idea for a dinner gathering! I hosted our monthly bunco night at my home sweet home this week. It's a break from the normal daily tasks for 12 girls to enjoy some easy fun. I wanted to serve soup and potatoes because it would be seasonally appropriate for this January winter month. And then my dear friend told me about an aMAZing idea...

a Mashed Potato Martini Bar...Mashtinis.
The meal was served buffet style with a martini glass in place of a plate.

And everything was plastic, because we like it that way...



A Mashed Potato Bar allows for virtually NO cooking! It's just a lot of cutting, dicing, and opening cans. {wink} However, I did get a little carried away and served 26 toppings because I was too excited (as usual) and couldn't narrow down my topping choices...

Our Mashed Potato Bar Toppings:

gravy
bacon
cheddar cheese
sour cream
butter
cubed ham
chili
popcorn chicken
steamed broccoli
mushrooms
shredded carrots
tomatoes
sweet peas
green onions
homemade cheese sauce
olives
sun dried tomatoes
basil pesto sauce
feta cheese
artichoke hearts
parmesan cheese
salsa
orange peppers
corn
tortilla strips
pepper jack cheese


I divided the toppings into stations by type:
Classic Loaded and Meat Area

Mexican Area

Mediterranean and Italian Area

Healthy and Veggie Area

And because I was loving this so much, I pretended I was a restaurant and I made a few creations to give the guests ideas on their mashtinis.

This is the Classic Loaded Meat Mashtini: popcorn chicken, diced ham, bacon, butter, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives


The Garden Veggie with Cheese Sauce Mashtini: steamed broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, sweet peas, tomatoes, onions, cheese sauce

The Spanish Style Mashtini: salsa, orange peppers, corn, pepperjack cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips
And the Mediterranean/Italian Mix Mashtini: olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, artichoke hearts, basil pesto



For those guests on January diets, I prepared this to-die-for, virtually calorie free soup that is a genius creation from my Uncle Rick. He is a natural in the kitchen and knows what to mix and how much. I wish he lived closer so I could sample his cooking more. I was fortunate to taste his soup and also was able to snag his recipe for it. :) It's an Italian Turkey Meatball with Veggies Soup, with a broth base. It has brussel sprouts, parsnips, cabbage, and more.

If I ever do a diet, this is what I will be making...


Izzes! My second favorite consumable liquid after coke.


For dessert I was happy to find these itty bitty martini glasses at Pier 1. They are just adorable. I made fresh fruit parfaitinis. I like these nerdy names by the way.

These were made with cubed angel food cake and chocolate angel food cake, fresh whipped heavy cream, a mini scoop of vanilla ice cream, and berries in sugar sauce. Again, this is a no cooking for the non homemaker girls out there...



To make the table bunco festive, I used colored dishes and napkins and lots of dice to decorate.


Even the candle holders look like giant martini glasses!



I also used our prize money as table decor and baby dice in the bottom of the candle holders. The giant dice are bookends from Pottery Barn.


And a couple of our cute bunco girls...

Girl talk, carbs, pretty things, cash, yummy treats...bunco nights are good nights.

What are your top shelf ideas for menus when you're hostessing?

This post is linked to: It's a Blog Party, LambAround, DIY Showoff, DIY Living, Seasonal Sundays, It's so Very Cheri, Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Transformation Thursday, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, I'm Lovin It, Funky Junk Interiors, Fabulous Friday Finds, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up