Fun foods to serve a big crowd: From chicken skewers to an elevated pizza, plus a couple great dessert and drink ideas.

Trying out a new recipe when you’re cooking for a crowd can feel a lot like sending up a Hail Mary pass: You just don’t know how things are going to turn out, and by the time you do, it’s probably too late to do anything about it. Still, it’s no fun playing it safe all the time, which is why, for my column on the ideal Super Bowl party spread, I didn’t want to rely on the old bar-snack standbys—Buffalo wings, nachos and pizza—that lack little in the way of inspiration, not to mention nutrition. To me, the ideal football-watching food is hearty, tasty, and can be eaten with your hands. Think cocktail hour fare with a bit more meat on its bones.

I’ve wanted to cook from Camille Styles Entertaining since it came out in October. Written by an Austin, Texas-based event planner, the book is part entertaining guide, part cookbook, and is bursting with beautiful pictures, smart tips and—best of all—flavor-packed recipes that are perfect for your next gathering. There’s something very Martha Stewart about Styles’s elevated aesthetics and detail-oriented approach to party planning. This is aspirational stuff for the modern hostess—perfection that looks effortless, even if it isn’t. I picked a handful of Styles’s recipes to make: A caramelized onion, prosciutto and arugula pizza; jalapeno-laced guacamole; Indian-spiced chicken skewers and bite-size chocolate cookies.

To save time, I used pre-made dough from Fresh Direct (already a household staple) instead of Camille’s recipe for dough and cooked the pizza in my oven instead of on a grill. The sweetness of the onions and saltiness of the prosciutto were enlivened by the peppery, fresh arugula.

Styles’s guacamole recipe is pretty basic, but such an improvement over the pre-made stuff. I used pickled jalepeno instead of fresh because it has a longer shelf life and adds a vinegary zing.

The Tandoori chicken skewers were delicious and satisfying—think of them as a sophisticated swap for Buffalo wings. Styles suggests serving them with a yogurt-harissa dipping sauce. Harissa is a garlicky, spicy condiment from North Africa and worth taking the time to make from scratch if you can. If not, you can typically find a bottle of it in specialty grocery stores.

Shockingly (not!) the salted brownie cookies were a huge hit with my children. I liked them, too, because they were small and light, but sated my chocolate craving, making them a relatively healthy choice from a portion-control perspective. Of course, this assumes you won’t gobble up the whole batch. (You’ll want to!)

But, if you ask me, no good party is complete without a signature cocktail or two. Styles’s book contains plenty of recipes for fresh, fun libations, but I decided to go with one developed by Hillary Brown, a mixologist at Red 8, a sleek billiards bar in Overland Park, Kansas. Brown’s Skinny Minny Mule is made with Prairie Organic Vodka, soda water, fresh lime juice, grated ginger and agave. You muddle ginger and limes, pour over ice, then add the agave, vodka and soda water. It couldn’t be easier, and the taste is light and refreshing. I’ll be sending out a tray of them as soon as Katy Perry hits the 50-yard line.

Skinny Minny Mule
1 1/2 oz. Prairie Vodka
Fresh peeled Ginger
Agave simple syrup
Fresh Lime
copper mug
In a shaker tin muddle fresh ginger and limes
Pour over ice in a copper mug
Add a splash of agave simple syrup
Add Prairie Vodka
Top with soda water
And my results, which I think came out well. Perfect dry run for Sunday’s big day!

Photos courtesy of William Morrow/Buff Strickland