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Bunco Caprese Appetizer for American Heart Month

Bunco Caprese Appetizer for American Heart Month

Valentines Capresi

Bunco Game Shop

Hello Bunco Friends-

Why not have everyone wear red, and host an American Heart Month themed bunco party?

Ingredients

– 2 Packages Fresh Mozzarella

– 1 Package Fresh Basil

– 4 Roma Tomatoes Sliced – Balsamic Glaze

– 1 1/2″ Heart Shaped Cooke Cutter

Cut out 16 heart shaped pieces of mozzarella cheese Cut 16 slices of roma tomatoes Layer the cheese, tomatoes, basil leaves into rows. Drizzle balsamic glaze over the caprese appetizer and serve.

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Football Themed Bunco Recipe

Football Themed Bunco Recipe

Bunco Recipes

Bunco Game Shop

Hello Bunco Friends!

Today (Monday 1/30/17) is the last day to save 20% of any purchase at www.buncogameshop.com. Just use coupon code: Football2017 at checkout.

Healthy 7-Layer Dip Cups for Football Themed Bunco

Ingredients 
12 Clear 9 oz Plastic Cups 
2 16 oz Cans of Fat Free Refried Beans 
2 Cups of Spicy Guacamole 
1 16 oz Container of Plain Fat-Free Yogurt 
2 Cups of Red Salsa 
2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese 
2 Large Bags of Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips 
Green Onions, Chopped Tomatoes, & Canned Olives (drained)

Drain the salsa, tomatoes, and olives before starting. Layer the cups with beans, guacamole, yogurt, and drained salsa. Cover each cup with clear wrap and refrigerate.

Top the cups with the cheddar cheese, green onions, tomatoes, and olives just before serving.

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Pajama Party Bunco

Oatmeal Bar

One of my Bunco group’s favorite theme is Pajama Party Bunco. What’s not to love?  You get to show up in your pajamas, robe and fuzzy slippers and eat breakfast food (when it isn’t actually breakfast time!).

A Mimosa or Bloody Mary (either non-alcoholic or otherwise) would be a lovely way to start out. Breakfast favorites lend themselves perfectly to potluck.  Muffins, croissants, casseroles, waffles, cinnamon rolls, sausage, bacon, the list could go on and on.  I love all of those things!  However, I wanted to shake it up a bit!  Oatmeal in a slow cooker with a toppings bar is so much fun!  Some ideas are dried cranberries, golden raisins, nuts, brown sugar, honey, chopped apples, cinnamon, you get the idea.  This way there is a healthier option that people can customize.  Another idea for a crowd is make your own breakfast burritos. Make some scrambled eggs and keep warm in a slow cooker.  Have some warmed tortillas, cheese, meats, breakfast potatoes, salsa, sour cream, avocado, etc.so that each person can customize a burrito to her liking.  Easy yet delicious and something most people will enjoy.  If you prefer not to serve breakfast food, you could go the traditional route and make it a pizza party.  That is fun too!

Now onto the actual Bunco game.  Some prizes for this theme may include sleep masks, fuzzy socks, fleece throws,a Bunco apron even small packages of cinnamon rolls or muffins.  Everyone can vote on who is the most festive and she could win a prize–fuzzy slippers maybe!  There could be a fun movie such as, Girls Just Want To have Fun (one of my favs!) playing in the background.  We always have a ton of fun with this theme.  Some ladies wear pink rollers in their hair and are decked out from head to toe.  It is a fun way to start the New Year off!

Has your group held a Pajama Party Bunco?  If so, tell me what you did to make it fun on the Bunco Game Shop Facebook page.

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

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New Year’s Bunco

A fun Bunco theme this time of year is New Year’s.  We celebrated New Year’s Bunco in January. Our Bunco ladies wore sparkly shirts and heels, like many people do when they go to a party on New Years’s eve.  A DVR recording of the ball drop was playing in the background.  When people arrived they were given a necklace with a noisemaker attached to it and a Happy New Year tiara.  You have to have a noisemaker (and a tiara) when the ball drops!  As you probably know, most Bunco ladies love making noise!

For drinks, we had sparkling cider and grape juice and Champagne for those who drink alcohol. Be sure to break out your champagne flutes or buy some plastic stemware at your local party store. These cute wine charms would be perfect to keep track of whose glass is whose. Bottles of sparkling juice and /or Champagne  also make great Bunco prizes.

Everyone brought their favorite appetizer or dessert.  There were many delicious savory offerings like spinach artichoke dip, chips and salsa, egg rolls and jalapeno popper dip.  My all time favorite dessert on New Year’s Eve is chocolate covered strawberries. Unfortunately strawberries are not in season during the winter but usually my grocery store carries a long stem variety in January and February.  These are great for dipping.  Chocolate fondue with assorted dippers is another perfect dessert for a crowd.  Chocolate cake with a cake sparkler on top would be festive as well.

What is your Bunco group’s favorite theme for games in January?  Have you had a New Year’s theme Bunco?  If so, let me know about it on The Bunco Game Shop Facebook page.

Happy New Year everyone!

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

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A Sweet Bunco Holiday

This is the time of year to whip up some sweet treats for your holiday Bunco game.  My group has many ladies who are not big fans of dessert but the holidays are the time to indulge.  I stumbled upon an awesome recipe by accident. I was excited to make Gingerbread Pops from the latest issue of Food Network magazine.  They were one of Food Network’s 50 No-Bake Treats.  Made from crushed ginger snaps, cookie butter (yes, there is such a thing!), candied ginger, powdered sugar and butter.  Yummy, gingery goodness.  I bought my candied ginger in bulk because it was much cheaper than the bottled variety.  Well, these treats were supposed to be on a stick as is but I decided to take out the stick and dip the gingerbread balls in white or dark chocolate.  I topped them with seasonal sprinkles and packed them up in festive bags with ribbon and a cute gingerbread man button.  They were delicious and looked adorable!

Gingerbread Truffles

14 ginger snaps

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup cookie butter (such as Biscoff or Trader Joe’s)

1/4 cup chopped candied ginger

1/2 stick room temperature butter

12 oz. melting wafers (dark or white) such as Ghiardelli

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor until it comes together.  Chill mixture in refrigerator for 1/2 -1 hour and then form into 1&1/2 inch balls.  Melt wafers in glass bowl in microwave for 30 second increments, stirring after each until fully melted.  Using a fork, dip each ball in chocolate and let excess chocolate drip off.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet or 13×9 pan and refrigerate for at least an hour.  The truffles can be stored in the fridge or at room temperature.

These truffles would make a great homemade gift for your fellow Bunco Babes.  What is your favorite candy treat to make this time of year?  Let me know on the Bunco Game Shop Facebook page.  Happy Holidays!

Keep Calm & Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

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Seasonal Bunco Snacks & Appetizers

 

The weather is cooling down so that means that food for Bunco games is heating up. There is nothing like hot, delicious food such as  dips to share at Bunco.  I live in the Southwest, so in the summer I try to avoid using the oven. Now that the temps are in the mid 70s here (that is cool for us!) it is time to make some comfort food.
One of my favorite resources for delicious Bunco snacks and appetizers is The Bunko Junkie Appetizer Book.  It is available via free download here.  With 150 delicious appetizers, it is your one stop for finding a yummy food item to take to your next Bunco game.  Below is the recipe for one of my favorite appetizers from the book, Appetizer Surprise.  It is a creamy artichoke dip with lots of Parmesan cheese.  One of my favorite flavor combos!

Appetizer Surprise

Appetizer Surprise

14 ounces Can artichoke hearts

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Mayo
nnaise

1/2 cup Sour cream

8 ounces Cream cheese

Garlic salt — to taste

Dill weed — to taste

Paprika

Drain and chop artichoke hearts finely and set aside. Mix remainingingredients until smooth and creamy. Add artichoke hearts and mix well.Place in long shallow dish that has been greased or sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 F. for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and brown.  Serve with Ritz crackers, or dipping cracker of your choice. Keep warm while serving.  A little dipper slow cooker would work perfectly!

Another book called, Dice with Spice would make a great gift or prize for a Bunco Babe.  Each recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.  It is a time saver and the recipes are delicious!  Since the holidays are upon us, check out the video tutorials by The Bunco Game Shop for Winter Wonderland Cocktails and Chocolate Cherry Hot Fudge Cake.

What is your favorite snack or appetizer to make for Bunco games around the holiday season?  Let me know on The Bunco Game Shop Facebook Page.  While you’re there, enter our monthly GIVEAWAY!

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Favorite Bunco Themes: Hawaiian Bunco

Photo Originally Published in Family Fun Magazine

I started my Bunco group 3.5 years ago, I didn’t know anyone at that game. Now, quite a few of those players are friends of mine. Our very first game was a Hawaiian theme.  It still comes up in conversation occasionally, it was really fun.  Of course everyone needs to wear a lei, the hostess can provide one at the door or each person can wear their own. A Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt is a nice touch too.  There is always the fun-loving Bunco Gal who will wear a coconut bra!

Food is also key for a successful Hawaiian Bunco.  Think tropical: teriyaki, pineapple, coconut, macadamia nuts (chocolate covered please!), even SPAM.  Drinks are important as well.  The Blue Hawaiian, a frosty alcoholic concoction is festive and delicious.  For those guests that do not drink alcohol, here are some recipes for some mocktail treats such as Pina Coladas, Mai Tais and Sunny Hawaiis.  Don’t forget the mini umbrellas for the drinks!  I made these Sweet Sandal cookies to our Flip Flop Bunco and they were a big hit!

Some fun variations of a sunny tropical Bunco theme include Flip Flop Bunco and Beach Blanket Bingo Bunco.  For Flip Flop Bunco have guests wear their most blinged out Flip Flops, the most bedazzled pair wins a prize!  We had some very creative ladies with mad glue gun skills at our Flip Flop Bunco night!  For Beach Blanket Bingo Bunco we played Bingo along with our Bunco game.  There were prizes for both games.  Of course for any tropical theme Bunco, ladies can wear beach attire (floppy hat, shorts, tank top, etc.).  To make this theme even more fun, you can switch things up and hold a tropical theme Bunco in the winter!  I live in the desert, so winter is the best time of year here. In other parts of the country, ladies may need to wear a jacket over their shorts or wear boots and change into flip flops at the party.  It is a great diversion from winter and a reminder of what’s to come in the future.

Has your Bunco group had a warm weather themed Bunco party?  If so, let me know about it on The Bunco Game Shop’s Facebook Page.

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

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Fall Bunco: Sweet Treats and Football

Salted Caramel Cake Pops

I asked our Facebook followers to let me know what their favorite fall themed Bunco ideas were.  There were some very creative ideas!  The most popular fall themes were Pink Ribbon and Halloween Bunco.  Some groups do a variation of Halloween theme, such a Howloween and Buncoween.  A group does Halloween with a Pink Twist.  That sounds so fun!  I think I will give that a try next year since I already have our Pink Ribbon Bunco planned for this month.

One Bunco player said that she hosts a Football Bunco each fall.  How fun!  I have seen some cute football themed plates, napkins, bowls, etc. at discount stores.  Guests can wear their favorite football jersey, t-shirt, hat or colors.  It would also be fun to have a game on in the background (perhaps your hometown team).  The best thing about Football themed Bunco is the food!  You can’t go wrong with dips kept warm in mini slow cookers along with some tortilla chips and crackers.  My favorite dips to make (and eat) are Spinach and Artichoke and Buffalo Chicken.  Both are really easy to make.  However, I have a sweet tooth and my favorite food at a Bunco game is usually dessert.  Salted Caramel Cake Pops would be a delicious addition to any fall Bunco theme (or any time of the year!).

Salted Caramel Cake Pops

1 Yellow Cake Mix baked in 13×9 pan according to package and cooled

1/3 cup canned vanilla frosting (or homemade)

1/2 cup salted caramel (I used Trader Joe’s brand)

1 bag chocolate melting wafers

1 cup white chocolate melting wafers

1 cup caramels (such as Kraft) unwrapped

1 tsp. water

Sea Salt for topping

32 lollipop sticks (available at craft stores)

styrofoam block (available at craft stores)

Shred the cooled caked and add frosting and salted caramel, mix well.  Shape mixture into balls.  Meanwhile, melt 1/2 cup of chocolate melting wafers in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted.  Dip a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and then stick it into the cake ball.  Line small cookie sheet with parchment paper and put all 32 cake pops on the cookie sheet (use two if you need to).  Put cake pops into freezer for about an hour.  When you are ready to dip the cake pops, put the remainder of the chocolate melting wafers into a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second increment until desired consistency is achieved.  Dip the cake pops one at a time into the chocolate mixture.  Stick the dipped cake pops into the styrofoam block and let dry.  Microwave white melting chocolate at 30 second increments until thin consistency.  Put a small dollop of white chocolate on each pop.  Next, put caramel and 1 tsp of water into microwave safe bowl and stir every 30 second until smooth.  Drizzle on top of the cake pops.  Finally, add a light pinch of sea salt onto each cake pop.  Enjoy!

Do you have a sweet tooth?  What is your favorite dessert to make (or eat) at a Bunco game? If you prefer savory food, what is your favorite? Please share your answer on our Facebook page.  Let me know if you make the cake pops!

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

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Pink Ribbon Bunco

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

It is the perfect time of year to throw a Pink Ribbon Bunco party.  A party such as this can be held as a fundraiser or as your monthly Bunco group’s theme.  Your Bunco group could decide to forgo it’s winnings this month and donate.

I have been to both types of Pink Ribbon Bunco.  Bunco for Breast Cancer is an annual event held in my city.  It is held on the patio of a Mexican restaurant and there are hundreds of players.  It is so much fun and great prizes are given away.  I won an amazing Pampered Chef basket one year and another year  set of neckties for my husband.

My Bunco group has also had a Pink Ribbon Bunco theme in the past and we are planning another one later this month.  Everyone gets into the spirit and wears pink!  I will be decorating my chandelier with these adorable pink ribbon lanterns.  Our Bunco sheets will be printed on pink paper (of course!) and each player will have a cute Pink Ribbon pen on a rope.  The head table will be playing with novelty pink ribbon dice .  I can’t wait until the ladies see these!  Also, a friend of mine who sells awesome organizational products will be  at our Bunco game. There will be prizes such as pink key fobs and lanyards wrapped in mini Pink Ribbon bags.  One lucky player will go home with a prize from a giveaway!

No Pink Ribbon Bunco party would be complete without  some pink drinks like pink lemonade or a pink lady cocktail.   Bowls of pink treats would be fun to snack on.  Think pink candy coated chocolate pieces, pink malted milk balls, licorice, etc.  Pink paper plates, napkins , cups and tablecloths are a must too.  Pink Lemonade cupcakes would be a festive addition to the dessert table.  I made these cupcakes for a baby girl shower and they were both pretty and delicious.

My group uses two Bunco necklaces  during our games.  The necklaces change depending on the theme.  For October Bunco we will be using these fun Pink Ribbon Bunco necklaces.  They are sturdy and will be fine being tossed across the room.  They can be used again at next year’s Pink Ribbon Bunco game! If you get the first Bunco you get to wear a necklace throughout the game and you get your money back.  The other necklace we pass around each time someone gets a Bunco and the person with the last Bunco wins a prize.

Are you going to have a Pink Ribbon Bunco this month?  Have you had one in the past?  Let me know about it on our Facebook page.

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty

 

 

 

 

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Fall into Bunco: Fun Autumn Theme Ideas

Fall is officially here.  Pumpkin flavored beverages and desserts are already everywhere.  Even though I live in the desert and the weather is still quite warm, thoughts of fall bring hope of cooler weather and fun get-togethers with family and friends like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

This will be the fourth fall that my Bunco group has been together.  We have played  Harvest Bunco, Halloween Bunco (twice) and had an Apple themed Bunco.  I always coordinate the color of our Bunco sheets according to the monthly theme.  For Halloween Bunco I use orange and green paper, for Apple themed Bunco, red and green and for Harvest Bunco, gold, light brown and green.  This time of year there are cute fall paper products available: plates, cups, napkins, etc. which add to the festive atmosphere.

Another fun thing about fall themes are the endless food and beverage possibilities.  For Harvest Bunco we had mulled wine (check out these cute wine charms), for Apple Bunco we had hot spiced cider and for Halloween Bunco the hostess put dry ice in the punch and it looked like witches brew.  We have potlucks at our games and the ladies are very creative!  One of my favorite recipes for fall is a pumpkin dip I found on Allrecipes.com.  I made it for my Brownie Troop last week and one of the girls asked if she could lick the bowl!  Best of all it is inexpensive and easy to put together.  It tastes great served with apple slices, ginger snaps and/or Nilla Wafers.

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1/4 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Prizes for Fall Bunco are fun to coordinate with the theme.  Some of my favorite prizes are seasonal dish towels, candles, welcome signs and aprons.  This Halloween Dice Bracelet would be a perfect Bunco prize!

What Fall Bunco Themes (Halloween, Harvest, etc.)have you done with your Bunco group?  What are your favorite prizes and recipes for Fall Bunco themes?

We have been having technical issues with leaving comments on the blog, so please let me know your thoughts on The Bunco Game Shop Facebook Page

Keep Calm and Play Bunco,

Bunco Betty