Roasted Garlic Aioli Recipe

Hosting a basketball watch party at home without snacks……is like rooting for a team that’s not playing.  I had fun putting together a little BASKETBALL PIZZA PARTY for the nail biting games.  I like to keep parties simple.  ROASTED GARLIC AIOLI alongside a variety of fresh-baked pizza and veggies has winner written all over it!

I’m excited to be partnering with DIGIORNO pizza this year! DIGIORNO pizza has been a family favorite oven-ready pizza for as long as I can remember. I usually pick up a few each time I go grocery shopping, they make getting dinner or lunch on the table quick, easy and delicious and they are perfect for parties.

Tips for Throwing a Last Minute {Basketball} Party

Throwing a full court press party with a few friends doesn’t have to be stressful.

CLEANING:  When throwing a last minute party, you don’t have time to clean your whole house.  Grab a basket (a laundry basket works well) and go through the rooms your guests will be in and pick up any items that don’t belong.  If you don’t have time to put the items away, just put the basket in a closet and deal with it after the party.  Give the rooms you’ll be using a quick cleaning, with a little extra attention to the bathroom. 

DECOR:  No need to go out and buy a bunch of party decor.  Use orange and white curly ribbon and place pieces around the table and hang it off of platters and crates.  Place a real basketball on the table.  Use white cake stands and crates to add some height to the table.   Platters from previous parties (I always save those plastic platters and trays you get when you have food catered).  Use orange and white plates, napkins, cups and cutlery, they are usually cheaper than the themed products and can be reused easier. Use small chalkboards to let your guests know what you are serving – use basketball terms in your descriptions like “Free Throw Four Cheese” or “Three Pointer Pepperoni” .  If you want to buy some party decor, keep it to a minimum, and pick up items you can store and reuse (like the basketball cupcake pics, I washed and put away in a plastic bag; the centerpiece was only $6 and folds up, so I put it in a bag with the pics and we can use again next time!)

FOOD:    Buy it, don’t make it.  I picked up 3 different DIGIORNO pizzas. I like DIGIORNO Original Rising Crust pizza because it’s consistently good, but they also have a large variety of other hot fresh-baked crusts, mouthwatering toppings and no waiting on delivery!  If disappearing slices were any indication, I’d say everyone enjoyed the pizza.

Make pizza kabobs. Cut small squares of pizza, stack and securing together with a skewer then add a washi tape flag on top to make a fun party presentation!

DIGIORNO pizza Quattro Formaggi/Four Cheese , Original Rising Crust Pepperoni and Cheese Stuffed Crust Bufalo Style Chicken were served at the party

To change up pizza a little, try serving it with dipping sauce.  The only food I made for our basketball party was a Roasted Garlic Aioli (recipe below).  The roasted garlic gives the aioli wonderfully mellow but intense flavor.  Roasted Garlic Aioli is fabulous on sandwiches, but it’s also a great dip for pizza, veggies and french fries.  Serve other dips for the pizza like, ranch dressing with a little buffalo sauce mixed in, white BBQ sauce and a creamy queso.  With 3 different pizzas and 4 sauces the flavor combinations were as endless as the slam dunks!!

A veggie tray, a variety of orange chips, orange soft drinks and store bought mini cupcakes round off the buffet table perfectly.

A simple basketball pizza party spread for the win!!  DIGIORNO pizza certainly helped me rise to the occasion!

RELAX and ENJOY: Don’t stress about the small things (chances are your guests won’t even notice you didn’t dust)…….. relax and enjoy yourself. I had so much fun putting this party together, because I didn’t have to spend all my time in the kitchen.  I put the table together early in the day, and put the pizzas in the oven as the guests arrived.  By the time I had the other food out, the pizzas were ready and everyone was ready to dribble down the court to the food table! 😉

Head to DIGIORNO.com to find more pizza varieties, as well as DIGIORNO on Pinterest for more entertaining inspiration.  Follow DIGIORNO on Facebook and Twitter too!

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Roasted Garlic Aioli

Yield: 1 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

•  3 whole heads garlic
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut the tops off the garlic heads (to expose garlic cloves).  Place on a large piece of aluminum foil.  Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Wrap foil tightly over garlic heads and place in oven for 40 minutes.
3. Remove garlic from oven, allow to cool, then squeeze the pulp from the skins (you'll need 1/3 cup)
4. Place roasted garlic and remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended.
5. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

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Disclaimer: I have been serving my family DIGIORNO pizza for years.  I’m super excited to have a working partnership with them.  As always, all opinions and views are all my own. Thank you for supporting sponsors that allow me to create new content for TidyMom.