A Yummy TV Debut with World Series Party Ideas

Yesterday was a first me. I appeared on our local CBS station, Channel 4 KMOV's Great Day St. Louis. It was exciting & fun. St. Louis is in intense Cardinal-mania mode as we are in one heart-stopping World Series game after another. When I got a call from producer Brooke at Great Day St. Louis with an invitation to participate in their show's Cardinal-mania, I jumped at the chance. You know I'm a Cards fan, you know I love to cook--both of these were on display during my live 4-1/2 minute cooking segment.

I demonstrated my Red Hot Popcorn Party Mix on the show that I've shared in a previous post. If you want to watch my TV debut, just click below. We ran out of time before I got to show everything I'd brought to share, so I've included those ideas and photos below the video link. The Great Day St. Louis hosts talk for approx. 3 minutes before my segment begins. To play the video, mouse over the bottom left of the image and click on the play arrow; or, click "view full article" and then the play arrow.

Being a newbie to live TV, there were a few things I learned...

• The people at Channel 4 are every bit as nice and friendly as they appear on TV. Do you ever wonder if the hosts of these shows are just good actors faking it? Can they really be that jovial and fun? Well, in this case the answer is YES! Every single person I dealt with at Great Day St. Louis was genuinely nice, fun, and friendly. They made me feel welcome. The relaxed, friendly atmosphere kept me from getting nervous for even a single second.
• It's not true that TV cameras add 10 pounds. They add 20. At least. So, when you watch the video, keep in mind that I really look 20 pounds thinner. At least.
• HD is a friend to viewers but not those being filmed. Let's just say that I like watching the video of my segment much more on my tiny computer screen than I do on our big flat screen HD TV. There is way more Monica than the world needs to see on the big HD TV version. Watching it on a teensy cell phone is even better. 
• It takes a village to put on a TV show. Wow, was I impressed with how much goes into pulling together just one of these shows. I'm sure I don't know the half of it. Every detail was tended to, and every second of the show well planned ahead of time. I can't believe they can pull that off again and again, show after show, day after day. From Brooke (the producer who quickly got me up to speed on how/what to prepare for the show), to Sammy (who met me at the door and tended to every detail necessary to get me set up in the kitchen), to Kent (who hosted my segment, was HILARIOUS to work with, and instantly put me at ease), to the camera person (who magically zoomed in on the right ingredients at the right time), and the countless people behind the scenes I couldn't see, everything proceeded seamlessly from one segment to the next. A big shout out of THANKS to everyone at Great Day St. Louis!
• When you're on TV, you're in a time warp. Seriously. When my segment ended, I would have sworn that they'd cut my 4-1/2 minutes short. I was sure I couldn't have been talking more than 2 minutes and that's why I didn't have time to show the ideas pictured below. WRONG! I timed the video when I got home, and it was slightly more than 4-1/2 minutes. I guess time flies when you're having fun.
• Everything is better with a friend. My friend Sandy volunteered to come along with me to the studio to help haul in my stuff, set up, clean up, take photos, and provide moral support. I appreciated all of her help, but the best part was having a friend who was there and could review every detail of the experience with me on the ride home. HUGE thanks to Sandy. Love you, girl.

Serving and Decorating Ideas

Here are some of the ideas I had displayed during my TV segment but didn't have time to share. These Cardinal ideas can be adapted for any team event.

Baseball snack helmets. I love these. T-Man and Brackenthebox used to eat snacks out of these regularly when they were little. The rims are a handle that's easy to hold on to. I was excited to find that they're still available and perfect for serving up this Red Hot Popcorn Party Mix. I bought these Cardinal helmets at a local Dierbergs grocery store, but they're also available online at Amazon. It looks like they have them for all of the baseball teams. Cute, decorative, and functional.

Last week, T-Man (in San Francisco) and Brackenthebox (in Boston) received a Cardinals Care Package from home --it included these snack helmets and a batch of Red Hot Cardinal Popcorn. They are forever Cardinals fans. Some things you never outgrow...

You can also tie the filled caps in a cellophane bag for a fun gift or party favor.

Here's another way to make a gift out of the Red Hot Popcorn Party Mix. Add some to a cellophane bag, insert a Cardinals crazy straw, and tie it with color-coordinated string or ribbon. I got these fun straws at Partyland/American Carnival Mart here in St. Louis, but I've seen them around town in other stores. Check your local party stores for similar straws for your team or party theme. They're available in all kinds of varieties.

World Series Centerpiece (easily adaptable for any team or sporting event)

Here's an easy, festive centerpiece. The color and theme can be changed to fit any occasion.

I had to include a rally squirrel! (If you're not a Cards fan, you may have no idea what this is about. It's explained in a previous Yummy Chatter post.) I added some bling to the squirrel's tail by twisting around some sparkly ribbon. Hey, if I'm going get cheesy, I'm going all the way! My friend Sheri gave me this squirrel--originally intended as a fall decoration. Who knew he would become part of my Cardinal-mania decor!

Here's what I included in the centerpiece arrangement.

• red metallic sprays and stars (also from the party store)--these were packed away with my 4th of July decorations--the colors and theme work for the Cards, too
• Cardinals crazy straws (source explained above) -- these work great in centerpieces because of their fun shape and color. The round thingie with the Cards logo slides up and down on the straw, so it can be positioned where ever you want it in the centerpiece arrangement

• A World Series button. (Also from Partyland/American Carnival Mart) I fed a bamboo skewer through the pin on the back and taped it in place. That makes it easy to insert in the centerpiece.
• A Cardinals felt pennant. (Also from Partyland/American Carnival Mart) These came without the stick, so I inserted a chopstick.

• I used leftover Red Hots for filler in the mug that served as a centerpiece base. This continues the "red hot" theme of the popcorn mix--fun, colorful, and functional!

Here's the link to my Red Hot Popcorn Party Mix, in case you missed it:
Click here

I should share that Yummy reader, Julie, posted on my Facebook page that she made this popcorn mix but called it Ranger Red Popcorn. Gulp. Hadn't occurred to me that it works for both of the World Series teams. Either way, it's red hot and delicious!

(GO CARDS!)

Make it a yummy day! 

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