I love any excuse to make a fun dinner menu. You might not necessarily think that a college basketball tournament could be culinary inspiration beyond game food, but I think it is!
Not only are seasonal or event-inspired menus more fun to eat, and turn what could be a regular weekend meal into something exciting, they are really fun to plan.
Here are my starter ideas for building fun menus around March Madness:
- The “madness” menu. There is a lot of opportunity here and it’s mostly repackaging a menu centered around one food and slapping a madness name on it. My favorite one of these that I have repeated a few times has been “mushroom madness,” where I featured mushrooms as the centerpiece of the meal. Starting with mushroom crostini or stuffed mushrooms, a main dish of mushroom risotto or one year a wild mushroom pasta dish, etc.
- The “final four” menu. This could be anything from a four-course dinner to four dishes inspired by the final four teams. This is where as a cook, I love a challenge to come up with creative ways to incorporate a theme. Today’s matchups could be great inspiration. For example, how could you bring Illinois, Michigan, Kansas and Pennsylvania into your menu?
- The “versus” menu. I haven’t officially decided but I think this is where I’m heading for tonight’s menu. For example, I could pick the Kansas vs. Villanova matchup and run with it: Kansas barbecue vs. the Philly cheesesteak? Or maybe just a two-course main dish that is one dish vs. another.
- The “Cinderella story” menu. I have yet to do this one, but what a great excuse to take inspiration from some of the Cinderella stories this year. Whether you go full-on princess theme (peasant girl or fancy), or are inspired by a specific college, there is a lot of opportunity here. Bonus points for discussion of the teaching points on the value of hard work and believing anything is possible.
The best part is it you could make just about anything work and it could be a lot more fun than the standard Saturday fare you were thinking about. Take a shot!
Photo by Ryan Graybill on Unsplash
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