Help give me some ideas for my Game of Thrones Potluck Season 2 premiere party!!!

March 12, 2012 12:12 PM

I'm planning a party for the Game of Thrones premiere on April 1st, we're planning on doing a potluck, using the show as a theme for the dishes. I have already found several sites or blogs dedicated to recipes of dishes mentioned in the books. But if you do have a good recipe, please feel free to share it as well!!

Mostly I was wondering if anyone had any creative ideas to create a GOT style ambiance! I wanted to try to decorate our house and yard in a style consistant with the show/books etc. Preferably something that I could made or do myself that wouldn't end up costing me an arm and a leg. I'm already planning on spending money on venison/quail/rabbit etc, and I wanted to try to keep additional costs to a minimum, but I'm having a little trouble coming up with things I can make or do myself to create a little atmosphere, so I figured who better to ask than the hive mind?

posted by Quincy to home & garden (28 answers total)

If you're down for puns....make everyone an individual Flannister?
posted by troika at 12:14 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Cover your floor in rushes and encourage your guests to fling their bones to the ground?
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:17 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Inn at the Crossroads is one of the blogs you've found, right? If not, it should definitely be your first stop.
posted by lilac girl at 12:19 PM on March 12, 2012

Yup, thats the one!
posted by Quincy at 12:20 PM on March 12, 2012

A pile of giant chicken or turkey roast drumsticks that people can take one big bite out of and then toss over their shoulders whilst gulping down a goblet of mead. Like Henry the 8th.

(really, this is a fairly common shorthand image of the historical King Henry VIII in England)
posted by Bwithh at 12:20 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Less flippantly... I would put a lot of candles around the room and either dim the lights or just fling a scarf over the lampshades to make it all dim and flickery and dramatic. Also, I would haul in every blanket and pillow from every room and cover the floor with them for optimum lounging.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:21 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

GRRM took great delight in listing truly unappetizing "delicacies" as they would have been enjoyed in medieval Europe and the near-east... lamprey pies and larks tongues and such.

I'd swipe recipes from the Brian Jaques fans instead. Best food in all of fantasy literature, bar none.
posted by Slap*Happy at 12:30 PM on March 12, 2012

heads on pikes as decor!
posted by katypickle at 12:38 PM on March 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

Ohhhh yes, please dip Barbie heads in tar and mount them on pencils atop your TV
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:40 PM on March 12, 2012 [10 favorites]

Get a bunch of faux fur things from the thrift store (stuffed animals?) cut them into the shape of "skins" and drape them over all the furniture.

Take a large blanket in the appropriate color, paint whatever sigil you like best on it really frigging big and hang it on the wall.

Randomly kill somebody in the middle of the meal. Preferably somebody that everyone really likes.
posted by milk white peacock at 12:45 PM on March 12, 2012 [9 favorites]

Black acrylic paint makes an excellent tar. I know this because I stepped on a tube of it once and ruined an entire pile of laundry.
posted by troika at 12:45 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Don't forget it's April Fool's Day, too, I'm sure someone here more clever than I can come up with something jester-y.
posted by thinkpiece at 12:55 PM on March 12, 2012

Seeing as how it's April 1, maybe you could meme it up. For instance, include a donation box for the local SPCA or Humane Society and include this sign. Or a "brace yourself" poster on the door.
posted by zombieflanders at 1:04 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Though I don't remember it ever mentioned, I suspect that beef tongue would go over well, both in terms of having a striking appearance and in being delicious, particularly in a sweet and vinegary sauce that just feels ancient. Duck hearts are also delicious. Unfortunately, I've only had these things at restaurants, so I can't vouch for any particular recipes.
posted by Schismatic at 1:08 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Also, dark beer. A lot of it. Bread and two little fish and bacon burnt black optional.
posted by zombieflanders at 1:14 PM on March 12, 2012

Raw horse hearts.
posted by cecic at 1:14 PM on March 12, 2012

"Raw horse hearts."

Made out of JELLO! A juicy sticky cherry flavored horse heart should be pretty easy to sculpt or generate a mold for.
posted by Blasdelb at 1:19 PM on March 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

Heart mold. I was being a smart ass, but this could be funny.
posted by cecic at 1:22 PM on March 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

Young men to follow impostant guests around, with a large decanter of wine?

Otherwise, Direwolf cupcakes.
posted by aimedwander at 1:23 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

Roasted, honeyed parsnips (aka neeps).

A roasted capon (if you can find it; it's a castrated rooster), or, barring that, a roasted chicken.
posted by kdar at 2:17 PM on March 12, 2012

(Ack, sorry, neeps are actually rutabaga.)
posted by kdar at 2:18 PM on March 12, 2012

I'd cut out seven-sided stars out of various colors of paper and hang them all around the room. Or if you're doing a Stark thing, perhaps a some way to mock up a Weirwood? At least, red leaves/cut outs?

You can also assign people to certain houses as they come in - and just let that work out as it might. They may play along, and if they don't, it'll still be cute.
posted by SNWidget at 2:52 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Lots. and. lots. of. sigils.

Get fabric or sheets from the goodwill, cut them all up into banners. Get paints and brushes in different colors, and have everyone paint their own. Hang them everywhere.

It will be fun for people to participate in the decor.

(and it seems like you can never have too many sigils)
posted by Vaike at 2:59 PM on March 12, 2012 [2 favorites]

That's cute! I could draw or print up different house sigils. Maybe lay them out for people to choose? Last one there gets House Bolton!
posted by Quincy at 3:00 PM on March 12, 2012

I like the idea of getting cheap fabric and trying to mock up banners. If you're the Feast Hall at Winterfell, you have the Umbers, the Boltons, the Manderlys, the Glovers, etc. Well, depending on what part of the series you're at...
posted by SNWidget at 3:10 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Stack your ice cubes vertically, like a wall.
posted by Paragon at 3:14 PM on March 12, 2012 [4 favorites]

My roommates and I had a Game of Thrones party and we made the Beef and Bacon Pie (Medieval Version) from Inn at the Crossroads with this pie crust (stop kneading it while there are still random big butter pieces in it). It was good enough that we made it again a few months later just because it was tasty. The onion, beet, and green bean salad was alright and the spiced plum mousse wasn't worth the effort.
posted by asphericalcow at 6:09 PM on March 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hot pies.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:41 AM on March 13, 2012 [1 favorite]