Come Party With Me: Inauguration — Menu
Next week Barack Obama will make history when he is sworn in as president. Naturally, this momentous occasion deserves a party! The ceremony takes place on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 11:30 a.m. EST. Since most people will be working, I've decided to host my party the Sunday before. HBO is airing a special live program, We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, to kick off the festivities, and I've invited my friends over to watch it with me. While my election night menu featured patriotic dishes, this party will highlight dishes from Barack Obama's old hometown, Chicago.
For appetizers offer guests Garrett Gourmet Popcorn, flown in fresh from the Windy City. Make mini Italian beef sandwiches topped with giardiniera peppers. For the main course, serve two nontraditional (they're square shaped — no special circular pans necessary) deep dish pizzas. A pepperoni, onion, and mushroom pie is perfectly hearty while a spinach-artichoke pizza will satiate the vegetarians in attendance. To check out these tantalizing recipes, read more.
From Midwest Living Ingredients 1 17-oz. pkg. refrigerated cooked beef roast au jus Directions Makes 16 sandwiches. Mini Italian Beef Sandwiches

2 cups frozen peppers (yellow, green, and red) and onion stir-fry vegetables
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 cups shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup pepperoncini salad peppers, stemmed and chopped, plus 2 tablespoons drained liquid
16 2- to 3-inch rolls, split
giardiniera peppers (optional, for serving)
From Everyday Food Ingredients Olive oil, for pans Directions Serves 8.Deep-Dish Pizzas

All-purpose flour, for work surface
2 balls (1 pound each) store-bought pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1 1/2 cups jarred tomato sauce
6 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella (1 1/2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
For Pepperoni-Onion Topping:
4 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 pound thinly sliced button mushrooms, sauteed (optional)
For Spinach-Artichoke Topping
1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts in water, drained, quartered, and squeezed dry
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