Game Day Spread

It’s football season y’all! Let’s throw a party!

It’s here! My favorite time of year, fall. In my house we call it Clifford season from September 1-December 31. My husband’s birthday is mid-September and mine is in December so why not celebrate all 4 months, right? That is exactly what we decided to do when we hit 50. In 2017 we threw a Fall Fete for ourselves celebrating our 50th birthdays. We both have family histories that have a lot of members not living past their 50th birthdays so we were excited to be there. Every day is a gift, so why not celebrate our birthdays for four solid months, right?

The first thing we do is throw a football party usually on the NFL’s opening weekend. We put out a spread even if it is just for the 2 of us. My son-in-law, Joe, is a huge Nebraska football fan (GBR!) so in honor of his passion and love for college football we decided to kick off our football food season a little earlier this year. So that is how we got here.

Now what?

I am SO glad that you asked! My philosophy on what needs to be served at a football viewing party. You can make everything yourself (I have faith in you!) or ask people to bring things but consider assigning things to them so you don’t end up with 5 dips.

You can use paper plates and plastic silverware or you can use your every day dishes. Whatever makes you comfortable. It also can depend on if you are having a lot of people over or just a few. Either way it is totally fine. I like a good theme so I purchased this runner to help create the mood.

One thing that i think is key with this type of party is that everything is prepared or close to being done before guests arrive and you offer the accoutrements and they can assemble it to their liking. I will share below a sample menu and what else I would have ready to go.

My Ideal Menu

1. Chicken – Some sort of chicken is essential. They can be wings or nuggets whatever your heart desires. They can be a dry rub wing like i share here or you can pick up some wings at a local restaurant. I offer celery sticks and dipping sauce like blue cheese or ranch dressing. Since I prefer dry rub wings, I also put out some hot sauce if they want to make their wings more of a buffalo style.
2. Dips- I love a good dip. Chips are that snack that you can never just have one. I like to offer 2 dips for my guests. You can go with good ol’ potato chips and the dips that pair well with the potato option or you can go tortilla. I love to make Fresh Pico de Gallo with Grilled Pineapple and Rosemary Guacamole and serve them with tortilla chips. You could amp it up and do nachos and put the dips right on top of the plate.
3. Something spicy – My friend Izzie, makes incredible Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers. She uses canned pickled peppers and they are amazing. I have to have something to go with it so I jazzed it up by making some Jezebel sauce. These poppers are not to be missed and you can prep them ahead of time and pop them into the oven right before kick-off. Perfection.
4. Cheesy – I love cheese. It is one of my favorite things on this earth. Partly because there are so many variations but also I love the texture of gooey, melted cheese. Growing up my mom would make little Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders. I remember my uncle Tim trying to grab one hot out of the oven and my mom telling him to leave them alone. He looked at me with his devilish smile and said “I can’t, they are my favorite”. I have to agree with my late uncle. They are a winner. My mom’s version is with Pepperidge Farm rolls that come 12 in a pack and are all connected. The ones on Hawaiian rolls are winners in their own right.
5. Chili – Is it even a football party if there is not some big pot of something on the stove? I love a good chili bar. Sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced scallions and jalapenos served alongside some cornbread. That screams America to me. What kind of chili do you prefer? I live in TX so obviously I am going to go with my Double Beef Texas Style Chili as my favorite but you do you. If you want beans in it, go for it, just don’t tell anyone from TX it is chili. It will now be referred to as a stew.

Kick-off time

I really like to have everything set up and ready to go with my guests arrive. Outside of the chili, which I will either leave on the stove or put in a crockpot, can be served room temp. I like to put it all on an island or table with all of the fixins you can imagine. This way everyone can help themselves and you can enjoy the game.

Even if football is not your thing and thats ok, you can do a fall party for any reason. The same menu will work out just fine. Who knows, maybe you will catch football fever and watch a game or two.

Bon Appetit!