SUPER LAST MINUTE IDEAS FOR THE BIG GAME

FOOTBALL .... Even if you don't care about the game at all, getting family and friends together for game day is a great excuse to make all of your favorite guilty pleasure snacks! Here is my party planand a few tried and true recipes to make your own game day party easy!

FAN FAVORTIE MENU

The good news is, people always love it when someone else cooks for them. If you’re ambitious, make everything from scratch. Or you can buy it. Or you can do what I do—a little of both.

Start with a cheese board. I'd even go old school and crank out a cheese ball. (They're making a comeback, did you know?) People love them. Add cured meats, pate, radish, and cornichons. People love to chat and graze and a cheese board makes that so easy. Three to four cheeses is enough if you’re serving other food. Offer a big baguette or loaf of freshly baked bread; cheap and filling if you’re on a budget.

Chips and dip is the number one item people crave for the big game. Break out your best dip recipe or use one of mine. Charred Onion Dip with Baked Pita Chips or Chunky Blue Cheese Dip you can serve with crackers, chips, or veggies.

Wings. In fact, more than 1.23 billion wings will likely be eaten during Super Bowl weekend. Get them from your favorite restaurant or try my spicy, glazed baked Diablo Chicken Wings.  So easy, so good. The cool blue cheese dip is the perfect compliment.

Anything in the shape of a football. Have you seen Pinterest? Pinners have gone football crazy. Shape your food like a football and everyone will ooh and ah over it, no matter what it is.

Chili Cheese Empanadas are fast, even if you make the pastry from scratch. Brown onion and ground beef. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add chili seasonings, cheese, and allow to cool.. Stuff it all in a pastry crust. Bake according to crust instructions.

Serve withmarinara -make my quick marinara- or buy one at the store. You can also serve with a fresh tomato salsa.

EASY TO MAKE DECORATIONS

If you are like me, you have totally forgotten decorations at least one time in your life. Luckily, I had remembered pretty napkins so I was able to come up with a quick backup plan. Simply pinch the napkin in the center and twist, securing with tape. Make at least six and secure them with floral wire. You can make a loop or a hook and hang them with a string, rope, or piece of twine.

Use brown craft paper to cover items like this can, creating a football theme. Use paper or tape for the white laces. If you use a tin can like I did, be sure to cover the cut edge with brown paper to keep guests from cutting themselves. I didn’t have craft paper so I used an old grocery bag. The project was essentially free.

A green chenille rug or bath mat (especially handy if you’re serving drinks on ice) can make a football field. All you need is some white electrician’s tape and some stick on numbers to turn it into a football field table runner. This project cost under $10.  

Ready? Get those friends on the phone and invite them over. We got this!

More of my favorite game day ideas:

Make a Taco Bar

Build a Bloody Mary Bar

Host a Souper Bowl Showdown 

EASY ENTERTAINING: HOW TO SET UP A TACO BAR

One of my favorite ways to entertain is to set up a D-I-Y station or interactive bar and one of my favorites is a DIY Taco Bar. You can dress it down or make it more upscale- that all depends on your budget and your crowd. 

A taco bar is one of the easiest ways to serve your party guests! (Photo by Arden Photography)

THE MENU

The centerpiece of my DIY taco bar is always my Slow Roasted Chipotle Pork recipe and/or, based on my budget, my Tequila Lime Tuna. They are both so good- inside a taco or on their own. Add a couple of salsas... I always have one mild, one spicy, and one spicy-sweet like my Pineapple Tomato Salsa for the perfect fresh toppings.

When building a taco bar, it is important to consider the flavor of everything you offer;  the flavors need to work well together. Your guests will love this easy to make, easy to serve menu and you can have fun at your own party!

My Slow-Roasted Chipotle Pork is always on my taco bar. Simply shred it using two forks and dress with a squeeze of lime, and a pinch of cilantro. Add a fresh salsa or slaw. (Photo by Arden Photography)

If you have the budget for it, my Tequila Lime Tuna makes incredible tacos! (Photo by Arden Photography)

Other options for your tacos are hamburger, chicken, shrimp, or steak. Provide two or three options so guests have a choice. Keep the meat warm in a warmer, slow cooker, or on the stove.

SET UP

Start with a big basket of chips. Use two kinds if you can find them; I used corn and blue corn. Add sliced limes, cilantro, salsas, a hot Queso dip, creamy guacamole, pico de gallo, sliced jalapenos, lettuce, and cheese for the condiments. I like to warm the tortillas in a damp kitchen towel in the microwave. Or put them into the oven; wrap in foil with a damp paper towel inside to steam them slightly. I prefer corn tortillas. If your store doesn't have them, inquire at your favorite Mexican restaurant. (I always pick up tortilla chips from my favorite Mexican restaurant. Serve them warm and hit them with a pinch of salt... soooo much better than store bought chips!)

For a big crowd, there is no shame in using paper plates and napkins for serving to make clean up easy.  I like the square, white Chinet plates you can find at the grocery store. They are made in the USA from recycled material and are biodegradable for home composting. I LOVE that. Caspari makes pretty plates and napkins in all sorts of patterns and themes. Find at higher end gift or specialty stores.. The folks at SustyParty.com (they were on Shark Tank) make hip and environmentally friendly paper products that you can now find at Target. You can find a million different options of inexpensive paper products at the party store.

Get my Pineapple Tomato Salsa recipe... And thank you to my great and oh-so-talented friend, Tena Payne of Earthborn Pottery for the beautiful bowl and serving pieces.

DRINKS AND COCKTAILS

You can have a taco party without margaritas... but why would you?

Pre-mix drinks ahead and put them in a dispenser or pitcher so guests can help themselves. No bartending duties. Offer options for non-drinkers and designated drivers, too. I love pomegranate juice on ice topped with club soda for fizz. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Here are my two favorite margarita recipes: CLASSIC MARGARITA RECIPE and POMEGRANATE MARGARITA RECIPE.  

EASY TAILGATING SERVING SUGGESTIONS, RECIPES AND GAME DAY TIPS!

IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON... FOUR MONTHS OF GAME DAY TAILGATES, PARTIES, AND TEAM PRIDE. HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO KEEP IT FRESH, FUN, AND EASY!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME: MIX IT UP…one week Mexican with hats and decor, the next week you can take it to New Orleans with a Mardi Gras menu, the following week make it a Lowcountry crab boil, Italian, Pirate Party, Chili cook-off, beach party, etc. You don't have to go with BBQ, wings, or typical tailgate food every weekend.

MULTI-PURPOSE FOOD: For example, chili works for a variety of different foods... chili pie, tacos, hot dogs, nachos, and more. You can host a chili throwdown where everyone brings a Crock-Pot with their favorite recipe. Add a condiment and hot sauce bar so everyone can add their favorite toppings. Serve chili in individual Fritos or Doritos bags.... yes, serving right in the bag makes yummy Frito chili pie or nachos! This is so good and makes clean up a breeze. Best of all, no dirty dishes to take home.

Serve your chili in individual Frito or Dorito bags... delish and no dishes!

MY TOP 12 TAILGATING AND GAME DAY TIPS

1. When it is still hot outside, make sure to take an extra cooler filled with ice so you can keep drinks and food items cold and have plenty of clean ice for drinks.

2. Use multi-purpose glasses like the insulated glasses from Tervis Tumblers – they keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. LOVE THEM... especially when I have a party inside. No condensation rings and no broken glass. Plus they go right in the dishwasher.

3. A great way to keep hot food hot is to wrap and store them in a cheap Styrofoam cooler and pack it with newspaper. This will keep it hot until you are ready to serve.

4. Do most of the prep at home so you just have simple assembly or grilling when you get to the stadium.

5. If you don’t want to take a cooler- get a case of your favorite drinks, empty it and line with a white or clear garbage bag and put the drinks back and fill with ice. Afterwards, put the whole thing in the trash. I always double the bag so I don't have any leaks. You can also use a beer carton as a condiment holder. Works great! Save the carton from your next 6-pack!

6. Another use for a cardboard drink carrier- is to use it for a condiment carrier or a dip holder. Next time you go to Starbucks, save the carrier. Keeps dips and dippers organized and neat.

7. Pre-cook what you can. You can even pre-cook ribs and finish them on the grill. Just make sure to keep them well chilled.

8. Get in on the Crock-Pot craze…. Plug it in before you go to bed the night before and you’ve got a good start on lunch when you get there. My super easy Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle Chili is one of my all-time favorite chili recipes and I've had great reviews from people who have made it. Get the recipe....

9. One of the most frustrating things about going to the game is not being able to find your friends or their tailgate! Use a cluster of helium balloons and fly them way over the top of your tent so your friends can spot you from a distance! I got huge balloons and wrote on them with a marker to define our tailgate and help friends locate us easily. Don't use team colors; use pink or something easy to spot.

10. You don’t have to buy special football items or tableware- you can easily make a football field runner from placemats or some other item. I used a green chenille kitchen rug I got on sale for $4 at Target and lined it with white plastic electrician's tape. I got the numbers at Wal-Mart in the mailbox section but you can get stick-on numbers where you get scrapbook supplies also.

A chenille bath rug is a great, cheap table covering... this one was $4 on sale. Stripe with electrician's tape. Afterwards you can wash it and reuse.

11. Bring items in a large plastic tub. When you are ready to pack up, line the tub with a garbage bag and then put your dirty dishes inside. Makes for super easy clean up when you get home!

I love making a few big sandwiches rather than lots of little ones. This is a New Orleans style Muffuletta with lots of cured meats, cheese, and olive salad... it isn't a Central Grocery Muffuletta but really good and perfect for game day.

12. Make giant sandwiches instead of lots of small sandwiches. Just take a large loaf of bread and make one large sandwich. Slice it up and you are good to go! If you make hot sandwiches, make sure to double the foil on the bottom so you do not burn the bread. Open up the top of the foil for the last few minutes to get the bread toasty. Add a little cheese on top and toast it for some extra yum.