Hosting a Football Party

I kind of stopped doing football recipes mainly because our weekends have gotten so busy and I just haven't had the time to get creative with game day eats. And I completely forgot to tell you about a little football gathering at our place a few weeks ago. My parents and Kimberly & Nick came over to watch the Giants and so Shaun and I got to work on delicious spread. I wanted to keep things light and easy but lunch appropriate since the game started at 1 pm.

If you're looking for an easy menu for any gathering, I highly recommend this one! It was fun making new-to-my-family dishes and everything turned out yummily.

First up, I made my Greek layer dip, which remains one of my favorite dips ever.

I also made my favorite chicken salad veronique. It's perfect on toast, on chips or simply eaten straight off of a fork. Halved green grapes and fresh tarragon really make this a special, sophisticated treat.

To keep things on the light side, I also wanted to include a whole lot of veggies for dipping and snacking. I made a little crudite with spinach dip and my favorite veggie dippers.

Shaun made a rich and creamy hummus, topped with kalamata olives. Absolutely delicious!

To add a little warmth to the table, I cooked up a little pepperjack & pimento dip, one of our favorites this football season.

And to make another, heartier dish, Shaun put together marinated beef skewers! My mom brought the most delicious peanut sauce, which was the perfect dipper for the skewers. We also paired them with hoisin sauce for an additional flavor twist.

My mom brought a big green salad with grilled chicken and homemade balsamic dressing which was the perfect green addition to the spread.

For dessert? We dined on Kimberly's pumpkin & raspberry turnovers and my chocolate caramel apple bars!

And that, my friends, is what I call a perfect football Sunday.

Question of the Day:

Do you have a go-to party food that you always make? Usually my go to is pizza dip, but I tried to branch out a bit for this party!

Comments

[amy @ fearless homemaker]

the basis of most of our football parties is a big pot of something cozy, like chili, stew, or soup, then i make a bunch of sides, snacks, + desserts to accompany it. i don't make dips as often, although i absolutely love them, so i should!

[emily (a nutritionist eats)]

Wow, your spread is very impressive! For the Packer game on Monday I made baked chicken wings, spinach-artichoke dip with veggies, and cheese. :) So fun!

[Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean]

uh that pepperjack dip looks amazing!!

[Lauren at Keep It Sweet]

I want to start coming to your place for football:-)

[Joanna]

WOW! This is the best game watching food spread I've ever seen! I am not a sports fan but I tag along with my hubby when he watches games and I'm a bit tired of cheese doritos and ranch dip with carrots by the end of the season. I would definitely appreciate such a well thought out snack spread like this!! Great job!

[Trish]

I'm totally impressed! IF we even do football get-togethers we usually just have chips and dip. Man, I feel lame now ;-)

[Baking Serendipity]

I make spinach and artichoke dip a lot...I love all the alternatives you have to it here :) I definitely need to broaden my appetizer/snack recipe box!