Remembering What’s Really Important; Football Snacks!

As you can imagine what first drew me into the game of football was the incredible spread of snacks and beverages. I had never seen such a selection of food, not even Thanksgiving touches a football day snack fest.

Since the kids were wee little they have been excited about the Superbowl. Now as much as some of them loved football it was really the snacks I made and/or ordered that really got them going. I would put out way too much food and we would end up taking the left over goodies to work and school for the next three days. But it is always a fun and tasty time in our house.

Snack ideas for the big game? Of course I have some.

For the bacon lover with a sweet tooth try bacon wrapped dates, an easy dish to put together and very finger food friendly. Like the concept, but more of a savory, try bacon wrapped water chestnuts. Both are simple, cut a pound of bacon in half and wrap one half piece around a date or water chestnut. Put on a baking sheet and cook at 400 degree's until the bacon is at a desired crispiness. Usually about 15-20 minutes and turn them once while cooking.

Another favorite with bacon is bacon wrapped little smokies. Cut a pound of bacon in half or even thirds and wrap around each little smokie, secure with a toothpick. Place them on a baking sheet and cook till bacon is crispy at 400 degrees turning the once while cooking. Once the bacon is crispy put them into a crock pot set on low with a finely chopped medium onion and a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce.

For the hoagie hero in your life try an arrangement of small sandwiches. Ordering them from your local deli is almost easier and can be cheaper. If making your own sandwiches get small rolls, I like to use simple dinner rolls at King Soopers in the bakery section. Choose meats on sale and prepackaged cheeses are just fine. I typically will get a ham, turkey and a small amount of roast beef then buy store brand prepackaged cheese and divide each slice into four. So one piece of cheese just made four sandwiches, easy to get away with when you're usually dinner rolls for buns. If you want to add lettuce feel free, but really not necessary and depending how long they'll be out they may just get soggy.  Also to make things easier pre load each sandwich with a thin layer of mustard and/or mayo. This just makes it easier to set up and a lot less messy if people aren't adding condiments that will certainly end up all over and on the floor.

Veggies are an easy addition to your display, but don't go overboard. Most people don't like raw cauliflower, I don't know why I love it cooked and raw, but that's me. In all of the times that I have set out veggies, there is always a bunch of cauliflower left over and if you're tearing apart the head like I do, it's a lot of work for nearly nothing. I would stick to the simple ones like baby carrots, celery and sliced cucumbers. That is enough to cool a palate or change up tastes without breaking the bank and making a lot of work for you.

Wings are always a must in our house and they are always ordered. I don't mess around with frozen wings, they never stand up to good taste in my opinion, even when I over cook them a bit I feel they are just too fatty. I have made them before from scratch and they are amazing, but the house smells like fried food for three days because you have to cook so many and because of cooking so many it takes quite a lot of time to git r' done. So pick up the phone and call your local wing place and get your order in for pick up on the big day, the sooner you call the sooner you'll be able to pick them up on game day.

Of course no game day is complete without chips and dip and/or salsa. I always have a ridged potato chip and a french onion dip and a tortilla chip and salsa. I always make my own french onion as I do not care for many pre made dips. French onion dip is easy, 16 ounces of sour cream and 1 package of dried onion soup mix. Salsa for me is a mixed bag, I make it or I buy it.

Whatever you put on the table will be enjoyed. Have fun and Go Team!