posted in Appetizers and Snacks by startcooking team

Football fans hanging around with friends, especially on a weekend, get just as hungry as all-night gamers.
So what's on your party menu for football viewing? You'll always find
us in the kitchen at parties, so we've put together the following
items, which go beyond bowls of corn chips, pretzels and cheesies. We make
no specific claims about their healthiness, so pace yourself if you
suffer from health conditions. Your final menu choices will depend on
how much prep work you feel like doing for your party. The Easy & Traditional SnacksThese are the snacks that are easy to put together, and mostly require minimal effort. - Kielbasa wedges
.
What meat lover doesn't like kielbasa? Buy a length of kielbasa coil,
peel off the "skin", cut up some thick slices, then cut those in half.
Serve with crackers and/or cheese.
- Garlic bread and cheese. Whether you buy or make your own, garlic bread and cheese is one of the easiest snacks to serve.
- Meatballs. Little meatballs
on toothpicks are always a crowd-pleaser. You can buy a bag frozen,
fresh at the deli, or make your own. For a bit of a change-up, try sausage balls (shown below) If you're health-conscious, use turkey sausage.
 - Mushroom caps. Stuffedmushroom
caps(video) might be a little bit extreme for most football parties, but mushroom tartlets might hit the spot.
- Chicken wings. Make
chicken wings in the oven
for an easy-to-prepare football snack that everyone will appreciate.
Serve with the traditional sides — thick blue cheese dressing, celery
and carrot sticks, hot sauces, and a fistful of napkins.
- Grilled sausages.
If the weather's still good (or you'll grill in the snow), fire up the
backyard grill and throw on some nice Italian or Polish sausages.
- Nachos and cheese. Oven-baked or microwaved, nachos and cheese are oh so simple. Make on request.
- Potato wedges. There's always at least one person at parties with a beer in hand, with a plate loaded up with
potato wedges.
 - Stuffed potato skins. Or if it's not wedges, it's potato
skins, which can be assembled ahead of time for baking. The basic recipe
is simple, variations are endless. Make sure to set out extras, like
sour cream, chopped chives, crumbled bacon, and grated cheese.
- Classic cheese ball. Whether you choose to go with a simple version, or festive favorites, a cheese ball always disappears by the end of the game. Serve with a variety of crackers or thinly sliced pumpernickel bread.
- Chex mix. There are an endless number of combinations to the snack most of us know as chex party mix. Customize to your liking, but keep an eye on the oven, as the onion powder tends to burn easily.
Lighter & Healthier Snacks
If
you're feeling slightly peckish instead of all-out hungry, here are a
few suggestions. Most are pretty traditional, like the items above -
just lower in calories. - Crudites and dip. How simple is this? Cut up a few veggies into bite-size pieces and serve with a nice dip.
- Cold cuts.
We feel that some of the best cold cuts and sliced meats come from Italian
markets. Just roll each slice up into a tube, or fold into a wedge, and
arrange on a platter.
- Olive selection. Even
simpler than cold cuts or crudites. While you're at that Italian or
Mediterranean market, pick up a nice array of olives - from savory to
spicy, with different stuffings, from pimento to cream cheese to even
almonds.
- Cheese bites and (wheat) crackers. Of
course, if you eat lots of cheese, it's not exactly low-cal snacking.
But with so much to choose from, go for different textures and flavors
- even some soft cheeses for spreading.
- A crazy big salad. A big
salad
is the perfect complement to most game day foods - and relieves the
guilt of eating all the other (heavier) snacks. Chop items small and
throw it all in — vegetables, fruits, olives, boiled eggs, cheese,
etc. — depending on your tastes. Top with balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive
oil and a squeeze of lime.
- Spanakopita.
Spanakopita, or baked spinach pie, isn't just a Greek favorite. This
delicious and relatively healthy pastry is even filling. Not everyone
finds making phyllo-based pastries easy, so you could always buy some in a Greek market, or frozen from your supermarket.
Sandwiches and Burgers What's a game party without some sort of sandwiches. Here are a few variations, some possibly unique to this article. - Hot sandwiches. Serve spicy Italian sausage with plenty of peppers and onions, topped with a rich tomato sauce or kielbasa with a stone ground, spicy mustard in split, crusty rolls.
- "Grilled cheese" burgers. You read that right. Make your burgers in one pan and keep it warm. Then, on order, make a
grilledcheesesandwich
(shown above)
in another pan, using regular bread slices. Split it open (careful,
it's hot) and place tomato slices, pickles (optional), and a cooked
burger patty. Have hot sauce or ketchup on the side.
- Ciabatta cheddar cheeseburger.
Want to upscale your cheeseburgers? Grab some Ciabatta buns (or loaf)
from your Italian grocery or supermarket. Prepare your burgers
normally, with cheddar slices on top to melt, set aside and keep warm.
Cut Ciabatta buns in half, grill cut side down in a clean frying pan,
possibly with a bit of olive oil or butter. Grilled Ciabatta buns give
a wonderful combination of both chewy and crispy. Top with a bit of
basil pesto, tomato and cucumber slices, and the burger. Cut in half
and serve with condiments.
- Pocket subs.
Whether you call them hoagies, rockets, subs or something else, these
are always a hit, especially with kids. Make sure you have lots of
small italian buns or sub buns, a variety of cold cuts, pickles,
toppings and spreads.
Something Extra and Hearty
These are for those colder football days, between now and the Super Bowl, when you feel like something heartier. - Perogies. Potato, onion and/or cheese perogies are so readily available in most supermarkets that you don't need to make them
from scratch. Serve with sour cream, salsa, dips, hot sauce.
- Pigs in a blanket. Don't forget the kids in the snack list. We don't know what it is about
pigs in a blanket, but kids love them.
- BBQ ribs. You don't need massive brontosaurus ribs like Fred Flintstone. Some regular sized, finger-licking,
melt in your mouth barbequed ribs (video) will do just fine.
- Burritos. Whether its
beef and bean burritos or something
vegetarian (video), these are easy to put together beforehand or assemble on the spot.
- Chili. A great, hassle-free, "simmer in the pot until you are ready for it" game food like
chili (video) is hard to beat. Chili is also an excellent make-ahead dish, freeing you up to enjoy the game while it simmers.
- Meatloaf. Meatloafisn't particularly original, but if you like to get creative, you could shape it into a football.
- Calzones. While traditional calzones are delicious, this spinach and ricotta stuffed variation, flavored with a touch of nutmeg, is simply delectable. Buy prepared pizza dough to make it easy.
- Pizza Loaf. This fast and simple-to-prepare pepperoni and cheese stuffed
snack is sure to be a hit served with a bit of tomato sauce on the side
for dipping. It's a fair bit like calzones, but probably less work over
all.
- Eggplant fries. Put a new spin on a common sandwich side and try eggplant fries, which are quick and delicious. They taste great on their own with salt, or served with ranch dressing on the side for dipping.
- Chicken kabobs. Kabobs are eaten in a number of countries across Northern Africa, Europe and South Asia. So you have many
flavor choices
for chicken kabobs. Or just buy some from the deli counter and throw them on the grill or bake in the oven.
- Samosas.
These East Indian potato-filled pastries are said to taste great with
beer - an alcoholic beverage of choice for football viewing. Making
these from scratch is time-consuming. So just pick some up fresh from
an Indian or Pakistani grocery store, or in frozen form from most large
supermarkets.
Now if none of these satisfy you and you want something more elegant, check out this upscale list of
football snack ideas from Epicurious.
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will
Some really good options in there !!! yay start cooking staff !
However :
I'd be afraid of being boo'ed bringing in a big salad or raw veggies and dip to a football game... mushroom tartlettes sounds divine, but it seems close to quiche, and "real men don't eat quiche" maybe things are changing -- in some places... and maybe some football fans are becoming veggie (not) but it's still a meat-eating event in my mind
add:
just regular hot-dogs !
fried mozarella sticks -- available frozen
english muffin pizzas
santa-fe chilie
and what about all the wonderful quesadilla recipes on the startcooking site ??? throw in some hamburger meat
grilled chicken
chips, popcorn, doritos, etc
nuts, (pumpkin seeds have lots of zinc and good for prostate)
beernuts
tuna melts !!!
more tuna melts !!!!!!
laughing cow party cheese cubes
how about chinese food -- spring rolls? get frozen and pop in the oven -- or buy at an asian grocery store
breaded fried shrimp -- also available frozen -just heat up
baked potatoes
oven roasted potatoes