Jalapenos Stuffed with Sausage and Cheese

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 Snacks

These are the snacks that are easy to put together, and mostly require minimal effort.

1. 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.
2. Garlic bread and cheese. Whether you buy or make your own, garlic bread and cheese is one of the easiest snacks to serve.
3. 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.
   
   
4. Mushroom caps. Stuffedmushroom caps(video) might be a little bit extreme for most football parties, but mushroom tartlets might hit the spot.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Nachos and cheese. Oven-baked or microwaved, nachos and cheese are oh so simple. Make on request.
8. Potato wedges. There's always at least one person at parties with a beer in hand, with a plate loaded up with potato wedges.
   
   
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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

Make Ahead Layered Salad

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.

12. Crudites and dip. How simple is this? Cut up a few veggies into bite-size pieces and serve with a nice dip.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.

18. 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.
19. "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.
20. 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.
21. 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

Quesadillas!

These are for those colder football days, between now and the Super Bowl, when you feel like something heartier.

22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. Burritos. Whether its beef and bean burritos or something vegetarian (video), these are easy to put together beforehand or assemble on the spot.
26. 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.
27. Meatloaf. Meatloafisn't particularly original, but if you like to get creative, you could shape it into a football.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. 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.
32. 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.

If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free.